Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Justine Alexi
Book Title: Afterthoughts
Released: 01/13/25
Genre: Young Adult SciFi Thriller
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Afterthoughts”?
Alexi: At the time I started Afterthoughts, I was in college as a physics major, learning about time bending and about what would happen if you could send a signal faster than light. To say too much more about how that plays into this story would be a spoiler!
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Alexi: I've been known to scour baby name directories, but sometimes I don't have to. Sometimes the right name for a character just seems to arrive prepackaged with the character.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Alexi: I think the weirdest thing about my writing process is that I don't tend to write my sentences in order. I'll have the document open with the chapter I'm working on, and I'll write whatever sentences and lines pop into my head, even if it's not the next sentence. This means a lot of leaving space between sections and scrolling up and down on the page. I think most writers and readers would see this as incredibly inefficient, but I average 1200 words per hour!
If "Afterthoughts" were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Alexi: Interestingly, I get this question a lot, and I really don't have a good answer for it. One of these days I'll spend a few hours on imdb and hash it out.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Alexi: Work on a different project. Or take a break. I seldom write if I don't feel like it, but I seldom don't feel like it.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Alexi: Readers can tell if you're not having fun writing what you're writing! If you're not having fun with it, why are you writing it?
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Alexi: I enjoy thrillers and YA science fiction. I like different authors for different things, so it would be hard to boil it down to a small number of favorites!
What are you working on next?
Alexi: I'm finishing up the rest of the Afterthoughts series (book 2, Afterimage, will be released on June 11, 2025, and book 3's release date is TBD), but I'm also hard at work on the next series. It's another young adult science fiction thriller, this one with unique and dangerous creatures—some of them bend time, some shape shift, some grant wishes—and an unexpected team that fights against them. I'm very excited to share it!
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
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