YALLFest Interview with Jocelyn Davies
October 28, 2013
YALLFest is coming! YALLFest is coming! On November 9th, 2013, fifty YA authors will descend on Charleston, SC, for an amazing day of free panels, presentations, and book signings. Visit the YALLFest website for more details and follow them on twitter @yallfest. In the weeks leading up to the big event, I’m hosting interviews with the talented YALLFest authors several times a week, so keep stopping by to learn more about these fabulous folks. 
YALLFest
I’ve only met one other Jocelyn in real life (at college), so preparing today’s blog post has been making me twitch every time I see Jocelyn because I keep thinking it’s me. I only hope I have as much success with my books as Jocelyn Davies has had with hers. Jocelyn was born in New York City and still lives there, where during the day she works as an editor for YA fiction. At night she morphs into a YA author and writes about a teen torn between the light and the dark. Her first book is A Beautiful Dark, the second is A Fractured Light, and the last book in the trilogy is A Radiant Sky, which was released on September 24th.
Jocelyn Davies A Radiant Sky
And now for the Q&A with Jocelyn:
 
What one thing do you need to have when you write?
COFFEE! And a cocoon of silence.
 
Describe your book in 5 words.
Girl has angel blood, torn.
 
What is the hardest line to write – the first or the last?
It differs from book to book–really, it's anyone's guess! Sometimes, the first line is hardest, because I'm just getting started and I'm not warmed up yet, and by the time I get to the end, I've got the momentum of an entire book to propel me into that last line. Then again, sometimes a first line just pops into my head, and the whole idea unfolds from there. Theres usually no way to know what is going to happen until it's happening, which is often the approach I take to writing.
 
Best writing tip you ever received?
“Create interesting characters, give them an excuse to meet, and the story will write itself.”
 
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
I'm a dog person–cats kind of freak me out.
I was a theater kid in high school. I used to dream of being an Oscar-winning actress.
I love everything about autumn.
I live a few blocks away from my best friend from high school.
In my day job, I'm also a children's book editor.
 
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
I love magical realism—a novel that's set in the real world, but ever-so-slightly different.
 
At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
I usually have a pretty strong sense right from the moment the idea comes to me. I start writing knowing I’m embarking on a novel.
 
You can learn more about Jocelyn at her website, on facebook, and on twitter.
 
Are you planning to attend YALLFest? Have you read any of Jocelyn’s books? Which one(s) are your favorite(s)?
 
You can read about the first two YALLFests here and here.
 
Previous YALLFest interviews:
Cinda Williams Chima                       Lauren Oliver
CJ Lyons                                          Sean Williams
Rainbow Rowell                                Ransom Riggs
Veronica Rossi                                  Kami Garcia
Melissa de la Cruz                             Shannon Hale
Lisi Harrison                                     Michelle Hodkin

YALLFest is coming! YALLFest is coming! On November 9th, 2013, fifty YA authors will descend on Charleston, SC, for an amazing day of free panels, presentations, and book signings. Visit the YALLFest website for more details and follow them on twitter @yallfest. In the weeks leading up to the big event, I’m hosting interviews with the talented YALLFest authors several times a week, so keep stopping by to learn more about these fabulous folks. 
YALLFest
I’ve only met one other Jocelyn in real life (at college), so preparing today’s blog post has been making me twitch every time I see Jocelyn because I keep thinking it’s me. I only hope I have as much success with my books as Jocelyn Davies has had with hers. Jocelyn was born in New York City and still lives there, where during the day she works as an editor for YA fiction. At night she morphs into a YA author and writes about a teen torn between the light and the dark. Her first book is A Beautiful Dark, the second is A Fractured Light, and the last book in the trilogy is A Radiant Sky, which was released on September 24th.
Jocelyn Davies A Radiant Sky
And now for the Q&A with Jocelyn:
 
What one thing do you need to have when you write?
COFFEE! And a cocoon of silence.
 
Describe your book in 5 words.
Girl has angel blood, torn.
 
What is the hardest line to write – the first or the last?
It differs from book to book–really, it's anyone's guess! Sometimes, the first line is hardest, because I'm just getting started and I'm not warmed up yet, and by the time I get to the end, I've got the momentum of an entire book to propel me into that last line. Then again, sometimes a first line just pops into my head, and the whole idea unfolds from there. Theres usually no way to know what is going to happen until it's happening, which is often the approach I take to writing.
 
Best writing tip you ever received?
“Create interesting characters, give them an excuse to meet, and the story will write itself.”
 
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
I'm a dog person–cats kind of freak me out.
I was a theater kid in high school. I used to dream of being an Oscar-winning actress.
I love everything about autumn.
I live a few blocks away from my best friend from high school.
In my day job, I'm also a children's book editor.
 
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
I love magical realism—a novel that's set in the real world, but ever-so-slightly different.
 
At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
I usually have a pretty strong sense right from the moment the idea comes to me. I start writing knowing I’m embarking on a novel.
 
You can learn more about Jocelyn at her website, on facebook, and on twitter.
 
Are you planning to attend YALLFest? Have you read any of Jocelyn’s books? Which one(s) are your favorite(s)?
 
You can read about the first two YALLFests here and here.
 
Previous YALLFest interviews:
Cinda Williams Chima                       Lauren Oliver
CJ Lyons                                          Sean Williams
Rainbow Rowell                                Ransom Riggs
Veronica Rossi                                  Kami Garcia
Melissa de la Cruz                             Shannon Hale
Lisi Harrison                                     Michelle Hodkin

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who never imagined her cheeky sense of humor would lead to a book about animal butts. When she's not researching fanny facts, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, short films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her booty-ful dogs.