Category: Author Interviews

Author Spotlight: My Author Wishlist

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So I completely messed up on this one. I made a mental list, but I never really wrote one down. I also never reached out to the authors to make sure I could get their info to do spotlights on. I don’t want to just not post anything. So this week, I’ll make a list of the authors I want to start with. This is just off the top of my head. I am in no way stating that these authors are more important than others. I’m also not stating that any author not on this list doesn’t belong. With that being said, here’s the list:

  1. Krys Fenner
  2. Kate L. Mary
  3. Cara North
  4. Roux Cantrell
  5. Rebecca Barber
  6. Thetta James
  7. Breezy Jones
  8. Marie Long
  9. Melanie James
  10. Rosemary Willhide

I’m going to reach out to these authors. I’m also going to try to reach out to other authors. If you’re seeing this and you’re an author who wants to participate, please reach out to me. Comment on this post or email me at nikkiereads@starsbooksandtea.com.

Introduction to segment: https://starsbooksandtea.com/2023/03/10/author-spotlight-updates/

Last Week’s Spotlight: https://starsbooksandtea.com/2023/03/17/author-spotlight-rk-phillips-2/

What I would like from the author:

  1. A book or two (or series) they want highlighted
  2. Things they would like the readers to know about them. How they got started writing. What their passions are. Whatever they want. Can be done in letter format, article format, or however you wish to do it.
  3. Preferably links that lead to them so that the readers can follow them.
  4. Pictures. Every kind you want shown.

Author Spotlight: RK Phillips

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Today, I have the honor of spotlighting one of my favorite authors and dearest friends. I can proudly say that I knew this beautiful woman before she published her first book. She has so much talent and she’s so talented in so many ways. Having her in your life is a true blessing. Without further ado, our author this week is:

A special message from R.K. Phillips:

Hi everyone! I am RK Phillips. First let me thank Nicole for allowing me to be spotlighted on her blog and thank you for taking the time to read it. I am going to share a little about me, how I got into writing and self publishing, and some about my stories.

When people are asked how I got into writing, it kind of depends on what they mean exactly. I think it really started in high school English class when we were being taught different types of poetry and then having to write it ourselves. From there on and for many years that is what I wrote and it was a way of expressing myself. However, in the early 2000s a few of my friends and I started writing together more like role playing stories. We each had our own characters and would weave stories together. I won’t date myself and tell you where we wrote these stories. I will say though that one day I am hoping to give two of those characters their own book.

Fast forward a bit and I am in college in my late 20s. While I am taking my accounting courses I decide to sign up for a creative writing class as an elective. One class turned into three and had me thinking about things. It was because of those classes I even had the beginning building blocks for what I would need later. However, it wasn’t for another almost five years that I would even think about writing a book. However, I did get involved in another role play writing group where I met some great people that I now call friends. 

I am going to pause here to say, if there is something you want to do or try because it interests you (and it is legal) then do it. Life is scary and there are so many unknowns, but sometimes what you find on the other side is worth it. If you don’t want to do it alone at first, find someone to do it with you. 

This is how it was with my writing along with many other things in my life. No one ever told me, you should write a book, you would be great at it. I was told in my writing class I was great at writing details. I had people question certain things and others defend what I wrote. But, I didn’t have a cheerleader telling me I should do this.

Take chances and embrace who you are. Why am I talking about this when this is supposed to be an author spotlight? Because ultimately that is how I came about writing my first novel. I won’t go into details, but really what it came down to is a couple of things. One, I wanted to prove to myself that I could write a full novel beginning to end. Up until then I only had written poetry and short stories. Second, I wanted a character that was a nerdy math girl. At the time I wanted a character that was a little more like me. I love math and feel there is nothing wrong with that. Since I couldn’t get it from anyone else, I decided to write the story. 

This is how Peyton was born. Originally I played with the idea of giving her a few different professions, but ultimately when I started writing, she became a professor of mathematics. From the beginning I fell in love with her and her story. I decided that if I was going to finally get my nerdy math girl story I was going to play it up. She was born on March 14th which is Pi day. Her nickname became Pi. I even ended up releasing the novel, The Complications of Pi, on March 14th. While writing this book, a lot of things happened and changed in my life. I will save you from the details, but this book was a bit of light hearted release and love I had during all of that. I would do writing sprints with a friend in the evenings after work because at the time, I didn’t have cable or internet, so I just focused on writing and getting my apartment organized. We would set up a time for 20-30 minutes, write and then text each other with how many words we had written. Then, and still now, she is a much faster writer than I am. However, it helped to push both of us to continue to make progress on what we were working on. 

