The new sci-fi/mystery trilogy,
The Briny Deep Mysteries, is coming out September 1st, and it's going to be filled with twists and exciting turns that will keep middle graders reading! To learn more about the writing of this exciting trilogy, we sat down with author Jennifer Torres:
Enslow Publishers: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Jennifer Torres: Since I was very young, I’ve always loved getting lost in
a good book. Reading really fueled my imagination. I especially loved to read mysteries
and stories about fantastical places. As I got older the idea of creating my
own magical lands through writing was so exciting I just had to pursue it.
Enslow: How did you begin your writing career?
Torres: I began writing in journals as a child. My friends and I
would also write scripts and plays and then share them with each other to
review – and sometimes to act out. After
finishing school, I became a newspaper reporter and columnist. Over the years I
worked as freelance journalist, writing for local and national magazines and
newspapers. I’ve also written seven non-fiction children’s books, but THE BRINY
DEEP MYSTERIES is my debut into middle grade fiction – and truly the kind of
writing I’ve always wanted to do.
Enslow: What inspired you to write “The Briny Deep” trilogy?
Torres: All the books I read growing up captured my imagination
with incredible, edge of your seat stories that often involved secret
passageways, doorways to other lands, or a compelling mystery seemingly beyond
explanation. When I created the town of Briny Deep, I wanted to construct a
place that had never existed before, populate it with a cast of amazing
characters, and weave a spellbinding mystery that would engage and captivate
readers in the same way I was as a child.
Enslow: Where there any particular obstacles you encountered
while writing this book?
Torres: My ten year old was a bit of an obstacle because she
wanted to use my laptop all the time to play her computer games. I tried to
stick to an early morning schedule of writing – way before she woke up, so I
didn’t have to wrestle her for it.
Enslow: When do you write best?
Torres: During the week, I like to get up early while it’s still
dark outside and everyone else in the family is asleep. I brew a big cup of
coffee and try to get a few hours of writing in. I feel most creative in the
morning. But I also love to write when it’s raining outside or a storm is
brewing. It really sets the mood for me.
Enslow: If you weren’t a writer, what might you be doing
instead?
Torres: I would be a detective or a private investigator. I grew up wanting to solve mysteries. My
childhood friend and I even opened our own “detective agency” – her dad built
it for us in her backyard and we kept “files” on everyone in the neighborhood.
Enslow: What is your favorite children’s book?
Torres: I have so many books that I loved when I was growing up.
My top three books would have to be; The Phantom Tollbooth, Harriet the Spy
(she kept notes on everyone in her neighborhood too,) and A Wrinkle in
Time. Middle Grade books are my very
favorite genre. The kind of books with secret passageways, time portals, and
hidden paths to magical lands are the best.
Enslow: What kind of experience do you hope your readers have
with “The Briny Deep” trilogy?
Torres: I want them to go on a thrilling ride, filled with fun
twists and turns through the town of Briny Deep. As they read the series they
should feel like they are on an adventure – and a quest for answers that keeps
them excitedly reading until the wee hours of the morning, and leaves them with
a true awareness of how much magic and wonder can be found inside a book.
Look for The Disappearing, The Return, and The Battle on SpeedingStar.com, or with your favorite bookseller.
School Library Journal has reviewed five of the six books in The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs series in its August 2014 issue. Here is an excerpt from that review:
