Q1. Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to write Ignite.
A. I think you'll see a lot of me in Lauren. She's 21. I was
21 when I wrote this book. She does stupid things sometimes. She's selfish. I
do stupid things, and I'm selfish a lot of the time. I didn't consciously model
her after myself, but I think my own voice crept in there involuntarily. It was
a challenge to make her relatable even through her major flaws.
IGNITE was inspired by two events. The first was what
happened to me when I went to the DMV to get my new license when I turned 21.
The second was that I nannied for a family of three children over a span of a
few days, and I started to wonder what it would be like if that was my life. It
all just kind of came together from there!
Q2. How did you come up with the title, and how does it
relate to the story?
A. I have a weird thing about titles. I like strong,
one-worded titles that make you wonder why the book is called what it's called.
That's why I write them in all capital letters. IGNITE came to me when I
watched someone struggle to start their car, and then later a lighter. Sarah
Hansen put the definition on the cover and I think that helps a little bit with
figuring it out. I don't want to give anything away, but the characters are all
stuck in some way, and they just need something to "ignite" them and
get them moving and productive in their lives. Or maybe, someone. I
think we all have those moments, and I hope readers find it relatable. If you
look on the tumblr inspiration page, you'll see a beautiful gif of a lighter
being lit. That, along with the contrast against the snowy setting in the novel
and Dean's concept that Lauren is in "Siberia ",
led me to call it IGNITE. I know it may not seem the most fitting to some, but
I can't imagine calling it anything else.
Q3. Do you have a favorite scene from the book?
A. Strangely, my favorite scene is when Lauren has to go get
Callie from the principal's office. It may be a weird scene, since seemingly
nothing important happens, but that situation and Callie's actions are
hilarious to me.
Another favorite is when Lauren is waking up in the hospital
and is still a bit loopy. That, and the airplane scene with her and Dean were
fun to write.
Q4. What are some of your favorite books and
authors that have inspired you to become a writer?
A. None of these books will make any sense because IGNITE
isn't the same genre, but my future books are!
Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix, and Throne
of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.
Q5. Tell us a little about Arclight?
What can we expect to learn from Dean’s POV? Is this a sequel that picks
up where Lauren's story left off or does it encompass the same time frame as
Lauren's story? When will it be released and what other writing projects
do you have in the works?
A. ARCLIGHT, thus far, is a collection of scenes from Dean's
childhood and his POV of certain scenes in IGNITE. I do have events for a
sequel planned, but Dean's perspective may take up an entire book all on its
own. I do have a lot of pieces from his childhood that show you why he is the
way he is with Lauren, and how he got to be such a part of her father's life. I
kept a lot of it very vague in IGNITE on purpose. This is Indie Publishing. If
I tried to do that traditionally, it wouldn't fly. But Lauren isn't an
all-knowing character, so why would the audience get to know everything if she
doesn't? I thought it would be interesting to have to get the other pieces of
the story from him, just like she eventually will. It's frustrating. Lauren's
frustrated, so the readers should be too. During the events of IGNITE, a lot of
traumatic events happened, so she didn't quite have the time to seriously
question him, and ask about his past. She was too busy focusing on the kids and
how she would figure out her future. In ARCLIGHT, we get to see these things,
and I hope it'll be an "aha" moment for a lot of readers. It kind of
was for me as I was writing it, if that makes any sense. That was a long winded
answer, but I hope it makes you want to read ARCLIGHT to get the rest of the
story! P.S., That title is something that also relates to IGNITE, and more to
Dean. If you google the definition of the word, it might give you some clues.
I'm hoping it will release early to mid 2015, as I'm planning on releasing
VOLITION first.
I have a lot of different projects in the works, and Tate
McKenna in VOLITION is possibly my favorite narrator I have ever written and
will write. I also have EQUILIBRIUM in the editing stages, which is a
Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel that I wrote a couple of years ago. They're all very
diverse, so I hope that readers will like the cross-genre novels!
Thanks Lily and congratulations on the release of your
first book!
Book Review: Ignite Lily Paradis
3.5 Stars
What starts as a random day at the DMV for 21 year old
college student Lauren Annabelle Lindsey turns into the day that changes her
life and puts her on a completely different path. Not only does she run into a
hunk of a man she will later meet as Dean Powell, but she’s given the news that
she’s now the legal guardian of her step-mother’s three children.
Lauren quickly becomes aware that Dean is not just some
stranger also getting his license renewed. He is actually the older brother and
legal guardian to his teenage sister, her step-sister’s best friend, and
has close ties to the family she has barely known.
There is a strong emphasis on fate as a theme of the novel
and quite a few fairy tale references. Aside from a jerk move he pulls during a
ski trip, Dean is quite the prince. He’s great with the kids, has limitless
funds, and is there whenever Lauren needs him.
The story itself is engaging. Lauren has to negotiate her new “parent” role
to her step-siblings and her interactions with them add greatly to everyone’s
character development. Those scenes feel
very real as the three children each react to her differently, and she finds
she must bond with them in different ways.
Dean and Lauren develop a quick and endearing friendship. I
appreciated that it wasn’t insta-love or insta-lust. They really work at a relationship and help each other open up. Dean is a friend at a time when Lauren really needs one.
There is some suspension of disbelief needed in regards to questions Lauren doesn’t ask and dots she doesn’t connect. How did her step-mother die? Why was she chosen to be their guardian? How did Dean come to know her family? While I enjoyed the intrigue aspect to this story, and there will be another book, Archlight, told via Dean’s point of view to supply details that are missing from Ignite, there were still just a few too many questions left unanswered. There is no cliffhanger though. The ending offers a HFN—a promise of the future.
There is some suspension of disbelief needed in regards to questions Lauren doesn’t ask and dots she doesn’t connect. How did her step-mother die? Why was she chosen to be their guardian? How did Dean come to know her family? While I enjoyed the intrigue aspect to this story, and there will be another book, Archlight, told via Dean’s point of view to supply details that are missing from Ignite, there were still just a few too many questions left unanswered. There is no cliffhanger though. The ending offers a HFN—a promise of the future.
One thing that is missing is the consummation of
their relationship. The romantic “content” seems geared more towards the young
adult audience as there is little intimate physical contact between Dean and
Lauren (forehead kisses aside). That
being said, if you prefer a clean romantic story then Ignite is highly
recommended. However, if you are looking for a big steam factor, you may find the 'romance' lukewarm.
Check it out at the following:
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