Welcome to the New Year Emberlings! And what a better way to kick off 2017, with another Debut Author. This month’s author is fellow Ravenclaw S. Jae-Jones, with her novel Wintersong, slated for release on February 7th, 2017! You can check it out here.

     1. You can transform into any animal at will—which one and why?

A winged cat. Winged cats are awesome because you’re a furry death machine that can also fly.

     2. Totally agree with that assessment. All right, what’s the best lie you’ve ever told?

That I’m a functioning adult.

     3. If you could punch one person on the planet with absolutely no repercussions, who would it be?

I’m not really one for physical violence; I’m a much scarier villain. I will coldly, calmly, and methodically take away everything you’ve ever valued or achieved and leave your life a smoking ruin. Thankfully, no one’s ever pushed me that far. Yet.

     4. Remind me to never, ever mess with you. What’s the one thing you can’t write without? Meaning, you’d go to battle against an army of orcs if they tried to take this thing away from you?

I’m really boring because I don’t actually have anything I can’t write without. Maybe my journal. I keep a journal that I write in by hand when I’m stuck or need to “talk myself through the problem,” so to speak. Otherwise I’m mostly fueled by Twizzlers and iced coffee when I write.

     5. Can you give the writers out there one line of writing advice?

FINISH. YOUR. BOOK.

     6. Good advice. What’s your biggest fear going into your debut year?

That I’m a one-trick pony.

     7. I don’t think you have to worry about that! So, this is a cruel one, but you can only listen to one band for the rest of your life. Who is it?

THIS IS LIKE ASKING ME TO CHOOSE MY FAVORITE CHILD. I don’t even have a favorite genre of music! I like classical, country, pop, rock, ska, electronica, folk, metal, hip-hop, R&B, Motown, punk, and on and on and on and on. The band that has probably meant the most to me on a personal level is The Libertines, but they’ve only put out three albums and as far as I know, they don’t have plans for a fourth. Do I go for breadth? Variety? Consistency? WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE.

Fine. I pick David Bowie. (He’s not a band, and no longer on Earth, BUT WHATEVER. Also, I choose to believe he’s now orbiting our planet, having returned to the stars.)

     8. You must choose between possessing Sauron’s One Ring and the Elder Wand (hoping you’ve read LOTR and HP, here.) Which one do you choose and why?

Probably the Elder Wand? I’m not especially interested in either, as I don’t care about power so much as utility. At least I would be able to cast a variety of useful spells with the Elder Wand, whereas the One Ring seems to be limited to invisibility and…being Evil.

     9. With only your wit and an oft-malfunctioning magic wand, you are forced into a death match with either Shelob, the enormous spider from Lord of the Rings, or Voldemort. Who do you choose?

Hmmm…probably Voldemort. If I’m armed only with a semi-functioning wand, I’d rather face off an opponent who makes increasingly stupid and short-sighted decisions as the series continued. Then again, if I could Accio myself a shotgun, Shelob might be easier…let’s go with Shelob then.

     10. A question in honor of Adam Silvera and Becky Alberalli, YA writers extraordinaire: Golden Oreos or Classic?

Classic. Golden Oreos are an abomination.

     11. AGREED. Describe your debut novel in one sentence:

A young woman must rescue her sister from the clutches of the

Goblin King, only to discover that her relationship with the ruler Underground is more complicated than she bargained for.

Or 50 Shades of Labyrinth. Depends on the crowd I’m talking to.
Thank you JJ!

If you like to know more about JJ, here are her twitter and website!

Twitter: @sjaejones

Website: http://sjaejones.com