Interview: Defy the Sun by Jessika Fleck

Interview: Defy the Sun by Jessika Fleck

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Welcome to my stop on the Defy the Sun by Jessika Fleck blog tour! If you enjoy dystopian novels, this is one series to check out. Keep reading to learn more about the book and find out what is on Jessika’s playlist for the book.

Defy the Sun Jessika FleckTitle: Defy the Sun (The Offering Series #2)
Author: Jessika Fleck
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: March 10, 2020

Summary (from Goodreads):

Civil war has come to the island of Bellona. Veda Adeline believes in the Night. She’s joined the underground revolutionaries, led by Dorian Winters, and they're determined to overthrow the ruling Imperi and find justice for her people.

Nico Denali, Veda’s childhood friend and maybe-something-more, is one of those ruling Imperi, and he’s just been named heir to the most powerful man above ground.

As the war intensifies, Veda and Nico are leveraged against each other: Veda is above as a hostage of the Imperi and Nico is below, taken by the Night. There's no way Dorian is letting such a valuable hostage go.

The island will burn unless Veda and Nico can come together to rip everything apart. But Nico and Dorian will never trust each other, and Veda's heart might be the biggest casualty.

The stakes are all or nothing in this second and final book in the BEWARE THE NIGHT duology. 

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Interview with Jessika Fleck, Author of Defy the Sun

What inspired you to create The Offering Series?

Honestly, it wasn’t one solitary thing but several ideas and visions over the course of a few years. Originally, my inspiration was sparked after the horrible tsunami that hit Japan in 2010. I began thinking about the what ifs of an island that was cut off from all other civilization by a natural disaster… what would it look like if they had to start from scratch and rebuild everything from social structure to farming to religion? Well, my mind went dystopia and then to a girl and a false prophesy. The rest organically came to be during the drafting and many stages of revisions. The series evolved many times over, but I’m so very proud of the end result.

Do you create any playlists while you are writing? What would be on a playlist for Defy the Sun?

Always. Playlists are a MUST for me. I create a new one for each project and then listen to it nonstop on shuffle while writing and editing. Some top tracks from my Defy the Sun playlist are:

  • Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men
  • Ode to my Family by The Crandberries
  • Wild Sun by the Strumbellas
  • First Love Never Die by Soko
  • Separator by Noah Gundersen

Is there one piece of advice or inspiration you have received that has helped you in your writing career?

Never give up and write what you love. Also ‘ass in chair’ because nothing happens if you don’t actually WRITE the story. 😉

I hear that you are quite a collector of items related to your novels! What is the most interesting item that you have acquired?

My most interesting piece is definitely an actual, working spinning wheel. I have a couple of books that feature characters who knit, sew, and/or spin wool. None are published (yet) but it’s an artform that holds a special place in my heart. I originally bought the spinning wheel to know and experience the movements and sounds first-hand. Now it’s a lovely piece of furniture in my home that I have used on occasion. 

Describe Defy the Sun in 3 words

Heartbreak. Destruction. Reckoning. 

About Jessika Fleck

Jessika Fleck

Jessika Fleck is an author, unapologetic coffee drinker, and knitter — she sincerely hopes to one day discover a way to do all three at once. Until then, she continues collecting vintage typewriters and hourglasses, dreaming of an Ireland getaway, and convincing her husband they NEED more kittens. Her YA debut, THE CASTAWAYS (Entangled TEEN), is now available. Her next YA novel, BEWARE THE NIGHT (Swoon Reads/Macmillan) releases March 12, 2019.

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About The Candid Cover

Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.

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