Interview with Elana Johnson

Today we're here with Elena Johnson, the author of the upcoming book Possession. You can read my review on it here.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I love reality TV and watching movies with my family. I teach elementary school computers, and I write angry teen girl novels set in the future. I like all things with salted, cured meats, and I never get enough sleep. If I could, I’d sell my house and live in a different city every week. There’s nothing better than staying in a hotel and eating out. No dishes. No cooking.

Who is your favorite character from a book?

Professor Snape. That man is evil, right? He hates Harry Potter. He’s working with the Dark Lord. We all hate him, but in the end, he’s none of those things. Professor Dumbledore trusts him. Should we?

That kind of complex character is brilliant.

When did you come up with the idea for Possession and where did it come from?

I had just read my first dystopian novel, and I didn’t even know the term for the genre. But I knew I wanted to write a book like that. I also knew I needed a society, so I started thinking. I finally landed on a question that spurred the creation of my world: “What if people couldn’t make their own choices?”

Everything was downhill from there.

Was Possession the original name of the book?

No, the book was originally titled CONTROL ISSUES. My editor and I thought it sounded a little young and a little on the “punny” side. My book is neither young nor full of puns. So we changed it.

How did you come up with the characters? Or did they come to you first?

My characters always come to me first. Sometimes violently and loud. Sometimes slowly and in whispers. I just do my best to capture them while they’re inside my head.

Which one is your favorite character, Jag or Zenn?

I love them both for different reasons. I love Jag for his black-and-white attitude, his approach with handling Vi without care (sometimes), and his ability to say exactly what needs to be said when it needs to be said. He’s loud and brash and “bad.”

But Zenn is loveable too. He’s quieter. More gray. But he loves Vi just as much as Jag—probably more—and there’s something to be said for the softer, quieter guy.

So I love them both.

You classified your world into two:  Baddies and Goodies. What is the meaning of them?

And that’s the million-dollar question. I’m hoping readers will be able to determine that for themselves, so I respectfully take the 5^th here. *grins*

If you had Vi’s or Jag’s powers to control people what would you do with it?

Oh, I wouldn’t want it. I don’t want to have to decide, though it would be nice to be able to control people to drive faster on the freeway. Or at least move over so I can pass, you know?

How did you come up with all the tech and what is your favorite piece of tech?

The tech in POSSESSION just appeared on the page when I needed it. I didn’t set out to write technological gadgets into the book. It just happened. I think the first scene I wrote with tech was the tag. That was, and still is, one of my favorite scenes in the novel.

Why did you pair two people who could control each other together? Was it intentional or were you in the dark about Jag’s powers like Vi?

Jag has always been much more vibrant in my head. I knew all about him, because he won’t shut up. And he and Vi get along so well, because they’re so alike, yet so different. That’s sort of a match made in heaven for me, so it felt natural for them to be together.

Can you tell us a little bit about what the sequel will be about? Or if there will be one? (I'm hoping there will be one because of THE CLIFFHANGER!) 

Ah, that cliffhanger is actually called something else. I’m not sure I should say, or it will give away the ending. But POSSESSION was written with the intention of being a stand-alone novel. It just doesn’t fit the mold of what people think a stand-alone novel should be, but not every book is the first of a trilogy. And some books just end the way they do and the reader has to draw their own conclusions about what might have happened next. 

How did you come up with all the elements and problems in Possession? There are some pretty heavy stuff there.

I do not outline at all, so I discover the story as I’m writing. Whatever pours onto the page, pours onto the page. I have to decide which veins to keep, and which ones I can’t sew up at the end. So the problems and elements of POSSESSION came organically as I was writing, and I kept the ones that were A) the worst, and/or B) I could use to advance the plot toward the end I had in mind.

Who do you think is right, The Thinkers or the Baddies? Do you have a side?

I think they’re both right, depending on the issue at hand. Isn’t that how life is? We can see both sides to a situation, and we’re not sure which is best? I think it’s important to examine ourselves, really think about what we believe, and move forward in our lives from there. I think the society and government in POSSESSION reflects real life.

Thanks to Elana Johnson for giving me the chance to review her awesome book. You rock Elana Johnson. 

Possession by Elana Johnson

Tittle: Possession

Author: Elana Johnson

Publication Date: 6/7/2011

Ages: 14 up 

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Synopsis:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

My Review:

Ok, so the first thing I noticed about the book was the cover. It’s a great cover. I loved it so much that I just had to read it even though it was a dystopian novel. Because who isn't attracted to the line Control or be controlled? Uh? I wasn't able to resist. The blue butterfly is trapped in that ice cube that by the way looks fragmented or about to break and that's exactly the whole point. For the butterfly to be free. Awesome, right?

