Congratulations to Priyanka, who won an ARC of RESCUE based on last week’s random drawing!
All of your comments were super helpful! I have a plan now, and I will announce the details soon. In the meantime, send me any questions you want answered, about anything that I can help with: about my books, about writing, about a career as an author. You can post them below. If I use one of your questions during the launch party, you will be randomly entered in a drawing for your choice of several different prizes.
However, that will only apply to the first person who gets the question in. Repeat questions, even if they’re awesome, won’t be entered.
In the meantime, I have done a reading of chapter from RESCUE (coming March 2nd!). I hope you’ll like it!
If you’re interested in pre-ordering a copy for yourself, here are a few links you can use:
70 Comments
Hello!! I’m so excited for rescue to come out!!!! I have a few questions that I want to ask so here I go:
Where did you get your inspiration for words on fire and what resources did you use to research the press ban?
Which one of your books did you enjoy writing most, and which one do you think had the best outcome?
How likely is it that there’ll be book six in the ascendance series?
Thank you so much!!
#runawayrules
Hi! I have a couple,
1. When did you decide you wanted to write RESCUE, and what inspired the decision?
2. I know how Sage came about in a song, but when did you really start to realize you wanted to write about him?
3. Have you always wanted to become an author, or did you decide you wanted to when you got inspiration? If so, what was the inspiration?
4. What part of your day, week, or month do you typically set aside to write? Are you constantly writing and/or thinking of ideas?
Thank you Ms. Nielsen! ❤️
What was the editing process like?
Ooh I have a few!! I’ll put a few here now and I will probably put some more later!!
– How long did it take to get your first book published?
– What do you do if you have a great idea of what to write but it seems wrong when you write it down?
– How long does it take for you to do research for any of your historical novels?
– Which one of your books did you have the most fun writing?
– Which one of your published books are you most proud of?
Have your storytelling skills changed from each book in a series?
How old is Meg?
Did Fink begin to have a Carthyan Accent after living there for so long?
What is Imogen’s greatest fear/flaw/weakness?
Whenever I try to write, my ideas always end up half-formed, and my characters end up cheesy and cliche. Do you have any tips for overcoming this?
Thank you, and I can’t wait to read Rescue!
In creating and developing your characters, what has been the most helpful tool or resource that you’ve found?
How many rough drafts did you have before it’s final draft?
In creating and developing your characters, what tool or resource have you found to be most helpful?
Hi, Jennifer! I can’t wait to read RESCUE and I’m looking forward to the launch party! My question is…
What’s the hardest thing about getting published?
Hi! I have 2 questions!
1. What part of the writing process is your favorite?
2. The Shadow Throne had an amazing ending where you tied in things throughout the series, but was there another ending you considered using?
Hello, I cannot wait for Rescue to come out! I love your books so much!
How old are the main characters in the Ascendance Series (Roden, Amarinda, Fink, Sage, Imogen, Tobias and Mott) in The False Prince and the the end of The Captive Kingdom?
What genre of book do you like writing about the most?
Do you ever get writers block? What do you do about it?
I am so excited! I cannot wait to read Rescue especially after hearing a short piece from chapter 14! Thank you so much!
Hi Mrs. Nielsen. I’m so excited to read the ARC of Rescue. Can’t wait! Also, should I just email back my mailing address?
Here are a few questions I would love to have answered:
What inspired you to write The Traitor’ Game?
What is a career as an author like?
Is there ever going to be a Mark of the Thief 4?
How do you decide the cover of your books?
What made you want to write Resistance is Chaya’s point of view?
How do you decide your characters and who ends up with who?
Finally, what do you do when you start writing but get stuck along the way? How do you overcome writer’s block?
Sorry about bombarding you with questions. I am a huge fan of your books, especially the Traitor’s Game Trilogy, Ascendance Series and Mark of the Thief Trilogy. I also loved Resistance and Words on Fire.
#KestraRules
Hi! I thought of some more questions…
What made you want to write the Deceiver’s Heart with Kestra’s memory altered?
What was your inspiration for the Traitor’s Game Trilogy?
Did you always know that you would have Joth in the Warrior’s Curse?
Do you always know what to write, or do you let the story unfold as you write it?
Can’t wait for the awesome launch party!
When are we supposed to use em dashes and when are we supposed to use comas? I can’t wait for the book to be out congrats to the winner!
Oooh, this is AWESOME!!! Here’s my question!! I tried to think of one that isn’t asked as much.
Do you ever have days where you feel down about your writing? If so, how do you handle that and get the inspiration and motivation to get back to it?
