Today, authors Tyler Jolley and Sherry Ficklin chatted with Olivia about their steampunk tale, EXTRACTED!
Welcome to the war. The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it. The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens–their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.
Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war. When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.
Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both again.
Olivia with YA-Mag: Sherry and Tyler, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine! We’re here today talking about your co-written novel EXTRACTED, the first book in The Lost Imperials series!
Sherry Ficklin: Thanks so much for having us!
Tyler Jolley: You guys rock! Thank you so much for letting us be part of this wonderful magazine.
YA: So let’s talk about how you met Lex and Ember! They’re working on different sides of the Time War. Who wrote for which character, or did you both write from them?
Sherry Ficklin: I wrote primarily Ember’s POV, and everything that happened inside the Tesla Institute. But after we wrote our separate pieces, we went back through and tweaked the whole thing together.
Tyler Jolley: Lex was my bro, my buddy, my alter ego. It was so fun to throw him into the story and see how he came out in the end.
YA: What made Lex and Ember the perfect dual protagonists to tell this story, as opposed to any of the other time-travelers? What about EXTRACTED makes their different takes a necessary piece of the puzzle?
SF: We knew that, for this part of the story at least, they had the most to lose. As the first of the group to regain their memories, we knew they would have the most at stake. It’s always tricky, having dual protagonists in a story, but it’s their choices and actions that lay the groundwork for the rest of the series. We needed the readers to get to know each character separately before we could bring them together and show how their connection changed the world around them.
TJ: Lex and Ember have the most interesting background. Their history is rich with intertwining stories and intrigue. They definitely have the most to lose and we felt like because of that their motivation would be a firm foundation to write Extracted. From the beginning, we wanted a strong male protagonist and a strong female protagonist to carry the story. Lex and Ember were a perfect fit to navigate through all the plot twists we had in store for them.
YA: What sets Ember and Lex and their story apart from other YA steampunk novels, like the STEAMPUNK CHRONICLES by Kady Cross or Scott Westerfeld’s LEVIATHAN saga?
SF: I think firstly, the most noticeable thing is lack of ‘period’ dialect. The book doesn’t take place (primarily) in the past so there’s no heavy Victorian language. It’s very modern. We were able to get away with that because it really is a blend of futuristic and historical, all wrapped up in the present.
TJ: I agree with Sherry. Besides writing a great time-travel steampunk story, we felt a good way to really connect with our readers was to write it as if actual teenagers from the good ole USA were fighting the time war. I really tried to keep a lot of our steampunk gadgetry original and fresh. When it came to world building, we wanted it to be unique and not heavy with recycled steampunk ideas.
“We’ve never formally been introduced to the students from the Tesla Institute, mostly because every time we meet things go from zero to face punch too quickly for small talk.”
-Extracted YA: What non-book influences helped spark Ember’s and Lex’s story? Any specific songs or shows?
SF: On my end, it was just a lot of research books and discovery channel shows. Though I did have These New Puritans blasting through my iPod most days.
TJ: I used the Internet a ton. Mainly to make sure I wasn’t creating the same old steampunk ideas. Armageddon It by Def Leppard played in my head every time the rifters went through the time steam.
YA: Steampunk is a growing genre, fashion, and culture. Do either of you consider yourself steampunks? What drew you to the genre? And do you have a favorite fellow steampunk series or events that you attend?
SF: I think I’m a dabbler. I dabble. I know a lot of people who are steampunk to the bone and I think that’s cool. But I tend to be a mash-up of lots of different things, steampunk being just one of them. Still, I’ve always been drawn to it because I love the blending of the archaic and the futuristic elements. I think that’s one of the reason it’s such a natural fit for a time travel story. My favorite steampunk series right now is the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger. I was lucky enough to meet her at one of the steampunk conventions we attended last year, Anomaly Con in Denver. It was such a blast!
TJ: You know I bought what I call a man corset. Realistically they are just steeplejack pants that button a little higher on the waist to make me uncomfortable. I’m probably a poser when it comes to steampunk fashion. I do love my vests and I try to keep it real when we go to conventions. I love the steampunk specific events like Gear Con and Anomaly Con. The people there are very supportive of our endeavors and I never feel like I’m a newbie or outsider when I throw on my costume.
