Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with JR Traas

What inspired you to write “The Rave”?

Traas: I drew inspiration from a lot of different sources when first conceiving the ideas that led to "The Rave." Prepare yourselves for an odd and eclectic list: Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series, the anime Fairy Tail, Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games, and a lot of different YA sci-fi and fantasy novels (some providing positive examples, others less so). Whenever I see or read something I really enjoy, ideas naturally follow -- my thoughts flow like a river with useless and useful effluence. I consciously pick through the rush of "ooh wouldn't that be cool," and then I try to find the underlying reason why I am interested in the idea. That's when I put my spin on it.

Now, to explain my list above... The Witcher features the titular monster hunter, a brutal killer; it's decidedly not YA, but the concept of the rough-and-tumble monster slayer is very much a character found in a lot of YA stories. So, I thought, "What if there were a monster hunter that didn't slay monsters? What if that were a moral issue for her?" It was something I couldn't remember finding in anything I'd read. From there, I tried to work out why my main character refused to kill -- and make it interesting, central to her personality and values.

Fairy Tail is an anime targeted toward young teenagers, I think, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult because of the simple, almost elemental characters that make up the ensemble cast. The obligatory "friendship conquers all" theme is ever-present, and the anime is mostly extremely cheesy. For whatever reason, though, so many people (including me) love it because it gives you what you expect (the virtuous characters winning because of the strength of their bonds) and it does so in a way that is always satisfying. The characters have a surprisingly well-developed web of relationships, and their simple (often one-note) magical power sets conflict or cooperate with others' in pretty cool ways quite often. The show also features Magician Guilds and a soft magic system with a handful of hard elements that keep things loosely consistent. In "The Rave" I wanted to tap into these same concepts, while making the characters and the magical and societal systems in which they live darker and more oppressive. (Example: Fairy Tail's government structure, for the most part, isn't dystopian at all, but mine is.) In a nutshell, I wanted to have that ensemble cast feel, with many of the characters' backstories connecting in some way. With a pinch more grit.

"The Rave" and Hunger Games are alike in superficial ways (they're both YA, dystopian, and have a teenage girl protagonist), but, more importantly, on a structural level, both stories have the central focus of "the prize"--a reward for which numerous characters are competing. Often with fatal results. In Hunger Games, Katniss and the other kids' prize is survival; in "The Rave," it's money everyone's after. But both stories feature a melee--a free-for-all--in which only one of dozens or hundreds can emerge as the victor. I wanted to take that idea and keep bending it into different shapes; in "The Rave," all the hunters want the prize for their own reasons, some of which complicate the nature of the challenge itself. While Hunger Games features the deathmatch game as its centerpiece, tracking the monster in "The Rave" is not an organized, yearly gameshow -- but both devices serve to funnel the main characters into the larger conflict with society.

On a separate, and final note, I have read and heard of a lot of stories claiming a "strong female lead" -- which often is simply code for "girl with sword/magic/fighting skills." The YA genre is saturated with them. And, while that can be cool, I wanted to tell a story in which the "strong female lead's" strength has very little (if anything) to do with her fighting ability.

How did you come up with the names of your main characters?

Traas: In school, years before I came up with any of these story ideas, I knew someone named "Alina" who had a lot of the qualities--tenacity, bravery, compassion--I wanted to inject into my main character. It's a beautiful name, and a fitting one. The fictional Alina is, of course, a completely different person (and none of the details of this fantasy character's life are based in reality), but there's an essence to the real individual that I still find inspiring, and I wanted to relate that sense of hopefulness and inner strength.

As for the other main characters, rarely will a name pop into my head first; I usually figure out who they are as people (likes, dislikes, professions, functions in the narrative, fictional culture) and then the name comes with time. For example, before he was Baraam bol-Talanai, in my developmental notes I just put him down as "Opponent 1." In "The Rave" especially, the names came late in the game, after I already knew what each character was going to do in the story and how they would interrelate. Always, though, I make sure that there's some cultural consistency to my naming conventions. No cultures in my books are stolen directly from our reality, but there are notes of inspiration. "Ordin Ivoir," for instance, reeks of French high society and is supposed to feel buttery on the tongue. Gilded and lofty. While "Calthin Amming" is a functional, English-like name meant to evoke a working- or middle-class, smalltown tone. Finally, names like "H'ranajaan" have an internal consistency -- where useful, I explain what the parts of the names mean; other times, I leave it to the reader to find the similarities, if they like (I always enjoy those kinds of easter eggs when I read).

