Q & A with S.J.

Where did you get the idea for Aveline?

In 2012, I began writing a short story featuring two characters, Allyn and Aveline, a mother and daughter. Allyn was an important government figure, second to her father, the country’s president. Aveline was a twelve-year-old girl with a big heart and even bigger imagination but low self-esteem. Her main goal was to please her mother—much as mine was at that age. Allyn demands a certain level of perfection from her daughter in terms of her appearance, deportment, and grades. Naturally, Aveline struggles to live up to her mother’s ideals. Allyn, meanwhile, grapples with how to run a country in which a current of sedition runs just below the surface of polite society.

It is from this basic plot that Aveline took shape. My goal in writing the novel was to trace the development of its two main characters, who have completely different story arcs. Allyn begins as a propaganda minister whose job it is to mislead and entertain the public to gain power and influence. She wants to exert mastery over everything, including her daughter and even her own body. In fact, I mention how she keeps herself slim to show her self-control in a land of plenty. As she begins to see the devastating consequences of her actions, both personal and political, will she wake up and realize that she must change her approach before it’s too late?

Contrastingly, Aveline begins as a meek thirteen-year-old, a target for bullies at Belfort Academy, the premier school for the wealthy in the capital city of Calador. Despite being smart and resourceful—not to mention the daughter of the country’s ruling family—Aveline doesn’t realize her own power. Throughout the story, from the time she discovers her mother’s and uncle’s evil plot to brainwash those who speak out against the regime, to her harrowing journey beyond Calador, we see Aveline gain confidence and begin to trust herself.

What is your writing routine?

I have a full-time job outside of writing, so finding time to work on my own creative projects can be challenging. Often when I’ve been staring at a computer screen at the office for eight or nine hours, I don’t want to come home and stare at my laptop screen for another four or five. I know that some authors stick to a regular writing routine—for example, they might write for two hours every morning, or produce such-and-such amount of words per day. I’ve never been quite so disciplined. I tend to write voluminously when I’m inspired; sometimes I might write 4,000 words in a single evening. Other times, when I’m not so inspired, I read other novels or edit what I’ve previously written while on a “writer’s high.”