My latest interview via THE WIZARD'S CAULDRON
Enjoy & have a great day
Vanessa :)
Vanessa Wester, thank you for participating in this interview. Throughout this interview we will ask questions relating to you that our readers will be interested in. For those of you who don't know, Vanessa is a short story and novel writer, who's works include The Evolution Trilogy, where a boy named Steven Thorn finds himself as a the next generation of human, a hybrid; Half human and half new breed. We meet love, hate and truth, which bring Complications upon Steven and his family. He finds that his mother is the reason the new species cannot live in peace with the humans. In Return, a further twist of events makes this thrilling trilogy reach its climax. Read more about Hybrid, Complications and Return by clicking here.
Now you know a little bit about Vanessa, let’s begin with the questions!
Vanessa, what inspiration did you have to write your first book?
The idea for 'Hybrid' came a few months after my obsession with Twilight. I realised that the reason I loved Twilight was because I loved Roswell and Buffy (both TV series). I wanted to explore the idea of characters in a series. It is now a Trilogy because it works better that way, but originally I saw it as I would a TV program. I saw Steven clearly, and Caitlin came into it as I developed the plot.
What was the hardest part about writing it?
Writing it was not the problem, making it work was. I changed the plot around, deleted scenes, discussed issues with some close friends, then edited, and edited again. I listened to advice and had to get over myself and make the changes. I also joined a Writers group (The Word Cloud) and started to get advice. I started to see myself as a writer, not just an aspiring one.
How did you come up with the title?
At first I called it "New Beginnings" but then it did not sit right, so I thought of Hybrid. It seemed unique at the time (although I have seen others use the name since then). I think I was thinking of a Hybrid car... A more economical, efficient and eco friendly version!
If you had to choose one writer, who would you consider your mentor?
Agatha Christie, she is without a doubt, the mistress of intrigue and suspense.
If you had the chance to start again, would you change anything in your books?
What I want to change I have changed already. This is the beauty of self publishing; I am not bound by any rules. I can amend the story and download a new version whenever I want. To be honest, even though the story is the same, Hybrid is much more polished now than it was when it was first published in May 2012. The latest version was only just tweaked in December.
Should you judge a book by its cover?
I try not to, but it gives you an idea. I am not sure what people think of when they see my covers... I just think horizons are amazing, and I came up with the swirls.
Can you share your most meaningful extract from your books and tell us why it's important?
The moment Steven finds out about his past and the reason why he can not live life like everyone else in Hybrid.
‘How long have we been in existence for?’
‘Since 1942, I was born in 1932.’ Ian kept a straight face as he took a sip.
Steven wanted to laugh, ‘Really?’ It felt like he was having a drink with friends at the local pub. It was anything but. What they were saying changed everything
‘Yes, really,’ Ian took a deep breath. ‘The year was 1942 and my father, Jeff, was a member of the exclusive team of scientists secretly conducting nuclear tests in Los Alamos, New Mexico – that’s in America.’
‘I know where New Mexico is,’ Steven snapped.
‘Good, glad they still teach Geography. Anyway, the fate of the Second World War hang in the balance, and his team was designing the ultimate weapon.’
‘The atom bomb,’ Steven interrupted again.
‘Correct again, do you want to tell the story?’ Ian grinned.
‘No, you carry on,’ Steven replied.
‘As I was saying, the atom bomb; the most powerful weapon ever made by man. As history showed it did change things a lot. They perfected a deadly weapon with lasting consequences.’
Steven nodded.
‘This is going to sound crazy, but trust me – it wasn’t. I have never been so scared in my life. I was only ten years old after all,’ Ian paused.
Steven did not care if he had still been a baby. ‘Get to the point.’
‘I told you this was not the right time to tell you.’ There was a trace of irritation in Ian’s reply.
The moment Caitlin realises that she is not a virgin, and may know someone called Steven after all in Complications.
In a dazed state, Caitlin noticed Daniel freeze.
Daniel frowned, rolled off her and stared up at the ceiling. ‘Who’s Steven?’
‘What?’ she asked, just as confused.
‘Steven, you just said Steven,’ he repeated, anger starting to seep into his tone.
