Ask the Author: Jennifer Marie Thorne
Answered Questions (17)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
Lee Kelly and I have a new historical novel coming out in December this year - My Fair Frauds, about con women in Gilded Age New York. Next year, I've got another co-written book (hopefully soon to be announced; it's an exciting one!) and Newbourne Park, my next UK-set horror comes out in autumn 2026.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
Should be out now!
Jennifer Marie Thorne
There are no plans for a direct sequel to TWSoR as yet, but my next book, Night Music, will be out spring of 2019. :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
This question is so hard!!! I can't pick a favorite (I can rarely pick a favorite anything), so I'll go with my FIRST favorite, which is Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. I loved how their slowly developing romance was fueled in part by academic competition. They were in every way each other's equals, and even as Anne left Avonlea to pursue her own dreams, Gilbert remained her home. I'm getting all misty just thinking about them.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
My major piece of advice is to write A LOT. :) I actually wrote two books before The Wrong Side of Right and though they'll likely never see the light of day, they were crucial to teaching me the mechanics of how to put together a story, create strong character arcs, and just plain sit in a chair and type until a draft is finished (and then sit in the chair and make it better and better and better). I also think it's helpful to write anything and everything that strikes your fancy when you're starting out. I wrote plays, screenplays, short stories, poems, terrible terrible songs - and they all helped me find my voice as a writer.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
I'm so glad you loved Jack!! I have a LOT of backstory for him that didn't make it into the book, and I would love love love to follow his story (particularly into college) so you never know! If I do some bonus content or a companion, he's definitely first on my list. :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
My next book will be out in the spring of 2018 (a long time from now, I know, but bear with me...I'm still writing it!) :) It's about the daughter of a world-famous composer who has just given up her own dreams of a classical music career when a teen prodigy moves in for the summer...and sparks fly. It's all about passion and genius and how we define ourselves vs. how the world categorizes us and how we lose ourselves and find ourselves again when we fall deeply in love. I'm excited to share it with you guys! It's already up on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ (as yet untitled) if you'd like to add it to your to-read pile.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
That's a great suggestion! Anything's possible. I have some DEFINITE ideas about what might happen to them in college, so... :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
This is such a great question! I totally agree that YA needs much more LGBTQIA representation and I am very optimistic that we're headed in that direction. My favorite part of the research process for TIoO was a simple but life-changing one. This is going to sound crazy, but bear with me: I followed a lot of new people on Twitter. And I lurked. :) I listened to trans authors talking about their day to day experiences navigating the world. I listened to bi friends talking about stereotypes and erasure. I listened to gay teens, who were coming out online first to test the waters, then sharing their experiences coming out in the real world. And I felt humbled and enlightened and heartbroken and inspired and ultimately hopeful. I still do - this is a forever process! But just that simple step of seeking out more voices and listening to them was what really informed this book. I also paid attention to my own knee-jerk reactions and questioned them - asked myself which of them came from empathy and which from privilege - and those insights definitely found their way into TIoO as well.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
There are a number of connections to the world of The Wrong Side of Right in The Inside of Out - I don't want to spoil the surprise when you find them! I will say that Andy and Kate do appear in the book, although you might have to read carefully to find them. :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
Yes! My next book, THE INSIDE OF OUT releases in July of next year (2016) and you can already add it on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
Yes! Next up is a companion novel to TWSoR with a brand new set of characters, and I'm working on a few other projects too - another contemporary and a high fantasy.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
It's looking good, but I can't announce anything yet. Watch this space. :)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
This is a bit of a spoiler, so I'll try to be vague. There's a point close to the end of the book in which Kate makes a tough decision and has to say goodbye to some of the things she's held dear. (If you've read the book, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.) That hurt to write, along with the scene that precedes it between Kate and the Senator. That scene is when Kate really lets out everything she's been bottling up over the course of the story, but it was important to me that she not be too poised in that moment or too articulate, so there was a balancing act in the dialogue. I wanted to make sure every character stayed human and flawed throughout the story.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
The very short story is: I made a lot of friends. Which is a very nice story indeed. It's been so fun to become a part of the YA community, getting to know fellow authors, booksellers and bloggers, who have blown me away with their passion and dedication and who have done so much to get the word out about The Wrong Side of Right. I also have a wonderful publicist at Penguin who has opened a lot of doors for the book. (Great question, by the way!)
Jennifer Marie Thorne
I've had the chance to read SO many amazing books that will debut next year (and I'm looking forward to so many more) that it's difficult to single any one out. I'll stick with contemporary, for the sake of winnowing it down to two for the moment. Jasmine Warga's MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES is really moving and funny and page-turning - it manages to both honor the depth of the subject matter and move at a breathless, page-turning pace. It's wonderful. And Kelly Loy Gilbert's CONVICTION similarly blew me away. Absolutely wrenching story with a spot-on voice of a teenager you don't often see represented in YA fiction.
Jennifer Marie Thorne
I'm a big fan of outlines, so I find that when I get writer's block, it's usually a plot problem in psychological disguise. I take a step back, try to figure out what's bugging me about the next section of the book, re-outline and start fresh.
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