I have been raving about The Collector to anyone who will listen and I recently got the opportunity to interview the fantastic author, Victoria Scott. I finished The Liberator in about a day and I have to say I will always be a fan of the bad boys. 🙂
1. Tell me a little bit about your new release The Liberator.
THE LIBERATOR focuses on Dante’s journey as someone who now works for the good guys, and how hard that is for someone who believes they’re bone-deep bad. It also introduces a new character that will force Dante to confront his past.
2. Was it difficult writing about Dante and Charlie or did their characters come easy for you?
Dante was much easier to write than Charlie, oddly enough. Sometimes I’d lose Dante’s voice, but then I’d think of a guy I once knew and it would snap back.
3. Are you planning to write more in the series or just have these two books?
There will be one final book after THE LIBERATOR.
4. Which actors do you see playing your characters and has there been any talk from Hollywood about making this into a movie or series?
Oh, definitely Zac Efron for Dante and Emma Watson as Charlie. No talk from Hollywood yet, but my agent is busy shopping it to studios.
5. What are you working on next?
Right now I’m working on my newest series, FIRE & FLOOD, coming out from Scholastic next February. It’s kind of Hunger Games (brutal competition) meets the Golden Compass (animal companions) set in today’s world.
6. What advice would you give aspiring writers?
I’d say to ask yourself four questions before you begin any book: 1) Am I passionate about the story? 2) Would the general public find it appealing? 3) Is it truly original? 4) Is there a ton of opportunity for conflict? I hadn’t asked myself these questions before beginning the Dante Walker series, but I did for Fire & Flood, and what a world of difference it made.
About the Author:
I’m a teen fiction writer with a die-hard affection for dark and humorous books. My work is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger literary agency. I have a master’s degree in marketing, and currently live in Dallas with my husband, Ryan.
My first series started with THE COLLECTOR, and was published by Entangled Teen in April 2013. The second book in the trilogy, THE LIBERATOR, will release August 2013. My next series kicks off with FIRE & FLOOD and is being published by Scholastic, February 2014.
Jennifer’s Review of The Liberator
TITLE: The Liberator
SERIES #: Dante Walker #2
CHARACTERS: Dante Walker, Charlie Cooper
AUTHOR: Victoria Scott
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/27/13
BOOK SYNOPSIS: Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn’t like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.
When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.
With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.
REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Jennifer NUMBER OF STARS: Five Stars
REVIEW: I absolutely loved The Collector and I was thrilled to learn that I didn’t have to wait a year before The Liberator was released. In this book, Dante is now working for the good guys and has a new assignment to liberate a young girl’s soul while trying to protect Charlie from the clutches of the evil collectors. He quickly finds that his new assignment is more difficult than he imagined because Aspen reminds him so much of himself and he becomes tempted to fall back into his old bad habits. On top of this, Dante learns that being a liberator holds its share of secrets and one of these secrets may put Charlie directly into harm’s way.
I love Dante because he is such a bad boy that has a heart of gold, especially when it comes to the adorable Charlie Cooper. He made a deal to save Charlie’s life in The Collector and he is now coming to terms with those actions. I was happy to see Dante start to grow emotionally because of his past decisions but it isn’t an easy road that he has to follow. His new assignment challenges him to go back to his old ways and he doesn’t want to disappoint Charlie or ruin his new gig. I liked seeing that internal moral struggle with Dante because it showed that everything wasn’t going to be easy for him even though he had changed and his love for Charlie helped him to do the right thing.
Charlie is still the sweet, lovable girl that wants to change the world and you can see why Dante has fallen head over heels for her. My other favorite character is Aspen, the kick-ass, no-holds barred assignment that puts Dante’s world into a little bit of tailspin. She doesn’t care about anything and just seems to live for the moment until she meets Dante. Together, they are able to learn how to put their past mistakes behind them and I just liked their interaction with one another.
Victoria has created another wonderful installment in this series that is filled with non-stop action and great character-building that will keep you guessing. I loved The Liberator and I am looking forward to reading more about Dante and Charlie in the next book.
Nice interview Jennifer. This sounds like an interesting series. And Victoria Scott’s advice was insightful. It’s hard to find the intersection of what you, as a writer, are passionate about, that will also appeal to the general public and is fairly original, but when you find that combination you will often find success.