Author Interview with Alexandra Adornetto

Recently I read Halo and I was completely shocked when I found out that Alexandra is only 17 years old. Halo is not her first published book either. I think it's a powerful thing when teens realize they don't need to be a certain age to accomplish something big. I'm clearly not a teen, and I wish I realized that when I was one.

Recently I was able to ask Alexandra Adornetto a few questions about writing and her 1st US debut, Halo.

You're 17, and already an accomplished writer. What sparked your interest in writing? What advice do you have for younger writers?

Growing up I used to love to keep diaries and write poems/short-stories, but the idea of turning writing into a career didn’t emerge until I was thirteen. It was the summer-holidays and all my friends had gone to the beach but I wasn’t allowed to go, so I needed something to keep me occupied. I started writing this story just for fun before realizing it was coming to me very naturally and I was able to keep going! I sent it off to a publishing house (not expecting to hear back from them) and got a call asking if I’d like to turn the book into a trilogy. I’ve been working as an author ever since. The best advice I can give would be, don’t let anybody tell you you’re too young to follow your dreams. Young people can feel like they haven’t got enough life-experience to be authors, but it’s not true. We are all capable of amazing things, if we work hard and truly believe in ourselves. If you are confident and have faith in your abilities, other people will have faith in them too.

What inspired you to write Halo?

I studied a religion class at high-school. Everybody hated it and thought it was boring, but I found it fascinating. I would come out of class and say to my friends: “Hey have you heard about the Trinitarian pattern of divine salvation!” And they would be like: “Who are you? Do we know you!?” The class got me thinking about putting a concept like angels into a novel. Also, I was a bit tired of seeing so many vampire novels on the scene; I thought it was time for a change. In most supernatural themed books, the supernatural characters themselves are fighting destructive urges (like drinking blood!) so I thought it would be interesting to make the supernatural beings genuinely good.

Which character grew the most and were you surprised at the direction in which they developed?

Probably Molly. Originally her character came across as very superficial, not the sharpest tool in the shed! Molly still starts out as a bit of ditz, but slowly starts to realize that she’s attracted to more than just Gabriel’s physical appearance. She can sense an amazing energy within him and she starts to look outside her narrow teenage world. Gabriel makes Molly genuinely want to be a better person and when I started writing her character, she only liked him because of his smokin’ looks!

Halo leaves us on a bit of cliff hanger. Can you give us a little hint at what we can except in the sequel, Hades?

I sure can! As you guess tell from the title, Hades is a bit darker in terms of themes. The drama and action really kicks into high-gear. Jake is back with a vengeance and he’s out to get Xavier. Beth is torn away from the world she knew and thrown into a place where all her nightmares come true. Part of the novel is set in Hell.

We're looking forward to meeting you at the Austin Teen Book Festival. What do you enjoy most about being on tour?

I am so excited to be visiting Austin. I’m working on getting a US work visa at the moment and would love to study at the University of Texas. So this will be a great chance for me to check out the town and the people! The best thing about being on tour is the places you see and the people you get to meet. I love meeting fans – it’s the most rewarding part of being a writer and when you’re on tour its all about interacting with those awesome people who support your work. They tell you their favorite characters and scenes and it gives you such great insight into what’s working well and what isn’t.

Have you read any books lately that you'd recommend to us to go pick up?

I’ve read Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) which is about a guy who buys a ghost over the internet. I liked the originality of the idea. I’ve just read the Evernight series by Claudia Gray and had dinner with her in Australia. I can say that both book and author are lovely. I’m about to start reading Angelology by Danielle Trussoni which I have heard is very good!

If you'd like more information about Halo, please visit there links here:

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JEHF9ZxMqM

Author Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BIRdiBmZ9o

Chapter Excerpt: http://tinyurl.com/35dqk74

Tour info: http://tinyurl.com/372z8lr

Facebook Page : http://www.facebook.com/AlexandraAdornetto