Exclusive Interview With Joss Stirling: Bookish Secrets Shared

Author Joss Stirling reveals the secrets behind her writing and the novel Finding Sky (2011).

Joss recently released the last book to her fictional, fantasy series, Finding Sky called Summer Shadows (2016) on 7^th July, much to the sadness of her fans.

The Finding Sky series follows the Benedict family, all of whom are savants – people with supernatural powers who are able to communicate through telepathy, each having a soulmate somewhere around the world – so to celebrate the release of this magnificent book, I asked Joss Stirling a series of questions to share with you amazing fans.

Characters are unusual people, all of which are hugely relatable in Joss’s novels, but to create such diverse and complex characters, inspiration must strike somewhere, right? “Sometimes the seed for a character starts with something I notice or find out about a person” Joss began, “but it always develops away from them and becomes a new creation. If it didn’t, I think I’d find it too restrictive. Story and character are bound together, the one changing the other, so they have to grow together.”

What had been puzzling me though, is where did this idea of savants come from? “I enjoy paranormal elements in a plot but wanted to write something that wasn’t so extreme.” Joss explained. “Once you give people powers you have to make it a secret or reality changes too much. That meant a secret society and hence the savants were born as a concept.”

Now, with Joss’s powerfully romantic stories, I obviously had to ask a question about the Benedict boys and that was, will there be another short story coming out? In answer to our question, that would be a yes! For any lovers of the comical, cutie Xavier, Joss revealed that once the story has gone through the editing process the book shall hopefully be out in Autumn.

We must not forget the action packed series Struck (2014) about the Young Detectives Agency – students trained up to be spies, going out on missions to bring down the bad guys – and I found out some interesting news. Next year we will be seeing the final book in the series released, currently called Scorched. I am burning to get my hands on this fiery final novel!

Being an author obviously has its perks, so I just had to ask Joss about travelling. Has she travelled a lot to gain inspiration for her books? “More often the ideas come after the travelling for work or pleasure. Only occasionally do I make research trips purely for writing purposes. Most notable was a trip to Venice for Seeking Crystal (2012) (it’s a tough life!).”

Of course, we must not forget how Joss Stirling also writes under two other pen names, Julia Golding and Eve Edwards, depending on the genre or target audience of the book she is writing. The first ever book she got published, was The Diamond of Drury Lane (2006) under the name Julia Golding, but Joss has been writing “all the time as a child and as a hobby through teen and young adult years” and has always known she wanted to be an author.

Book Review: Challenging Zed

Joss Stirling's novella, Challenging Zed (2013) is a beautiful short story to accompany the fictional, fantasy novel, Finding Sky (2011), giving the reader an insight to the struggles Zed had been going through before meeting Sky and how much she truly helped him.

I found reading this short story helped to give me a better understanding of the Benedict family and their relationship: how they help each other out, their personalities and savant powers, along with how Zed gets along with each of them individually.

I thought it was lovely to see a lot of the focus being made on Zed's brothers and how despite them having that normal and annoying brotherly relationship, when Zed desperately needs help and moral support from his family, they all stick together and help show their brother that they are all there whenever help is required (even when he is acting like an idiot and a jerk to his family and school teachers).

Joss Stirling also did a fantastic job of incorporating Zed's past back to when he was nine-years-old into the story, allowing the reading to truly understand how much times have change and the pain and sadness that weighs him down due to his gift, having to witness the criminal acts happening around the world.

This novel goes to proove how complex some characters can really be especially when supernatural powers are involved. The perfect combination of humour, romance and aciton. Definitely a lovely short story for anyone who has read the Finding Sky novel to read.

I am looking forward to reading Burning Yves (2015) based on the following novel, Stealing Phoenix (2011).

Book Review: Finding Sky

Finding Sky (2011) is a young adult, fictional novel, containing the perfect combination of fantasy, romance, adventure and drama.

I will admit it, I have read this novel five times and each time the story is just as captivating and exciting as the last time I read it, perfect for anyone whether you are a teenager or an adult.

Written by Joss Stirling, Finding Sky is about 16-year-old Sky Bright, an English girl who has moved with her adopted parents from England to Wrickenridge in Colorado.

Sky has a past, little of which she can remember apart from being abandoned at a service station, but it still haunts her dreams and makes her fear of what else she has forgotten when she was young.

From the age of ten, Sky got adopted by Sally and Simon and they helped her in her hour of need as she would not talk to anyone and her only comfort was music. Helping to bring her out of her shell, Sky’s new parents helped to welcome her to their family and give her a normal life with friends, but when her parents who are artists got the opportunity to move to Wrickenridge to be resident artists, it is an offer that they cannot refuse.

Sky experiences the nerves and troubles of moving: having to settle into a new school and make new friends while trying to get comfortable in her new surroundings, but things are not as normal as Sky had hoped when she meets bad boy Zed Benedict with a reputation of causing trouble in Wrickenridge. He is a boy that all girls swoon over and adore, with dangerously gorgeous looks, but when Sky finds he can communicate with her through telepathy, she thinks she is going crazy – something she has always thought as she used to imagine she could read peoples auroras to tell what emotions they were feeling. But what if she was not imagining these things?

