Imogen Howson writes science fiction and fantasy that appeals to both adults and young adults alike. She lives with her partner and their two teenage daughters near Sherwood Forest in England, where she reads, writes, and drinks too much coffee.
Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere.
Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes.
Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl—Lin—who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed.
Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose—secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world.
YOUNG ADULT: What made you decide to start writing?
Imogen Howson: I’ve always told stories–to myself in bed when I was really little, then to my younger sister when I was a bit older–but I seriously started trying to write whole books when I was about fourteen. It was just something I always felt like doing, like reading or listening to music or drawing (I write better than I draw, though!).
YA: Tell us a little bit about your latest work. What is different about LINKED?
IH: LINKED is a science-fiction thriller, about a girl, Elissa, who discovers the weird visions that have plagued her whole life come from her telepathic link with the twin she never knew she had. I think it’s different in that one of the central plots of the book is how Elissa’s relationship with her twin–who is both very familiar and a total stranger, all at the same time–develops. There’s a romantic relationship as well, and Elissa has to grow herself, but the most interesting relationship (I think!) is the one with her twin.
YA: How did the idea for this book/series arise? What are your major inspirations (TV, film, other literature/stories)?
IH: I read an article in a magazine about teenage twins who had some kind of psychic link with each other, and I was so fascinated that I had to write about it. As I was writing LINKED, I became aware I was influenced by Joss Whedon’s Firefly series, and also by fictional twins I’d read about in the past. The Sweet Valley High twins, as well as the twins in the Kingscote School stories by Antonia Forest.
YA: Is this more of a paranormal odyssey or a dystopian future? Or a combination? What about these stories do you think fascinates the YA world so much?
IH: It’s more of a dystopian future, I think, although it’s not really a dystopia, more a straight science fiction adventure. And I think science fiction is always fascinating, to a YA and adult audience. It’s so interesting to think “what if”. I love going into a fictional world that’s different, but that isn’t so hugely different as a classic fantasy world.
YA: Take us through a typical writing day for you.
IH: I’m horrible at multi-tasking, so I have to have a super strict schedule otherwise nothing gets done. I’m addicted to daily To Do lists, with tasks I can cross off as I get through them.
So, I write in the morning, with as many cups of coffee as necessary. I have a daily goal of a thousand words, although I start every day by going through and editing the previous day’s work. After that I do everything else–housework, going for a run, plus work for my “day job”, as an editorial assistant at a publishing company. If I’m on deadline, I often write in the evening as well, on my laptop in bed. Fortunately my husband doesn’t mind!
YA: Besides the classic ‘never give up’, what advice would you give to aspiring young writers today?
IH: Read a LOT, and find out the thing you want to write the most. Don’t write what you think you should write–I wasted a lot of energy on writing contemporary, realistic stuff, when what I always wanted to write was science fiction and fantasy.
YA: What’s next for you?
IH: LINKED has a sequel, UNRAVEL, coming in 2014, but most of my work on that is nearly done. I’m working on a new science fiction, working title SPINDRIFT. It’s got cheerleaders and underground mutants and a huge competition called the Cloud Circus. I’m having a lot of fun with it!