BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Sparked: Metal Bones [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Sheena Snow to talk about Sparked (16 December 2015, Soul Mate Publishing, 317 pages), a Young Adult Science Fiction novel, book one of the Metal Bones series.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Hello Sheena, welcome and thank you for joining us today.

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Sparked, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"I love white noise! And the albums I had on re-play the most while writing were: Enya (And Winter Came album, Paint the Sky with Stars album, and The Very Best of Enya album), and The entire first album of The Band Perry."

What was the inspiration for Sparked?

"I have the weirdest dreams. And in this one dream, I was in a bookstore with shelves of books up to the ceilings and ladders and everything. It was almost like a beauty and the beast library come to life. And then, I see this human looking person, jumping from the very tops of the shelves, following after me. For some reason—i don’t know how or why—I knew he was a human-looking-robot and I ran away from him, outside the store.

He followed and caught up to me and told me someone was hunting me and that he would offer his protection if I became his girlfriend. I was like... umm no. And then, the people started coming after me and I couldn’t escape them anymore. So asked for his protection and agreed to be his girlfriend and I slowly started liking him in the dream—I know, weird. And then I woke up and I was like how cool would this be to turn into a book?"

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"So much of my internal anxiety, self-doubt, and my process of overcoming it are reflected in this book. It’s impossible, I feel, for it not to come out.

I dug deep and I wanted my characters to be honest with their emotions. It’s hard and I felt scared opening up so much of myself through my characters but that’s what makes readers bond with the character, going deep and opening your vulnerabilities to the world.

Vienna, my main character, experienced conflicting voices in her head and I showed her process of working through them and deciding which voice to listen to. Alec, the hero, struggles with what he has done in his past and letting it define him but we all get to choose. We, and only we, determine who we want to be going forward in our life and choosing if we let our past control who our future selves will be."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Sparked - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I was soo excited when Soul Mate Publishing, and cover artist Fiona Jayde, gave me the exact cover I requested. I was jumping up and down.

I knew I wanted the cover to be similar to the top bestselling YA covers, i.e. Twilight, The Summoning (By Kelley Armstrong), Firelight (by Sophie Jordan), and Born Wicked (By Jessica Spotswood), and Cinder (by Marissa Meyer). I also knew I wanted it to say: romance and human-looking robots and, boom! I had the idea of hands holding—romance—and being able to see the metal dichotomy of the hero—robots. And I’m so happy with how it turned out. They did a great job! :-)"

Why should we read Sparked and what sets it apart from the rest?

"I think this is different from other books because I’ve discussed topics such as family conflicts, ineffective communication, internal conflicts, government conspiracies, and the evolution of a new kind of human-robots with emotions.

I gave this book my all, my heart, and exposed a part of myself that I haven’t seen other authors expose. Mental health and self doubt is something I have only found in contemporary young adults books, not so much in sci-fi young adult and it’s crazy how beautifully they entwined together—it’s actually kind of crazy. Everyone feels these emotions to some degree and if they aren’t careful to notice it, you might make decisions you regret, or decisions that you didn’t realize you had the ability to control."

Who would you recommend Sparked to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"No warnings or disclaimers. It’s PG 13. And I would recommend this book to young adult readers, new adult readers, and sci-fi/paranormal readers.

I’ve had some friends read it who are not into young adult at all enjoy it because of the emotional complexities and government conspiracies and plot twists."

What is your writing process?

"Goodness. I wish I had a better writing process. I only write on the weekends. I work full time staring at the computer and when I come home, there is nothing left in the tank. Maybe one day I can write full time, but until then I’m going to enjoy being able the write on the weekends. Life is what you make it. And I want to appreciate every little thing and opportunity I’m given :-)"

What is in store next?

"I am currently writing book 2, Enflamed, of SPARKED (The Metal Bones Series) and everything is going to get even crazier! I’m so excited!!!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"My love. My joy. My pride. My baby. My Yorkie, named Aladdin. He’s my heart and puts the biggest smile on my face and kisses me and makes everything seem okay when I’m not having a good day. I love you, Aladdin!!!"

He is such a cutie :-) Hello Aladdin! Good to hear you take good care of your Mommy :-D (I love animals. They are just wonderful and make everything better!)
Thank you for being with us today, Sheena, and I look forward to reading Sparked and its sequel!