One of our owners, Stacia had the chance to sit down with Jennifer San Filippo, author of Mirror of Ice and various other titles. Read along to see what they discussed…! If you’d like more information about the book, you can check out our post, linked here.
Turn The Page Tours: Thanks for sitting down with us! Let get into it. Seeing as Mirror of Ice is set in the winter, what is your favorite wintertime treat or tradition?
Jennifer San Filippo: At the risk of sounding like a corporate shill, I love Starbucks’ Chestnut Praline latte (with oat milk). I look forward to it every year.
TTPT: Mirror of Ice is the first book in a quartet….did you write all 4 books at once, or one at a time?
JSF: For the first time ever, I did not write the entire series before publishing the first book, which was terrifying and exhilarating. For my Gale City Charge series, I spent a whole year writing those six books before I released the first one. I don’t regret doing it that way (it’s a mystery, so having that cushion to iron out plot points was helpful), but I also found it frustrating. I realized that fear was holding me back, and that’s not a good excuse to avoid something.
So in a burst of reckless abandon, I decided to write this series and publish it as I went. I did outline the whole thing before drafting, so I knew the key plot points of the whole series. I also wrote one key scene in book 4 early on, which really helped me hone in on Clara as a character. But otherwise, there wasn’t much of a buffer. I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could do it, and I’m surprisingly satisfied with the results.
TTPT: Speaking of Clara, if there was one word you’d use to describe her, what would it be?
JSF: I am having such a hard time picking just one word. I’ve been staring off into space for ten minutes. Let’s just go with snarky.
TTPT: Can you give us any hints toward what Book 2 in this quartet will feature?
JSF: Without spoiling, of course, things get more exciting and more personal for Clara in book 2, in ways that we’d all like the spoiled brats of the world to deal with. She’s a girl who’s used to getting what she wants, but she’s never really had to contend with the responsibility that often comes with that level of power. But now, her choices have real consequences. Inaction can be just as devastating as a mistake.
TTPT: When you write, do you listen to music, or is completely silent?
JSF: It depends on how much I’m struggling with a project. If things are going great, I’ll play whatever. If I’m having a bit of trouble, some lo-fi or soft instrumental music. If I’m ready to rip my hair out, absolute silence.
TTPT: Last question and we’ll wrap it up here. Where can readers find you online to see what new projects you’re working on?
FSP: I have Facebook and Twitter (@jennifersanflip), but my newsletter is the best way to keep up with what I’m doing, where I give heads-up on special deals, freebies, and sneak peeks of what I’m up to. You can sign up at my website: jennifersanfilippo.com.
We here at the TTPT staff are so thankful for the chance to have chatted with Jennifer about her work!
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