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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Flashfall Behind the Scenes & Giveaway!



Hey everyone! I have the privilege to have the awesome Jenny Moyer on the blog today, sharing her behind the scenes experiences of her book trailer! I hope you guys enjoy it, and believe me you need this book in your lives! 

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Release Date: November 15th, 2016
Orion is a Subpar, expected to mine the tunnels of Outpost Five, near the deadly flash curtain. For generations, her people have chased cirium—the only element that can shield humanity from the curtain’s radioactive particles. She and her caving partner, Dram work the most treacherous tunnel, fighting past flash bats and tunnel gulls, in hopes of mining enough cirium to earn their way into the protected city.

But when newcomers arrive at Outpost Five, Orion uncovers disturbing revelations that make her question everything she thought she knew about life on both sides of the cirium shield. As conditions at the outpost grow increasingly dangerous, it’s up to Orion to forge a way past the flashfall, beyond all boundaries, beyond the world as she knows it.




Jenny is the author of YA sci-fi/fantasy FLASHFALL, coming from Macmillan/Holt 11-15-16. She lives with her filmmaker husband and their three boys in Des Moines. 
Connect with Jenny: Website | Twitter | FB | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest






Behind-the-Scenes of FLASHFALL with Author Jenny Moyer

Not many people know that my agent, Sarah Davies, used to be a caver. When she offered me representation, it was one of the frst things she told me—that I’d really captured that world, and made her feel as if she was crawling through caverns again.

Her words elated me. As a reader, I love those moments when the pages of the book sort of “disappear” and you just feel immersed in the scene with the characters. Creating this experience for readers is one of my main goals as a writer.



I wrote parts of FLASHFALL with a pickaxe in my hand, so I’d be reminded how the weight of my character’s gear would limit her mobility and her dialogue. I learned to climb and cave so I’d be able to layer true experiences over made-up ones.
Me trying out Orion’s caver’s suit costume. I couldn’t resist!

My goal was to infuse the world of FLASHFALL with as many details as possible so it would feel real to readers. From the customs and creeds of the Subpars, to the patches they wear on their sleeves. All of these details went into the writing of FLASHFALL, and I wanted them to carry over into the scenes we created visually for the book trailer.


The first time I saw Anna and Koy (the actors who play Orion and Dram) in costume, I teared up. It was surreal to see my characters come to life like that. Especially when we started filming in the caves, and they were in character—saying lines pulled from my imagination.


I was thrilled when Booklist called my debut a “cinematic page-turner.” I hope viewers get a sense of that through this trailer as it introduces the story of a futuristic world of desolate mining outposts and the teenage ore scout determined to get her people free of them.



My husband, Jacob, is the main reason I didn’t give up writing, and he’s also a regional Emmy award-winning cinematographer, so it was really special having him produce the trailer.


We worked really hard on pre-production, including costumes and props–all the details. We even custom designed the outpost patches and sewed them on the caver’s suits ourselves, LOL! When I finally helped the actors suit up and get all their gear on, I  just sort of stood there, staring. It was so cool. But then we climbed into the caves and shot a few scenes with them “in character,” and I totally teared up. It’s just a book trailer–not a film–but it was amazing seeing my story come to life like that.


The trailer ends with a tease of a character. FLASHFALL is not just about the Subpar miners in the outposts. It features “Conjurors” who can manipulate organic matter. We filmed the “Conjie” scene in a sand quarry, in front of a green screen, and the effects were added in post production.

I look super short in this picture with the actor, LOL!

In the beginning of FLASHFALL, there’s lots of caving and climbing, and I wanted to make sure I gave readers an authentic experience. In order to do that, I researched and met with climbing experts who consulted on the book. One of my favorite experiences was one freezing day in Wisconsin, on the side of a mountain, my guide said, “Let’s set up that scene where . . .” and he walked me through what my characters would’ve done. It was terrifying and exhilarating. I also learned to rappel in all sorts of ways–which I enjoy much more than climbing. BUT nothing compares to the caving. I’m extremely claustrophobic (as is my character Dram), but I managed to squeeze through some dark, wet caverns. We ended up using some of those locations to film the book trailer!



Working to help create the book trailer pushed me to develop the world of FLASHFALL even further. My husband and I designed the Seal of Alara (that is worn as a patch on the cavers’ sleeves,) and the designers at Macmillan ended up incorporating it into the jacket design. It’s actually imprinted on the cover of the book!



I’m very visual, and part of my world-building process involves creating huge boards filled with images that inspire me as I’m writing and revising. To see what these look like, (and get a sneak peek at some of the things going on in Book Two), you can check out my Pinterest boards:
https://www.pinterest.com/jennymmoyer/flashfall/
https://www.pinterest.com/jennymmoyer/book-two-inspirations/

Brittany: Thank you, Jenny, for sharing this with us! It was absolutely awesome ^_^ 

Also, Jenny was kind of enough to send me an extra picture of the actor who played Dram in the book trailer and what better way to end this post than with a hot guy? xD 



If you guys attend Jenny's launch party for Flashfall you will get a chance to meet him or so I've heard ;)




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14 comments:

  1. Flashfall has been on my list since I first heard about it! And after seeing the trailer I know I'll be reading it!

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    1. Flashfall is one of my favorites of 2016 and the trailer is awesome! I hope you love it ^_^

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  2. I adored this book! Gosh I could reread it again right now. I LOVE how much thought went into the the process of making the trailer! So cool that Jenny's husband is a cinematographer. It's an awesome trailer!

    Great post!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. ME TOO! It's sooooo good. I reread all of my favorite sections all the time. And I love the trailer!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. i have just started reading this one and I am really loving it so far. Your post is so insightful and I love that Jenny tried to feel the weight of the pickaxe as she was writing. She has put so much of herself into the book and it really shows. I also adore that trailer so much! It is so realistic and the costumes are perfect. <3

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    1. Flashfall is freaking amazing! I love this book. This is probably my favorite guest post, ever! Jenny is awesome.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. OMG that trailer is stunning. And it's so cool that your husband produced it! If you don't mind me asking, was this something your publisher set up, or did you do the trailer by yourself?

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    1. Isn't it? Definitely the best book trailer I've ever seen. I think Jenny had a lot to do with how the trailer was set up but I'm not sure how much her publisher had a hand in it.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. This book sounds so good!!

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    1. It's amazing! One of the best of 2016 for sure! Thanks for stopping by ^_^

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  6. I added this book last month, when I saw it go through my twitter feed! It sounds beyond addicting! And that is definitely one of the most amazing trailers I have ever seen! Wow!

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    1. Addicting is the perfect read for this one. I couldn't put it down and I looove the trailer! Thanks for stopping by ^_^

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  7. AMAZING BRITTANY. First of all, thanks for finishing up the post with a hot guy because yes please. It's awesome to see that the author's husband is a cinematographer! And her agent was a caver! HOW AMAZING IS THAT. I'm still incredulous. I absolutely adore the trailer - it seems like an actual movie I'd 110% watch. For now, I already love the book so I'll be spreading it. :)

    - Aila @ One Way Or An Author

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  8. Gorgeous blog tour post Brittany :D Thank you for sharing all of this. <3 I am getting pretty curious about this book. Looks so pretty :)

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