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Author Interview: Kimberly Hennessy

It’s been a while since my last author interview, but I hope to get back to posting more of these again! Anyhow, today’s interview is with Kimberly Hennessy, author of She Runs with Wolves.

  • Hi, tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write? My name is Kimberly Hennessy, and as far back as I remember I’ve always been telling stories. Before falling asleep I’d imagine these worlds and rehearse the same snippet over and over in my head. Growing up I loved writing papers, and poems but I didn’t think I could do it as a living. After completing my BSc in psychology, I travelled, did the odd job here in there and realized that I love to write, which is something I could do while raising my children. I started writing screenplays, and after earning my MA in screenwriting I started on my first book. She Runs With Wolves
  • What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre? What fascinates me the most is the possibility.
  • Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together? My novel She Runs With Wolves is a scifi\fantasy dystopia. It is a book near and dear to my heart. I wrote a book that I wanted to read, that included woman empowerment, kick ass fight scenes, wolves, Artificial intelligence, and a post-apocalyptical world that needed re-building. The challenges were putting all those ideas together 😉 I joke, but it’s true. I had a good idea of what I wanted, how I wanted the story to flow, and like many writers the beginning and the ending were particularly clear to me, but how to get there was very blurry. I’m not one of those writers that writes a whole book in a single sitting. I add, delete, add some more, and go through that process a thousand times until I have a book. The book is available on amazon.com now.
  • What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them? I’ve noticed from my screenplays, and my last two books, I love to write vulnerable characters, real people that completely unravel and descend into  hell without necessarily finding their way out of that hole, but accepting their fate and composing with that fate.
  • For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned? That your first draft is not a book. You will re-write that sucker at least twenty more times.
  • What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track? I’ve dubbed myself the Slow Writer. Deadlines aren’t my strong point, but I do make of habit of writing everyday. I use prowritingaid to help me keep my stories lean and the sentences varied, which helps a lot during the editing process.
  • Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)? I am a planner, and I love to try and get my whole story down into detailed outline, but often times I’m not sure if an idea works or not until I have worked it out on paper. I will try to stick to my outline, but at some point I let the natural flow of the story evolve otherwise it stunts my creativity and I get writers block.
  • What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres? I still have to write part 2 of She Runs With Wolves, but I’m also working on a historical fiction under a different pen name set in the early 1900 of Ireland and Canada. I’m also set to write three screenplays this year, so I will be very busy.
  • With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach? I’m doom and gloom gal. I really love dark stories, and often times I turn to scifi dystopia, but the truth is I love all sorts of books like murder mysteries, rom-com’s, and historical. I turn to these when I want to unplug.
  • What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars? This is like asking me to choose between my children. They all offer something different. My gut reaction would be Star Wars 1-2-3, but I can’t even tell you the number of times I went to see Lord Of the Rings at the movies (it’s embarrassing) I’m currently re-reading Harry Potter with my son, and rediscovering J.K Rowlings incredible talent.

I love to chat about books, movies, book to screen adaptations and Netflix. People on my newsletter are always quick to talk about some film or other they want to discuss and it’s such an amazing community. https://kimberlythennessy.com/

I post a lot about daily events on my facebook, where again people comment and shoot the breeze with me. Most recently how we can’t wait to see Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyThennessy

And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyt.hennessy/

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NEW RELEASE – THE CRIMSON BLADE

It’s release day for The Crimson Blade! If you’re a fan of darker fantasy, assassins and criminal underworlds you’ll enjoy this one. Set twenty years before the events of Heir to the Sundered Crown you will discover just who the mysterious Crimson Blades assassins are and how they came to be. Here’s the blurb –

Killers, Murderers, Assassins.

The Crimson Blades strike fear into the hearts of all who cross their path.

When, Vaylin a low born merchant sees his wife and child murdered by the Knights of Niveren for wielding magic, he embarks on a quest for revenge that will cut a bloody swathe through the Kingdom of Delfinnia.

As he embarks on his deadly quest of vengeance, he will be embroiled in the realms criminal underworld and encounter an ancient evil that promises him the power he seeks to enact his bloody retribution.

With the Crimson Blade in hand, Vaylin will become an unstoppable killing machine but in exchange, he must sacrifice everything, including his soul.

