Audrey Francis-Plante is a new Evernight Teen author! Her first book, Devonna, is an Editor's Pick and released October 17, 2019. Audrey writes paranormal, dystopian, fantasy, or anything with a touch of magic. She lives in Québec and is still awaiting her letter from Hogwarts.
Deidre: Thanks for letting me interview you today! I absolutely adore anything with a touch of magic myself, so I'm really excited to pick a fellow magic-lover's brain!
Audrey: Yay, I’m excited too!
D: So how long have you been writing?
A: Since I begged my mother to teach me how to read/write at four years old. I wrote my first “book” at 11. I wrote my first not-so-crappy-but-still-pretty-bad book at 17.
D: What was your favorite book as a young adult yourself?
A: Harry Potter. I breathed and talked and dreamed of nothing else but Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (I’m a very proud Hufflepuff, by the way.)
D: I've always considered myself a Hufflepuff as well! I can sort of guess the answer, but it still needs to be asked: Is there an author that’s changed your life?
A: Go Hufflepuff! And yes, J.K. Rowling. Her journey and her books have inspired me my whole life. The Harry Potter series made me want to become a writer so I could create my own magical worlds.
D: So who was your favorite Harry Potter 'ship?
A: Ron and Hermione, by far.
D: Since we're on the subject, let's talk main characters. Do your MCs have anything in common across your stories?
A: I try to make my characters as unique as possible, but my MCs are often female characters who learn about how badass they can be, and how it’s okay to embrace said badassness.
D: Love it. Confident girls are always a delight to read. Do they reflect you in that way?
A: Oh, God. I guess? Because I push myself to do things that terrify me until I’m comfortable doing them, like traveling solo, rafting or cliff-jumping. Fear nags me the whole way, but I don’t let it stop me.
D: What are your favorite tropes?
A: I love hate-to-love relationships. Also, the villains-you-love-to-hate trope! Hear me out, I don’t love hate in general, I just love to yell passionately at fictional people because that anger usually means I care about what I’m reading/writing.
D: Tell me a little about your debut title!
A: Devonna is a seventeen-year-old with congenital insensitivity to pain. She can’t physically feel anything, until one day she feels the touch of a quiet boy named Bram. Which would be great. If Bram hadn’t been dead for five years.
D: What is the most difficult scene you ever wrote?
A: I’m currently working on a book that’s loosely based on my grandfather (I learned after he died that he’d once been a prison guard, and I just knew I had to write about that) and it was extremely difficult to write the last scene of the story because I kept crying. Also, every scene was tricky because I kept thinking my whole family will read this and recognize some of the anecdotes.
D: That sounds very heartfelt. But every writer puts at least some of their history into their work. It sounds really interesting.
A: Very true! And thank you, I’m glad you think so.
D: Aside from writing, what is your day job?
A: I’ve had approximately 30 day jobs. I work anywhere, for the amount of time required to get enough money to jump on a plane and avoid reality for a couple of weeks--or months. But I recently started a job at a rock climbing gym and I REALLY LIKE IT. (I love rock climbing, especially bouldering--another thing that used to terrify me.)
D: You keep a busy schedule! I'm impressed you find time to write at all.
A: Strangely, I write more when I’m extremely busy, because then every little moment I get to write is sacred. When I’ve got too much free time on my hands, I postpone everything to tomorrow while I watch The Office for the fourth time. *cue in Jim’s shrug*
D: Well, thank you again! It was a pleasure having you.
A: Thank YOU. :)
You can find Audrey's debut Devonna at Evernight Teen! And don't forget to subscribe to her blog, Instagram, and Twitter account!