Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!
Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!
We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!
Introducing Nikki Kelly, YABC’s Author of the Week!!
NIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).
Meet Jonah (The Styclar Saga #3)!!
The conclusion of the Styclar Saga trilogy focuses on Jonah, the vampire badboy with a hunger for Lailah and a rivalry with the angel Gabriel.
Jonah is the vampire who saved Lailah from the appetites of even darker evil: the vampire Purebloods. Now he must decide whether he will give up his existence so that Lailah will survive—even if it means that she will spend eternity with his friend and rival, the angel Gabriel.
This stunning conclusion to the Styclar Saga will have fans deciding once and for all: Team Jonah or Team Gabriel?
Amazon * B & N * Indiebound
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
The Styclar Saga’s central character has always been Lailah, and as such the
story has always been told from her POV. Naturally, I therefore feel closest to
her, and I continue to wave my #TeamLailah flag loud and proud, but that doesn’t
nessesarily mean to say she’s my favourite character. In all honesty, I am quite
partial to the bad boy BAE, Jonah <3
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
The title.
Book 2 was always going to be entitled ‘GABRIEL’ as, although the story
continues to be told from Lailah’s POV, the focus shifts to her Angel in the
second book. And the third and final book, was always going to be ‘JONAH’, as he
shares much of the spot light alongside Lailah in the final instalment.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
The ending scenes, as they act as the coming together of the plot threads weaved
through all three books, and, finally(!), the last plot twists are revealed (and
they are corkers!). Quite frankly the last sentence of the story turned me into
a gooey puddle on the floor, and I knew then that I had done the right thing
with the ending.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing
you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
How to write! I think my actual *writing* got better the more I wrote, (funny
that!) and I learned how to edit myself more effectively.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
That the inspiration came straight from the pages of the story! This is the only
cover in the series where a scene directly out of the book was depicted for the
artwork. Long before my Editor had her hands on the finished novel, I emailed
over a paragraph from chapter two, along with various images from my Pintrest
board, and detailed description of Jonah as he appears by this stage of the
saga. I was BEYOND made up with what Rich Deas and the team came up with, as it
captures that *moment* perfectly!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Well, I’m keeping busy! I’m having some fun with a Henry Cavill fan fiction over
on Wattpad! – ya know, just coz 😉 Meanwhile, I am working on a new stand alone
novel, a story which has been brewing on the fringes of my subconscious for far
too long! Alongside that I am currently pitching a new TV series to some of the
major Kids TV networks 😉
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the readers who came on this journey
with my characters and with me. You made a very small hobbit sized gal, feel as
tall as a giant.
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
As always with my books, the beginning of the story acts somewhat as a ‘setup’
the middle builds and then the final third just tumbles into all out chaos, plot
twist reveals, face palm moments, and *throw the book at the wall* athletics!
The third book is an out and out emotional rollercoaster taking #ALL THE FEELS
to a whole new level!
…You might think that the opening prologue, a spin on the story of Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden might have been a challenge…
…Perhaps, harder still, narrating several chapters where your MC (in first
person) winds up in the third dimensions (hell) a place described as a
‘nothingness’ a ‘void’ — a world made up of ‘dark matter’.
… or maybe it’s the scene where Lailah loses someone VERY close to her, goes
nuts and starts pulling the moon out of the sky only for time to stop so that
God himself, can confront her.
…Or how about the ‘knocking boots’ scene, where Lailah finally gets it on with
her chap of choice 😉
… Possibly, it’s Lailah’s mission to the first dimension (heaven) where she
causes mass devastation.
…Or maybe, just maybe it’s uncovering the answer to the meaning of life.
Because YES we get that deep.
All the above (and more!) could be contenders, but truly, in the end, it really
was writing those final scenes. *sobs*
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest
book?
Who do you think (wink, wink 😉 Jonah of course!
YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or
Revising?
Drafting, because it’s the most creative part—it’s raw, unfiltered, story
telling!
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
My ability to live on a few hours of sleep per day!
Jonah (The Styclar Saga #3)
By: Nikki Kelly
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 7th, 2017
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
I love the cover! It’s a pretty color scheme and goes well with the other books, but looks a bit more eerie or mysterious. I’ve been interested in the series for a while, but waited to see how many books there would be and wait and marathon them (so I obviously love the synopsis). Thanks for the great chance!
Awesome synopsis! Sounds like a really great book and the cover is gorgeous.