What inspired
you to write your first book?
Way back when I was nine, I watched a news story
about veterans writing their life story. It made me want to write. That was my
first little piece of nothing book. I wrote my first real book when I was
thirteen. It was 380 or so handwritten pages. A friend I’d made that year
introduced me to writing. It was originally to help me get the demons out
during a very dark time in my life, but it soon became something I loved.
Do you have a
specific writing style?
I write fantasy, third person omniscient. It’s where
you can be in any of the character’s heads at any time. I try to keep it mostly
in one person’s head per scene, but sometimes I jump. I try to have variety
depending on whose scene it is. For example, Zahir’s parts tend to be more
stilted and awkward because English isn’t his first language while Althea’s
parts tend to have more fragments because that’s how she talks.
How did you come
up with the title?
The series I’m mostly focused on right now is The
Obsidian Embers trilogy. Obsidian because Zahir is dark-skinned, and the magic
they fight is dark. Embers because it made me think of something smoldering
right beneath the surface, something that, if it were fanned, would spark and
burn brightly. The rebellion, to me, was that. As for the titles of the first
book… Kindling is what starts a fire. It’s also a word for beginning,
awakening, the start of a blaze.
I’m also working on The Tales of The Lone Guardians
right now. It’s easier than the other to explain. These are tales of the group
known as The Lone Guardians. The first book, Death and Other Inconveniences, is
named such because Alexander, Ursula, Raphael, Mace and Hellequin experience a
lot of terrible things, a lot of setbacks, and plenty of death.
Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
In The Obsidian Embers Trilogy – Fight. If you see a
cause that needs championing, don’t wait for someone else to do it. Stand up
for freedom, for your rights, for those who can’t stand up for themselves. It
doesn’t matter if you think you’re qualified, it doesn’t matter if you have
money or a pedestal to stand on. Stand up and fight for the things you know to
be right.
In Tales of The Lone Guardians – Redemption. It
doesn’t matter your past or where you came from, everyone has the potential to
be redeemed. Prostitutes, runaways, swindlers…it doesn’t matter. With hard work
and a genuine desire to be a better person, it can be done.
How much of the
book is realistic?
There’s magic and whatnot, but I try to keep things
as realistic as I can. There are rules that the magic follows. I try to make
sure that everything in the book that can be realistic should be.
Are experiences
based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Nothing in particular is based on my real life, but
there’s some abuse and insanity I can connect with. Besides that, I try to put
myself into all my characters. I was educated in criminal justice and psychology,
so that helps a lot too.
What books have
most influenced your life most?
When I set writing aside somewhere around fifteen,
RA Salvatore made me want to write again. His books are amazing and they
inspired me to pick up my pencil again. Later, Joe Abercrombie wrote his books
and let me know that real life is dark and crummy sometimes and it was okay to
write it that way.
If you had to
choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
RA Salvatore shared some great advice with me a few
years ago. And I really look up to Joe Abercrombie’s style. They write
indifferent styles, so I can choose them both. :P
What book are
you reading now?
Well, I’m reading yours, Angie. It’s grabbing my
attention the more and more I read your new book one. Aside from that, I’m not
currently reading anything. I’m gathering some money to buy the new RA
Salvatore books I’m behind on. Then I’ll be getting Half a King by Joe
Abercrombie and The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks.
Are there any
new authors that have grasped your interest?
I recently read some sci-fi type books by Nick Sagan
(Carl Sagan’s son) and really loved them. Halloween is by far my new favorite cynical
character in a sci-fi novel. I’m anxious to see if he writes anything after the
Idlewild series.
What are your
current projects?
I’m working on The Obsidian Embers Trilogy right
now, which I talked about up there. When July is over, I’ll be going back to
working on Tales of The Lone Guardians, too. I’ve also got some historical
romance and a sci-fi novel rolling around in my brain. And I’m trying to help
my husband write his first sci-fi novel, Bargaining with the Beast.
Name one entity
that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My friends try to be supportive. I can tell they
don’t necessarily get wanting to write as a career, but they do their best.
Everyone in the writers group here on facebook has been really supportive.
Do you see
writing as a career?
Of course! I want it to be my full time career one
day.
If you had to do
it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Well, book one is actually now book two, and it will
be revised heavily. I am already changing a lot, and more will change too. The
only thing I’d change apart from what I’m already planning to change is just to
write it better, use better descriptions, fewer words to explain myself, etc.
And not repeat myself so much! Ack!
Do you recall
how your interest in writing originated?
I mentioned it up there. I saw a news program once
when I was nine that made me want to write. And, when I was thirteen and going
through a very dark time in my life, my friend let me read some things she was
writing. She suggested that I write. It snowballed from there.
Can you share a
little of your current work with us?
Of course. Here’s a bit I wrote recently:
“Matron, let me introduce Prince
Gajendra to you.”