Get your copy today in ebook and paperback formats!
BUY NOW

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NEW RELEASE – The Empowered Ones Boxset

Hello I hope you’re doing well. Today I have something special to announce, a new book release!

The Empowered Ones boxset includes both books in the series as well as the short companion book and it’s price is actually cheaper than if you buy the books separately. Check out the synopsis of both books below. If the demand is there I will also make it available in paperback and hardback. Let me know if you want physical editions!

—Get the first two books of the action packed fantasy adventure in the Empowered Ones series boxset!

In this world Emotions grant incredible powers.

The Supreme rules the world.

For years, the people of her Imperium have lived in fear. Dreams of freedom are long dead for most. Those that could challenge her are in hiding.

Yet hope remains. Following an incident, Elian, a young man living at the edge of the Imperium, discovers he possesses powers with devastating consequences for both himself and the people he loves.

Forced to flee from the Supreme’s most deadly agent, Elian encounters a ragtag band of resistance fighters and a group of powerful rebels led by a charismatic leader, who believes that the key to overthrowing the Supreme lies in the ancient ruins of the once mighty Kingdom of Aeranyth.

Can Elian survive long enough to develop his newfound abilities and help the rebels turn the tide against the Supreme? Or will he die trying?

The Temple of Arrival

Betrayed.Hunted.

The Liberators defiant stand at the city of Asta has sparked the fires of resistance in the downtrodden people. Slaves, serfs and even members of the aristocracy have risen against the regime and flock to the Liberator banner.

As conflict spreads across the world, the Supreme’s gaze is fixated on Elian more than ever. Reeling from his mentor’s betrayal and battle with the First Fear he is hunted relentlessly by Hollowed and Venerable Chamber Seekers.

The only person who can help Elian is a mysterious Empowered One–who he’s not even sure he can trust. Terrible secrets await. Secrets about himself. Secrets that could herald the end of all things.

Temple of Arrival is the second book in the exciting Empowered Ones fantasy series. If you like action, sprawling battlefields, and power enhanced heroes, then you’ll love this series.

GET THE BOOK

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SPFBO Author Interview: S.D. Howarth

As the SPFBO continues and as the judges start eliminating books at speed I will be interviewing as many entrants as I can regardless of whether they progress to the next rounds. Indie authors need all the good publicity they can get and I am happy to do it. Today I interview S.D. Howarth the author of The Tryphon Odyssey.

  • Hi S.D. Howarth tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write?

I live in East Yorkshire with my wife, children and eternally hungry cats. I bypassed kids books at school and went into adult adventure books and military history. Since then I wanted to write, but deferred it until an enforced break from computer gaming, then looked at seriously working at it after I dinged 40. Then the learning process began.

  • What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre?

The breadth and scope available to play with. You can do something close or offbeat to existing history, or go all out and do your own thing. You can keep it small and local, spread through time, or massively encompassing. Everything is there in the toolbox to play with, and if it isn’t, you can change it so it is, with and without limitation

  • Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together?

Mt debut novel The Tryphon Odyssey is available from Amazon from May 2021, and was an entrant in SPFBO7. Worldbuilding was a mix of Civilization & Warcraft gaming inspirations, with archaeological/historical references to keep it grounded as an evolution to ‘What if’. The novel could be described as nautical fantasy in a medieval period, with a few twists due to environmental calamities. The main challenges were a lack of primary sources to the original worldbuilding, once you dig past Christian and much earlier Roman influences in historical accounts, and looking to archaeology instead – where it exists. Then the pounding and evisceration to turn the manuscript into something readable around the day job and children. The duration of that is something you don’t expect, when putting pen to paper.

  • What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them?

People who I can develop and throw into events, or what I’d like to read. Sometimes based off historical individuals – sometimes more inspirational than fiction, or someone who came out of the woodwork and is fun to play around with, particularly when in over their head.

  • For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?

Patience. If I can do it, anyone can, but you need to set time aside and work through the fun, the challenge and the frustrations. When time is a challenge, keep chipping away, the greatest source of stress will be yourself adding pressure.

  • What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track?

What deadlines – I’m in the plebite ranks.

  • Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)?

Panster, but some structure will kick in to define key events and POV.

  • What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres? ‘The Tryphon Odyssey’ is the first in a trilogy, with a rough draft for another couple of trilogies, ideas for a prequel origin novel and a standalone side project in The World of Sanctuary. I also have a Steampunk/Flintlock world called Crater, which morphed out of a short story ‘Halidom’ in the Blackest Spells Anthology by Mystique press which I was developing with a few short story ideas.
  • With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach?

Either, both work for me if entertaining, or have interesting characters or concepts. Something to pique my interest would be the distraction, I’m after as dark hunour can be amusing.

  • What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?

Star Wars, the RPG saved the franchise for me in the 90s when it went silly, and the recent trilogy shows what works well, and less well when you only use part of the toolkit, and swap around the tools each film. The recent series and standalone movies resonate with the RPG feel and even with the tropes, they are fun.

(Please include any social media links – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.)

facebook.com/sd.howarth.79

http://twitter.com/Angry_Cumbrian

www.worldofsancturary.co.uk

Many thanks for your time & good luck with your releases.

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The Summer Sale Continues with The First Fear

Another week is here which means that there’s another book on sale for just 0.99p/c. This time it’s the turn of book 1 of the Empowered Ones series The First Fear. If you love dark fantasy and super powered heroes check it out.
—

The Supreme rules the world. For years, the people of her Imperium have lived in fear. Dreams of freedom are long dead for most. Those that could challenge her are in hiding.

Yet hope remains.

Following an incident, Elian, a young man living at the edge of the Imperium, discovers he possesses powers with devastating consequences for both himself and the people he loves.

Forced to flee from the Supreme’s most deadly agent, Elian encounters a ragtag band of resistance fighters and a group of powerful rebels led by a charismatic leader, who believes that the key to overthrowing the Supreme lies in the ancient ruins of the once mighty Kingdom of Aeranyth.

Can Elian survive long enough to develop his newfound abilities and help the rebels turn the tide against the Supreme? Or will he die trying?

Buy for just 0.99p/c

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SPFBO Author Interview: Anat Eliraz

Today’s special SPFBO interview is with Israeli fantasy author Anat Eliraz who has entered her debut novel Jewels of Smoky Quartz into this year’s competition.

  • Hi Anat, tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write?

Hi! And thank you for the opportunity to take part in this!

I live in Israel, work as a physiotherapist with preterm babies and am a mother of four.

I have written from the early years of primary school. I have more unfinished stories than I can count (I still have all the notebooks!) and many poems and songs.

My inspiration comes from anything I come across. My children, pets, books and movies. Even the news. Though mostly, it would take shape in a fantasy setting.

I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons in the late 1980’s and that’s when my love for fantasy started.

  • What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre?

I love the fantasy genre for having almost no boundaries. You can soar with your imagination in so many directions.

I see most fantasy stories as allegories to the real life and world.

If you think about many stories, and peel away the magic and dragons- you’re left with events you can find in our own history. Be it discovering a new continent with its people and culture, different revolutions, wars…

It is said mankind doesn’t learn from its own mistakes. Maybe we can learn something from fantasy stories instead.

  • Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together?

‘Jewels of Smoky Quartz’ is my debut novel. It was released on the 25th of April, 2021.

The idea itself came to me on a cold December evening in 2018. I sometimes find myself daydreaming ideas, but they move from one to the next every day or two. This time, it just continued to expand and I had to start writing it down so I don’t forget where I started. After the fourth notebook, my kids told me I better just copy it to the computer!

Most of the story was written in less than four months. I had one, not even that important, part that took me three more months to put together. That was the first draft.

I let my sister and sister in law read it and did necessary changes. Then it just ‘sat there’ for almost a year, until the first lockdown. Suddenly, I had free time and started listening to webinars about writing and publishing and decided- why not?!

I really can’t say I had many challenges. The writing itself just came to me. I HAD to write. I would wake up in the middle of the night and had to write.

I could say that the challenge was working during those three months with very little sleep!

Maybe publishing in a non English speaking country made my journey different than what some other authors experience.

  • What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them?

I like sophisticated characters. Most of them have foggy backgrounds.

I used to play such characters in my D&D days.

Readers today want the characters to have depth to them. To have reasons for their actions and beliefs, but also have them make mistakes. It is what makes them ‘real’.

