An interview with Ashley Elliott

Good morning Everyone!!! Yesterday I reviewed my friend Ashley Elliott's new (and first) book, Becoming Nikki. Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing her. There aren't many questions, but I hope you enjoy reading it. And please check out her book, now available on Amazon.

 What made you choose a brother and sister ice-dancing team as the central characters?

I don't really know, other than the fact that it just seemed like a good idea. HA! I've always wanted an older brother, so older brothers always sneak into my writing. (Look for it, y'all. It's there. And it's laughably annoying sometimes.)

Why ice-dancing?

     I started brainstorming the plot right around February of 2010, the same time I started falling in love with ice dancing (because of the Winter Olympics). So I was like, “AHH, I SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE THEM ICE DANCE.” And that's how it happened.

What were some struggles you faced writing this?

    Actually finishing it was one of the hardest things to do. I started it during Camp NaNo of 2012 and got the first fifty thousand words done during Camp, and I still had about thirty thousand to do. I kept track of how much I wrote in Becoming Nikki and when I wrote it, and you can tell that my writing slowly fizzled out in the first month after Camp. Heehee... Anyway, sometime in December '12 I decided it had been sitting, unfinished, in my computer for too long and I finished it on January 2^nd, 2013. (And it's been in the editing stages ever since.)

I've heard some authors say that they have either had characters pop up out of nowhere, or their

characters have taken a surprise twist on them. Did either of these happen to you?

     Oh, definitely. Absolutely. That's why I rarely outline my novels – I want to leave room for my characters to surprise me. For instance, I had originally planned for Dylan Bronson to just be a random character. And if any of you have read snippets of the novel (or the whole thing), you'll see that he most certainly is NOT just a random character. : D Sometimes, I'll even be writing a scene and the characters turn it into something amazing. It's hard to explain, but I know that fellow writers will get it. I love it when that happens! I've never really told anybody this, but it feels like Jesus is sitting there next to me, guiding my writing and pointing out things that will make the story better. That may sound weird, but it's the only explanation I can give. I always try to thank Him whenever those little surprises happen because I can't explain how they happen except that God orchestrates them. And it's amazing. : )

Question I had at the conclusion: Will there be a sequel?.......

       Heehee... Everybody seems to want to know that. ; ) As of right now, I don't think so. I have a few ideas as to what happens after Nikki ends, but not enough to write a whole book. Besides, I'm moving on. If the story comes to me, though, I'd love to revisit the characters because I love them muchly.  ; )

Thank you, Ashley, for the interview! I am super excited for you and the opportunities that await you!

All the best to you and yours,

Katelyn