Thank you to Lynette Noni for the interview. Lynette is an amazing Australian author who has written the Whisper duology, Medoran Chronicles and the Prison Healer trilogy.

Interview

What was your inspiration for the Whisper series? Did it come differently than the Prison Healer and Medoran Chronicles as they came from wanting to read a book like it (Medoran Chronicles) and visiting Fremantle Jail (The Prison Healer)?

The first line came to me — “They call me Jane Doe” — and that caused a heap of questions that I desperately needed answers to. Who calls her Jane Doe? Why are they calling her that? Is that not her real name, and if not, what is her real name, and why doesn’t anyone else know her real name? … Questions like that made me curious enough to uncover her story, and inspired its inception. 

Did your process change writing a series of different lengths?

Not particularly! I’ve recently written a standalone book and I think the only thing I had to keep in mind was not to end it on a cliffhanger, haha. Otherwise basically everything else is the same — all stories need to have arcs (beginning, middle, end) regardless of whether they’re a single book or part of a series (the latter of which has an overarching arc from book to book, but still an individual arc for each book).

How did you choose which character to focus the story? 

The voice of the character is what comes to me in the opening lines of any new story I write, so it’s more that the character chooses (and inspires) the direction of the story, rather than me choosing them for the story!

What is your approach to world and character building?

I follow the Shrek quote: “Ogres are like onions, we have layers” — and by that I mean, I layer (or unravel) things out as the story moves along, rather than offering a heap of info dump about characters and/or worlds all at once.

Did you have a favourite moment to write in each series?

So many! I honestly couldn’t pick one!

What was your favourite book growing up?

I’ve always been a mood reader, and that’s been through all my life, so I don’t have one specific “favourite.” But in my younger pre-teen years I was obsessed with horses and I loved reading Bonnie Bryant’s Saddle Club series. (This was before I ventured into the world of fantasy books, of course!)

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

There are many, but fantasy (especially YA fantasy) will always have my heart!