There is some of me in all my characters. After all- I made them and they say or think of the things I wanted them to. How much of me differs from character to character. Some might have more physical traits like mine and others more intellectual.

Or just my ‘I wish’ list!

  • For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?

Just write. Maybe a certain scene will be cut out of the final version and maybe another will need extensions.

Don’t look for reasons why not to write. There are plenty. I can write a book about it!

Even if you never publish, if you feel you have something to tell- do it.

I am not a full time author. I will probably never be, either. I love my job! But I love writing, so I also write.

  • What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track?

Ha! I have the best trick ever!

Ready?!

I have no deadlines!!!

Since I don’t have any publishing company on my head, and I didn’t promise anybody anything- my time is mine to spend as I see fit.

As to keeping my story on track (track of correct writing, not deadlines)- once I have my first draft, I check the timeline for all the characters involved. This means the time of day and the logic of how much time passes while things happen. Making sure left and right and all directions stay accurate from all characters pov’s, etc.

  • Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)?

100% panster.

I write scenes. I see them like movies in my head and write what happens. There is no order in them. Some won’t make it to the final version of the story. I do have a general idea of the plot, but it can change drastically as I write, by the scenes I come up with. Only much later, will I start putting the scenes together and adding what is needed for them to fit together and make the story.

That’s why in question 6 I said I check the timeline and all the small bits and pieces.

  1. What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres?

My book can be read as a stand alone, but I left an opening for more (started getting ideas for a sequel). I already wrote seven scenes of the next book.

I also started another fantasy story, that takes place on earth, during WW2.

I never say never, but I like the fantasy genre and don’t see myself writing in another genre any time soon.

  • With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach?

I don’t usually like the ‘happily ever after’ ending. The world is far from being a ‘bed of roses’. Living in Israel sometimes takes it another step forward.

So it’s not that the bad guys win. Sometimes no one wins. You have to compromise. In a way, it takes some readers by surprise.

  • What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?

All. Each in a different way.

Lord of the Rings is somewhat of a pioneer in the fantasy genre, and it deserves its respect.

Star Wars is more sci-fi, but has amazing world(s) building, characters, storyline…

Harry Potter had millions of every age group reading this fantasy that ‘exists’ parallel to the ‘real world’.

They all fascinate generations of people, who read or/and watch the movies, collect related products etc.

They are all timeless!

Look how much the world has changed over the years and these books/ movies don’t lose their shine. And it seems they will continue to intrigue more people in the future.

Follow Anat via –

https://www.amazon.com/Jewels-Smoky-Quartz-Fantasy-Novel-ebook/dp/B08VNH7KDW

https://m.facebook.com/anat.eliraz.7?ref=m_notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply&_rdr

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Voyage for the Sundered Crown on Sale for just 0.99p/c this week only! (Ends July 11th)

The Summer Sale continues and this week you can get my latest release and book 4 in the Sundered Crown Saga for just 0.99p/c.

First Ever time this book has been on sale!

I was considering not putting this book into the sale as it’s so new but I figure, it’s only for a week and every purchase and new review will help it climb the book seller rankings. So, this is and will be your only chance to get this book for such a low price, don’t miss out, oh and tell your friends and family about it too!

The book is available on all major e-reading devices and stores.

—

The Kingdom of Delfinnia has fallen, but hope remains. Sent on a daring voyage to seek out allies from across the sea the wizard, Luxon Edioz and his companions rediscover the continent of Tulin. A land that is full of dangers, magic, and adventure.

There they will find new allies, new wonders, and new enemies. As Danon’s conquest draws closer to completion, Luxon must use all of his wits and powers to unite the peoples of Tulin and convince them to help him save his homeland.

It will be a voyage that will test him to his limits and one that will decide the fate of all.  

Get for just 0.99p/c
Also availble on audiobook format

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SPFBO Author Interview: S.R Cronin

In this latest special SPFBO author interview I spoke with S.R. Cronin about her entry into the competition and what she enjoys most about writing fantasy.

  • Hi  Sherrie. Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write?

Like many others, I made up stories in my head as a child. I also read all the science fiction and fantasy I could find in Western Kansas in the early Pleistocene. (It wasn’t much.) When I tried my hand at a dystopian short story in eighth grade, my English teacher told me to keep writing. I was an obedient sort, so I’m still doing as she said.

  • What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre?

It’s my world. I make up the rules, I create a place that fascinates me, and I let people have adventures in it that I like. Why would you want to constrain a story and write anything else?

  • Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together?

I don’t like doing easy things and that’s a shame because I’ll probably never know if I could just write a good book. To my own misfortune, I like complicated.

So after my first six-book series (complicated in another fashion) I got this idea to tell an alternate history/historical fantasy story seven ways, each time through the eyes of a very different sister. I called it “The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters.”

Because these seven young women will manage to save their realm, it’s a little like a female Seven Samauri with some Rashomon effect thrown in. (I thanked Japanese film genius Akira Kurosawa for his inspiration in the first book’s dedication.)

Book one, about the intellectual mastermind of the girls, came out in November 2020 and is in entered in the SPFBO#7. I released book two, the story of the nurturing sister, in February 2021, and book three, the story of the warrior sister, in May 2021. These days I’m writing book five, at least when I’m not checking SPFBO sites to see if book one has been reviewed and cut yet.

  • What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them?

I like my main characters to surprise themselves with what they are capable of. I’m not a particularly grey or dark writer, though every good story needs a little grimness to be interesting.

I put a lot of me into most characters, including (or maybe especially) the villains. You can’t write what you don’t know, and I think spinning tales is cheaper than therapy. It sure gets you to confront things in yourself you don’t like.

  • For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?

Write. Write more. Keep writing. Don’t get me wrong .. classes and writer’s groups and beta readers and online blogs are all a wealth of information and should be tapped. But unless you write, rewrite and edit a lot, the rest won’t matter.

  • What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track?

I set aside three writing days a week and don’t let myself do anything else. No social media. No laundry. No random ordering junk from Amazon. I write, or I sit and stare at my screen. It works. After a while I get bored and I start writing. (I do let myself eat cookies though and that helps.)

  • Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)?

Much more of a pantser. I always have a vague idea of the story’s main conflict and how it will be resolved, and I often do an outline with a few sentences per proposed chapter before I start the book. (I seldom stick to it.) But I always do a more detailed outline of the next chapter before I start it, listing what has to happen in it somehow. It usually reads something like: Jason and Margie MUST meet now and Jason’s cat HAS to die. Hit by a car? Margie’s car? Maybe Jason’s car. Is it because he was looking at Margie?

  • What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres?

I can’t imagine life without thinking about the next series. I already know mine will be a crime novel/fantasy hybrid. (Crime novels are my other love, a taste not developed until adulthood.) I’m thinking I’ll have three different detective protagonists from different times and places who loosely work together. Like I said, complicated fascinates me.

  • With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach?

I’ve always been a good triumphs kind of lady when it comes to my entertainment, although I think a little shading makes it more interesting. (Good triumphs but …) It’s not because I’m inherently cheery or an optimist, though, but more like because deep down I’m pretty cynical. I like my entertainment to take me out of the dark places I’m prone to go to in my head.

  • What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?

Star Trek – none of the above.

Follow Sherrie via –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: www.facebook.com/46Ascending
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.r.cronin/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/s-r-cronin

Author Blog: https://sherriecronin.xyz/

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Get Quest for the Sundered Crown for just 0.99p/c this week until July 4th

The summer sale continues! This week it’s the turn of book 3 in the Sundered Crown Saga: Quest for the Sundered Crown. I’d like to give a huge thank you to those of you who have picked up the books. Every review helps and if you enjoy my books please do spread the word and tell your friends and family about them.
—

Danon’s army sweeps across the Kingdom of Delfinnia and Luxon, the only one capable of stopping the annihilation of the realm embarks on a desperate quest to cure himself of the deadly Void Sickness that threatens his life.

To find the cure, Luxon must travel through the Magic Gates and find the Waters of Magic, but in doing so, he will be sent to new worlds and even through time. There he will uncover the shocking truth about Danon and another he calls friend and mentor.

Elsewhere dragons ravage the eastern lands spurring Kaiden to reform the Knights of Niveren and in the south, the King’s Legion, led by the usurper Ricard makes a desperate stand against Danon’s hordes. As the world turns ever darker, one hope remains. The legendary sacred sword Asphodel remains hidden.