I remember when I finished the first draft of The Complications of Pi. I felt so happy and excited that I had done it. I had completed my first novel. Still to this day, I think I was prouder and more elated in that moment than even when it went live. It took me less than a year to write the first draft, but still just over another year to publish it (partly because by the time it was good to go, I had decided to wait until 03/14 to publish it). 

I was a fish out of water when it came to what was next. However, I had many friends that encouraged and walked me through the steps. I did revisions on the book, had it edited, and worked with a fabulous cover artist, Anya Kelleye, that gave me what I wanted. All this time and money was spent and it was all ready to go to be published. Still I warred with myself on if I really wanted to publish it. It wasn’t a book that was like anything else out there that I had seen. Not only did it feature my clumsy, math loving Peyton, but it was what people now call a sapphic romance. When I set out writing this book, there weren’t as many books like this out there because I looked for them. In just a few short years you can find them all over the place. There were authors that wrote these types and I read them, but they were harder to find and you had to weed through lots of bad stuff to find them. 

Thus, I debated on putting this out there. Finally I decided that if one or two that were not close friends of mine bought and enjoyed the book, it would be worth it. So, I went ahead and published the book. I had a small release party online and embraced my nerd side with this book. I would love to say it was an overnight sensation, but let’s be real, it wasn’t going to be. However, I did have more than just the two people who bought and read my book. I was so happy and surprised. That book was supposed to be a stand alone book and that is it. But, several people asked me when I was going to write the next one. That I needed to give Damien (Peyton’s brother) his story. One day I hope I get that chance. However, I moved on to two other projects that I had in my mind.

I was writing two different novels at the same time and making progress on them both. I thought I could finish one by a certain time, but I hit a huge writing block and didn’t make progress on either. Finally, I wanted to hit a specific timeline goal and focused all my attention on what is now Nature’s Strike. This story came about from a dream I had when I was a teenager and over the years I thought about it and changed it into an idea for a series until eventually it became what it is now. Again, here I was trying to take on something new and different for me. Why I couldn’t just write the same kind of book I just published I have no idea. I like a variety of types of books and so my writing interests follow that path. This time, I was out to write a book that combined romance, action and adventure, and some light fantasy elements. Nature’s Strike introduced you to Riley and her family who are your everyday people working at jobs they like in a smaller community and living their lives happily. Then on the other side you get to meet Declan and his team that are out saving people from evil people intent on causing ruination. However, they are all blessed/cursed because they each wield something Mother Nature. Not just your water, earth, fire, air; but rather, lightning, thunder, tornadoes, fire (yes), fog, hurricanes, etc… The question becomes how do these two types of people meet and can they exist together?

This time, I had new challenges. Could I finish another novel or was the first an exception? Would people be interested in this one like the first one? The answer is yes I could write a second novel and the verdict is still out on the second question. This book was released last June. 

However, during this process I found a group of authors and we started up a zoom writing sprinting group. We originally did it for Nanowrimo in 2021 and it was for one month. However, at the end of it, we all realized it was helping us and we still continue the group to this day. It has helped me to get words in when I don’t feel like writing. I wouldn’t have completed as much as I have if it wasn’t for them. Also, over the last two years, I have written six short stories that appeared in different anthologies. Some of these will become novels and some I will publish on their own. 

I am currently working on completing my third novel that is actually kind of a spin off of Complications of Pi. I decided to create a YA/NA series that features the fictional college that Peyton teaches out. While the main stories will be about students that are attending the college, Peyton will be making cameo appearances in some of these stories. I have one short story that will become a full length novel already that was in a Christmas anthology. The novel I am writing now was supposed to be a short story for a different one, but due to a few things it is now its own novel and I am hoping to release it this summer. It is titled Love Under the Stars so keep an eye out for it.

I still need to go back to finish Dream Escape that I started a few years ago. We all need our encouragement and motivation. So, if you think about it and you know someone is trying to work on something, take an interest in what they are doing or just tell them to keep it up. A few nice words can go a long way I have found with myself. 

I want to send a quick shout out of thank you to my friends who will help me with character names and titles with stories because I appreciate it. How I go about that sometimes is a whole other thing and this is already so long in length. 

Thank you again to Nicole for allowing me to take up so much space on her blog. Please check out my books and if you want to reach me you can find me on FaceBook or email me at my author email address. 

https://www.facebook.com/rk.phillips.14

rkphillipsauthor@gmail.com

Note: Some books listed are no longer available for sale as an ebook. Some authors may have physical copies, but that’s not guaranteed.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about RK Phillips. She’s an incredible woman and an amazing friend. I’m glad to know her.

