Imagine
Jenna
Greene
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: August 3,
2015
ISBN: 987-1-77155-120-5
Number of pages: 338
Word Count: 112 586
Cover Artist: Trisha FitzGerald
Book Description:
A fierce wind and a blast of
green light during a strange storm causes everything to change for Katharine
Bowers and Becky Thatcher. The girls wake up in Oren, an entirely different
realm than their earthly city. They meet Enalie, a fading magical presence who
sets an incredible destiny before them… then simply disappears. Left alone to
fend off creatures that hunt them in the night, they must relay a magical
heritage that doesn’t make sense, and – if possible – save a world that they
know nothing about.
Available at Champagne
Books
Chapter One
“Becky Thatcher,
turn that light off and go to sleep. Not only is it a school night, you have a
math test tomorrow.”
Becky wrinkled
her nose and reluctantly closed her Harry Potter book. Reaching from her bed,
she flicked off her bedside lamp. Out in the hall, Dad waited until the room
went dark before footsteps announced a retreat to his own bedroom.
Fluffing her
pillows in mild annoyance, she pouted about the unfairness of bedtimes. Math
tests too. Not school—she loved school. It was just that English was her
preferred subject, as well as Art and Music and even sometimes Social Studies.
Math was a dull and uncreative subject. Fractions didn’t make a lick of sense.
She doubted she would score well on that test tomorrow.
She could have
gone to sleep as Dad instructed without too much distress. It wasn’t the first
time she’d read J.K. Rowling’s famous work. She wouldn’t be tossing and turning
in agony all night, desperate to know the conclusion.
Except it was
Sunday night, the end of the weekend, and Becky wasn’t the least bit tired.
Since she wasn’t ready for sleep, and had no last-minute homework to complete,
there were only two things she could think to do: read or draw.
About
the Author:
Jenna Greene is a middle school
teacher in Alberta, Canada. She lives with her husband and their two dogs:
Thor, Dog of Thunder and Tyko. Her other YA novel is Heroine, published by
Aaspirations Publishing.
Interview
Where are you from?
I am from Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada) where I’ve
lived since I was eight years old.
Tell us your latest news?
I’m on summer vacation!
When and why did you begin writing?
I think I’ve always been a writer, even since I
could hold a pencil. I know that my series of Maria King mystery stories were
really popular in the 6th grade and the path extended from there. I
write because I like it and it keeps me sane.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The very first time I saw a poem of mine in print.
What inspired you to write your first book?
The first draft of my novel, IMAGINE, was inspired
by a night spent on a park swing overlooking the coulees where I live. A
thought popped in my head of a girl, a quest, and a series of adventures, and I
was brave enough to write it down.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Not that I know of. It might be something an
outsider can see, which I can’t. In terms of writing quirks … I always wear a
tiara when I write.
How did you come up with the title?
I like to link the titles of my books to their
themes. If there is a central idea, or really powerful message I want to
convey, that needs to be present in the title. I want readers, once their
finished, to look back at the title and think, “Aha!”
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
I want readers to know that anything is possible.
That creativity/imagination has an importance in the world, and that people, no
matter how young they might be, can make a difference.
How much of the book is realistic?
The places and creatures are all made up. But the
reactions of each characters are realistic. My characters feel sorrow and loss
and longing.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
I think the character of Becky is a bit like me when
I was a child. And Kat is loosely based on two roommates I had in university.
They had a bit more spunk than I did and I envied them for that.
What books have most influenced your life most?
All of them! Especially PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 1984,
SPEAK, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, HARRY POTTER, THE HUNGER GAMES.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
I would say Stuart MacLean. He’s Canada’s premier
storyteller. I met him once and he acknowledged that writing is difficult.
Though rewarding, it isn’t the easiest profession. He said to always write. To muddle through rough spots and constantly
write, no matter what.
What book are you reading now?
I’m reading DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, the second book in
the OUTLANDER series by Diana Gabaldon. I wish I was married to Jamie!
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
There are very few authors that I don’t adore. There
are very few books that I don’t adore, in fact. I have a special affinity for
YA writers, though, and am always keeping an eye out for new titles by Ally
Condie, Maureen Fergus, and Lauren DeStefano. Oh! And Veronica Roth, of course.
What are your current projects?
I am writing the sequel to IMAGINE.
What would you like my readers to know?
Books truly are the best thing in the world. (Tied
with chocolate).
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