‘I don’t know why I said that. It-it just popped out of my mouth. I swear I don’t know anyone called that. I don’t know why I just said that.’ Her thoughts were in disarray.
Daniel barely moved a muscle. ‘Can you turn the light on?’
The moment was gone. He was not buying it. She thought she remembered Steven, but there was no way she’d admit her bizarre dreams.
‘Sure,’ she replied. She reached out whilst holding the covers over herself.
As the light came on, they momentarily squinted and an awkward silence ensued.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Daniel asked, bitter. ‘Have you slept with someone before?’
Caitlin could not believe she was hearing right. ‘What do you mean? As in, have I done it before?’
Daniel sat up and folded his arms. ‘Yes.’
‘No, of course not, you’re the first.’ Now it was her turn to get angry. She could not believe what he was insinuating.
‘The thing is,’ he started. He sounded suspicious. ‘It did not feel like that was your first time. Trust me I have been with someone who was a virgin and you are not. It sounded like this Steven was the guy who popped your cherry.’
‘What are you saying? Are you calling me a liar?’ She sat up, appalled. She could feel the constriction on her throat as the tears welled up.
He turned away from her and put his feet on the floor. ‘You say you haven’t been with anyone when it’s pretty obvious you have.’
‘How is it obvious?’ she retorted, angry now.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Be prepared to work hard, I have never ever worked so hard in my life.
Is there anything specific you would like to tell our readers?
The first two books of the Trilogy are out; Return will be out this year (fingers crossed). I also write short stories. I am in this for the long run, please follow me and see how my writing journey continues.
Twitter
http://twitter.com/vanessa_wester/
Main Blog
http://vanessawesterwriter.blogspot.co.uk/
http://vanessawesterwriter.wordpress.com/
The Evolution Trilogy Blog
http://theevolutiontrilogy.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/TheEvolutionSeries
A Reader’s Perspective
http://vanessawester.blogspot.co.uk/
Diary of the Festival of Writing, York, UK, 2012
http://festivalofwriting2012.blogspot.co.uk/
Short Stories Group
http://shortstoriesgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6421055.Vanessa_Wester
The Writer’s Workshop
http://writing-community.writersworkshop.co.uk/members/profile/4791/Vanessa
http://writing-community.writersworkshop.co.uk/groups/profile/4874
Finally, the question we ask all of our authors, where do you see yourself in ten years time?
Reading, writing, I imagine I will be back at work as a school teacher. My youngest will be 14 then, a whole different world.
Thank you very much for taking part in this interview.
Vanessa, what inspiration did you have to write your first book?
The idea for 'Hybrid' came a few months after my obsession with Twilight. I realised that the reason I loved Twilight was because I loved Roswell and Buffy (both TV series). I wanted to explore the idea of characters in a series. It is now a Trilogy because it works better that way, but originally I saw it as I would a TV program. I saw Steven clearly, and Caitlin came into it as I developed the plot.
What was the hardest part about writing it?
Writing it was not the problem, making it work was. I changed the plot around, deleted scenes, discussed issues with some close friends, then edited, and edited again. I listened to advice and had to get over myself and make the changes. I also joined a Writers group (The Word Cloud) and started to get advice. I started to see myself as a writer, not just an aspiring one.
How did you come up with the title?
At first I called it "New Beginnings" but then it did not sit right, so I thought of Hybrid. It seemed unique at the time (although I have seen others use the name since then). I think I was thinking of a Hybrid car... A more economical, efficient and eco friendly version!
If you had to choose one writer, who would you consider your mentor?
Agatha Christie, she is without a doubt, the mistress of intrigue and suspense.
If you had the chance to start again, would you change anything in your books?
What I want to change I have changed already. This is the beauty of self publishing; I am not bound by any rules. I can amend the story and download a new version whenever I want. To be honest, even though the story is the same, Hybrid is much more polished now than it was when it was first published in May 2012. The latest version was only just tweaked in December.
Should you judge a book by its cover?
I try not to, but it gives you an idea. I am not sure what people think of when they see my covers... I just think horizons are amazing, and I came up with the swirls.
Can you share your most meaningful extract from your books and tell us why it's important?
The moment Steven finds out about his past and the reason why he can not live life like everyone else in Hybrid.
