Hey guys, so excited to share this interview with you! Issabelle is really fun to chat with (as you will be able to tell from her answers) and also a really nice person! Had to be an act of God that our paths crossed because we just randomly found her on GoodReads and sort of hit it off.
Issabelle and her two sisters Alana and Katherine blog together (Hmm, three sisters who blog together why does this sound familiar? Oh well…lol…) you can check out their blog here: https://www.teenwritersnook.com/
Without further chatting, here is the interview!
(Yeah, we said without further chatting, but question 9 is our favorite, just so you know…lol…the answers great!)
- Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey, y’all!! I’m Issabelle Perry, a quirky, extroverted teen author of YA fantasy and other genres. A little bit about me? Well, I’m a Christian first and foremost (y’all, Jesus just rocks, ‘nuff said), writer, reader (a little known fact about me, is that I always did wish I had a book blog, maybe even instead of a writing one…), graphic designer, blogger (check me out at TeenWritersNook.com), aspiring freelance editor, and self-proclaimed exclamation mark enthusiast. I strongly live by the philosophy that everything’s better with chocolate!! *pops a Hershey Kiss into my mouth*
- Why did you start writing? What’s the story behind it?
Well, the completely non-motivational story is that I was a li’l ole girl one day who was bored and had nothing to do, so she sat down and wrote a book (that if you asked her then was the greatest novel ever written… you ask her now and she’s in total support of burying it someplace it shall never be found *evil laughter sounds in the distance*). So I guess the story isn’t about how I started writing but about why I continued. And that was because of one of the most amazing cheerleaders ever, my older sister, Katherine!!!! She started writing a book and I had always looked up to her growing up, so that meant I had to write one too. And she always believed so strongly in me and my stories, it gave me a lot of motivation. And another reason I stuck with it, is cuz Jesus is very persistent about His plans, so no matter how hard I tried—and yes, I did try—to go with the plans for my life, He kept bringing me back here. So, yes, my dreams were—and kinda still are—nowhere close to writing, but God’s got a better plan for me, and it’d be a lie to say I’m not enjoying myself!!!!!!
- What author inspires you the most and why?
Oooo this is a tough one!! I find inspiration from SO many authors, but if I’ve gotta name one, then we shall change “author” to “authors” in the question and I will name four. (Hehehehe… yes, I’m very sneaky. XD) An author who has given me the most inspiration would have to be hands down Katherine Perry (and *gasp* WE’RE RELATED TOO!!!!! I mean, how cool is that!!!). I might not even still be writing without her, and God has just used her so much to not only inspire my stories, but also inspiring me as a person!! Love you, Kat!!!!! *sends extra chocolate*
My second author would be Grace A. Johnson. The Good Lord just brought her to me at the perfect time of my life. She was actually my first published author friend, which I think is pretty cool. Her stories (and life as well) inspire me to go deeper and not settle for the passing things of this world. But to have a fuller, deeper life with Christ!!! I can’t thank you enough for that, Grace!!!! *hugs* Ooo and we can’t talk about Grace if I don’t also mention Allie Andersen!!!! Honestly, without her, I doubt my writing would even look the way it does!!!! She’s always been there to give me advice, encouragement, and beta read my projects, helping me figure out exactly what I need to fix!!!!!!! My writing’s grown so much because of her!! You deserve all the chocolate, Allie!!!!!!! *hugs*
And my fourth author would be Jennifer A. Nielsen. Y’all, I probably would NOT even be writing YA fantasy if it wasn’t for her books. Especially, the Ascendance Series. It really inspired and changed a lot of my writing, even challenging me to try things I used to be terrified to do, like writing from a male POV and writing broken, flawed characters!!! So if Mrs. Nielsen ever reads this, THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH for your stories!!!!! <333 *sends you chocolate*
Alright, this is turning into an acknowledgment’s page so I need to stop. XD
- Do you have a favorite book? One that you go back to again and again. (It’s okay if it’s a book series 😊)
YESSS!!!!!! The Ascendance Series by Jennifer A. Nielsen!! AAAHH I JUST ADORE THAT SERIES!!!!!!!! And c’mon, Sage is SUCH a genius and really unique character!!!
- Are you an outliner or a pantster? Or maybe a mix of both.
I am a die-hard pantster till the end. Okay, I’m really more of a mix of both, but I tend to lean more to my pantsting side. So I’ll generally get an idea of the major plot points before I start writing and I try to at least have the main character’s name, but the rest I figure out as I go. (Which is why, to all of y’all who ask me questions about my character I can’t answer, this is why. 😉 )
- Could you tell us about some of the projects you are working on?
It would be my absolute honor!!!! So I tend to balance multiple projects at once, but my current main focus would be my YA high fantasy novel, Heir to His Crown. I’m currently working on drafts two and three and sending it out to some pretty awesome betas. It’s about a young prince whose kingdom was overthrown when he was a child and now he has to fight back to reclaim it and free his people. The novel that I’m first drafting is my YA Christian contemporary romance novel, In Healing Hands, (that’s the first time I’ve publicly announced what genre it is!!!!) which I can say nothing about at the time being, but keep an eye out on my blog for I plan to finally announce what it’s about soon. And I’m also querying my YA contemporary fantastical retelling of “Aladdin” Into the Lamp to indie publishing houses, and I have a few short stories in the works as well.
- What project are you most proud of, excited about, at the moment?
Ooooo AWESOME question!!!!!! Not gonna lie, I’m equally excited and proud over Heir to His Crown and In Healing Hands at the moment. Heir to His Crown was a novel that I literally pushed myself to my limits on what I thought I could do, and it has turned out better than I ever could’ve hoped for. My main character’s journey, though still needs some serious polishing, has grown closer to my heart than I ever thought it would and I hope/think it will be one that will inspire a lot of people. As for In Healing Hands… I’ve pretty much sworn myself to secrecy on that one, so I can’t say anything as of yet. 🙂
- Do your books have a lessons in them? Morals? Or do you just write fun and engaging stories?
My stories tend to have a lesson/moral in them, though I have written some just for fun. My main goal with my writing is to show how even the least of us, the most flawed, the broken, can rise and do extraordinary things. The unlikely heroes have stories to tell, too. And I guess, that’s something I’m very passionate about because my story is very much one of a flawed, broken girl. And I strongly believe God can do His greatest work through the least of us!!! 🙂
- Do your characters seem to take over the telling of the story or do you feel like you have complete control?
I used to have complete control… until I wrote Heir to His Crown. Somehow Keenum (the main character) found a foothold and completely took over the plot. And then he must’ve spilled the secret to my other characters cuz now they’re all acting up and taking over. I don’t know why they want to ruin all my plans so much. All I want to do is ruin their life, destroy everything they ever love, and crush them… but they’ll be fine and heal in the end. XD
- What gives you inspiration for your stories? A good book? Music? Social interaction? A quiet place alone with your thoughts?
Aaaa another good question!!!!!! Okay, so I get my inspiration first and foremost from Jesus Christ, He is the one who gives my stories purpose and meaning! But I always find a lot of inspiration from well… just about everything. Sometimes it’s the perfect song, the right book/movie, or even something one of my friends says that just clicks and inspires something!!!
Thanks so much Issabelle!!!
Girls, y’all are SO welcome!!!!!! Thank YOU for giving me the chance to do this and having me here. I enjoyed visiting y’all’s FANTABULOUS blog!!!!! *sends y’all lotsa dark chocolate*
Hope you guys enjoyed that, we know we did!
God Bless,
Kayti, Rissy, and Jaidie Phillips
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