Sophie Jackson wrote the popular fanfiction, A Pound of Flesh, and the story is now being published under the same title! Releasing June 9th, A Pound of Flesh will be the first in a series (details below). We got a chance to interview Sophie about her story, dream casting, Rob (naturally) and more but first let's give you guys a synopsis in case you're a newbie like me:
Haunted by nightmares of her father’s street murder fifteen years ago, Kat Lane decides to face her fears and uphold his legacy of helping others by teaching inmates at a New York prison.
There she meets arrogant Wesley Carter, who’s as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted, and with a reputation that ensures people will keep their distance.
As teacher and student, Kat and Carter are forced to leave their animosities at the door and learn that one should never judge a book by its cover. As Carter’s barriers begin to crumble, Kat realizes there’s much more to her angry student than she thought, leaving them to face a new, perilous obstacle: their undeniable attraction to one another.
When Carter is released and Kat continues to tutor him on the outside, the obstacles mount.
Can they fight the odds to make their relationship work? Will Kat’s family and friends ever accept her being with someone of his background? And will Kat’s discovery of Carter’s role on the night her father died force them apart forever...or unite them?And now our interview with Sophie Jackson!
Congratulations on A Pound of Flesh! I'm a lover of Twilight fanfic but remarkably late to the party for your wildly popular story. You know how you have stories on your TBR list and they just get away from you sometimes? It does however excite me to read the published work without the fanfic bias. I'm starting from scratch so tell me - what inspired you to write a fresh take on the teacher-student trope?
Thanks so much! When I originally got the idea for PoF, I set it in a high school. It was a story about a delinquent, ex-juvvy boy being tutored by an exemplary student girl, but their ages limited where I could go with the story, so I aged them 10 years and placed them in a prison.
As important as it was, the story wasn't ever really about the teacher/student relationship, but rather Kat and Carter having a mysterious history between them, while being in a hopeless situation, in a hopeless setting, which added to the tension between the two of them. I hope it worked.
I'm a big follower of the podcast Serial and by proxy, Adnan Syed's ongoing case. I also listen to a follow up podcast, Undisclosed, that factually tracks the case even more than Serial. I say all that to say I'm increasingly sensitive to the issues surrounding the incarcerated. Tell me about your choice of setting. How did you land in a New York prison to tell your tale?
New York is my favourite place in the world, so it had to be there!
I may have answered this above, but, Carter was always going to be a 'bad boy' while Kat had to be in a position of authority that would, again, increase the tension between them. Setting the story in Arthur Kill allowed the characters to get to know each other in ways they may not in an ordinary every day setting. Prison is not an easy place to be, which fit perfectly, because this relationship is anything but easy! I like to think that the prison also represents Carter's life before he meets Kat. It's only with her help that he manages to free himself of all his restraints, physically and emotionally.
I've spoken to other published fanfic authors who had a desire to publish and were exercising their skills and some who didn't know they had it in them and just had a story they wanted to try out. What came first for you? The desire to be a published novelist or the dive into the world of fanfiction?
Of course, being published is the dream, but I never believed it would happen for me. It was never the end goal. It was always just about scratching a creative itch by writing characters I'd fallen in love with in a new and different way online. I loved writing Fanfiction; I love the people and the community. I've made some incredible friends. It was a baptism of fire, but invaluable to me as a writer. I learned so much.
Beyond the synopsis, what kind of guy is Wesley Carter? How does he pull your readers in? Do you think we get attached before Kat or follow her road?
Carter is stubborn, caring, mysterious, and passionate. He isn't a 'bad guy', but rather he's made bad decisions that were all based in love and friendship. He's loyal to a fault. He's had a pretty tough upbringing and lashes out as a way of protecting himself. He's pretty endearing from minute one, but I definitely think the reader sees what Kat sees as the story progresses. She is able to peel him apart layer by layer, which is great. The readers fall in love with him right along with her.
Have you dreamcasted your characters? If a studio rang you up today and said give us your ideal actors, who would play Kat Lane and Wesley Carter?
Tom Hardy for Carter seems to be a favourite amongst the fans, while I think Christina Hendricks would be my perfect Kat, curvy, sassy, sexy with all that glorious red hair!
Because we're a Robert Pattinson fan blog and you're no stranger, has he inspired your writing or characters in ways that will make our readers swoon and sigh?
He was and will always be my perfect Edward, but, in my fics, and certainly when I read other fics, I don't tend to cast him in my mind. Certain types of Edwards can conjure up his image, though, like a goofy, geeky, sweet, laughing Edward is just perfect for Rob in my opinion!
What's next for you in the literary world? Where do you go beyond A Pound of Flesh?
PoF is the first of five books in the series. After its release June 9th, it'll be followed by the enovella, Love and Always, which is out in August. This enovella gives us a glimpse of life for Kat and Carter straight after the end of PoF. That'll be followed by An Ounce of Hope, Carter's friend, Max's story, which will be available January 2016. Both are available for pre order now.
Giveaway Guidelines
- You only have to click a button, which you'll see when you enter. Tweeting the giveaway and following the author (@sophiejax) are optional but give you more chances to win!
- Giveaway is WORLDWIDE!
- You MUST enter using Rafflecopter or your entry will not be counted
- You can enter once a day, everyday, until the closing date - Friday, June 5th
- There will be 2 winners receiving A Pound of Flesh by Sophie Jackson!
- Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced after the giveaway ends
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Who are our winners for Between Octobers, September Rain and Trouble Me??
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Congrats Yvonne and Paula for winning Between Octobers and September Rain! Congrats Elena for winning Trouble Me and the $25! We'll email you to get your information!
FanFic Friday
I haven't read any fanfic lately because I reread the Demonica series in anticipation for Hades, which released May 26th. I did however finally read Rochelle Allison's one-shot from a few months back. If you haven't checked it out already, do yourself a solid and tuck into this gem for a half hour. The (Wet) Dreamgirl is classic Rochelle which means it's perfect.
If you want to purchase any of the latest books featured in this post, click the Amazon links to buy now!
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