Interview With Author Jennifer L. Armentrout

So as most of you know from my page, or earlier posts, I'm a huge fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series. Obsidian is book one, and the prequel, Shadows will be out February 21, followed by book two Onyx on May 15. If you haven't read Obsidian I strongly suggest you do so! It's amazing and the characters are wonderful. It's not your average YA PNR at all. Kat, the heroine, has a wicked awesome vocabulary that is reminiscent to us everyday girls. There was no cliche when it came to Katy, because she was so normal, but not in a boring way, in a way that made her easy to relate to. The chemistry between her and Daemon is hot. And even though the story focuses mainly around them, the other characters do not get pushed to the side. Everyone is well-rounded and loveable... well, maybe not everyone, but you're suppose to love to hate them. The plot was so original and gripping and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest in the series!

So with my love of this book over flowing I got my courage together and sent an e-mail to it's author asking her to do an interview for this blog... and she said YES! I've been over the moon for two days. Here is our interview and I hope you all enjoy!

"Thank you so much for doing this!"

-Thanks for having me!

I just recently read Obsidian and as soon as I was finished I added it to my "Favorites List". Where did you come up with the idea for aliens? Was this something that has always fascinated you or were you trying to distance yourself from the usual "creatures" in the YA paranormal romance genre (like Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, etc)?

-Actually, I never considered writing about aliens. I mean, come on... aliens? My editor actually asked if I could come up with something about aliens in high school and at first, I laughed and was like no. Then I started thinking about it and thought wow this could be unique. The rest is history.

On one review in Amazon, Obsidian is considered a cross between the shows Roswell and Dawson's Creek; did you ever watch either of these TV shows?

-I think that was the RT Review. I watched Dawson's Creek during the first year or so, but I think I only caught one episode of Roswell. I remember a hot guy with dark and that was about it. My editor is an uber fan of Roswell though.

My favorite character is Daemon (who has now replaced Edward Cullen as my number 1 fictional boyfriend), who was your favorite and the most fun to write about from this series?

-Haha. Daemon would be proud to hear that. I'd have to go with Daemon as being the most fun. He's a lot more layered than what he appears, so he can be a bit complicated to write. Not to mention his character walks that fine line between being a complete douche and a loveable douche =)

Did you have to do any kind of research while writing Obsidian? And if so, what was the most interesting thing you learned while doing it?

-Yes. I have a Google degree in mineralogy and physics as it refers to light reflection and refraction and how wavelengths are affected by certain stones. All of that is real in the series believe it or not.

One of the things I love about Obsidian is Kat's vocabulary. Did you mold her after someone in your personal life or from yourself in anyway?

-Katy has a lot of my own vocab and I did mold her after some of the bloggers I've interacted with. Personally, I dog ear books all the time (GASP!), so I gave her some traits of a blogger and book lover.

On my blog I have a weekly post called "Tuneage Tuesday" where I share one of my favorite songs of the week that usually relates to a book in some type of way. Is there a song out there that you would consider the "theme" song to Obsidian or that you could see being played in a scene from the book?

-Everyone picks ET by Katy Perry. It's rather fitting.

How many books total will there be in the Lux Series?

-As of right now, three books plus a novella.

What kind of environment do you prefer when you're working on a novel? Does everything have to be quiet or do you have to have some type of noise?

-I like background noise, but cannot stand when someone is talking to me when I'm writing.

Since I was in 2nd grade, I've always wanted to be a writer. Did you always want to write or was there a time when you wanted to be something different?

-Yes. I always wanted to be a writer as cliche as that sounds. For a time being, I also wanted to be a criminal profiler too.

What is the best advice you could give to someone who does aspire to become an author?

-Read and write, rinse and repeat. In the world of writing, practice makes the closest thing to perfection.

Besides your own, what is your favorite book?

-Right now? I am loving the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.

And finally, do you believe aliens exist?

-I think it's arrogant of us to assume that in a vast, never-ending universe that goes on and on, that we are the only intelligent life form. Now, if only they looked like Daemon and crew...

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I couldn't agree with her more! 

Here is the Katy Perry "ET" video Jennifer mentions: