Euterpe YA Event: Interview with Alyssa Liljequist

 

Today for the Euterpe YA Event, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alyssa Liljequist, author of YA novel Deadly Delirium!

Mera: Welcome to Mera’s YA Book List Alyssa! Thanks for joining us!

Alyssa: Thank you so much for having me!

Mera:As a young writer, do you feel you relate to your audience more deeply than average for older YA authors?

Alyssa:  I think it is easier for me to relate since I'm still a teen myself. That being said, there are some amazing YA authors out there who it's hard to believe are old enough to be my parents. In excellent YA books, we will get sucked into the story and love the teenaged character(s) and if that happens, it won't matter if the author is 14 or 40.

Mera: Great answer! If you had to choose three, which books would you consider your favorites?  

Alyssa: The Bible, the Christian Heritage Series by Nancy N. Rue, and the Life of Faith series by Martha Finley.

Mera: Besides writing, you have lots of hobbies. What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?  

Alyssa: Only one thing :)? The first thing that came to mind was: creating videos. I love video production!

Mera: You’re a freelance writer as well as a new author. Can you tell us some of the other places we might find your writing?  

Alyssa: I have been published in several issues of Encounter-The Magazine. Other places my writing has been published in include The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, The Kids' Ark Magazine, and Keys for Kids. 

Mera: What book, besides your own, would you most recommend to a YA audience?  

Alyssa: Funny enough, a lot of my favorite books were ones I read when I was 8-12 so I need to be careful not to recommend a tween book here :). Okay, I have made my decision: The Real Life series by Nancy N. Rue.

Mera: If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?

Alyssa:  I think it'd be really cool to visit Ireland. I would want to explore an old castle.

Mera: You excel in writing historical fiction. Is there a reason this area of writing is enticing to you?  

Alyssa: It's like traveling back in time. That's probably cliché. But seriously, I enjoy reading and writing historical fiction because I get to peek into a different time period and imagine how life was lived back then. 

Mera: Not cliche at all! You’ve said that you love music. Can you tell us three of your favorite songs at the moment? 

Alyssa:  Breathe by Dave and Jess Ray, Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) by Casting Crowns, and While I'm Waiting by John Waller.

Mera: How about movies? Can you share with us three of your favorites?

Alyssa:  You're asking this of someone who has watched way too many movies...this is hard. I should start with Facing the Giants because it inspired me and helped me believe that I could become a filmmaker even if I never live in Hollywood. I especially like the action/adventure and comedy genres. For action/adventure, I really enjoyed the Bourne trilogy. My current favorite comedy is The Emperor's New Groove :).

Mera: BTW, it would have taken me forever to answer that question! And I'm surprised at the last one. I haven't seen that in quite a while. If you had the chance to go back in history to any era as a spectator, what time period would you pick and why?  

Alyssa: This question always stumps me for awhile. My thoughts go something like this: “oh, that's a great time period, I'll pick that one!” and then “no, wait, this one's really good” but “then again, maybe this one...”. So my answer may change from interview to interview :). I'm going to go with WWII. I've been impressed at the unity, courage, and sacrifice that Americans displayed as they fought with the rest of the Allied forces to keep the world free--both on the battlefield and on the home front.

Mera: Very insightful answer, though I couldn't possibly choose WWII. The horrors. Thanks for answering all of my questions, Alyssa!  

Alyssa: It was my pleasure.
 

Mera: *grins* Is there anything you’d like to tell my Listers?

Alyssa:  I would love to hear from you and it'd be great if you could stop by and visit my blog!


You heard the girl! Check out Alyssa and her book!
Links and things below! :)

                                                                   
                                                                 
Standing up for what’s right can mean risking everything.

Though Johanna and her older brother, Karl, lost their parents to Nazi rule in Germany, they have not stopped standing up for their beliefs. Now Communism is in full force in East Germany and they have been imprisoned along with their friend, Franz, for their resistance efforts. Johanna falls ill and becomes delirious with fever. Is there anything that can be done or will Karl and Franz be forced to watch her slowly die? As her life literally flashes before her eyes, will Johanna have the strength-and desire-to survive?

Her book:  http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=188

 Alyssa Liljequist is a 19-year-old homeschool graduate. She is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a variety of online and print publications. Alyssa's interests include video production, missions, writing, photography, reading, listening to music, and watching movies. She blogs at http://mylifewithamission.blogspot.com/. Her YouTube channel can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/ChildlikeFaithMedia.