How many hours do you think you’ve put in researching for your books?
I honestly have to say that I have NO idea! I don’t base anything off of history or folklore/myths, so I don’t spend time researching before I start writing a book. That being said, I do research as I go along to make sure certain things are as realistic as possible. For example, in Silevethiel, I did a lot of research into lions and horses in order to describe the animals as accurately as possible, especially the lions. I wanted to make sure the Guardians had as realistic behaviors as possible. I also did research into medieval weapons to make sure the descriptions and uses were as accurate as I could make them within my world. So, there have been a good number of hours spent in research, particularly over the five books I’ve written, but I can’t even begin to give you an actual number!
When you write do you usually know where your story is going before you sit to write or does the story unfold as you go?
I’m totally a pantster! When an idea pops into my head, I have an extremely basic idea of where I want the story to go, but I don’t write it down or plan it out. Even the thought of doing that is too restricting to me. I like to just start writing and let the characters take me through their story. There have been many times when I’ve read the finished story through for the first edit and thought, “How the heck did I come up with that?” The truth is that the characters are the ones who ‘told’ me what to write. It’s something I never would have been able to think of beforehand in an outline. I like the spontaneity, and it’s honestly just as exciting for me to see how everything evolves as it is for my readers, because I have absolutely no idea of where things are going when I start writing!
When you came up with the idea for Silevethiel, why did you chose the main character’s special ability to be speaking with the dead?
When I came up with the idea for the series, I had no idea what Irewen’s special abilities would be, or if she would even have any at all. The idea of speaking with the dead came about after I had a dream around a year after her death. In the dream, I could see her in vibrant detail as if she was standing before me, and she spoke to me in her own voice. I woke up the next morning and not only remembered every detail of her and what she said, but I could also still hear her voice. I sat down and thought, ‘that would be an awesome ability!’ It worked perfectly with Irewen because Silevethiel opens up with her father’s murder, and she speaks to him a few times in Silevethiel and more extensively in the sequel The Speaker. Her ability eventually allows her to receive vital information and protection, though it also provides a degree of unrest that coudl lead to her downfall.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Yes I do, though not as fervently as I did after I published my first book. My first bad (my God, was it bad) review was actually for Silevethiel. It was by someone with the San Fransisco Book Review who had wanted to review another title but when they downloaded it, they received my book instead. This, of course, was a glitch in their system and had nothing to do with me, but instead of alerting someone at his company, he ‘read’ Silevethiel and posted an extremely scathing review. He went on and on about zombies which aren’t even in the book, said how terrible my writing was, and blasted it because it was self-published. (Silevethiel has since gone on to win 2 awards, so take it for what it’s worth!) At the time though, I was devastated and wanted to lock myself in my room for a week. But once I brushed myself off, I came to realize a two major things: 1 – every book gets and needs bad reviews. They bring a sense of legitimacy to potential readers and let them know that every glowing 5-star review isn’t bought or from friends and family. Bad reviews are just a part of being an author and are to be expected. And 2 – you can actually learn a great deal from bad reviews with give constructive criticism and use them to improve as a writer. The same thing can be said for good reviews as well! I definitely look to see what things readers enjoyed whether it’s character creation, world building, plot, or writing style. It gives me a great basis for future works!
What was the first book that made you cry?
I’m a bit of a hard-ass, so this miraculous event didn’t take place until I was almost thirty. It occured at the end of Bloodfire Quest by my favorite author Terry Brooks. It was such a devastating and simultaneously inspiring moment than I ran to my husband while he was giving our son a bath, tears streaming down my face, and made him read the scene. He totally didn’t get it and looked at me in total bewilderment. It’s a moment I will never forget. There has since been only one other book to accomplish this feat, and that is Soledad by D. L. Young. It’s an extremely excluse list!
Promition Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Silevethiel-Vaelinel-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00T80UKNA
