Life Lessons with Ever and Arionna. (EVER Blog Tour with @JessaRusso)

Jessa Russo and I recently had a chance to sit down and chat with Ever (from Jessa's The EVER Trilogy) and Arionna (from the Ragnarok Prophesies) about life, regret, and all the bittersweet things these two young ladies have in common.

I have to tell you, after chatting with them, I have a whole new admiration for the crazy things they're going through right now!

If you haven't read EVER yet, you're missing out. EVER by Jessa Russo released from Curiosity Quills Press last month, and is full of epic love, epic loss, and one hell of an epic ending. You can purchase the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

FADE, the first book in Arionna's journey is also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and  Kobo as well. As always, ten percent of proceeds for sales through March 2013 go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas, and another ten percent to the March of Dimes.

And now, for the interview!

Hey ladies, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us for a brief interview.

Ever, meet Arionna.  Arionna, meet Ever.

Arionna: Hi, Ever. It's nice to meet you.

How about a little introduction first?

Ever: Well, as you seem to already know, my name is Ever. Ever Van Ruysdael. Yes, Ever is a nickname, and no, I’m not telling you what it is short for. I live in Orange, California, I’m seventeen, and my birthday is June 4^th. I am finishing up my senior year and I work at the animal shelter every chance I get.

Arionna: Well, my name is Arionna Jacobs, but everyone calls me Ari. I live with my dad in Beebe, Arkansas. I'm a freshman at Arkansas State University, but I have no clue what I want to do with my life. Maybe teach like my dad and Dace. I guess we'll see how things turn out.

Did you grow up where you live now? If not, what brought you there?

Ever: Yes. I’ve been in this house my entire life.

Arionna: *speaks quietly* I grew up in Smyrna, Tennessee with my mom, but she died a few months ago, so I moved here to be with my dad while I go to college.

With everything you've both been through, what do you fear most? What do you regret most?

Ever: I think I fear losing Frankie the most. Or losing anyone else that I love, really. But losing Frankie – really losing Frankie for good – would be too much to take. After everything that has happened since the car accident, I can’t imagine not having him here in some way or another to lean on. He’s my rock. I think my biggest regret is giving into Frankie when he wanted to take the mountain road instead of the freeway that night. Things would have been different if I’d just put up a fight like I wanted to.  

Arionna: With everything going on right now, I'm really scared I'm going to lose someone else I love, too. I don't think I can handle more loss right now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have a choice in the matter anymore either. I feel a little like I'm in a tug-of-war with the Universe. The more I resist the thought of someone else dying, the closer the Universe drags me to that line. More than that though, I'm terrified I'm going to lose Dace before this is over. I just found him, but every day we live with the threat of being ripped apart again.

Arionna: I think my biggest regret is letting Dace leave the day I got hurt. He's really struggling right now, and I kind of feel like that's my fault.

What motivates you?

Ever: I don’t know. I guess hope motivates me. Hope that I’ll find happiness. Hope that everything will work out in the end. It always has, but even more so since meeting Ariadne and Toby. I mean, there’s a clock ticking down as we speak, so it won’t be long before we find out if my hope in the world is actually worth having, right?

Arionna: The desire to see this whole destiny thing through and keep everyone I love safe is my strongest motivator right now. And then there's Dace. Knowing how much we have to lose if we don't win this war . . . well, let's just say I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure he's able to stop Sköll and Hati. Love is a powerful motivator. And so is fear. 

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?

Ever: I’d change my biggest regret: I wouldn’t let Frankie take Ortega Highway to save time that night two years ago. We never even made it to the concert anyway. 

Arionna: I would have spent more time with my dad. I can't bring my mom back, but I think moving after her death would have been easier had I spent more time in Beebe.

If there could be one certainty in your future, what would you want it to be?

Ever: That the countdown on my soul would be removed. Or turn out to be a big lie, which is probably all it is anyway. I wouldn’t put it past Ariadne to just be messing with me. She’s not the sweetest person I’ve ever met, and I can imagine that scaring me like this would be considered fun in her book.

Arionna: That no matter what happens, Dace and I get to be together in the end. Whether we win this time or lose, when it's over I just want to be with him. That's probably selfish, but it's true.

What three words best describe you?

Ever: I have no idea. Am I supposed to be honest and say what I really feel, or say what people want to hear? I’m going to leave this one to Arionna.

Arionna: Everyone tells me I'm smart, strong and brave, but honestly? I'm impatient, weak, and a little bit of a coward. I'm just too stubborn to give up easily.

What's the worst advice you ever received?

Ever: That’s tough. I mean, I guess I could blame Jessie for trying to get me to go out with Toby and forget about my feelings for Frankie. That’s probably what people would expect me to say, right?  But I can’t really say that in my heart I regret meeting Toby. I can’t really say that at all.

Arionna: *snorts* Dace telling me not to worry when I first met the wolves. For someone so smart, he really is oblivious sometimes.  I was freaking out!

You’ve both lost someone close to you. How do you think loss has changed you?

Ever: Well, losing Frankie rocked my world, and he didn’t even leave me completely. So I think having him stay around as a ghost may have changed me in the sense that I’m a little more open to believe in the strange things we can’t understand. Like paranormal stuff, you know? But I still don’t believe in vampires or werewolves. No way. That’s even too much for me. I also don’t really think his death can be compared to someone else’s because I didn’t have to mourn him completely.

Arionna: I've changed completely over the last months. I think I'm a little stronger and wiser now, but I'm also easier to break and a little bitter, too. Every time I think I start to get the hang of things, someone knocks my feet out from beneath me again. It's very disconcerting to feel like everything around you keeps changing. And it's so confusing to have all those changes drag you along for the ride!  There's this entire other part of me now that wasn't there before, but I'm still trying to figure out what that means for me. I guess we'll just have to see.

Ayden: Thanks so much for sitting down to talk to us, ladies. Arionna, if you could be so kind to convince Ever to send Toby or Frankie my way when she's done with them, I'd very much appreciate it. Either one. No rush. ;)

Don't forget to follow Jessa and Ever through the rest of the EVER Blog Tour for all sorts of fun posts, interviews, and more! And if you haven't already purchased the book, I'm scowling at you. Right now. Scowling!

And if you want more of Ever and Arionna, be sure to check out the Fandom for Preemies Fundraiser. Both Jessa and I will be donating a story to help support the March of Dimes as they work to end prematurity and infant mortality around the world. We'll also be raffling off copies of EVER and FADE!

xoxo,

Ayden

Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo