Interview with YA novelist Aisha Tritle

Novelist Aisha Tritle joins me today and we’re chatting about her new young adult adventure, Occidis.

Bio:

Aisha Tritle is a novelist, playwright, actress, singer, marketer and tea fiend. Spending her childhood in Arizona, she was active in the performing arts - which led to her moving to Los Angeles at the age of eighteen to pursue a career in acting. She has studied with famed acting coach John Kirby, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Turning her hand to plays, she completed two One-Act Comedies in 2016: of which, one was recently performed and published in the U.K.

Aisha spends her days in sunny Los Angeles producing films, marketing for innovative tech startups, and working on her true passion of writing novels.

Welcome, Aisha. Please tell us about your current release.

Occidis is a young adult adventure novel about Sophia, a girl who was recruited by a Danish billionaire at the age of seven to train to become an assassin in Program Occidis. The story picks up when she’s seventeen, and suffering from panic attacks. She’s pulled out of the program when on a job and told she’s been chosen to take down the man who’s enslaved her for almost half her life. She ends up working with quite a few intriguing individuals and overcoming her confidence issues to destroy the program she left.

What inspired you to write this book?

I grew up with a lot of homeschooled genius children! Plus, I was obsessed with the idea of being a spy when I was little. So, I always daydreamed about what it would be like if child geniuses were recruited as spies. The premise of Occidis is essentially that, but altered a little.

Excerpt from Occidis:

Sophia ran out of the house, feeling as if her heels had been set alight. She had barely made it down the gravel walkway when a thunderous roar met her ears. A great blast of heat knocked her off her feet, and she slid down the gravel, her cheek scraping against the rocks.

Hot air filled her nostrils. Convulsing with coughs, Sophia slowly pushed herself up. Her blooded face turned back to look at the wreckage, her eyes filled with horror. There was nothing left except black dust and smoke.

“No, no, no,” muttered Sophia. She hadn’t managed to stand yet. She knelt, her hands hugging her sides. She turned her head, searching the burnt rubble and surrounding acre. There were no signs of life.

A solitary tear rolled down Sophia’s cheek. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m releasing a vampire novella, “Vamp,” in either late May or early June. It’s the first in a series, “Quimby Bay.” I’m also working on the sequel to Occidis.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When my first play, “The Misfortune of Lionel Schlüsselberg,” was published by Lazy Bee Scripts! I’d written for fun before that - but when the play was published and then performed, I felt like I’d become a proper writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I don’t write full-time, but I wish I could! I’m the Head of Marketing at a professional networking startup, Meanwise. I also work as a marketing consultant for a few other companies. I try to make sure that I devote a couple hours every evening to writing. It’s hard to write consistently, but I try my best.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Oh goodness. Perhaps that I have to listen to “mood music” when I write. I compile different playlists for different novels or plays. I hear that’s really common though, so it might not be considered a “quirk.” I’m a bit boring, haha.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

For a while, it changed every day! I wanted to be a singer, then a teacher, then a singer again, then a pianist, etc. I eventually decided on acting when I was eleven, and started training with an acting coach in Hollywood. I did the whole Disney Channel audition route when I was in junior high and high school. I still do auditions now, but marketing is my day job.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

If you like Occidis, please rate and review it on Amazon or Goodreads! I would greatly appreciate that.

Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Facebook

Thank you for joining me today, Aisha.