What Sky does not realise is she is a savant – people with extraordinary powers, each of whom have a soulmate somewhere around the world who is their equal. Moving to America will either make Sky or break her.

Zed and Sky are destined to be soulmates, but with Sky fearing that no one can really love her and with troubles lying ahead, due to criminals being after the Benedict family, all of whom are savants, working together to capture criminals to send to jail, Zed has his work cut out for him.

With Sky having to learn about what the savant world has in store for her, learning about her powers, admitting her feelings for Zed and letting go of her past, it is a rollercoaster of emotions and one that takes a while to stop.

These books make you wish that the fiction were real. Hot boys, super powers, romance, humour and danger. What more can a girl ask for?

Book Review: Shaken

Shaken (2016), the third instalment to Joss Stirling’s Struck (2014) series, was without a doubt a book I was excited to read.

After reading previous books Struck (2015) and Stung (2015), I knew this book was going to be an exhilarating read. I was not disappointed.

In this gripping novel, we are introduced to 16-year-old Rose Knight. A genius American girl who get entangled in her Dad’s and brother’s criminal ways.

Rose is always the one to be dragging them out of trouble, but when her Dad is kidnapped and a regular demand of money is left on Rose’s doorstep in exchange for his life and Rose’s brother is not prepared to help, who else is there left to ask?

One of my favourite characters in this novel is Rose. Despite her having an extraordinary intelligence that anyone would beg to have, she is also the typical girl who gets shy and nervous speaking to new people and who easily gets flustered around guys. She is a character both worth envying and feeling pity for.

She is also a character who is easy to sympathise for in her lack of luck and poor fashion sense.

Now, a Joss Stirling novel obviously would not be complete without the dashing men coming to rescue! This time round we meet 18-year-old Damien Castle from London, belonging to the Cobra’s in the YDA (Young Detectives Agency) who is currently spending time with his mate Joe in America. We previously met Damien in the novel Stung (2015), a fierce while handsomely protective character.

I love Damien’s personality, how he is so protective and is a typical British gentleman, yet how at the same time he is a complete flirt and sweet talker, who won’t let anyone get in his way when it comes to the girl he likes.

I also enjoyed how Joe Masters returns to the books after his break from the series due to the problems that had occurred to him in Struck.

This time round Joe acts like the protective and defensive big brother of Rose Knight as they are next door neighbours and have been friends since they were kids – needless to say, despite Joe’s doubts that Damien would never fancy the clumsy, fashion disaster Rose, Joe still set strict rules for Damien to keep his distance.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

As a reader, we get to experience the fun moments, of Damien having an amusing time on his break away with Joe, on holiday from the YDA, there is a fantastically flirty Halloween party and Damien’s birthday party that expectedly leads to disaster. Not forgetting Damien’s Uncle Julien who is such a fun and lively character.

What I enjoy about Joss Stirling’s books, is she is supportive on all types of people, cultures and the gay community, shown in all the different varieties of characters used and Uncle Julien who is revealed to be gay in Stung.

Definitely a novel for all people to enjoy with the fun romance, jokes and the rushes of danger.

Book Review: Stung

When it was announced that a Stung (2015) was being published, second in the series to Joss Stirling's book Storm and Stone (2014) (also known as Struck) I was curious. Curious as to how Joss Stirling could write a book as mysterious, gripping and emotive as Struck... but she did.

From the very first chapter, which was filled with such mystery and sadness, I was keen to find out more about this distressed character Kate Pearl.

Then there is the handsome joker Nathan Hunter who I fell in love with while being on the roller coaster of a journey when reading this story.

What I like about this story in comparison to the Finding Sky (2011) series, is that in each book we get the opportunity to read both the male and the females perspective: how the characters fell in love and feel about each other, how the boys pursue the girls and how the girls react. In comparison to this, while the Finding Sky series is another one of my favourite books, we only get the chance to read about the girls experiences. On the other hand, Joss Stirling has written comparison novella's based on the boys perspective in the book.

When YDA (Young Detective's Agency) agent Kate Pearl gets sent on a mission that goes tragically wrong with her ultimately being accused for murder, it is up to Nathan Hunter with his team Kieran, Raven and Damien to go and save her. But is the YDA really the safest place for Kate?

Nathan has always had a crush on Kate, but it is his crush that leaves him getting tackled with an important decision. Is he prepared to put his career at the YDA on the line for love?

The growing love and trust between Nathan and Kate is one that will never get boring to read. This story contains the perfect balance between action and romance, meaning that this story is suitable for any audience, whether you are a teenager or an adult.

What I also find thoroughly enjoyable about Joss Stirling's books, is that with each story I fall in love with a different character, as each of the male characters, though they may have such different personalities and characteristics, they are also alike in the way that they are all 21st century gentlemen: polite, caring, protective, (obviously sarcastic) and put the women first.

I am definitely looking forward to reading Shaken (2016), the third instalment to the series.