Nick James, the author of Skyship Academy: Pearl Wars, is swinging by today! (Why, yes, he IS very attractive.)
A devastated Earth’s last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space, and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers—political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth’s stratosphere—and the corrupt Surface government.
Jesse Fisher, a Skyship slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable—and dangerous—abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess. Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn’t know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.
I had a lot of fun interviewing him, and you should totally check out his website; Nick has a bunch of extra stuff with the books and stuff on it!
And, if you should so desire, you can read the first three chapters on his website!
Nicole: Welcome to WORD, Nick! What was your favorite part of writing Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars?
Nick James: When I set out to write this book, I wanted to create something fast-paced with loads of action and excitement. Initially, writing those action scenes was my favorite part. I often describe writing as seeing a movie inside your head and transcribing it on the page. It was like this with Skyship. It’s a very visual project, so it was fun imagining and choreographing it all in my mind. Once the first draft was finished, I really dove into world building and that became a passion. Seeing how everything connects in the world of Skyship was tricky at first, but ultimately very exciting. You know you’ve spent a lot of time with your book when you feel like you know everything about your fictional world!
N: What was the hardest part? Plotting? Keeping your characters in line?
NJ: Plotting is always difficult for me, mostly because I tend not to work off of a highly detailed outline when I start writing. Even though I’ve got a basic roadmap, I’m more of a “see where it goes” type writer. I like surprises. Then, when the draft’s done, it’s a matter of making sure everything makes sense! That can be a daunting prospect, but I think that’s also when the story really begins to take shape. Skyship has many little twists and turns. Giving them the impact I wanted was a fun challenge.
N: What do you think about that cover! Gor-geous!
NJ: I’m in love with the cover! It’s actually the second cover the book has had, and I’m so happy for the change because I really couldn’t have asked for anything better. It’s moody, mysterious and very striking. I think it really pops out on shelves.
N: Speaking about things that pop on the shelves... post apocalyptic and dystopian novels are HUGE right now - it's slowly creeping over paranormal romance, I think. How does The Pearl Wars stand out?
NJ: I think it stands out because it’s not necessarily a straight up dystopia. There are elements there, for sure, but at its core it’s a sci-fi adventure. More than that, I think it’s the kind of sci-fi adventure that we don’t see a lot of in books anymore. I wanted to create something that reminded me of the novels and comics that I loved as a kid. There’s a hint of romance, but it’s definitely not the overarching drive of the story. That alone separates it from 99.9% of dystopia’s out there! Instead, it’s a coming-of-age action story, like a huge movie folded into a book. And because I wanted it to appeal to everyone (including kids), it’s on the younger side of YA. Old enough for adults, but without a lot of the “adult-like” content that upper elementary kids would find too mature. In a lot of ways, it’s a good example of the genre-combo I was striving for: Star Wars meets the Breakfast Club.
N: That is an - um - interesting description. *laughs* On the other hand - what post apocalyptic and dystopian YAs would you recommend?
NJ: I always recommend M.T. Anderson’s Feed, which was a big inspiration for this book. I guess that’s an older dystopia (though I’m not sure if it often gets put into that category). I loved The Hunger Games. City Of Ember, too, though that kind of crosses genres. I haven’t read Divergent yet (I know! I’m behind), but I’m eager to.
N: It's okay; I haven't yet, either. It's sitting on my to-be read pile glaring at me... You have the male version of my name! What is one of your favorite names, though? (My favorite name is Guinevere.)
NJ: Some of my favorite names are characters in my book--slightly off-kilter ones like Cassius and Skandar. I also love Avery for a boy or girl.
N: Off kilter names are my favorite, or ones based in legend. If you had to pick a theme song for The Pearl Wars, what would it be?
NJ: In addition to writing, I’ve run a music blog for the past five years, so this question could have a million answers! For shear brashness of sound--spacey electronics combined with rock bombast--I’d pick a song called “The Truth” by an Australian band named Pnau. I actually created a character playlist for the book on my blog and this was one of the first songs I thought to add.
N: You're sucked into your favorite Disney movie! Which one, why, and what character are you?
NJ: There are so many Disney movies! I guess I’ll just focus on the animated ones. And for me, the holy trinity of Disney movies was Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the Lion King. I’d have to pick Aladdin, and I think I’d want to be the title character. Of the three movies, Aladdin was straight-up adventure (with awesome songs). Having your very own genie would be pretty sweet, especially if the singing is part of the deal!