The Quest is on to claim the blade and perhaps push back the evil threatening creation itself.
Get for just 0.99p/c

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SPFBO Author Interview – Devin Downing

In this latest SPFBO special author interview I spoke with Devin Downing who has entered book one in his Adamic Trilogy: The Dividing into the competition.

  • Hi, Devin. Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write? I grew up in Temecula, California where—like every other author in existence—I read books nonstop. As a kid, I was a huge fan of Rick Riodan and the Percy Jackson Series. I loved how he took a polytheistic Greek religion and turned it into a magic system. Growing up in a very Christian household, I started thinking about how I could do something similar with the Bible. I ultimately decided to turn the creation story into a magic system. Once I started running with that idea, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to write it. Eventually, my freshman year of college, I decided to give it a shot. Now four years later, I nearly have the Trilogy complete.
  1. What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre? One of my favorite aspects of fantasy is its ability to critique the real world. The fictional, impossible nature of fantasy creates a barrier—a safe space if you will. Fantasy readers want to be immersed in a new world. Most of them aren’t looking to read about systematic prejudice or sexism in society; however, when reading about a magical realm, they might just find those same messages hidden between the paragraphs of dragons and danger. Fantasy authors have the ability to introduce world-altering topics to readers who may not even be looking for it, and I think that is pretty amazing.
  1. Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together? My most recent project is the third and final instalment of the Adamic Trilogy, The Reviving. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m so excited to finish my debut series. The size alone has been a bit of a challenge. The trilogy will be weighing in at just over 500,000 words. I’ve been writing it while simultaneously getting my bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, so I’ve been pretty pressed for time. However, I just graduated this last April, so I’m ready to devote all my attention to this epic conclusion. Assuming everything goes according to plan, I hope to release book 3 in October 2021.
  1. What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them? My favourite characters to write are without a doubt villains. While I know that sociopaths exist, they aren’t the kind of villains I want to write about. I want a villain my readers can relate to, with a cause that even I could consider justified. I tried my best to make such a villain for The Adamic Trilogy. As for the second part of your question, I put a pretty liberal helping of myself into all of my characters. I pick and choose the most interesting aspects of myself and mix them with personality traits of my friends and family. Matt (my male protagonist) is probably the most unfiltered reflection of myself, but they all have little sprinklings of Devin.
  1. For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned? This is a cliche, but write what you want to read. Even if you’re into some weird stuff, you’ll find an audience. Writing requires a lot of motivation, and if you don’t love your story, odds are, you won’t finish it. Second, don’t be afraid to suck. We all gotta suck before we ascend. Just start writing. You might just surprise yourself how quickly your story progresses into something you’re proud of.
  1. What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track? Frankly, I just try to muscle through. Occasionally, if I get stuck in a scene, I’ll jump ahead to a scene I’m more excited for. I find that skipping to my most anticipated scenes keeps me going, even in the face of writer’s block. Otherwise, a little caffeine and a comfy couch are all I need.
  1. Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)? Plotter, to the extreme. I like to have a chapter by chapter outline before I write a single word. For me, it’s often the convoluted conclusions of a story that motivate me most. Without having some implication of how it all ends, I doubt I’d find the motivation to start any story.
  1. What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres? Both you could say. Once I complete the The Adamic Trilogy, I plan on writing A Sliver of the Soul. It’s a Historical Fantasy Romance that adds soulmate magic to the tragic events of America’s colonization. I hope to finish and begin pitching it by January. From there, medical school is actually the plan. I’ve been accepted to medical school for Fall 2022, but that won’t be the end of my storytelling. Once I complete medical school, I have no doubt I’ll be back to writing.
  1. With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach? I definitely take the darker approach. Something about the realism of tragedy makes it infinitely more appealing. The truth is, characters die, heroes fail, and sometimes… villains are victorious. I think maintaining a realistic degree of darkness makes a story that much more believable.
  1. What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars? What kind of trick question shenanigans is this? That’s like asking ‘which is better, food or water?’ Honestly, I’m not sure I want to give an answer, though I will say this. The Dividing most closely resembles Harry Potter in its contemporary fantasy nature. Of the three, Harry Potter definitely played the biggest inspirational role for my writing.

I have an Instagram account where I post daily writing prompts and short stories. https://www.instagram.com/writing.prompt.daily/?hl=en

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