Guest Post - Levels of Inspiration
by Tenille Berezay
by Tenille Berezay
I’m always asked how I came up with the idea for the Converters Series. Usually, I don’t walk around with a lot of fantastic ideas in my head (though there are plenty of mediocre ones), but the idea of converting started with a sudden burst of brilliant inspiration, followed by lots of tiny inspirational bits.
The initial burst hit me one day as I was driving home from a day spent working on the ranch. Some near-death experience must have happened, but for the life of me (no pun intended) I can’t remember what it was…those near-death things are pretty frequent occurrences in ranching. So, safe in my car, I start thinking about adrenaline and how cool it would be if you could get that kind of burst of energy anytime you wanted. How it would be if you could control that energy.
Next, I started studying real-life ‘superhumans’ and the science behind our untapped mental potential. As I did, the process of converting developed in my mind. If a person could convert their emotions into energy and direct that energy into a physical or mental boost, it would create a world of realistic, believable superheroes.
Desiree came next—a kick-butt girl who has an ability she can’t begin to understand. Then I needed a guy who knew what she was and trains her. Originally, I wanted this to be an older- grandfather type because the new-guy with secrets and girl hiding powers is so very, very cliché. In the end, I caved into the cliché because I think the insta-love cliché is the devil and if my hero wasn’t the one with Desiree from the beginning their relationship would lack depth. It seemed a choice between an overdone cliché and an evil cliché. I chose overdone. I guess this probably qualifies as more desperation and less inspiration.
Once I started the story, inspiration came from conversations, personal relationships, and other great reads. The characters started taking on a life of their own and the story started flowing, driven by their reactions and motivations. The biggest surprise to me was the ending of The Convergence. I had something very cheesy and corny planned, but once I got there it all seemed wrong and not true to the characters. Once again, I caved in order to keep the character’s more realistic and true to themselves.
Inspiration for The Keep came mostly from the characters themselves and my beta readers. I asked them what they wanted to see from Desiree and Blake and shaped all of those answers into a book. I also took my reviews into consideration, increasing the pacing and intensity. So, in a nutshell, The Keep was inspired by my readers and their love of the original characters.
Overall, I feel like inspiration is the easy part. Time is the challenge. I have lots of inspired books ideas bouncing around in my head, just waiting for all of other tiny bits of brilliance to shape them into a book worth reading. But first, I’m focusing on the third and final book in the Converters Series. Hopefully, there’s enough inspiration left to give Desiree and Blake the ending they deserve. And I hope you’ll enjoy the first two books in their story!
Converters #2
by Tenille Berezay
Genre: YA Scifi/fantasy
Release Date: November 12th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
After a pardon from the convergence, Desiree returns to the protection of home. But safety is an illusion and her family is shattered by the violent retribution of a desperate enemy. On the run again, Desiree struggles to keep those she loves from a host of gathering threats—debilitating doubts, manipulative converters, dark technology, and a murdering madman. To save them all, Desiree will need more than her ability to convert, she’ll need to redefine her strength.
THE KEEP is the dramatic sequel to THE CONVERGENCE; a continuation of Desiree and Blake’s story.
Buy
Link:
Amazon
Book One:
The Convergence (Converters #1)
Genre: YA Scifi/fantasy
Release Date: March 12th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
Hiding unbelievable physical abilities, seventeen-year-old Desiree Morgan buries herself inside the realities of high school. But when Blake Thomas infiltrates her life, all of Desiree’s secrets begin to unravel. With answers come more questions and soon she is entangled in a world of secret societies, human experimentation, perilous power-struggles, and ultimate sacrifice. To escape, Desiree can’t be simply extraordinary…she must redefine the impossible.
THE CONVERGENCE is a story of one girl’s search to understand herself and the realization of what makes her truly great.
After living throughout the western U.S., Tenille now claims rural Northern Nevada as her home. If she's not being consumed by a book--whether her own or another author's--she'd like to be found horseback riding, backpacking with her high-school sweetheart/husband, or photographing their three beautiful children.
Tenille loves to read any genre (as long as there's great dialogue with a touch of snark). She believes in authentic characters, romantic sub-plots, and realistic, happy endings.
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