Author Bio
Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.
She often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey. Jenn Nixon is a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers.
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Feel free to share a little about yourself in your own words.
Hi Everyone!
I’m Jenn Nixon, from New Jersey USA. By day, I work as an Office Manager for a CPA, by night, I’m Batman! Okay, not really, I’m an author of SciFi and Suspense books. When not working or writing, I’m devouring movies, TV shows, books, you name it or I’m hanging out with family or my two dogs.
How did you get into writing?
While in grammar school, our teacher had us create a booklet of poems or drawings. Since I was terrible at drawing, I went for poetry and found out I loved it at a very early age. I continued writing in one form or another through school and during the college years, I got into writing fan-fiction before most people knew it existed! Eventually, I wrote my own original fiction and from there, I just haven’t stopped.
What can you tell us about your daily routines that help you focus and your creative habits? So, for example how do you come up with some of your ideas and inspiration for your book?
Most of my ideas live in my head for a long time before I even take notes. I tend to think about my characters and story too much sometimes, so I’ve started writing down more notes as I’m getting older and more forgetful! When I’m writing (depending on the book), I like to listen to music.
Is this book very personal for you? If so, how?
I always strive to put a piece of myself in every book. Sometimes it’s a character trait, other times it can be something that I’ve experienced or seen or heard from someone else. For me, it helps to keep the story grounded and real.
How did you come up with the book title?
Crystal Casters is a mix of three different ideas I had running around in my head. I’ve always wanted to write a story with more fantasy elements without moving too far outside of the science fiction side. I’ve also been a Disney Gargoyles fangirl for a long time and to be honest, I was tired of seeing only Vampire, Werewolf, and Shifter books. I wanted to read something new, so I had to write it.
Plot and Synopsis
Can you describe what the book plot and give a detailed synopsis of the book, of course without any spoilers.
When Cyndra Raine inherits her grandmother’s crystal, she inadvertently awakens a lethal elemental force she doesn’t understand. Panicked and desperate, she flees the safety of her village, determined to find answers only to run into a man named Rune with the same abilities and questions.
Zorin has spent twenty-five years soaring over his island waiting for something, anything, to change. After sensing caster power he can’t ignore, he leaves the island and finds two casters under attack on the mainland. He’s shocked to learn Cyndra and Rune are ignorant of their lineage and the war that destroyed the world.
Intrigued by Cyndra and the immense power she possesses, Zorin promises her the truth about the past in exchange for her help. Inexplicably drawn to the winged man, Cyndra agrees to his terms and together they begin a journey that tests everything she knows about her world and discovers a connection to Zorin more profound than any she’s ever imagined.
Is there any movie, book, or television series that you can somewhat liken your story to? So for example, some books you can say are like Game of Thrones or Star Wars, what mainstream and popular movie do you think your book somewhat “feels” like? Did you want this to be the case?
I call this one Gargoyles meets The 100, which is a futuristic post-apocalyptic survival show on CWTV. Bits and pieces of both influenced me. I guess you could say there’s a bit of a Beauty and the Beast feel to Cyndra and Zorin’s relationship, but as with anything I try to write, there’s always a twist.
Themes or Messages
What themes and deeper meanings or messages can we expect to find in this book if any? Is there any deep meanings or philosophical questions being explored in the book?
I don’t get too deep with philosophy, but most of my books have themes like, family, inclusiveness, and the classic theme of working together to defeat “evil”. Though, my villains are usually misguided or suffered in their own lives and are never just purely evil.
Off the wall question, but would some of the issues being explored in the book relate to us here in the real world?
In this book, most of the characters are just trying to survive in the beginning. When the story kicks in, they’re searching for answers to questions from their past and trying to reconnect with family. I feel everyone has unanswered questions in their lives, so that’s always fun to play around with in fiction.
Setting
What can you tell us about the setting that we will be seeing in this book?
The setting for Crystal Casters is near future, post-apocalyptic. Something called “the flare” destroyed half of the Earth, making it uninhabitable. It’s set on the east coast of the United States where most of the people live in villages or protected towns.
What cultures or societies can we expect to see and can you tell us about how you came up with creating these societies? Was it difficult to get deep into how the societies function?
As the book is set in the near future, I didn’t have to change much as far as the normal settings and culture. What Cyndra, Rune, and Zorin are trying to uncover is the lost culture of the Casters, which I don’t want to spoil for your readers.
Characters
What can you tell us about some of the main characters and villains in this book?
Cyndra Raine starts the book running her tradeshop in the Eastzone of the United States. She’s just trying to make a living and survive the new world she lives in. After a devastating accident, she flees the safety of her home to search for answers to explain what happened to her.
Zorin begins the book flying over his island, patrolling it as he has done every day for the last twenty-five years. He senses Caster power, coming from the mainland and heads out to investigate. When he meets Cyndra and her new friend Rune and learns they are Crystal Casters, he refuses to leave their side until they are strong enough to protect themselves and learn everything he knows about their past.
Promotional Links
Website: http://www.jennnixon.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/jennnixonauthor
Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/jennnixon
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Nixon/e/B002BLNBBQ
How to buy
Book 1 is 99Cents! https://amzn.to/2kZmFxz
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