Authors Interviewing Characters: Brittney Morris, author of The Jump

Authors Interviewing Characters: Brittney Morris, author of The Jump

THE JUMP

From the acclaimed author of SLAY and The Cost of Knowing comes an action-driven, high-octane “thrill ride” (Kirkus Reviews) about a group of working-class teens in Seattle who join a dangerous scavenger hunt with a prize that can save their families and community.

Influence is power. Power creates change. And change is exactly what Team Jericho needs.

Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han are the four cornerstones of Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Each has their own specialty: Jax, the puzzler; Yas, the parkourist; Spider, the hacker; and Han, the cartographer. But now with an oil refinery being built right in their backyard, each also has their own problems. Their families are at risk of losing their jobs, their communities, and their homes.

So when The Order, a mysterious vigilante organization, hijacks the scavenger hunting forum and concocts a puzzle of its own, promising a reward of influence, Team Jericho sees it as the chance of a lifetime. If they win this game, they could change their families’ fates and save the city they love so much. But with an opposing team hot on their heels, it’s going to take more than street smarts to outwit their rivals.

Britney Morris Interviews Jax

Brittney Morris (author): Jax, thank you so much for speaking with me today! Where are your friends?

Jax: They’re all in school today.

Brittney: Um…why aren’t you in school?

Jax: Because I’m here talking to you.

Brittney: *looks around* You…you skipped school to…Jax, you can’t keep skipping school to play games.

Jax: It’s gotten me this far!

Brittney: Ugh. Okay, actually that segues into my first question quite nicely. How do you decide when to follow the rules and when to break them?

Jax: It’s pretty simple for me. If humanity is made better by breaking the rules, then break them.

Brittney: Don’t you think of the consequences?

Jax: Well, yeah! I do. And so do my mama and zaza. But sometimes the consequences are worth it. Especially if they include equality for others.

Brittney: You’re pretty mature for your age.

Jax: I’m Black, I had to grow up quick.

Brittney: Fair enough.

Jax: What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done for fun?

Brittney: I thought I was asking the questions.

Jax: Okay, ask me that one.

Brittney: Okaaaay…what’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done for fun?

Jax: This interview. I’m kidding, I lit a car on fire.

Brittney: You WHAT?

Jax: It was for our senior prank. There’s this car out back behind Shannon High that’s halfway sunken into the earth and we thought it’d be fun to light a bonfire inside it.

Brittney: What if there had been gas inside?

Jax: Oh, we thought of that. We thought of everything.

Brittney: That doesn’t sound very environmentally friendly though, with all that carbon put into the atmosphere.

Jax: Yeah you’re right. Buuuuut the city had to come haul it away after that, which meant we got to turn that open field into miniature growing beds!

Brittney: What a silver lining!

Jax: You love a bittersweet ending, don’t you?

Brittney: Of course! What would you like to leave our audience with, Jax?

Jax: Be kind, be loving, be ungovernable.

Brittney: Thanks Jax. It’s been a pleasure. Thanks for your time. And get back to class!

BUY HERE

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BIO: Brittney Morris is the author of SLAY. She holds a BA in economics from Boston University because back then, she wanted to be a financial analyst. (She’s now thankful that didn’t happen). She spends her spare time reading, playing indie video games, and enjoying the rain from her house in Philadelphia. She lives with her husband Steven who would rather enjoy the rain from a campsite in the woods because he hasn’t played enough horror games. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @BrittneyMMorris, and online at authorbrittneymorris.com.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing