Author Interview with Frankie Rose

I have with me today, the author of Sovereign Hope. Please warmly welcome her! Frankie Rose is a British expat, who is currently enjoying the perks of living in Australia- her awesome husband, sunshine, and vitamin D. She spends her time creating fictional universes in which the guy sometimes gets the girl, the heroes occasionally die, and the endings aren't always happy. But they usually are.


And now for the interview...

1.) Can you share with us a little about yourself?

My name is Frankie Rose and I am the author of the Hope Series. Sovereign Hope, the first book in the series, was released July 1st and Eternal Hope was released on September 30th. I am British born, however I've spent a long time traveling and haven't been back there in a very long time. Since immigrating to Australia, I met and married my wonderful husband, and have had the opportunity to pursue my passion for writing.

2.) Favorite scary movie and favorite cartoon?

I've gotta say, the movie that's scared me the most is Event Horizon. I was literally watching clips of that film last night with some friends, and even the little 2 minute snippets had me on the edge of my seat. Horror movies rarely affect me, but that movie gave me nightmares for months!

X Men cartoons were my favourite. I used to love watching anything Marvel put out, but X Men was always the best.

3.)What drives you towards your ambitions? Anything in particular?

I'm not a naturally driven person. I really have to keep myself going, especially when something is hard, and writing a book is definitely hard! I never thought I would even complete a book, because it just seemed like an incomprehensibly massive task, but I eventually figured out a way to get myself there. Now it's all second nature, but at the time it was a huge breakthrough.

 

I realised that organisation was the key to succeeding. It really was all about taking small baby steps, ticking each task off the list, and even if it didn't feel like I was making any progress it was still a step towards achieving my goal. I'm still a firm believer in taking a small step every day. Before you know it, you're staring down at a manuscript that is ready to send out into the world, or as ready as it's ever going to be (a writer will always find ways to pick something apart!) and you've reached the end of the journey. The thing about that is, as with all books, finally completing one journey only means you're at the beginning of another!

4.) How important do you feel it is to encourage young people that they can do anything that they want if they set their minds to it?

Absolutely. There are plenty of people in this world who will tell you it's impossible to do something. There really needs to be people out there telling young people and, in fact, anyone, that they can accomplish their goals if they are willing to put in the time to learn, to develop their craft, and to take chances in order to follow their hearts.

Often, half the reason young people don't pursue their dreams is because it involves taking a leap of faith, be that faith in themselves and their own abilities, or faith in the world...that it won't crush their hopes when they put themselves out there for everyone to see. It's incredibly hard to share something you're passionate about, because you're essentially sharing a part of yourself and that is very intimate, but you have to do it. The world won't always be kind, sure, but developing a thick skin towards criticism, be it constructive or otherwise, is a lot easier than regretting the missed opportunities in your life.

5.) When did you first have the idea for Sovereign Hope?

I started off knowing my characters first, oddly enough. I sat down and decided I wanted to write a full length paranormal romance, and it was instinctual for me to firstly create the people who would be starring in this world I was going to create. Once I felt I knew who Daniel, Farley, Agatha and Aldan were, it was simply a matter of picturing how their lives affected each others- the intricacies of the plot flowed naturally as I imagined what kind of troubles affected these characters, what powers they possessed or were cursed with etc. It was a process for me that I really enjoyed. Since writing Sovereign Hope and Eternal Hope, I have written two other books, one dystopian and one contemporary romance/thriller, and the processes have been very different for each book. I have a feeling that, as I continue to write different books and create new characters, each experience will be entirely new. I really love that about writing- it can be anything you want it to be, and you can approach each project with a fresh take on things.

6.) Did you have any other names for the title?

It took me a while to come up with the title for Sovereign Hope, yeah. I went through a number of titles, and the manuscript was actually called Hope and Faith for a long time. That is a line from the book and it felt right, but then I realised it needed to be shorter. Snappier. It made sense when Sovereign Hope came to mind. The title really reflects a few key elements to the storyline: The prefix Sovereign denotes royalty, which we learn Farley is, as we read the story. Additionally, Farley's family name is Hope, and when combined, the two words covey a major plot line- that Farley is the last hope in the book. I was very pleased with the title when I finally settled on it.

7.) Growing up, what books do you remember reading?

I loved The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I must have read that book a hundred times as a kid. I also loved Alice in Wonderland and Lord of the Rings. I had beautifully bound books for all three titles, which had the most stunning illustrations. I treasured them over any other toy or possession I had.

8.) Who is your favorite author?

My favourite author is Neil Gaiman. Not only is he incredibly talented as a wordsmith, but he gives back to the writing community all the time. He is truly inspirational in some of the talks he has given, and I always wait with baited breath for his newest work.

9.) Where do you do most of your writing?

In my office. I can't concentrate with any background noise, so I have to lock myself away. My desk is right next to the window, which overlooks a beautiful garden and the dock beyond that. When I need a break, I sit and watch the boats go by. It's a wonderful place to write.

10.) Who or what makes you laugh?

I am a sucker for American sitcoms. That's part of the reason we don't have television in our house anymore- because I would sit and watch Seinfeld all day long. As it stands I make a point to catch the shows I really love online (The Vampire Diaries/Teen Wolf/Game of Thrones etc). Speaking of which, Dylan O'Brien makes me laugh my ass off in Teen Wolf. He's a fantastic addition to that show. I hear he wants to write one of the episodes. I definitely think he should be given a shot!

Most of all, my husband makes me laugh. He's incredibly sweet but he has a wicked sense of humour. We act like total morons together- I'm glad people don't know what we're really like... they would probably section us!

11.) Any other books in the works? Future projects?

As I said before, Eternal Hope comes out on September 30th. I also have a dystopian novel, currently untitled, which should be released late December all going well. I am really enjoying working on that one. It's about knife fighters! My contemporary romance/thriller novel will be released in November if all my ducks are in a row, but that could be pushed back to December too. I will be updating my website (www.frankierosewrites.com) regularly with any developments on the release front.

Lost Hope, the third book in the Hope Series, will be out in February 2013!

 

12.) What books do you enjoy reading?

I read an eclectic mix of books. I love classics by Dickens and others, as well as a lot of contemporary romance/literature, and YA of course. I'm addicted to the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R R Martin, The Curse Workers series by Holly Black, as well as anything by Maggie Stiefvater and Neil Gaiman.

 

 

 

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