Emlyn Chand : It’s great to be over, Niina. Thank you for having me :-D
Niina : Now let’s get started! Can you tell us five fun facts about yourself, so that we can get to know you better?
Emlyn : Hmmm... Okay, here goes. 1) I’m a crazy bird lady, 2) I have hyper focus disorder, which I made up and is the opposite of ADHD, 3) I’m an entrepreneur and own my own book marketing business called Novel Publicity, 4) I want to infuse YA literature with multiculturalism, and 5) I married a man from New Delhi, India.
Niina : You’ve written Farsighted, can you tell us what it’s about and give us five adjectives you’d use for it?
Emlyn : Farsighted tells the story of Alex Kosmitoras. Here’s my mini teaser: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Its 5 adjectives are: epic, mystical, relatable, complicated, and unexpected
Niina : Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb?
Emlyn : Each chapter is structured around a Nordic rune when put together in a specific order, the runes tell the hero’s journey – so Farsighted does too.
Niina : What chapter did you most enjoyed writing and why?
Emlyn : I enjoyed writing the second to last chapter (#23), because that’s where it all came together.
Niina : How did you find your cover and if you didn't take part in the search, what is your opinion of it?
Emlyn : Lee Libro, the graphic artist who works for my company Novel Publicity, crafted it for me. The cover model is the same as the person who starred in my book trailer. His name is Jordan. Lee wrote a blog post detailing the creation of Farsighted’s cover (that’s here).
Niina : I you could only read 5 YA (Young Adult) books for the rest of your life what would they be, and why?
Emlyn : Somebody likes the number 5 ;-) Well, I’ll cheat and choose 5 series, so I have more books to read. They would be: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, City of Ember, Percy Jackson, and Tiger’s Curse.
Niina : LOL! Seems I do favor the 5s. ;) So, why did you pick Young Adult genre to write?
Emlyn : I actually just wrote a blog post about that (it’s here). It all comes down to the enjoyment factor. YA is my favorite genre to read, so it’s only natural that I would choose to write it as well. I like the vulnerability and changeability of the characters. I love the ease of language and the connection that is created by writing in first person point-of-view. But mostly, I like the readers of YA. YA readers WANT to enjoy books .Their primary goal is not to dissect the literary merit of a story but rather to find a bit of entertainment. YA readers are also extremely loyal to authors they like and can border on fanatical. It makes you feel good as an author ;-)
Niina : What makes you feel like you’re reading, or have read, a truly amazing book?
Emlyn : I think stories live or die with the characters who populate them. Plot is important. World-building is important. But a story without strong or relatable characters isn’t going to stay with readers in the same way.
Niina : Now to more personal questions! Your current Top 5 bad boys in literature, and why?
Emlyn : Oooo. What constitutes bad? I’ll take a go at it. Dax LaFache from Farsighted, Severus Snape from Harry Potter (I should’ve asked what constitutes “boy” too, haha), Jacob Black from Twilight, Ky Markham from Matched, and departing from YA for a moment, the original Count Dracula. Basically, anybody but Patch from Hush, Hush. I like bad boys who have a bit of good in them too and keep you guessing. Count Dracula is awesome, because he just is – for all the Twi-fans out there that haven’t read Bram Stoker’s take on vampires yes, you must!
Niina : A must indeed! Can you tell us five fun/quirky things about Alex that we didn't learn from the book?
Emlyn : He’s been blind since birth. He doesn’t know how to act around girls and often finds himself causing them physical injury through his awkwardness. He has a bit of an Oedipus complex. He doesn’t usually know what’s best for him. He’s struggling to accept and learn how to use his newfound psychic abilities.
Niina : Can you share with us the three closest books you have near you?
Emlyn : I have 4 sitting right in front of me less than a foot away. They are Farsighted and the 3 books from Colleen Houck’s Tiger Series. I also have an 8-foot tall by 17-foot wide bookshelf roughly 3 feet behind me.
Niina : How many jobs did you have before you became a writer? What was your first job?
Emlyn : First of all, I was born a writer, okay? :-P But to answer your question, my first job was at the age of 14; I was a hostess at the local Big Boy. I had several other small fry jobs throughout high school and college. When I finished grad school, I got a job as a Linguistic Validation Research Analyst, did that for about three years, and then started my own business earlier this year. I got my first paid writing gig a few years back, writing a book review column for the local paper. Farsighted is my first published novel.
Niina : If your book were made into a movie who would you cast as the leads?
Niina : Hahah! That sounds fair. Now, what book, if any, do you read over and over again?
Emlyn : There are so many wonderful books out there, it’s rare for me to re-read any of them. However, I was the normal annoying, obsessive youngster and forced my mom to read Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson to me over and over again. It opened my eyes to the world that could exist if only I was willing to create it—I think it’s what encouraged me to be a writer in the first place.
Niina : Before we are all done, here are some Quick Fire questions!
Cats or dogs? Dogs.
Beach or forest? Forest.
Night or day? Day.
UF (Urban Fantasy) or PNR (Paranormal Romance)? UF.
Bad boys or good cops? Bad boys.
Brunettes or Blonds? Brunettes.
Vampires or werewolves? Werewolves.
Romance or erotica? Romance.
Mystery or Thriller? Mystery.
Men: Alpha-male or submissive? Submissive.
Women: Talkative or wallflowers? Talkative.
Male POV or female POV (Point Of View)? Male.
Pick-up or Mini-van? Mini-van.
Beer or Wine? Wine.
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Pizza or Restaurant? Restaurant.
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Dark chocolate.
Cake or Donuts? Cake.
TV or DVD? TV.
Golden Girls or Family Ties? Golden Girls.
Movies: Romantic comedies or Action/Adventure? Rom Coms.
Halloween or Midsummer? Halloween.
Rocks or flowers? Rocks.
Times New Roman or Courier? Times New Roman.
Crayons or markers? Markers.
Pens or pencils? Pens.
Books or e-books? eBooks.
Kids or pets? Pets.
Niina : Thanks for visiting the For The Love of Reading! Emlyn, it was fun to have you come by!
Emlyn : Thank you! Boy, was that a wild ride! Glad I survived :-P
Don't miss out on Farsighted!