Author Spotlight: Updates

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With luck, I’ll be able to officially start this segment next week. I need to start reaching out to authors and letting them know what I need. I also need to schedule it all out. I’m really excited about this. One of the biggest things that I feel strongly about is supporting authors. Sometimes I feel like I don’t do a good enough job because I don’t really have that big of a platform, but I still try. It’s my passion. I will support and promote authors every chance I get. I will support books I love. Please feel free to comment any authors you feel need the spotlight. There’s no limit on how many people you can recommend. I’m looking forward to bringing you a wonderful segment on Fridays from here forward.

Author Spotlight: A New Beginning

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I’ve decided to bring a segment back that I was once doing. Only, I’m going to tweak it just a bit. Before, the focus was on the interview questions and a book of the author’s choice. This time, I’m going to focus on the author in general and whatever they choose to spotlight. I’ll invite them to the blog and let them know what I’d like from them. The biggest thing I want to stress is that I don’t want this to turn into a promotional segment. My goal here is for readers to get to know an author and their ideas behind their books.

Authors spend so much time on writing books that we devour so quickly that it’s insane sometimes. Authors experience so many emotions while writing and releasing these books. Sometimes, I think we all take that for granted. We are so sure that an author we love will always give us more entertainment with their wonderful stories that we forget what it’s costing the authors to give us that joy. I don’t just mean financially. I mean mentally and emotionally too. My hope is that this blog segment will help humanize authors as well as give you wonderful new books to read.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy this segment. I hope that if you feel like an author should be spotlighted here that you will reach out to me so that I can reach out to them with the invitation.

Interview With Heather Frost

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https://amzn.to/3LdqV7O

Blurb:

Clare made a mistake when she saved the princess’s life . . .

In one horrible night, Clare is forced to give up her life as a kitchen maid to become the princess’s decoy. Thrust into a dangerous new world of royals and deadly politics, she must learn how to be the princess’s perfect double to ensure her betrothal to an enemy prince. Desperate to survive, Clare throws herself into self-defense training, taught by her distractingly attractive bodyguard, Bennick. The spark between them is undeniable, though a relationship is forbidden. When a ruthless assassin begins stalking her, it becomes frighteningly clear that some will stop at nothing to end the tenuous peace—and Clare’s life.

Across the northern mountains, Prince Grayson is his father’s ultimate weapon. His name inspires fear in all who hear it, but no one knows his heavily guarded secret. He carries out every brutal order only because his father holds power over the one person he cares about. Grayson’s silent obedience is tested, however, when his father reveals plans to exploit the marriage alliance between two of their greatest enemies. If Grayson submits, the blood of thousands will spill. If he resists, the girl who means everything to him will die.

The fate of Eyrinthia hangs in the balance. Some want peace. Some want war. All will be thrown into chaos.

Royal Decoy is the first in the Fate of Eyrinthia YA fantasy romance series told from multiple POVs. If you like swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and non-stop action with epic twists, then you’ll love the captivating world of Eyrinthia.

Interview:

Tell us a bit about Fate of Eyrinthia. What inspired you to write the series?
Fate of Eyrinthia is a YA fantasy romance series. The seeds for this story came wondering if I could write a story from a secondary character’s POV. (For example, what if Harry Potter had been told from Ron Weasley’s perspective? How would that have changed the story?) I didn’t even know if something like this would work, but I began by thinking up a story where a princess is living in a dangerous time with lots of political upheaval, and she’s in the center of everything—including an arranged marriage. And then I thought, could someone else be the main character of this story? I instantly thought—a decoy. The princess could have a decoy, and the decoy could be our main character! I loved the idea, because it became an entirely new story simply by changing the focus of who was telling the story. And that’s how Royal Decoy was born.

You write the series from multiple points of view. How much different do you feel the story would be if you wrote it in first person? What made you decide on the viewpoints that you chose?
I think the story would be incredibly different if I could only tell one perspective. It would have been from Clare’s POV, since she’s the decoy and arguably the main character—especially at the beginning of the series. But we would have missed out on so much! The story would have been shorter, and narrower in scope. We wouldn’t know what was happening in the other kingdoms, we wouldn’t get to know all the layers to the other characters, and we wouldn’t have the same tension as these characters with different agendas converge. It can be a challenge writing multiple POVs and juggling different voices and storylines, but I think it makes this series so much richer.

As for how I decided on who got to share their viewpoint, it came down to figuring out who needed to share their story. I had to think through the entire series and weigh a few different factors; 1) Who had a story to tell that would directly and consistently impact the main storyline? 2) Who would ever be on their own, in a place we needed to know what was happening, when it was happening? 3) And finally, WHEN would their perspective be needed? That final question was key in figuring out who needed a POV in each book, since I knew I wanted to add new character perspectives in gradually. I had to consider which characters had secrets that I needed to keep (which meant delaying getting into their heads) and when characters would need to be in the forefront of the story.

