(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Interview: Aimee Agresti

Hi everyone. *waves hello* There are only a few days of the blogoversary celebration left to go. I hope you have enjoyed celebrating Treasured Tales for Young Adults‘ one year blogoversary. Today, Aimee Agresti, author of Illuminate (Gilded Wings #1) has stopped by Treasured Tales for an interview. Thank you Aimee. 😀

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Hi Aimee, Thank you for visiting Treasured Tales for Young Adults, to help celebrate its one year blogoversary.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

Happy Blogoversary! Thanks so much for having me! Let’s see, where to begin? Well, ILLUMINATE is my first novel but I’ve been an entertainment magazine writer for years. Most recently I was a staff writer at Us Weekly, which was tons of fun! I’ll always be a celebrity gossip junkie at heart!

Do you have a favourite place where you like to write?

I live in DC where museum-hopping is my favorite pastime so I absolutely love writing at the Portrait Gallery. There’s a gorgeous courtyard there where I’ve been known to spend hours on end writing, sipping mochas and people-watching! I wrote a lot of ILLUMINATE there.

What was your favourite novel as a child, and has it inspired or influenced the way you write?

That’s such a great question! I had so many favorites: “Little Women,” “Alice in Wonderland,” the entire “Nancy Drew” series—I read all of those over and over. I always loved stories with strong heroines and adventurous girls. (I basically wanted to grow up to be a mix of Jo March and Nancy Drew!) When I sat down to write ILLUMINATE, it was important to me to create the kind of heroine I would have loved when I was a teen.

When writing a novel, do you outline the entire plot before beginning, or do you like to let the characters guide you?

I’m an outlining fiend! I need to have a clear map of where the story is going before I sit down to write, so I spend an incredible amount of time outlining. But there are definitely moments when I’m writing and a great idea occurs to me and I need to veer off from my plan a bit. Sometimes the best twists come out of the blue like that!

Which of your characters in Illuminate, intrigues you the most?

I love them all, they’re all my babies! But if I had to choose, I would say Haven because the book is really about her evolution. She may start out a little unsure of herself but she becomes a force to be reckoned with, which I love.

What do you love the most about the main character, Haven?

I love that she’s so analytical and introspective and she can’t seem to turn that off, even though she’d sometimes like to. She’s always thinking, thinking, thinking, taking note of everything going on around her, but it’s that kind of focus that helps her unlock the secrets of what’s really going on at the Lexington Hotel!

How would you describe Lance and Dante, each in five words or less?

Five words or less, wow! Well, Dante is the ultimate best friend. And Lance is that guy who surprises you.

When you think of Lucian, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Oooh, how about: smokeshow!

Are there any particular songs that you feel suit or express a certain scene in your novel, Illuminate?

I like to think of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” as the book’s theme song. I didn’t discover that song until long after I’d finished writing, but her voice is so ethereal and the lyrics are just perfect. I love it! But I actually cooked up a whole soundtrack for the book, you can check it out here! http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/aimee-agrestis-illuminate/id501117956

What are you currently working on, and is there anything about it you can share with us?

I’ve been busy polishing up the sequel to ILLUMINATE! In Book Two of the Gilded Wings trilogy, the gang heads to New Orleans to battle a new pack of devils. But I’ll tell you this much: you haven’t seen the last of Lucian!

Thank you for the interview Aimee.

Thank YOU so much!

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Doesn’t the Portrait Gallery, where Aimee wrote a lot of Illuminate, sound lovely?