I know this didn’t have anything to do with rescue, but I noticed this a while ago about The False Prince, and The Traitors Game. Anyway, I noticed that there is Joth Kerwyn in The False Prince, and Joth in The Warriors Curse. Is there a reason for this?
Thank you for the reading! I always enjoy watching these; it’s so amazing to experience the voices, intonations, and suspense authors have in mind for the scenes they write. Also, story-time is generally always a good time. 🙂
Now for my question(s)…
How do you plan out character growth? I’ve noticed how important it is to see characters change rather than always just solidifying their personality–it adds another fascinating, realistic element to the plot. Do you write down goals each character has, or do you mold them as the story unfolds and they’re impacted by events? Moreover, do you have to consider how one character’s personality might clash with another’s to determine whether to keep certain traits or not?
Ah, a lot of part questions now that I look at it. Still, I hope you can get to them during the launch party! Thank you, Mrs. Nielsen!
#runawayrules (I suppose I’ve got to give Runaway a shout-out at some point :D)
Hello! I am absolutely, positively so excited for Rescue!!! Some questions I had about writing (for my own book i’m writing 🙂 is,
– the publishing process (how to self-publish or publisher?)
– And how do you make sure that your work is unique and not influenced from little bits of other books and movies or in other words how do I make it 100% me and not like a normal story plot?
Thank you!!
Hi Mrs. Jen!
What is one fun fact that you learned while doing research for this book?
How much French did you need to learn for Rescue? How did you learn it?
Who is your most confusing and conflicting character? Why were they portrayed that way?
If you could choose any part of this book’s process (drafts, editing, etc), which part would you say you enjoyed the most/would redo if you had the chance?
Hi SUPER EXCITED. I have a few questions.
When did you know that you wanted to write?
If you were not a writer what do you think you would be?
What traits in some of the characters you write are similar to some of your own?
On average how many drafts does it take you for each book? How many for Rescue?
What is your favorite book?
And my final question…
What impact do you think rescue or any of your books has or will have on people?
Oh my gosh. I forgot one (lol)
Here it is
What is the deeper relationship between all of your historical fiction books?
Did you know that Darius never died when you were writing the first three books? Or was that an attempt to fit in another “surprise! He’s alive!” character?
I feel like I’m being rude but i promise that wasn’t my intention.
I’m back with another question. Hi.
So in book four Jaron said “Lying was beneath me.” But didn’t he lie many times throughout the series? Our is this irony of some sort?
Hi! I know this question was not for me but I think if you look at it closely, Jaron doesn’t exactly ‘lie’ as he leads people to believe what he wants them to believe all by themselves…? Does that make sense? Most of the things he says aren’t straight-out telling lies though.
Hi! So excited for the new book! And thank you so much for the opportunity to ask these questions.
Have you ever had an idea for a story, but you felt as if you were taking too much inspiration from someone else’s work?
What is your most common source of inspiration? Do you feel that this inspiration comes spontaneously or that you can be intentional about it?
Lastly, what would you say is the best way for an aspiring author to improve their writing? Practice?
How long does it take you to write a first draft and what advice do you have on writing faster?
What are your favorite character traits to use and how do you come up with them for your characters?
Hi Jennifer! I have several questions 🙂
You’re forced to spend quarantine with one fictional character. Who is it?
What fictional character do you relate to most?
Other than your own books, what books have changed your life the most?
What are some of your favorite book tropes?
If you could master one talent, what would it be?
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
Do you have a dream cast for an Ascendance Series film?
Which Ascendance Series cover is your favorite?
What are some of the biggest takeaways you want readers to leave with after reading your books?
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned on your writing journey?
What is one of the most memorable encounters you’ve had with a reader?
Oh wow! Ok, so here are all of my questions:
How do you deal with writers block?
How do you research for books?
How long does a typical publishing process take, from writing it till its on the shelves?
Is there any authors that you really admire and any books that you can recommend?
Were there any authors that helped make your writing style?
What is Finks back story?
Will there be a sixth book in the Ascendance series?
Are there any other books that your working on besides for Rescue and the fifth book in the Ascendance series?
How likely is it that there will be a false prince movie?
Can you please write some more short story’s? Really love them!
That’s it for now. If I think of any more, I’ll send them in. Thanks!
Here are some more questions. So excited about this!
What are the hardest parts to write?
Who is your favorite character?
If there is any time and place you could visit, where and what would it be?
Do you always have books in progress?
Who was the most complex character to write?
Another one!
In the Runaway King, when Jaron brings Nila to Harlow’s house, there is a women with him to direct him to the house. when Harlow inquires about who Jaron is, the women says “this boy is obviously-” what was she going to say? what did she think Jaron was?
How many different books do you have in progress at once?
Do you plan your books out before you write them, or just go with the flow?
