Our interview today is with a character from the debut novel by Selina J. Eckert. Laurelin is a 17-year-old science nerd who loves soccer. She sounds right up my alley. I love science and soccer as well; however, I never thought I could handle science in college. So you’d be able to recognize her if she passed you in the halls, I asked for a description of her. Here’s what Selina said, ” She has chin-length strawberry blonde hair, sea green eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Her skin is so pale, it practically glows in the dark.”

Interview

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness would be getting into college, becoming a chemist, and having my boyfriend, Cody, at my side. I honestly can’t see much else in life right now, and if I don’t have those, what do I have left? Even if Cody can be a bit overbearing sometimes. I wonder if he realizes I’m missing…I wonder if he’ll ever forgive me. Or if I’ll even get the chance to apologize…

What is your current state of mind?

If my mind right now were a color, it’d be shades of black, yellow, and red. After this whole kidnapping, magic bottle business, I’m so afraid of everything around me, all these mythical creatures and a completely alien world. I’m actually so scared that it’s almost covering up all the sadness and despair I’ve been feeling about my rejection to chemistry camp over the summer. I really had my heart set on that, and now I’m questioning whether I’m really smart enough to study science at all. Not to mention I might have broken up with Cody, indirectly because of that. I love him to pieces, but the boy needs to give me space sometimes! And then there’s the anger. I mean, who puts a spell on a bottle?! I didn’t sign up for this, but now I’m stuck here, with these strangers, in a world that will probably kill me. And I’m furious.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Cody. We have been best friends for years, and honestly, he’s one of my only friends. I’m not so good in the friend-making department. But he’s always been a life saver there! I might have really messed it up, though. I hope I get the chance to tell him how sorry I am, how much I care about him…

What is your greatest fear?

That’s a little personal, there, but I just want to be successful, and I’m really afraid I’m not good enough to do what I want with my life. I want to study science, chemistry in particular. I was told I had a knack for it, but ever since that letter from the summer program, I’m not seeing it. I’m so afraid I will be a failure at life.

About the book

Sometimes we put ourselves in the bottle…

Six years ago, Janan was transformed into a genie by an evil djinn, ripping her away from her home, her life, and her humanity. She has been on the run from him ever since. Worlds away, high school honors student Laurelin just wants to get into the chemistry program of her dreams.

When Laurelin discovers a crystal bottle that sucks her into the djinn realm, the girls find themselves working together to escape Janan’s creator and get Laurelin back home. But war is brewing in the djinn realm-a rebellion led by the same evil djinn they’ve been trying to escape. And he is determined to rule both the djinn and the human realms. As his creation, Janan is the one person standing in his way.

But to stop him, Janan must learn to overcome the fears he instilled in her and embrace her own dark magic while Laurelin must accept that some things are more important than an A+. Now, they will have to trust each other, and themselves, to stop the encroaching evil. Otherwise, both the human and djinn realms will fall to the tide of death and dark magic this war will unleash.

About the Author

Selina is a biologist-by-day, writer-by-night native of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband, dog, and two cats and spends her time writing, reading, creating art, and dreaming about fictional worlds. Besides writing and sciencing, Selina also runs an author support business, Paper Cranes, LLC, that provides editing, consulting, and mapmaking services to authors, writers, and students. She has written two fairy-tale retelling short stories that were both finalists in Rooglewood Press short story contests and an exclusive fantasy short story, “Queen of Mist and Fog,” available through her newsletter. This Cursed Flame is her first novel.

Selina can be found online on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, her blog, and through her email newsletter.

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