THE ISLE is a sequel to THE WARD, and we’re excited to have Jordana Frankel here to share more about it.

Jordana, what scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

I think the hardest scene also happened to be the easiest one, once I jumped “the hurdle.” (The hurdle being letting go of what I thought *would* happen, so I could write what needed to happen.) I’m talking about one of the final chapters, where Ren dies. I realized after sitting with that scene for a good long while that what I wanted and what the story wanted were not the same thing. And so I had to adjust. Once I did that the words flowed and I wrote both those two chapters in a few hours. And I am quite proud of those pages!

What did this book teach you about writing or about yourself?

It’s going to sound sappy, but really, this book taught me to trust myself as a writer. Throughout THE WARD I felt a bit like I was escaping every scene by the skin of my teeth. I didn’t trust that I could fix the problems that arose, and that fear was paralyzing. I’d put off edits until the last minute, giving myself barely enough time to make the necessary edits. With THE ISLE, I’d grown to believe that my brain was capable of coming up with necessary solutions. It helped.

What do you hope readers will take away from THE ISLE?

This is an interesting question… While I never had a particular hope going into the novel, having now come out the other end, I think that the theme of friendship is a clear takeaway. Our friends are the family we choose, and to a certain extent they shape us. When we choose wisely, friends can help us strive to be better people. We can also find ourselves pushing up against negative friends. It’s important that we actively choose our friends — not just let ourselves be chosen. Ren got lucky when Aven chose her. But then Ren chose Aven over and over again once she realized just how lucky she was.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

My path to publication was very unusual, actually. You can read about it here: http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-wards-road-to-publication/

Was there an AHA! moment along your road to publication where something suddenly sank in and you felt you had the key to writing a novel? What was it?

No single key, per se. More like a hundred little keys that, over days added up to trusting myself. Like I said, writing THE WARD was tough. My path to publication was strange and I’d never written a novel before my book deal. I had a wonderful, brilliant, oracular mentor and editor, but ultimately, cumulative experience was going to be “the thing” (and this thing will repeat itself ad infinitum). I’m ever learning.

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

When I’m deep in production mode, I remove myself. I go away. I don’t talk to anyone and I don’t listen to music and I forget to eat. It’s not healthy. I’ve broken up with partners because I’ve been on a deadline. Like I said, uber-unhealthy. I don’t have a ritual. I have a human sacrifice.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

^Don’t.

What are you working on now?

I’m actually co-writing my next novel with a former partner of mine, Aurora Wells. She’s a brilliant writer who’s put her pen to all sorts of issues, from animal rights to gender and sexuality.

Our co-baby/novel is a contemporary, gender-queer YA about a teenage girl transitioning into a teenage girl-slash-superhero. In the end our hero/ine discovers that their identity *is* their power. It’s an origin story, with a healthy sidekick of romance. 😉

Have you had a chance to read THE ISLE yet? Do you have trouble trusting yourself as a writer? Is your writing ritual more like a human sacrifice? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,