Emblaze Jessica Shirvington

Emblaze

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice, and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet Eden has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

Review: It's easy to become hooked on the Violet Eden Chapters as Jessica Shirvington continues to write the epic supernatural tale of Violet Eden, Phoenix and Lincoln.

Emblaze is the third compelling book in The Violet Eden Chapters which continues to deliver thorough themes of revenge, angst, action, betrayal and of course, love.

As new characters are introduced in Emblaze we learn more of the complex characters introduced in Embrace and Enticed including the intriguing Onyx. I thoroughly enjoyed that Jessica Shirvington continued to develop the new characters of her stories and not only speak of the main protagonists.

Violet Eden's strength is evident in the story of Emblaze whilst we see Lincoln's character grown; after disliking his selfishness, in Enticed.
I still have hope for Phoenix; I love his dark and mysterious character traits and how we see inside his thoughtful mind in Emblaze; I always enjoy reading about the 'bad boy'.

Once again, Emblaze takes us on a rollercoaster ride with Jessica Shirvington's descriptive text intertwined with supernatural, historical and religious references. As questions from Enticed are answered, Emblaze produces more questions that I hope the fourth book, Endless answers.
-Brooke Hunter

Jessica Shirvington on writing Book 1: Embrace
"One day, instead of picking up a new book, I started to write. The first name that came to mind was Violet. From there the rest naturally followed. I can honestly say, once Violet was discovered - she really did write the rest of the book!

Writing this book has drawn on my life experience - in my travels around the world and the different people I have met. It draws on love and loss and the overall confusion that comes with growing up. I also look to many of my friends and their experiences. I have also always loved ancient history - tales and stories of the best kind."

For more information about The Violet Eden Chapters see: www.girl.com.au/embrace.htm and www.girl.com.au/enticed.htm.

Jessica Shirvington lives in Sydney with her husband of nine years, television presenter and former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington, and their two young daughters. She is currently a full-time mum and co-director for MPS Investments Pty Ltd.

She previously founded and ran a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and been involved in managing the restaurants Fuel Bistro, Tow Bar and MG Garage in Sydney. Embrace and Enticed are the first two books in The Violet Eden Chapters series.

Emblaze
Hachette Australia
Author: Jessica Shirvington
ISBN: 9780734411860
Price: $24.99

Interview with Jessica Shirvington

Question: Can you share anything with us about the fourth book in the Violet Eden Chapters, Endless?

Jessica Shirvington: I am writing Endless at the moment, it's a big book as a lot of the storyline through the third book comes to a head in the fourth book. For me, it's the book I've really been looking forward to writing. For Violet, it's a time in her life when events happen that setup who she is going to be and the future she will have, some is good and some of that is not good. In each book, the characters tend to go to places around the world, where mythology or events have taken them which is something that I wanted to do; in terms of not having everything come to them in the city, I wanted to take them to the world. In Endless they will go to New York, for a part of the book.


Question: Have you decided whether you will be writing more than four books in the Violet Eden Chapters?

Jessica Shirvington: Yes, it has been something that I have been trying to decide, when I write each of the books, where exactly it will finish because I don't want to retell the same story in a different way. The decision is based on character development and the overall entertainment value, I think there will be more than the four books, I think it will end up as six books.


Question: Have you thought about writing other books, outside the Violet Eden Chapters?

Jessica Shirvington: Yes, there is heaps I want to write about. I do spend time writing other things, to get out of Violet's head, for a while, as it is a pretty intense place. To keep balance I write something else and then coming back to Violet's story, which is really good, for me. There is a couple of ideas I am playing with, I definitely will work on multiple projects.

Question: Who was more interesting to write Lincoln or Phoenix?

Jessica Shirvington: They are both so different, I love them both. The three core characters of the series Violent, Lincoln and Phoenix, for me all have their own stories that are running. The series is told from Violet's point-of-view, I am so invested in the two guys in the series and I enjoy seeing the journey that they're taking and where they will end up. I love them and I enjoy writing them. In Emblaze there is one chapter that is written from Phoenix's point-of-view, which was fun; the readers are keen to get an insight into Phoenix and it is nice to get inside his head and have a moment to himself, with what he is thinking.


Question: Why was it so important for you to have a strong female lead character in the Violet Eden Chapters?

Jessica Shirvington: Yes, it was really important to me because I wanted her to be active in her future, so many things are taken out of her hands and there are so many big characters that are making huge decisions and I don't think you can be in this world, that is being created, and not be strong and be active about what is happening in your life or you'll be swallowed by it.


Question: Can you talk about your writing process - when, where, how?

Jessica Shirvington: I write a lot at home and I write in different stages, I like to plot out the book and then write a chapter break-down but that varies as well because the chapter breakdown for Embrace was three pages and for Endless it is 110 pages - it is really different. As I start each book I think I know what needs to happen. Embrace was a book that was going to be a lot more organic which developed as I wrote it whereas book four, Endless, has to address a lot of different storylines and characters which means it is more in-depth. I start chapter one and then go from there.


Question: How can you, personally, relate to Violet Eden?

Jessica Shirvington: I think a lot of girls can relate to Violet, I think back to when I was 17 and 18 and if you take away the fantastical things she is dealing with I think at the core of it she is a girl who is growing up and having to make decisions about the person she wants to be whilst also dealing with this love issue, which is confusing at the best of times. I remember growing up and feeling intense love when I was young; I fell in love at a young age and married the man of my dreams; I am talking about real young love, not doting love. Violet's love is a love that can carry her all the way through.


Question: What book are you reading right now?

Jessica Shirvington: I just finished Veronica Ross, Diversion which was brilliant and I read Where She Went by Gayle Forman which is the sequel If I Stay, Where She Went is a beautiful, stunning read.


Interview by Brooke Hunter