CONTEST: Author Spotlight: Cory Putman Oakes

Cory Putman Oakes, author of the newly released young adult novel, The Veil, has given A Midsummer Night’s Read the pleasure of interviewing her about her debut novel! Be sure to read through the whole interview and enter to win a copy of The Veil!

Seventeen-year-old Addison Russell is in for a shock when she discovers that she can see the invisible world of the Annorasi. Suddenly, nothing is as it appears to be — the house she lives in, the woman who raised her, even the most beautiful boy in town all turn out to be more than what they seem. And when this strange new world forces Addy to answer for a crime that was committed long ago, by parents she has never known, she has no choice but to trust Luc, the mysterious Annorasi who has been sent to protect her. Or so he says . . .

A Midsummer Night’s Read (MSNR): Hello, Cory! I want to welcome you to A Midsummer Night’s Read, and thank you for giving us the honor of interviewing you for our readers! Congratulations on the publication of The Veil, I really enjoyed reading it.
Cory Putman Oakes (CPO): Thanks, Jessica! I really love your blog – especially that fact that you give “bards” instead of stars! That is very cool.

MSNR: I read in your acknowledgements that The Veil was not the first novel that you wrote, what was? Will we ever get to read it?
CPO: The first novel I ever wrote is locked firmly in a drawer where no one will ever read it. It’s not that it’s terrible, it’s just very clearly a first attempt. Aside from The Veil series, I have also been working on a middle grade high fantasy series called The Avannia Prophecies. Hopefully you’ll be reading it one day!

MSNR: Tell us about the inspiration for The Veil.
CPO: The Veil was inspired by the San Francisco Bay Area, where I grew up. There is something about the fog, the hills, and the general feel of the area that made me always want to set a fantasy book there. Growing up, I had a lot of ideas of certain “scenes” I knew I wanted to write – a love scene up at the Headlands, an intense moment on the Golden Gate Bridge, etc. But I couldn’t find a story to bring all of these elements together until I moved to Texas. Maybe I was nostalgic for my hometown.

MSNR: How did you come up with the name of the Annorasi? It is so unique!
CPO: Great question! It was important to me that the name mean something, if only in my own head, so I played around with a lot of prefixes and suffixes before I settled on putting together two Greek words: “an” is a prefix which means “without” or “out of” and “orasi” means “sight or vision”. Now, I don’t actually speak Greek so I’m sure that the word is really just gibberish. But to me, very loosely translated (in Crazy Person’s Greek), Annorasi means “out of sight”. Which makes sense because humans cannot see the Annorasi world.

MSNR: Can you give readers any more background on the Annorasi without giving away any major plot points?
CPO: There will be some more back-story on the Annorasi in the second book, but the general theory in the Annorasi world is that the Annorasi were created in order to inspire and guide the human world. Not every Annorasi agrees with this theory, however – it is a source of tension in their world.

MSNR: There are a lot of twists and turns in Addy’s life, did you have to create a timeline or outline to keep track of it all?
CPO: I actually wrote The Veil without an outline, believe it or not. That was very unusual for me – I am generally an outliner. But the story began as a writing exercise – I never contemplated that it would turn into a book or that I would even finish it. But now that I’ve decided to turn it into a series, I have an outline for the next two books.

MSNR: As you probably noticed, I loved Addy’s voice as a narrator. Did you base her voice on anyone you know, or was it a voice that “spoke” to you while you were writing?
CPO: Thanks! Addy came to me as a very complete character, voice and all. I see her as a very thoughtful (in that, she thinks a lot – not that she buys nice presents for people), self-deprecating, skeptical and loyal person. Those were the qualities I wanted to come through in her voice.

MSNR: Can you give us some insight into the second novel? (For example: Do you have a title selected? How many novels will there be in this series? Will we see more of Addy and Lucas’ relationship?)
CPO: The title of Book 2 is going to be a secret until the book comes out, but I have three other books planned for this series – Book 2, Book 3, and a Prequel. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can tell you that Book 2 was very inspired by elements of Peter Pan. There is also a new character named Julia – she is an Annorasi. And she is Luc’s ex-girlfriend. (!). (There is a sneak peek of Book 2 on my website, if you want to take a look: http://www.corypoakes.com/the-veil/the-sequel/).

Book 3 will conclude the series. The Prequel is the story of what happened before The Veil, and it will be told from the point of view of Maggie (Addy’s mother).

MSNR: How does it feel to be a published author?
CPO: Awesome! I have been an “aspiring author” for so long that it’s still sometimes hard for me to believe that I now have a book that is “out there”! It’s been a very big year for me!

MSNR: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
CPO: I firmly believe that the writers who eventually become published authors are the ones who never give up. The writing world is tough – there is lots of competition and tons of rejection. But the process ultimately makes you better, as long as you keep at it. Keep writing, even when you think you are out of ideas, because something else always comes along.

MSNR: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions about The Veil! I really enjoyed reading it, and am looking forward to the continuation of Addy’s journey. Thank you again!
CPO: Thanks Jessica! I really appreciate you having me! Congratulations and best of luck on this awesome blog!

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