‘How long have we been in existence for?’
‘Since 1942, I was born in 1932.’ Ian kept a straight face as he took a sip.
Steven wanted to laugh, ‘Really?’ It felt like he was having a drink with friends at the local pub. It was anything but. What they were saying changed everything
‘Yes, really,’ Ian took a deep breath. ‘The year was 1942 and my father, Jeff, was a member of the exclusive team of scientists secretly conducting nuclear tests in Los Alamos, New Mexico – that’s in America.’
‘I know where New Mexico is,’ Steven snapped.
‘Good, glad they still teach Geography. Anyway, the fate of the Second World War hang in the balance, and his team was designing the ultimate weapon.’
‘The atom bomb,’ Steven interrupted again.
‘Correct again, do you want to tell the story?’ Ian grinned.
‘No, you carry on,’ Steven replied.
‘As I was saying, the atom bomb; the most powerful weapon ever made by man. As history showed it did change things a lot. They perfected a deadly weapon with lasting consequences.’
Steven nodded.
‘This is going to sound crazy, but trust me – it wasn’t. I have never been so scared in my life. I was only ten years old after all,’ Ian paused.
Steven did not care if he had still been a baby. ‘Get to the point.’
‘I told you this was not the right time to tell you.’ There was a trace of irritation in Ian’s reply.
The moment Caitlin realises that she is not a virgin, and may know someone called Steven after all in Complications.
In a dazed state, Caitlin noticed Daniel freeze.
Daniel frowned, rolled off her and stared up at the ceiling. ‘Who’s Steven?’
‘What?’ she asked, just as confused.
‘Steven, you just said Steven,’ he repeated, anger starting to seep into his tone.
‘I don’t know why I said that. It-it just popped out of my mouth. I swear I don’t know anyone called that. I don’t know why I just said that.’ Her thoughts were in disarray.
Daniel barely moved a muscle. ‘Can you turn the light on?’
The moment was gone. He was not buying it. She thought she remembered Steven, but there was no way she’d admit her bizarre dreams.
‘Sure,’ she replied. She reached out whilst holding the covers over herself.
As the light came on, they momentarily squinted and an awkward silence ensued.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Daniel asked, bitter. ‘Have you slept with someone before?’
Caitlin could not believe she was hearing right. ‘What do you mean? As in, have I done it before?’
Daniel sat up and folded his arms. ‘Yes.’
‘No, of course not, you’re the first.’ Now it was her turn to get angry. She could not believe what he was insinuating.
‘The thing is,’ he started. He sounded suspicious. ‘It did not feel like that was your first time. Trust me I have been with someone who was a virgin and you are not. It sounded like this Steven was the guy who popped your cherry.’
‘What are you saying? Are you calling me a liar?’ She sat up, appalled. She could feel the constriction on her throat as the tears welled up.
He turned away from her and put his feet on the floor. ‘You say you haven’t been with anyone when it’s pretty obvious you have.’
‘How is it obvious?’ she retorted, angry now.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Be prepared to work hard, I have never ever worked so hard in my life.
Is there anything specific you would like to tell our readers?
The first two books of the Trilogy are out; Return will be out this year (fingers crossed). I also write short stories. I am in this for the long run, please follow me and see how my writing journey continues.
http://twitter.com/vanessa_wester/
Main Blog
http://vanessawesterwriter.blogspot.co.uk/
http://vanessawesterwriter.wordpress.com/
The Evolution Trilogy Blog
http://theevolutiontrilogy.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/TheEvolutionSeries
A Reader’s Perspective
http://vanessawester.blogspot.co.uk/
Diary of the Festival of Writing, York, UK, 2012
http://festivalofwriting2012.blogspot.co.uk/
Short Stories Group
http://shortstoriesgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6421055.Vanessa_Wester
The Writer’s Workshop
http://writing-community.writersworkshop.co.uk/members/profile/4791/Vanessa
http://writing-community.writersworkshop.co.uk/groups/profile/4874
Finally, the question we ask all of our authors, where do you see yourself in ten years time?
Reading, writing, I imagine I will be back at work as a school teacher. My youngest will be 14 then, a whole different world.
Thank you very much for taking part in this interview.