Breathless Reads Week: Jessica Khoury

Today, Jessica Khoury has answered a few questions! Jess is the author of Origin, which is a sci-fi/romance mix that sounds amazing!

Fiction Freak: You can never avoid this question--what inspired Origin?

Jessica Khoury: One day last summer, I was in the middle of querying a high fantasy I'd been working on for four years. It was going okay, but not great, and I went for a walk to think about what to do if it didn't sell. I realized I'd never really written anything besides high fantasy, and it dawned on me Hey, I can totally write in another genre...Which was kind of eye-opening. It was something I'd never even considered before. So I kept walking, and then BAM. The idea for Origin smacked me in the face. It started with an image of a crying girl trapped by glass walls in a jungle, and I asked Why is she crying? One question led to another, and I ran back home and wrote the first chapter and the outline for the rest of the book.

FF: What's your funniest moment?

JK:I really struggled with some of the romance scenes. I'd get halfway through one and just bust out laughing because it was so cheesy. Then I'd erase it all and start over. That part wasn't funny at all.

FF: Reactions. What was your reaction when you found out Razorbill was publishing Origin? What was your reaction when Origin became a Breathless Reads?

JK:This.

Seriously, though. First, when I found out Razorbill had offered for Origin, I was in the middle of an eye exam. My optometrist sat patiently by while I hyperventilated, cried, and squealed. Then I had to sit in the waiting room for the longest fifteen minutes of my life waiting for my eyes to finish dilating, trying not to flail with happiness. Then I drove like a maniac across town to my husband's office and proceeded to jump up and down as I screamed the news at him. When I found out I was part of the 2012 Breathless Reads, I nearly went into cardiogenic shock. I'd just been to one of the 2011 BR tour stops and met Marie Lu, Beth Revis, Andrea Cremer, and Jessica Spotswood, and totally fangirled all over them, so it was incredibly exciting to hear I'd be part of the next BR group. Also, I wondered if maybe they'd made a mistake and picked the wrong book, because c'mon--me? On Breathless Reads??--but if so, I guess no has noticed yet. Which is cool by me. =)

FF: Have you ever visited the Amazon? If so, how much fun was it? If not, do you want to?

JK:I haven't--which meant I had to do TONS of research for Origin. And I'd love love LOVE to go! It's definitely on my radar!

FF: When did you decide to write and why?

JK:When I was four. I read the book Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff and was so overwhelmed by its awesomeness I knew it had to have a sequel, and decided I was the perfect one to write it. Needless to say, Danny and the Building Blocks by Jessica Khoury was never published... but yes. My writing career started with four-year-old fan fiction.

FF: What's your favorite part of being an author?

JK:EVERYTHING. But okay, if I had to pick one thing, I think my favorite part is that I get to what I love, simple as that. Is there a better life than getting to tell someone a story they've never heard before, possibly capturing their imagination for a little while, maybe even changing the way they see the world? I submit there is not. =)

FF: What was the most fun part to write in Origin?

JK:The animals! I luuuurve animals. Zoos are my absolute most favorite places on the planet. In Origin, I got to put in all kinds of cool, exotic animals. Pia even has a pet jaguar. I'm so jealous of her, Nikki, you don't even know.

FF: Can you describe Origin in 7 words or less?

JK: SEVEN WORDS?? Okay, you asked for it: Girl. Jungle. Laboratory. Secrets. Boy. Escape. Danger.  

FF: What are you reading now? What do you think of it so far?

JK:Right now I'm in the middle of writing my next book, and I have a strict no-reading-while-drafting policy (but sometimes when I am away from my computer and can't write, I sneak a few pages from A Feast for Crows. I confess, I'm skipping most of the chapters, because I don't like many of the characters in this installment [Sorry, George] and I really just want to get to A Dance with Dragons.)

FF: Which character can you identify with (in Origin or any other book)

JK:The literary character with whom I've always most identified is Jo March from Little Women, which is predictable, I know. But hey. She's this struggling young writer often defined by her hair, she has three sisters, and she marries a guy older than she is and wants to raise a bunch of boys--I'm so there. High five, Jo!

FF: Anything you want to say to readers/bloggers/aspiring writers?

JK:Yes: First of all, did you know that pineapples grow out of the ground and not on trees? Because I totally didn't know that until recently and it kind of changed EVERYTHING about how I see the world. Secondly, you guys are awesome! I know this because you're here reading this interview from some babbling debut author when you could be watching reruns of MacGyver or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I respect that. You rock. Keep it up. Now go read lots of books!

Short Author Bio

Jessica Khoury is 22 years old and was born and raised in Georgia. She attended public school followed by homeschooling, and earned her bachelor's degree in English from Toccoa Falls College. She lives in Toccoa, Georgia with her husband Benjamin, two terrible dogs, and an abundance of books, shoes, and sweet tea. When not writing, she's usually directing stageplays or coaching soccer. Origin is her first novel.

Origin Blurb

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Contact Info

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