Cels Big 4 Interviews: Jessica Shirvington
Jessica Shirvington lives in Sydney with her husband of ten years, FOXTEL presenter and former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington, and their two daughters. She has previously founded and run a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and been involved in managing the restaurants Fuel Bistro, Tow Bar and MG Garage in Sydney.
She is currently a full-time mum, author and co-director in the company MPS Investments Pty Ltd.
1. Firstly thank you so much for stopping by to say hi to all of us here at Burn Bright. Embrace has recently been released into the international market (congrats!) and Entice is also on its way to foreign shores. For readers who haven’t yet met Violet how would you best describe her?
Hi! Thanks so much for having me as a guest. Violet is strong, but flawed. She is just about to celebrate her 17th birthday at the beginning on Embrace and she is struggling to hold a tight control over her life. She has a difficult past and it is very important to her to be strong and not to have to rely on other people. The problem is, that makes everything ten times worse when she discovers one of the few people she has allowed herself to get close to has actually lied to her and let her down. Ultimately, Violet is a fighter, even if she has to reach that conclusion whilst kicking and screaming! J
2. Throughout the series you have constantly kept me on my toes with each shock revelation and cliff-hanger ending. Have you ever surprised yourself by what direction her journey has taken?
Yes, my characters and the direction they steer the story constantly surprises me. I think as a writer the best thing you can do, is create characters that take on a life of their own and then it is our job to give them direction whilst allowing for their personality to shift the way they get there. In Entice especially, a few of the scenes were quite a surprise for me.
3. You’re currently working on book 4 in the series and I’m certainly on tenterhooks waiting to see what happens next. Is there a release date set and will there be more in Violet’s story to come?
The release will be in September, as far as I am aware. The final date is still to be announced. As for if there is more, I would like to think so. For me, I have always hoped that there will be a total of 6 books in the series, but we’ll see. Definitely if it continues on after book 4, it will take a slightly new approach and, as an author, I’m very excited about the potential.
4. Which of your fictional characters burns brightest in your mind and why?
Of my own characters, I think it would be Phoenix. He is so tormented and such a tormentor of others. He is one of those characters that you just want to fix, but at the same time, never want to change…