If "The Rave" were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?

Traas: There are definitely actors out there I'm not thinking of that, I'm sure, would do a fantastic job. However, having given it some thought, these are the names and faces that come to mind:

Zendaya has the range and edge to play my main character Alina K'vich. Conveniently, Zendaya's also starring alongside Timothée Chalamet in the upcoming Dune remake: TimChal would be my current top choice for the sophisticated and layered Ordin Ivoir. Nice that they'll have built up some on-screen chemistry by then.

The dynamism and scary intensity of Lupita N'yongo in Us (and the power of her performances in other roles) would be an amazing fit for Morphea, the enigmatic "Queen of Dreams."

Regé-Jean Page has the looks, the class, the voice, and all the other ingredients to play Baraam bol-Talanai, Alina's principal rival for the aforementioned cash prize.

Give him white hair and a few more wrinkles, and Ron Cephas Jones would embody the gravitas, depth, and emotion of Alina's grandfather Dimas K'vich.

For the other characters, I have gone one way one day, and another the next. If ever the book is adapted for the screen, it would be a real treat to see some of them played by discovered talent -- new actors who aren't known for anything else (like how Orlando Bloom wasn't a household name until he played Legolas in The Lord of the Rings).

Oh, one more -- even I'm not sure if this would be feasible or a good idea, but it would be awfully funny and perfectly terrific to have the thumb-sized mouse man Mezami played by James Earl Jones. A man can dream.

When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?

Traas: I don't really have one particular method. If I'm well and truly stuck -- if the words simply won't flow -- I move on to an entirely different activity. Chores are helpful for clearing the mind.

One way to avoid writer's block is to be proactive about it. For me, a good trick is to stop for the day knowing what is going to happen next. In other words, if I put down your pen / turn off my computer while burning with excitement for the next section, I have a place to start off the next time I sit down. Hopefully, this energy carries me through that section and into the next.

Sometimes, when I'm not feeling it, I simply start writing the section I've mapped out and keep chugging along (ignoring the voice in my head telling me what I'm writing is garbage). This can work because a body in motion stays in motion (as does a mind), but if I feel really like nothing is coming out after 15-30 minutes, I do what I mentioned first--move on and try again later or another time. Switching to a different task can refresh the mind; and I'm almost always mulling my stories over in the back of my brain anyway, so I try to be kind to myself and remember that I'm my own boss when it comes to writing; I don't need to (and shouldn't!) be too hard on myself because it doesn't help me perform any better anyway.

If it gets done in the end, there's no problem.

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Traas: Read as many different genres of books as you can; get your hands on as many different books on writing as you can; and, learn from as many different people as you can. Anything can be interesting when seen from an unorthodox angle. Read and write as often as possible, and don't forget to experience life in the meantime. Lastly, for writers, to read is to inhale, to write is to exhale; both are vital.

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Traas: Fantasy is what made me into a reader and writer. My favorite book, hands down, is Night Watch by Sir Terry Pratchett. It's the only one I've read four times, and will undoubtedly read again and again throughout life. Pratchet was so funny, thoughtful, and original. There never has been anyone quite like him; he had a beautiful mind, big heart, and unique point of view. He was taken from us too soon. Wherever I go, I advocate for his excellent works.

What are you working on next?

Traas: "The Rave" is the first of a trilogy, so I have a ways to go yet. The first draft of book 2, "The Rebel," is well underway, with book 3, "The Ruin," mostly mapped out (all the major checkpoints accounted for). These books -- which will span somewhere in the neighborhood of 450,000 words once done -- have occupied most of my processing power for the past two years. I hope to be done in another two! In the meantime, I also write things with my lifelong friend Silas Jackson. Collaborating reminds me that there exists a world of writing outside "The Aelfraver Trilogy."

Learn More About the Author and The Rave here:

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Website: https://blankbooklibrary.com/

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