Echo
Jemma Pearson has been running from her past for as long as she could. When she thinks of settling down and of letting go, her demons finally catch up with her. You know what they say. You can run, but you can never hide.
Interview
1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Long story short, I’m an eighteen-year-old daydreamer, completely addicted to writing (and moreover to my characters and other writers’ characters) and reading. I’m the kind of people that is really passionate. Since you might already know everything about me if you’ve read Don’t Jump, I’ll try to head another way! I could describe myself using animals, how about that? The top three animals that represent me are…the lion, the wolf and the polar bear!
2. What types of books do you write?
Mostly, I would assume that I write teen fiction or non-teen fiction. I like to write almost all types of books—my favourites being paranormal, science-fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, horror. I don’t really like to write about “normal” or “average” life. There’s often a dark twist in my books. I like to write about the what ifs (but not the “what if I’d told him I loved him” kind of thing, more like “what if people could tell when you’ll die” kind of thing).
3. How many books have you written?
Too many to keep track of them. To be honest, I just have so many ideas that I often find myself needing to write a totally new book because there’s another story that needs to be told. Excluding the seven fanfiction books I’ve worked on, I’m writing about twenty books of fiction. Many aren’t published anywhere on Internet though. Mostly, however, I work on about ten in total. On the said ten books, three are complete and going under a major editing process and the others are in the process of being written.
4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?
I’m always looking forward another Tabou book—it’s a collection of books written in French and they’re about “taboo” matters, like suicide, HIV, bullying, abuse, etc.—because I am very intrigued about that kind of matter and I want to know more about it. Maybe I would be looking forward to the Divergent movie (I really like it when she says “They call it Divergent”. I don’t know why.) when I’ll have read the books. But one movie I’m actually quite thrilled about (apart from Mockingjay) would be How To Train Your Dragon 2.
5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy all kind of books--but historical fiction (I'm not a big fan of that). I'm always a sucker for a little bit of cheesy romance or totally cliché love story. I always long for the boy that won’t end up with the girl. The best thing I love about reading, it’s when the book makes me want to scream, shout and/or cry, when they hit close to home or when they make me dream endlessly. I love a book that can make me think afterward, a book that I will, somehow, remember forever.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
I was about to say apple seeds when I realised it was a desert island which means that the trees probably couldn’t grow. In that case…
1. My computer (even though I would rather write on a notebook, but a notebook and a pen counts as two things so computer, that’s good) with a battery that uses solar energy, how about that! So the battery would never die.
2. Books (If I have to pick one…I really can’t. It would require a lifetime for me to pick. I considered the E-book kind of thing but seriously if I can’t smell or feel the pages…I can’t. I need a real book.
3. A bag of watermelons and candies that never runs out of food. How great would that be?
7. Are you considering a sequel?
As a matter of fact, I am! It's probably going to be called Rewind. I have thought of it and I think it might be the next book I write when I'm done with all the others, unless I keep Rewind for the NaNoWriMo14. However, there's an Echo prequel that is currently being written. It's called Monster.
8. What inspired you to become a writer?
To be completely honest, I don’t know. I think it just crept up on me. It might be because I am such a dreamer and writing, the worlds I can create, has always been my way of escaping and of coping. Whenever I feel like I’m losing it, I write and somehow, afterward, I feel better. I just feel like there are thousands of characters inside of my mind, my soul and even my heart, and they’re all screaming their stories, their despair, their hatred, their love, and they’re the reason why I keep writing and the reason why I can’t stop. It’s like I’ll never run out of things to say, of stories to tell, of characters to exploit. Some just happen to be screaming louder than the others (Jemma being one since I’m going to write both a prequel and a sequel for Echo).
Excerpt One
My foster parents were angry with me when she left. They said that I could have at least given them some clues so that they could help deal with that. But we all know that this is all a silly lie. There is only one way to smother all of this.
Leave. Change your name. Don’t come back. Don’t look back. Start over.
Repeat.
It would be my fourth time. There’s really no big deal in that anymore.
Excerpt Two
“Go on, Pat,” I say, my voice unctuous. “Bring it on. You want answers? You gotta work for them. Nothing’s free.”
If they want answers, they have to come and get them. I’m not giving anything for free, regardless to the fact that I won’t protect anyone anymore. I won’t lie. But I won’t say the truth either. Keep some mystery is what I’ve been told. I intend to keep doing that. It’s been a good advice. What will drive everyone crazy is not knowing the real truth, not knowing what really happened, only being aware of the ending and perhaps the beginning.
Pat sits in his chair, looking odd and casual at the same time. He’s dropped the pen on the table. If that’s meant for me to trust him more, it’s an epic fail. There’s no trust to put in anyone anymore. They’ve all proven they weren’t worth it. Why would I waste my time trying to believe that someone really wants to help me? They’re all liars here. We’re all liars.
“How about you tell me whose body this is?”
I shrug. “You already know,” I say. “Dex probably spoiled you.”
Pat cocks his head to the side, seeming mighty interested. “What, another secret he should’ve kept to the grave?”
Don’t let it get to you.
I clench my jaw and try to keep my fists relaxed which is rather hard when my whole body is stiffened.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We’re not playing by your rules anymore, Jemma. You’ve been officially overthrown. It’s my rules, now. And I don’t care for how long I’ll keep you in here. You’ll answer the questions. You’ll give bloody answers to those families that have been left hanging!” He slams his fists to the table, probably expecting to get a reaction out of me. I only stare at him, blinking once as to tell him that I am not impressed for one single second. I know that despite what he says and what he wants me to believe, he’s kind of powerless. The proofs against me can speak for themselves. They’ll know that I’m guilty.
They’ll know what I’m guilty of. But they’ll never know why. They cannot force me to speak. And it doesn’t matter if that only makes things worse. I’m ready for the worst.
“I’ve never ruled anywhere, Pat.”
He clenches his teeth. “I’m serious, Jemma.” He sighs and seems to loosen up a little. “It’s my ass on the line, too. Just give me something to work with.”
“It’s my ass on the line.”
That sounds familiar.
I raise one eyebrow, letting my lips form a devilish smile. “My ass’s been on the line for longer than yours, and I’m still very much alive. Just tell them I wouldn’t cooperate.”
“They’d torture you if they only could.”
“I know.” The smile grows wider. “But they can’t.” I lean down over the table to whisper, “See? I’m still the one with the power.”
I sit back down, suppressing the victorious look in my eyes. “That’s all I have to say,” I dismiss him. I cross my arms over my chest.
“If you tell me now, we can make a deal,” Pat tries for one last time. I know it’s the last offer he’ll give me. I know it’s the last shot I’ll have if I want to reduce my journey in jail. But I won’t. I’m in for the long ride.