What is your favorite thing about your career as an author?
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to aspiring authors?
Thank you so much! So excited!
I have a second question
Why was Mott so fond of the replica of Jaron’s sword in The False Prince?
Thank you!
Hello, Mrs. Nielsen! I have a few writing-related questions.
Do you have any tips to make lesser characters’ backstories more interesting?
Can you give me any tips on how to write sassy? (this is arguably the best thing I admire about you 😉 )
What strong verbs would you recommend, and are there any words/phrases you tend to avoid?
Is it healthy to have more than one story going on at once, or should you work on one at a time?
I’ve noticed you’ve put a lot of Christian-based content into the Ascendance series, and I want to do that as well. Where do you draw your theologic inspiration from?
Hopefully my questions are original enough! Thank you so much for being such a role model for writing!
~ Laura K. Abeid
Ooh, I have SO many questions! I’ve tried not to repeat any of the awesome questions that have already been entered.
Do you have any tips on writing series/trilogies? How do you keep them consistent? Do you plan out all the books before you start the first?
On that note, how do you manage character development over multiple books? How do you space it out?
Your characters (Especially Sage) have awesome and distinctive voices! Do you have any tips for this?
How do you make your characters memorable?
What does the revision process generally look like? How much do you end up changing?
What was your first published book? Was it The False Prince?
Which character or book have you struggled with the most?
Which character death made you feel saddest?
What are your pet peeves in books/ tropes you hate? (This one is purely for curiosity’s sake XD)
Thank you so much for hosting the launch party, and thank you for being so amazing to your fans!
These are some questions from our 5th grade class:
What was the first book you wrote and how old were you?
How long did it take to publish and write the book Rescue?
How many books are you planning on having in the False Prince Series?
Are you going to make a graphic novel?
Why are all the images on your Ascendence series broken?
What suggestions do you have to our 5th grade class on picking books to read and how to become an author?
What is your favorite book that you have written?
Have you ever thought about writing a picture book?
How did you come up with your book ideas?
What inspired you to become an author?
What are your favorite books? Do you have suggestions on books we should read?
How did you become an author?
Did you have any other jobs before you became an author?
Are any of your relatives authors?
How do pick the titles?
We wanted to let you know that we are some of your biggest fans!!!
Thank you so much for all your wonderful books!
I have a few questions, sorry if they’re repeats!
What is your daily routine like as an author? How do you balance writing and other activities?
How do you tackle revisions, especially when you get attached to your writing and don’t want to delete whole sections (but you know you need to)?
How do you keep writing when you lose inspiration?
How do you come up with “fake swears” or other things characters can say instead of actually swearing?
How many different projects do you normally work on at once? How do you juggle all of them?
How long (start to finish) does it typically take you to write a book? How long does the editing and publishing process take?
Are any of the Kingdoms and other places in your books based on places in real life?
So excited for Rescue!
Have you met any famous authors? (Apart from… well… yourself.) If so, who?
Hello Mrs. Nielsen,
So one day I was bored and was looking up on google “dream cast” videos/pictures for the Ascendance series. I saw that you did something like that on your blog. Since it has been a while since then, could you do an updated dream cast for the Ascendance series with the main characters? I would love to see if what you think the characters should be! I love the Ascendance series and have a picture of what they would look like in my head and would love to see if we had the same idea!
Avery S.
Hmm…I’ll have to think about this one a bit. Maybe somewhere down the road I’ll take fan suggestions – that’d be interesting.
Okay, thank you!
What event in your life made you realize that writing was your passion?
What other forms would you consider making your books into (Example: Graphic Novel, Comic Strips, Short Films)? If these aren’t possible right now, what would you like to make them into?
We don’t know a lot about Tobias’s past. We already know Jaron, Roden, Mott, Conner, Darius, Queen Erin, And King Ecbertt’s backstory, If you did tell a story about his past, what would it be? He is one of the few characters in your Ascendance Series without some sort of backstory.
Did you know how the Ascendance Series was going to end when you wrote the first book?
What was to point of having Erick killed so soon in The Captive Kingdom?
Who was the doppelganger of Darius that Conner killed? Did Conner have the man that looked like Darius put in place on purpose, or was it a coincidence that the king and queen put him in place?
What is your favorite plot twist in either your books or someone else’s?
What inspired the covers of your books?
Which of your characters can you relate to the most?
How are you so amazing?! 🙂
Conner is such a unique villain, how do you think he would argue for patriotism in the 3rd Ascendance book?
Have you ever struggled to tell parts of your story the way you want?
Will you respond to this message???
I love all of your books and I’m excited about “Rescue”
Much Love and Admiration, Paige
Hi Paige! I know this question isn’t for me, but the doppelganger that was buried instead is Darius was Wilta’s brother.
