Liv K. Fisher: REINTEGRATION // Blog Tour & Interview

HELLO, MY PRETTIES. Today, I'm crazy excited to introduce to y'all author Ashley Bogner, with her debut novel, Reintegration! Last month, I was a part of her cover reveal team, and today I'm proud to be a member of the launch! Without further adieu...

ABOUT THE BOOK

A perfect citizen. A captured rebel. One decision could destroy them both.

As a Regulator, seventeen-year-old Katherine Holliday's duty is to protect the people of the Federation from a group of violent rebels who have exiled themselves to the mysterious wilderness. When one of these rebels is captured within the Federation, the government leaders propose an alternative to execution, a procedure they call Reintegration. The procedure involves erasing the rebel's memory and attempting to make him a member of society. The rebel, a young man named Matthew, is not the violent criminal Katherine expects, and she can't help but befriend him. A few weeks after Matthew's Reintegration, Katherine realizes the procedure failed and she is now presented with a choice no one else can help her make. Can she warn her superiors that Reintegration failed, which could mean death for Matthew? Or will she defy everything she knows to help him escape -- and risk her own execution?

INTERVIEW

Hi, Ashley! Welcome to the blog! I'm so excited to have you here! 🙂 First thing's first: pizza or ice cream? Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate?

I'm so excited for this interview. Thank you for having me!

Pizza or ice cream? How could you ask this of me? *dies a little inside* I love both! But I have to say pizza.

Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate? I actually like all three! Flavor-wise, hot chocolate is my favorite, but I drink coffee most frequently. And I love hot tea in the winter!

What's your favorite thing to do when you're not writing?

Reading. It isn't often I don't have a book I'm in the middle of. But... that's probably expected. I also enjoy baking. And showing off all of the random Star Wars quotes I know. 😜

How did the idea for Reintegration first come about?

I'd been playing around with the premise of "what would a future society where relative morality and tolerance were taken too far look like?" for a while, but had a lot of troubles with outlining. Something with the plot just wasn't working. I'm not sure when "Hey! Let's have a character be brainwashed!" popped into my head, but once I developed the idea of Reintegration itself, everything finally clicked.

What does your writing process usually look like?

My writing process starts with a lot of plotting. I write multiple outlines and synopses until I have the pacing just right and I've worked out any obvious plot loopholes. Then I plan out my anticipated word count and how many chapters I'm aiming for.

That's when the actual writing starts. But if I realize I have any major elements that need to be redone, it's back to outlining. 🙂

Do you have any tips for making time to write with a busy schedule?

I'm still figuring this out, honestly. But for me, I've learned to recognize any writing time as valuable writing time. I used to think that having time to write meant setting aside several hours just to work on my manuscript. Now I've learned that even if I only have fifteen minutes in my day and can only write a few paragraphs in that time, that's okay. It means I'm a few paragraphs further than I was the day before.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Last one before you go: which books have made the largest impact on your life -- both spiritually and writing-wise?

Spiritually -- The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Wow. This is a true story about a woman taken to a concentration camp during the World War II time period. Her family was caught helping Jews escape. Corrie Ten Boom's story is so heartbreaking but beautiful in how the horrific experience she had actually drew her closer to Jesus. Every time I read The Hiding Place I'm left pondering how I would respond in those circumstances.

Writing-wise -- The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I've always loved these books, but I've grown to appreciate them a lot more now that I'm older. C.S. Lewis is a pro at incorporating deep, Biblical themes while maintaining a strong story. That's what I hope to accomplish in my writing: a book that points people to Jesus via a well-told story.

Thank you so much for the interview! 😄

Thank you for answering my questions, Ashley! 😃

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When Ashley Bogner was in third grade, she decided she would be a published author when she grew up. Ashley is a homeschool graduate and has lived in seven different states. She completed a year of Bible college and in the fall will begin pursuing a degree in Communication Studies. After college, her plan is to work in the Christian publishing industry. When not writing, she can be found baking, posting book reviews on her blog, and watching her favorite movies over and over to the point of memorization.

TOUR SCHEDULE