Desdemona rose one delicate white
brow and stepped forward. She looked up into Jen’s bearded face. Her eyes
seemed to bore into him as she studied him, and he shifted nervously. She
lifted her hand and cupped his chin, tilting his head from side to side. She
pulled his head down so she could touch his hair. After a moment, she smiled
and let him go. He immediately scrambled behind Dejanira.
“I suppose a good job is in order,” Desdemona
said. She stepped up and looked up into Dejanira’s eyes. “And a how dare you.”
“What?” She shook her head and
started to step away, but Desdemona narrowed her eyes. The look held her as
still as any bonds.
“How dare you make a spectacle of
yourself at the auctions? How dare you disrupt my plans for your own pigheaded
sense of pride? How dare you send such an important man off with a servant all
alone? How dare you lose him?” She took hold of Dejanira’s chin and jerked her
head down so they were eye level. “And especially, how dare you walk in here as
though you’ve done nothing wrong?”
Dejanira gulped and, to her
disgrace, she felt tears well in her own eyes. She tried to pull away, but
Desdemona’s fingers were like iron. If only they were the type of iron she
could command.
“Please, Matron, I meant no harm.”
She cleared her throat and tried to sound more confident. “I wanted to bring
him to you myself. I don’t know what came over me. Please forgive me.”
“You very nearly ruined everything,”
she said and gave Dejanira’s face a hard shake. “No matter.”
She released her with a little push,
and Dejanira stumbled backward. Desdemona stepped back and leaned her hips
against her desk. She nodded to the corner of the room where a dark-skinned man
lay bound and unconscious.
“As you can see, I have my prize. No
thanks to you.” She folded her arms and tilted her head, a gleam in her eyes
that Dejanira surely didn’t like. “I do congratulate you on bringing me the
prince. That wasn’t easy. Good job.”
“So, I’m forgiven?” she asked, hope
edging into her voice despite her efforts to keep it away.
“Forgiven? No.” She waved her hand
and the little door that lead into the library opened behind her desk.
Two men slid into the room, and
Dejanira immediately recognized them. One had the pink eyes and white hair of a
rabbit and the other had the dark skin of a piece of burnt wood with eyes like
coals. Dejanira was fond of keeping opposites in her personal menagerie, and
these two were her favorites.
“As punishment, I’m releasing your
two most prized men. They will leave from here with the next trip to the
neighboring city.” Dejanira gasped and tried to protest, but at a look from
Desdemona, she snapped her mouth shut. “And you will be confined to the quiet
room until I see fit to let you out.”
“But Matron-“
Desdemona quickly stepped up to her
and slapped her hand over Dejanira’s mouth. She squeezed her cheeks and a pull
like her very soul was being ripped from her mouth came over her. She groaned
and her knees buckled. Jen shot across the room and cowered against the door,
face in his hands as he trembled.
“I am the Matron, not you. I am in
charge, not you.” She pushed and Dejanira was forced to arch her back. “I give
the orders, and you follow them.”
She dropped her soft voice down
until she was whispering. “Is that clear, puppy?”
Dejanira nodded quickly, her head
swimming as black spot erupted over her vision.
“Good.” With that, she released her
and Dejanira fell all the way back.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
No, not really. Sometimes it’s hard to get into the
characters minds, especially the more girly of the women or the children. But
really, I don’t find any of it overly challenging.
Who is your
favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
You’re going to be hearing a lot about these three.
RA Salvatore is a favorite because he has amazing fight scenes and his heroes
are wonderful displays of the good and his bad guys are a little more gray than
most peoples. Joe Abercrombie is a favorite because he writes dark, gritty,
realistic fantasy. Brent Weeks is a favorite for the same reason as
Abercrombie, but he goes a bit further. Brent Weeks uses children in his novels
and says “Sometimes kids have a bad life. Sometimes things are dark.”
Which character
has been the most challenging to write and which the easiest?
Absalom has by far been the hardest person to write.
He’s closest to a purely good character in my books, and I’ve found it very
difficult to write someone who is so good. He’s got some moral gray zones, but
ultimately, he is so good it makes it hard for me to get in his head. As for
easiest, I very much enjoy writing Verin. He’s dark and twisted, but he has a
tortured soul and good spots. It’s easier to write someone gray and dark.
Who designed the
covers?
I design my own covers. When I’m actually published,
someone else will do it, but right now, I get to put all my own artwork on the
cover.
What was the
hardest part of writing your book?
There was a pretty dark moment in the original book
two where Marietta remembers rape. That was enormously hard to write for me.
Did you learn
anything from writing your book and what was it?
I’ve obviously learned how to be a better writer.
I’ve learned a bit about risk taking. I have to take risks and put my stuff out
there to get feedback so I can be better. I have to take risks and write the
things other people aren’t willing to.
Do you have any
advice for other writers?
Set a time and write. Even if it’s just thirty
minutes a day, write during it. Slowly bump it up to forty-five minutes, an
hour and so on. It will really get you used to writing. And let people who
aren’t your friends and family read it. They will be honest with you.
Do you have anything
specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for loving my world as much as I do. And to all my future readers
when I’m on the shelves one day, thank you for giving me a chance.
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