YA: What is the story on the title EXTRACTED? How about THE LOST IMPERIALS? Was it harder or easier deciding on a title with a co-author?
SF: Well, we went through a few working titles, but once we signed a contract for it, we were told our original name was already used in a very popular sci-fi series, so we had to change it. I think it was actually the editors who came up with Extracted. It just sort of stuck. And as far as the “The Lost Imperials” well, I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it encompasses the whole series quite well.
TJ: I think the editors came up with Extracted. It’s funny because I’m an Orthodontist by day, and when I tell people the name of the book I have to premise it with “It’s not a dental book.” For Sherry and I to agree on the title was easy. It is very fitting for the book.
YA: Coming next from you two is the second book in The Lost Imperials series. How are the stakes raised in this sequel, and what can fans look forward to?
SF: Hmmm…What can I say that isn’t full of spoilers? There is a lot more at stake in the second book, and it’s from the POV of two other characters (who appear in book 1). There’s, I think, three major revelations throughout the book (that funny enough NONE of the readers has picked up on yet). Each one is a jaw dropper.
TJ: Sequels can be tough. When it comes to movies, we can talk till the cows come home about all the bad sequels. When it comes to books, it can be the same way. It’s the “half time” book. The thing about it is we don’t want people to leave their seats and go get a chilidog. Some things we did were to change the point of view, which is very fitting. Sherry is correct there are some big revelations that Extracted subtly glazed over that readers will really love when they are able to connect the dots.
YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of EXTRACTED, who would you cast in the lead roles?
SF: Oh, I love this part. For me, I would put Ben Stone in the part of Ethan. He pulls off cocky but somehow still charming really well. And for Ember, I’d go with Emma Roberts. She’s feisty.
TJ: This is Sherry’s favorite part. I wish I could admit I’m up on my up-and-coming actors and actresses but I think I’m turning into my dad. I still listen to hair bands from the eighties and my favorite actors from that time period are Harrison Ford and Jeff Bridges. So I’d love to see one of them play Gloves. Krang from TMNT could do Tesla.
YA: Do either of you have a pet project you’re working on? What can you tease our audience with about them?
SF: My first YA stand alone novel, Losing Logan, comes out in May. I’m really nervous about it. It’s my first YA romantic suspense novel. (With a healthy dose of paranormal, of course.)
TJ: Once I realized how not to stay infatuated with just one project the flood-gates opened in my mind. My agent John Rudolph is having me write a YA/sci-fi called Chemika that should go on submission in February. I have two partial YA Dystopian books that are totally different from anything I’ve read. Then I’m trying a semi-fact based YA novel that’s near and dear to my heart. I guess I’m trying to be prolific and keep the juices flowing.
YA: Last one! If you could spend one day with Lex or Ember and their respective groups, what would you do together? What words of wisdom would you want to share with Lex/Ember while you visited?
SF: That’s a tough one! All of time and history at your fingertips, how could you possibly choose? I would want to go everywhere, see it all. I suppose one day could really be a long time with a group of time travelers, huh? As for wisdom, there’s nothing I could tell them that they don’t already know. And let’s face it, Lex wouldn’t listen anyway.
TJ: You know I like treasure. Especially, long lost treasures of history. It would be cool to hang with the Hollow kids for a while and see if we can put a close to all these cool lost treasure stories.
YA: Thank you very much, Sherry and Tyler! And once more from all of us at YA Mag, congratulations on EXTRACTED!
SF: Thank you!
TJ: It’s been our pleasure. Thank you again. We really appreciate you having us.
~*~
Readers, be sure to check out Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley at their website www.TheLostImperials.com. Or follow Tyler on Twitter @DocJolley and Sherry Ficklin @AuthorSherry.
EXTRACTED, published by Spencer Hill Press, is now available in paperback and ebook at your favorite online retailers and local independent bookstores!
Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey. For more info, follow her on Twitter.