Susu is correct when she says Jaron could be misleading. He lets people believe what they want to believe. His clever way of doing this is by withholding the truth. By that I mean (example) he told Conner that he was his prince, and technically, he is the long lost prince of Carthya so it wouldn’t be a lie, but not the whole truth either. He also uses sarcasm to his advantage by making it seem like he isn’t actually serious.
That was so bone chilling! I am so intrigued! can’t wait to get my copy of Rescue!!!!
Hello and thanks for doing this! Congrats on finishing Rescue! I wanted to know what program/software do you recommended for all those just getting started writers to use to write stories? What software do you use to write your stories?
Hi! Here are my questions (hopefully they’re not repeats!):
– Do your characters’ names or personalities come first?
– How do you come up with your characters’ names?
– What’s the longest you’ve gone without having an idea for a story?
– What do you want people to take away from your books?
– What book has been the most challenging for you to write?
– Have you ever wanted to stop writing books?
– What’s something you want readers or writers to know but we almost never ask?
– How often do you write?
Another one!
In the Runaway King, when Jaron brings Nila to Harlow’s house, there is a women with him to direct him to the house. when Harlow inquires about who Jaron is, the women says “this boy is obviously-” what was she going to say? what did she think Jaron was?
Hey! I am a huge fan of your books, thank you so much for doing this!
So my questions are:
1) What kind of writer are you? Do you like to carefully construct the plot out with many details and plan everything before moving on to the final draft? Or are you a kind of person that just goes with the flow, and have ideas constantly popping up in your head as you’re writing?
2) Have you ever read a book that actually made you cry, or at least close to it?
3)Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
4)What is your favorite book or series that you have written?
5)Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
And Finally,
6) What was the hardest scene you had to write?
Thank you so much! (Sorry if any of these were repeats)
Sorry, these are Ascendance Series questions:
Is there any way that Jaron’s mom is alive?
Or that we will get more of an insight to interactions with his family from when he was a child?
If his dad was alive, would Jaron still try to keep the throne?
Here is a non-ascendance related question:
Do meanings of names have anything to do with how the characters are shaped?
How much competition was there in the historical fiction book business ?
How do you avoid using adjectives ?
and going back and forth between two characters talking ? Like , He said , she said , he said .
How do you come up with the names of fake money ?
How much research do you have to do for historical fiction books ?
Sorry for a ton of questions , And I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I win !
Congrats Priyanka on winning!!!!!🎉
Here’s my questions: If you could write in another genre, what would it be?
Was there a person in real life who inspired Audra in Words On Fire?
I am so excited for Rescue! I have it marked on my calendar. I have a few questions for you…
How do you come up with a good plot when you are writing?
Have you ever been able to know exactly what a character is going to accomplish from the start of a book?
How do you get an earlier scene of a book to line up with a later scene.
Thank you so so much for writing all your amazing books!
Yay I’m super excited!! Here are my questions!!
– If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
– What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
– As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
– How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
– How do you select the names of your characters?
Oh, I actually thought of another question. Do you often get inspired by songs while writing your books? I know about “Guaranteed” for the False Prince, were there any others?
How did you begin to gain contacts in the writing and publishing world?
Ps. This is Kayla who won a giveaway from you in the Webinar on February 3rd. I emailed info@owlhollowpress.com, but I’m not sure that was the correct address because I haven’t received any confirmation. Is that the address I was suppose to request my book choice?
Thank you and congratulations on the upcoming release of Rescue!
Hi Kayla, I contacted Owl Hollow Press to see why they didn’t reply to you. Thanks for letting me know!
How do you balance family and domestic responsibilities with the time-consuming talent and passion for writing?
What was the first story you wrote?
Do you ever look up the meanings of the names you have chosen for your characters? (Did you know Jaron means “Cry of rejoicing” and Imogen means “Maiden”?)
How do you go about doing research for your books?
Okay so I just finished the Warriors Curse.
Will Simon and Kestra be in the Shattered Castle?
Thanks again 🙂
No, but I understand why you asked, and I think it’s cool you made the connection.
I always thought the world in Scourge seemed like a moderner version of the world from False Prince.
Hmm that’s interesting.
Do you usually plan exactly what your plot will be down to the plot twists and resolutions before you start writing, or do you jump in and start typing as soon as you get the inspiration for a book?
Do any of your characters draw inspiration from your family or friends?
Which of your characters would you want to be your best friend?
Do you think Simon and Kestra will ever stop arguing in their relationship?
Who is your favorite Disney princess/what is your favorite Disney movie?
Thank you for doing this! So many people asked such fun questions!