Terra Avenging by Andrea Viveros Mendoza is shortlisted for the 2022 Author of Tomorrow, 16-21 years.
Terra Avenging: Thousands of years ago the Ussli created humans as an experiment that went wrong. For humans were selfish, self destructive, disloyal and greedy. Leading to the extermination of their species by the Empress. Punishing their two leaders to slowly die on a far away infertile planet.
Earth.
200,000 years have passed. And Emer’s crew is sent to check for their obvious deaths. Shocked not only by the survival of the two prisoners but of their offspring the crew is left being the only line of defense between the Empire and humans… It was a mistake… Emer’s crew was meant to do the easy-boring-stupid job not… this.
When chaos erupts on earth, the Empire and the crew search for the two prisoners. But first they must answer the question…
Who are Adam and Eve?
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An Interview with Andrea:
WNSF: What is your favourite book?
Andrea: My favourite book is Vicious by V.E Schwab. What makes me love this book the most is how it showcases the thin line between good and evil and how easy it is to cross it. It really makes you question how we can determine goodness?
WNSF: Who is your favourite author?
Andrea: Or one who has inspired you and why? The first author that inspired me to create unique things was Lemony Snicket. I found the way he wrote his stories to be mesmerizing. Currently my favorite author has to be V.E Schwab. I find her writing to be unique, as well as her stories. I know they are not for everyone and you will often see mixed opinions about her work, but that's what I think makes her so unique, the duality and versatility of her words.
WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school?
Andrea: History— especially when it was about ancient cultures. The little amount of information we were taught about the Egyptians or ancient pre-hispanic cultures made me obsessed with it. And Literature— especially in high school. I really enjoyed the creative writing assignments we would get, and I often tended to look forward to the analysis of literature works.
WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?
Andrea: For me it's about saying “why not?” You know, when you get a crazy idea and are kind of confused as to where it came from? Well that's exactly what you need for this type of writing. If you want your characters to take risks then you should too, which is why when I found out about the competition I thought it was an amazing opportunity to show what I could do and improve further on my writing.
WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know?
Andrea: What they feel when they write. I would really like to know what crosses their mind and hearts when they sit down and write. I would really enjoy listening to them talk about their own writing and for them to explain the little stories behind those words. The personal stories that inspired the invented one.
WNSF: Who would you consider one of your heroes and why?
Andrea: My family. My mom, my dad and my dogs. They are one of the few people that have been with me through very horrible moments in my life, as well as in the beautiful ones. But mostly because they are my biggest admirers. My parents are the first ones to always celebrate everything I do, they are honest with me and always support me in everything they can. They are the strongest people I know and one day I would love to be as strong and kind as them.
WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why?
Andrea: When I was younger I thought that by 16 I had to be a lost queen who had to save her kingdom and discover her amazing powers to aid her. But those are the type of things I’ll write about not live. However, I would love to visit ancient ruins in different parts of the world. Get to know the ancient history that it's not often talked about, and see where those things happened with my own eyes.
WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Andrea: Mostly in ancient historical events. Although most of my stories prompt come from dreams, or ideas I tend to have. Mostly you have to ask yourself, “what if…” and go nuts with the answers.
WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why?
Andrea: I would really like to live the Victorian England era to feel in my bridgerton-shadow hunters moment. However I would love to have met the ancient prehispanics cultures. I know that I would’ve probably been sacrificed but, seeing the majestic structures and clothing of the mayans or the aztecs would’ve made it worth it.
WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story?
Andrea: Crazy, other worldly and faith.