Author Q&A
How would you categorize your books?
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I would categorize my books as YA/Teen. There are no explicit scenes and no language, so these books can be read by all ages!
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Genre-wise, I'd put my books in historical fantasy, political fantasy and general YA fantasy.
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What were your inspirations for creating your world?
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While getting my history degree, I fell in love with medieval and Scandinavian studies. I based much of the Yellow Isle and its inhabitants on Old Norse/Viking society, and took inspiration from Icelandic when creating the languages. Many of the names given to people on the Isle are of Norse origin.
The Mainland's kingdoms were based largely on medieval Europe, from the fashions of the different classes to the structure of society. The landscape is based on Canada (my home) and the rougher regions of the British Isles.
When it comes to the Elves living in Eladalis, much credit goes to Tolkien and Peter Jackson's adaptations. I loved how they portrayed the ethereal qualities of Elves. It's from these sources that I take my personal mantra—Elves should always have long hair!
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What's the main theme in your series?
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I really wanted to explore family dynamics and relationships. All of us come from different family situations and it affects us in major ways throughout our lives. Many stories go with the "orphan MC" trope because it saves time when you're not worrying about parents getting in the way of the plot. And that works perfectly for a lot of stories!
My books explore the family unit, in all its forms, and delve into what family means in my fantasy world, which contains some hidden nuggets we can find in our own world.
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Does your series have spice?
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These books have no spice. Simply for the reason that writing spice isn't what I'm good at. Now this isn't to say there isn't any romance (romantic relationships make for intriguing story-telling), but in the context of my books, spice would have muddled the plot and distracted from my main point. I also wanted to open the books up to more age groups.
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I aimed to zoom in on the theme of love itself, existing between family members, love interests, friends and even enemies. What does love mean? What are the people who love us willing to sacrifice on our behalf?
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What is your writing process like?
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I've always been a 'pantser' when it comes to writing. Until recently, I've also been a 'first draft is the only draft' kind of person. The early drafts usually go pretty quick for me, it's the revisions afterwards that take time. I'm a chronic perfectionist, and getting to the point where I'm satisfied with my drafts can be slow. I always want my stories to be as good as they can be, and I want to make sure the story flows fluidly, in a way that makes sense and reads well. That's easier said than done.
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My writing style is ever-evolving, but I'm always comforted by the fact that publishing future editions is a reality!
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Where are your books for sale?
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Physical copies of my books can be bought through Barnes & Noble and Amazon! I do my pre-orders for physical copies through Barnes & Noble, as Amazon does not yet have a pre-order option for paperbacks.
eBook copies can be bought through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Tolino, Vivlio, Smashwords, Scribd and Google Play.
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Do you use AI to help you create?
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I am firmly against the use of AI in writing bulk content for books. I will make exceptions for summaries and brief descriptions, but I have a personal no-tolerance policy for the use of AI in any story-telling I do. All the content in my books is original content that came from my brain and went through a human editor. I also will not use AI in image creation, as I oppose the theft of art in every sense. AI can be a helpful tool in story-planning and summarizing what is already written, but I do not have any intention of using this technology to create original content. All that I create comes from my brain and heart, and I intend to keep it that way. Robots don't tell stories - humans do!