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| Frequently Asked Questions on Fallen These questions were also asked by Lyn. What's your book about?
You can read a short summary of Fallen under the Fallen tab.
- What's the theme of your novel?
Love, trust, faith, obedience, belief... I could keep going. The book covers a lot of issues that touch on a variety of themes, each one tying in to a different part of the story.
- Are you pretty satisfied with it so far?
Yes.
- Why was LA perfect for your novel?
Because of its location. L.A. is set very close between a mountain range and the beach, and anyone who lives there can easily access both. It also is a very variable city with the full spectrum of humanity living in one area.
- How long did it take you to write Fallen?
Fallen, from conception to completion took approximately ten months. But, I was not working solely on Fallen during that period. My main focus was a novel I wrote half of before I realized that I didn't know where it was going. I switched gears at the end of March (March 30th according to a friend of mine) with five chapters of Fallen in hand. I then began to outline the rest of the book. From there, it took four months to finish. I completed the first draft at exactly 2:12 AM EST on August 2nd, 2007. :D
- Have you ever written a summary for your novel? If you have, was it easy or difficult/how did you do it?
I shudder at the thought of summaries. I hate writing them and I find it very hard to do so. I think that this is because I see how each small part plays into the whole and I have a hard time boiling the story down to "A goes to B, C happens, D gets involved, and then E solves the problem." To be quite honest, the first time I needed a summary for Fallen, I got a friend of mine to write it. ;) Thank you Sara Elyse!
When the time came to begin writing a query letter for agents, I took the summary she had given me and expounded upon it. It was a lot easier to do once I had something to start with.
- Do you feel that your story is very relatable/will do well with its readers?
I think that there is at least one character everyone can relate to in the books. Some people may be more like Sam while others may find themselves drawn to Matt or Xander. But there's a whole cast of characters for people to choose from. I think the books deal with issues that everyone can understand and empathize with, even if they're dressed a little differently. Once people have a chance to read the book, I can go into more detail on questions like these.
- Do you think that your novel(s) will develop a "cult" of sorts as Stephenie Meyer's has?
Haha! I think Stephenie's fandom has gone way beyond "cult". :D
My books, however, might end up with a following close to "cult"--a smaller group of devoted readers rather than world renown. It's really hard to guess. And I feel kind of egotistical whenever I think about it, so I try not to. ;)
- Dialogue is pretty difficult for most writers to, well, write. Do you feel as if any of your stories/your novel have really quotable/memorable lines?
What is memorable for each person is different, I think. There are some sarcastic lines I think some people may find funny, some romantic ones others may remember after reading it, and some that are just unusual. So, I guess yes? Again, it feels kind of egotistical to think that. ;)
- What POV do you use in Fallen?
First person.
- Are your Fallen characters in high school?
Yes. The story starts in their junior year.
- Why haven't you yet put up your old website Fallen stuff on your new website?
It's there, I just moved it to a sub-page. You can find it at http://www.sera-phyn.com/fallen.aspx
- Is there magic of some sort involved in Fallen?
Magic is a little too specific, I think. There isn't magic in the actual definition of the word, but there is mystery in the magical sense. ;)
- What kind of flaws do your characters to possess?
This depends on what needs to happen to them in the story and what kind of person they are. Each character as his or her own flaw whether it be curiosity, repression of emotion, impulsiveness, or anything else. Each flaw is part of what makes each character unique.
- Do you see your characters as people you have seen before (actors, friends, family, etc) or as random people in your mind or a mixture of the two?
My characters are whoever they need to be. They might have certain features that resemble other people (famous people or people in my life), but all in all their their own creatures. I have only once run across a picture of someone who looks exactly like one of my characters. Once the book is published, I'll post the picture on my website. :)
- Why are you so good at NOT letting anything slip about Fallen?
Because the process of discovery is very important to me. I want readers to be able to figure things out with the main character, not be told beforehand what is going to happen.
- Do you predict there to be outtakes and extras from Fallen?
Outtakes, no, I don't. Unless, of course, my publishers INSIST something major be taken out. But, right now, I can't see anything that the story could lose without changing the entire plot.
Extras... that really depends on what people say after they read it. If there's something I need to address, I might, but right now I don't see anything extra being written.
- Planning on/thinking of any companion novels for Fallen or any of the series, as Midnight Sun shall be for Twilight?
Not right now. And, honestly, probably not ever.
- Why no companion stuff?
Several reasons, most of which will be clear later. ;)
- Where did the cover you are using for Fallen right now come from?
I made it with photoshop. I found the picture of the eyes online and made a cover out of it with Photoshop. I would have liked the eyes to be light brown (Sam's eyes) or smoke-blue (Xander's) but you can only be so picky when you're not taking the picture yourself. ;)
- Will each novel stand alone, pretty much, or be like one big story told in several parts?
The way that I see it, I think that each novel will be able to stand by itself, but, at the same time, they are all a part of the same story. I'm hoping that they will be able to be taken either way.
- Will the Fallen series only be four books long?
Yes. The story is definitely concluded after book four. The world keeps going, of course, but the major conflict is over. It's never a good idea to keep a story going past the conflict.
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