Gifted...Q&A with J.A. George!

I'm so pleased to welcome J.A. George to the blog today to talk about her book, Gifted.

Tell us about yourself. 
My name is J.A. George and I’m the author of Gifted. I’m from London, England, but I’m currently living in Sheffield for my studies. Hmmm, what else? I like to read, write, bake, eat, hang out with friends and go to the cinema. Once I did all of those things in one day, needless to say, it was awesome.

That sounds like the perfect day! So, tell us about your book!

Yes, Gifted! Here’s the blurb:

There is no chosen one in this story. 

She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and happened to make a decision that altered her future forever. It happens to all of us every day. 

Avery is a size twelve university student with a penchant for dry humour, and she’s as normal as they come. One rainy afternoon, Avery had to make a choice: go through the alleyway or around it. Two possible options. One would have had her future continue on as planned, the other would ensure that her future never remained the same again. She unknowingly went with the latter. 

Change can be good. It can bring new opportunities, new friends and a life you never thought possible. Change can be bad. It can bring you people determined to burn your city to the ground. 

It all depends on the decisions you make. 

Is Ava your main character? 

Yes, she is. Ava is a long story. In the first edition of Gifted she was pretty bland because I was trying to make her into a character every reader would love until I realised that was impossible. So I concentrated on making her into a person I would like to meet. She’s strong-willed, sarcastic and funny (well, I think she is), but sometimes she’s insecure and unsure of how she feels. She’s real.

Why should people read your book?

I would never force my book on anyone, and I would never claim to have written the next best-seller. If you like contemporary YA fantasy centered on a young woman with a penchant for dry humour, try Gifted. The best I can say is read a sample here and make your mind up from there.

Gifted is a contemporary YA fantasy; anything else we can find floating around in there?

Most definitely. Gifted struggles to fit into one genre. It’s contemporary, young adult and fantasy, but you can also find hints of romance, adventure, mystery and why not, comedy too. Buried within the book are modern day issues such as, body-issues, friendship and cheating in relationships. It’s not too much because I didn’t wanted Gifted to be considered a dark, sombre book, but it’s there.

What book has most influenced Gifted

Roald Dahl’s books! If you had asked me this question two weeks ago, I would have said no book has influenced Gifted. But I’ve come to realise that the idea of extraordinary things happening to ordinary people (for example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and George’s Marvellous Medicine) is a theme that has subconsciously stuck with me for many years.

What message would you like readers to take away from Gifted

Find what makes you different and be it. And you don’t have to be crazy to be different.

Does Gifted have a soundtrack? 

Haha! I wish! How cool would that be though? I should look into it…

What’s your favorite writing snack? 

Usually chocolate. If I’ve run out, which happens more often that you’d think, anything sweet. Or just a bottle of ice cold water.

Where do you write? 

I’m pretty boring. I only write at my desk or on my bed, but if I’m writing my idea down, I write wherever I am and that sometimes means the middle of the street!

Finally, any advice for beginner writers? 

Keep writing. Keep writing until you have written a book you would happily pay for and would begin reading as soon as it’s yours.

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Many thank to J.A. George for visiting 2 Kids and Tired Books! We You can learn more about J.A. George on her website here and find her on Twitter. You can download a sample of Gifted here and purchase your own copy here.

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