If you haven’t read Vivid, then you are missing out on a captivating, mind-bending clean young adult fantasy. But no worries! You can find out about this colorful adventure (literally, the magic has colors!) and get special behind-the-book trivia in this author interview with Ashley Bustamante!
About Ashley Bustamante
Ashley Bustamante has created stories from the moment she could scribble and staple sheets of paper together. She simply cannot recall a time when writing was not a force in her life. When not running through lines of dialogue in her mind, she enjoys taking photographs and spending time with her husband, three children, and any furry, feathered, or scaly creature she can find.
Vivid
Danger lurks behind every color.
Ava Locke dives into the mysteries of forbidden Yellow magic and discovers a dark path filled with secrets and injustice.
When Ava Locke was five years old, she began a journey to join the Benefactors—the leaders of the magical continent of Magus. Twelve years later, she unwittingly started down the road to betray them.
On Magus where colors fuel magical abilities, yellow is banned in an effort to protect people from its mind-controlling capabilities. When a rogue Yellow magic-user named Elm escapes imprisonment Ava becomes innocently fascinated with his story. Once this mysterious Elm shows up at her school, Ava pushes her interest to the next level by helping him evade the Benefactors. Ava grows increasingly conflicted as her intrigue leads her down a dark road of secrets about her world. As she learns more about Yellow magic’s potential to control its victims, Ava now must question whether her rash decisions are all her own or if someone else is pulling the strings.
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This book is hard to put down. The intrigue is non-stop as Ava finds more and more mysterious clues about what is going on and the question grows as to whether her thoughts are even her own or are manipulated by someone else. There’s a sense of being drawn inexorably toward danger, and yet the character of Elm is utterly delightful: first dashing and mysterious, then quirky and funny, and perhaps truly sweet. The setting of a boarding school provides the perfect opportunity to delve into a magic system based on colors by demonstrating the magic in action rather than just explaining it. It’s one of those stories that makes you question what is real, desire what is true, and appreciate the value of freedom.
Find Vivid on Amazon (affiliate link)
Interview with Ashley Bustamante
Now let’s take a look into the mind of the author behind this mind-bending story!
1.) What do you love about Vivid that made you want to share this book with the world?
Honestly, Ava and Elm! I love them so much and wanted others to have a chance to get to know these characters. They’re so fun together.
2.) What fuels your passion to write?
It’s something I genuinely love doing and gives me a good creative outlet. I’ve always been a “head in the clouds” type of person so it’s nice to be able to use all that daydreaming for something constructive. I’m also motivated to put more family friendly content out in the world.
3.) What was your path to publication like? (Did you pursue an agent, go direct to a publisher, or decide to indie publish? Why?)
Initially, I looked for an agent, but it became clear that many of the agents I was querying were looking for things that I didn’t want to write. I shifted my focus to publishers, particularly those who published clean fiction, and had much more interest there. That eventually led to Enclave!
4.) Do you make your living as an author? What other work or hobbies do you have?
Oh, I wish I made my living as an author! I hope that might be the case one day. But for now, my “day job” is working as an academic advisor for graduate students. I also love to draw and take photos, though there’s less time for that these days.
5.) How do your personal beliefs/faith system shape your writing?
I try to be careful about what I write because as a follower of Christ my words reflect on Him. It’s also [what] drives me to write hope-filled stories where people see examples of characters overcoming challenges and growing. God made us capable of change, and I hope that’s reflected in my writing.
6.) What interview question do you wish someone would ask, and how would you answer it?
What was the hardest revision you had to make when writing Vivid? Believe it or not, Ava’s name! It needed to be changed because it was too similar to another one of Enclave’s books (I won’t say her original name because that will give it away). At the time it was hard because I had known her by her other name for years. It felt like renaming a child. But now I really love Ava, even more than what she was originally named. Sometimes we have to let go of something we love in order to discover something better.
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Thanks to Ashley for sharing her beautiful passion for writing and behind-the-scenes tidbits about Vivid! You can connect with Ashley Bustamante and get the scoop on the upcoming next book in the series at her website, ashleybustamante.com. Plus, you can take her super fun quiz to find out what magic type you are! (I’m definitely Blue.)
Share in the comments what magic type you are or what you love about this book!
Author Interview Series:
Carrie Anne Noble, The Mermaid’s Sister
Tara Grayce, Lost in Averell
Ariel Avelar, Influent
H.L. Burke, Ashen
Constance Lopez, Of Stormlarks and Silence
E.J. Kitchens, Wrought of Silver and Ravens
Ashley Bustamante, Vivid
L.A. Thornhill, The Prophetess of Arden
Sharon Hinck, Hidden Current
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