Anyways, I don’t usually read dystopian novels because… well, they don’t really appeal to me. Some do. Some don’t. But this was one was just awesome! (Control or be controlled!!!) 

At first Violet knows who she loves and wants to be with no matter what. Zenn has always been her best friend and now her match so she sneaks out at night to meet with him. She’s even kissed him, something that’s prohibited at the age of eight when touching someone else is wrong. Except that she gets caught by a hovercopter and is sent to jail where she meets Jag, a guy with wicked cool hair and also a Baddie. Violet is placed in a cell with him and as the days go by she starts to actually like and kind of trust the guy. But then she’s tagged (Some sort of tracking device inserted in her wrist) and has to get out of there with Jag before he’s tagged too. That’s when the adventure begins.

It was pretty fast-paced so it didn’t give me much time to put it down. At the end of each chapter I couldn’t wait to read the next. (I even got mad when I had to leave it for a moment). Violet and Jag go in a mission to escape the Thinkers and all that but she’s been tagged and any Mech (A robot) can sense her. But the whole time she was struggling with the fact that she was with a Baddie. Because she’s a Goodie, right?

Goodies and Baddies are somewhat not right. Or, perhaps they are just with a different meaning to us. Because the Baddies live in the Badlands and are rebels who resist to the Thinker’s mind games. They represent our society as of now and they can do pretty much anything they want without restrictions. They are free to do what they want. Because they are Baddies. They don’t follow rules or listen to the transmissions. They actually have a life and personality. Something that the Goodies lack with their brainwashed minds. In this case, or rather my opinion, it would be better to be a Baddie. I would much rather be myself than some sort of half-alive robot. That’s exactly what Jag thinks. 

Duty or Death? 

 Let’s talk about Violet (Vi) shall we? She’s such a strong and rebellious character that I just had to know more about her. Since the first page it is clear that she doesn’t follow rules at all. She knows it’s wrong and all but she just can’t follow them because she doesn’t believe in them. She hates Greenies, or Thinkers, because they control everyone’s every move and thought with the transmissions that the Goodies are supposed to listen every day for eight hours. Except that she’s stopped listening to them. I loved her! Mostly because in most of the Dystopian novels we have the protagonist be a goodie-two-shoes (Goodie, get it? Hehe.) and even though she changes throughout the novel she sometimes isn’t strong enough. That wasn’t a problem here. Violet was strong, alright.

Now, Zenn or Jag? Hmm. I was leaning towards one at first because I just felt for him. But then I realized I was wrong and liked the other one better. I know I need to make up my mind but hey, Violet needed to do that too so it’s not a problem.  What I found kind of funny is that Zenn’s name resembles the word Sin and in the book he’s a Goodie in the Force (kind of like a cop). Maybe it’s just me but it seemed to me that way.

Jag. Oh, my sweet, sweet and wicked-haired Jag. (Everyone in the badlands seems to have wicked hair, you know.) At first I thought he was a jerk, then I realized he was awesome. Mrs. Johnson did a great job writing so the reader was feeling and seeing exactly what Violet was going through, which is why I so loved the book.

I don’t know why but Zenn kind of reminded me of a character from another book I read: Dimitri Belikov. (Swoon). Oh, yeah. He was serious and loving and… (swoon). He loved Violet a lot. Let’s just say that because I don’t want to give anything away. He’s her match and has always been there for her. God, I love and hate love triangles because I can never make up my mind! But don’t we all?

The plotline was very good, too. Everything came to place and made sense at the end. Mrs. Johnson made a very good job at making everything have a reason why and click into place.

But. Yeah, there had to be a but. I had a problem with the fact that when it switched point of view it didn’t say who. You figure it out quickly but I was sometimes a bit confused. It also changed scenery pretty fast and it left me confused as to how she got there.

But there was wicked tech. Stuff that would help a lot now days like the Tech-cube that produced food, some sort of teletransportation and other cool stuff.

In conclusion, Good is bad and Bad is good. Or at least being a Baddie gives you freedom. Though Baddies are us right now... hmm, look at where we are. You have to read the book to know what I'm talking about and it'll make you think about a lot of things.

Just remember, this captivating book will keep you awake at night, dying to know what will happen next and thinking about Thinkers.

Favorite line: 

“I love you, Vi. Don’t forget about me.” & “Remember me, Vi. I’m on your side.”

Rating: 4.5