The Book
Descendant by Nichole Giles
Published May 1st, 2013
Published by Rhemalda
Publishing (now self published)
Genres: Ya, Fantasy
Seventeen-year-old
Abigail Johnson is Gifted.
Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving
from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her.
When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion
of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with
frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who
seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece
of her own soul.
Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness
catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just
running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s
life at stake.
Author Bio
Nichole Giles had early career plans
that included becoming an actress or a rockstar, but she decided instead to
have a family and then become a writer.
She was born in Nevada, the oldest
of seven—a number which increased to eleven with the addition of four step
brothers—and has lived in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and South Texas.
Her future aspirations include
owning a home on a tropical island, even if it's just a vacation home. For now,
she plans to travel to as many tropical locations as possible, scouting for her
future paradise.
Currently, she lives with her
husband, one of her two sons (the other is in college), two daughters, two
golden retrievers, and one lucky bunny rabbit.
Writing is her passion, but she also
loves to spend time with her family, travel to exotic destinations, drive in
the rain with her convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she
can sing along.
Guest Post Topics:
Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Nichole Giles
When I was
in high school, drama was my favorite class, and I was somehow involved in
every play possible.
I once fell
off a stage in a pitch-black theater, because I couldn’t see and I wasn’t
supposed to be in there. This resulted in a severely sprained ankle.
One of my
favorite places in the world to spend time is on the beach.
I once
petted a shark, fed a sea lion, swam with a dolphin, and kissed a sting ray-
but not all on the same day.
My favorite
candy of all time ping-pongs between Kookaburra licorice and Black Forest
Gummies.
When given
a choice between any dessert, I will almost always choose cheesecake.
My all-time
favorite food in the world is steamed snow crab (warm, not chilled).
I didn’t
start writing novels until the year I turned 30.
Aside from
hitting the major bestseller lists, one of my biggest goals in life is to
travel the world.
As of the
date this list is posted, I am currently a parent to four teenage people, two
teenage dogs, one almost teenage rabbit, and a tiny baby kitten. Oh, and also a
tank full of fish.
Behind the Scenes of Descendant
(Done as a list in order to keep it shorter than the novel
itself!)
1. Much
cheering on the day Rhemalda publishing offered me a publishing contract for
DESCENDANT.
2. Frantic
panicking when, a month later, my husband got a job 1500 miles away, and we
decided to move our whole life from Utah to Texas.
3. Giddy
jubilation when Rhett Hoffmeister and I collaborated to work up cover concepts
and turn them over to Melissa Williams for final design.
4. Blind freak
out when edits came a month later than expected and we (me, editor Diane, and
company VP Emmaline) went sleepless for four days as we pounded out copy edits
in time for me to go on a spring break trip with my family. (They were definite
troopers!)
5. Surreal
heart-throbbing happiness when my author copies arrived, and days later,
bookmarks and posters.
6. Shoulder-tightening
nerves when the first reviews rolled in.
7. Face-hurting
grinning when the reviews were highly positive.
8. Heart break
when I found out my beloved publisher was closing permanently.
9. Much
frantic scrambling as Rhemalda hands over files and rights revert to me, the
author.
10. Super-speedy
learning curve as I dive into the self-publishing industry with both feet.
11. More
happiness when I received the email that told me DESCENDANT has been nominated
for a Whitney Award.
12. Now that
the filing is done and all formats of the book republished, relief to know I
somehow managed a thing that felt impossible.
13. Excitement
and anticipation as I prepare to release BIRTHRIGHT this coming spring.
Next Ten Books on Nichole’s TBR/E-Reader
1. Between the
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
2. Everbound
by Brodi Ashton
3. The False
Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
4. Finding It
by Cora Cormack
5. Lady Outlaw
by Stacy Henry
6. The Raven
Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
7. The Dream
Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
8. Pivot Point
by Kasee West
9. The DiCarlo
Brides series (several books) By Heather Tullis
10. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Interview Questions
What your favorite scene to write?
NG: Kissing
scenes. My favorite scenes to write will always involve kissing. I’m just a
romantic like that.
How long did it take you to write Descendant?
NG: Ttwo
years. But that included some very serious rewrites and restructuring and world
building. There was never an outline involved, and I should also add that
Descendant was my first solid, real experience with finding a unique idea I
felt was interesting enough to pursue publication. The next book I wrote was
more like a year, and the one following that was a little less. Every book is
different for me, and this particular story has a lot of complicated
layers.
Will Descendant be a standalone or are you going to write a
sequel?
NG:
Birthright (book 2) is already drafted and rolling toward a spring publication.
I hope to also write a third in this series to round out and complete the
story.
What are you currently working on?
NG: I am
always working on more than one project. For instance, as I focus on rewrites,
edits, and other details for Birthright, my agent also has one of my manuscripts
on submission, and another one in her inbox for consideration. I am currently
fleshing out a new idea which may involve either a co-author or a lot of
research, and I am also writing something fresh and new this month for National
Novel Writing Month.
Who designed the cover of Descendant?
NG:
Originally, Descendant was published by Rhemalda publishing, which was a high
quality small publisher. The company president came up with the cover concepts
using author input (I know, I loved that!), and then sent the ideas to the
Rhemalda cover designer, Melissa Williams, (aka Michelle Davidson Argyle) who
finished the final designs. When the company closed, I was given the option to
keep my cover art, and paid the designer to make the necessary adjustments to
remove the Rhemalda logo and add the one for Jelly Bean Press.
What was the hardest scene for you to edit out?
NG: My
publisher had me cut the first three chapters of DESCENDANT, which meant I had
to work a lot of backstory in later to make up for the loss of information. I
will say, though, that I’m very happy with the way it turned out.
Did any music inspire you while writing Descendant?
NG: Music
always inspires me, and I actually listened to music often while writing and
editing this particular story. I’ve switched computers three times since this
book was originally written, and so my iTunes playlist was lost long ago--but I
remember that Coldplay’s Fix You was on it, as well as Til Kingdom Come, and
Nickleback’s Far Away, and How Does it Feel by Avril Lavigne.
What is the best book that you’ve read recently?
NG: Seige and Storm by Leigh
Bardugo (second in the Shadow and Bone series) and Abandon by Elana Johnson
(third in the Possession series). It’s very sad to admit this, but I have a
huge stack of TBR books, and have been so crazy busy with my work that I am way
too far behind on my reading.
What is currently in your TBR pile?
NG: Between the Devil and the Deep
Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen,
Everbound by Brodi Ashton, Finding It by Cora Cormack, Lady Outlaw by Stacy
Henry, Pivot Point by Kasee West, Catch by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Giveaway:
Nichole is offering a grand prize
pack that includes a print copy of DESCENDANT, a signed poster and bookmark, a
wrist band, DESCENDANT lip balm, and a healing crystal AND a $20 Amazon gift
card. Then Nichole is also giving away another 1st edition print copy of
DESCENDANT and three e-book copies (which will be the new version with the
bonus material).
Once we pass 100 entries, Nichole
will add another $20 gift card to the giveaway list, and after 50 more, another
one, and so on for every 50 entries thereafter.
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