What parts of the series were harder for you to write than others? What were easy?
Hmm, I’m trying to think what parts were hardest. I honestly just loved writing all of it, haha! If I had to pick a part that was the most challenging to write, it’s probably the beginnings. Mostly because I want to make sure they’re perfect. I want readers to be able to dive back into the world with key reminders of what happened in the previous books, without bogging down the current storyline with too many details.
As for the easiest to write: I love all the conversations! Dialogue is easy for me to write, plus I just love writing any scene where these characters are interacting with each other.

Did you have any character that spoke out to you more than all of the rest of the characters did?
Grayson and Desfan have both been strong characters from the very beginning. Grayson wasn’t even a character I planned on writing—he just showed up and said, “Hey. Here’s my story.” And now I can’t imagine the story without him! Desfan is another character that took me by surprise. Even though I knew about him before I started writing, his voice was just so strong. I always know what he’s going to say, what he’s thinking, and what he wants to do.

What are your upcoming plans for this series? 
There will be six novels in the series, with some assorted novellas. Book four—Royal Rebel—is what I’m currently working on. It will be out early 2023!

What inspired you to choose the covers for your books?
I knew I wanted to highlight a different character on each cover, since having multiple POVs and storylines is such a big part of the series. I took some time to pick who I wanted to highlight on each cover, and from there it was just a matter of finding the best models for the job. (Royal Decoy: Clare. Royal Spy: Desfan. Royal Captive: Mia.) The whole process of cover design is extra fun because my sister, the talented K.M. Frost, is my designer!

How long did it take you to write each book? Were there parts that took you longer than others?
This is a tough question. I’m generally a fast writer, so I can finish a book usually in a month or two. Editing takes me longer, because I’m a perfectionist, and I also have to wait to hear back from my beta readers. I first wrote Royal Decoy years ago, though it went through some major edits before it was released in the summer of 2020. I had written rough drafts of the other books in the series as well, so I work from those old drafts and weave in new scenes/storylines, plus polish the scenes that are already there. There are definitely scenes that take longer to write, whether because I’ve hit and wall and need to think my way out of it, or because I’m taking my time to get it just right.

Where did you come up with the names of your characters?
They come from a variety of places, but often it’s simply a matter of me just getting a sense of the character. Once I have a feel for them, I can usually decide what letter their name should start with, or how many syllables it should have. I often end up looking through a list of names I keep. In Eyrinthia, I also have the different kingdoms to consider; they each have a different culture and flavor that I want to capture for the characters who live there. Sometimes that means turning to Google for ideas, or me just making something up!

Have you considered having the series narrated?
Yes, I definitely have! There are some logistics I’m still working on, but I think it would be amazing to have audiobooks of the Eyrinthia series.

Do you have any other works planned outside of the series?
Yes! I have far too many plans and ideas, haha! In November you’ll be able to read Esperance, which is book one of a New Adult fantasy romance trilogy. It’s got slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, forbidden magic, and non-stop action. I’m so excited to share it! You can learn more about Esperance, and my other books, on my website: www.HeatherFrost.com

About the Author:

Heather Frost is a #1 Amazon bestselling YA author who loves epic stories with breath-stealing romance. She is the author of the Seers trilogy and the Fate of Eyrinthia series. Her books have been Whitney Award Finalists and Swoony Award Finalists. She has a BS in Creative Writing and a minor in Folklore, which means she got to read fairy tales and call it homework. When she’s not writing, Heather likes to read, travel, and re-watch Lord of the Rings. She lives in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering mountains in northern Utah. To learn more about Heather and her books, visit her website: www.HeatherFrost.com

Interview With Krys Fenner

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Blurb:

When darkness creeps in, sometimes finding an anchor is the only way to survive.

Sixteen-year-old Bella Kynaston has been the victim of a brutal rape, by someone she can only describe as ‘the scar-faced man.’ With little recollection of what happened, she must somehow rebuild her life. Being the person she once was proves more difficult than she imagined.

To complicate matters, Bella has just met Jeremiah Detrone, the new guy in school. He’s attractive, funny, and smart. All things she’s ever wanted in a boyfriend. Too bad she’s conflicted over so many unexpected emotions. Without realizing it, she falls down a rabbit hole and begins walking a dangerous line between addiction and self-preservation.

As Bella works together with the police to bring her attackers to justice, will she be able to see it through to the end? And even if she does, will it only bring her more pain and misery? Or will she find an anchor in Jeremiah and figure out how to move forward?

**Cliffhanger Alert**

Interview:

What inspired you to write the Dark Road series?


I went through a lot as a teenager. Not just the normal insecurities, but depression, reckless behavior and a suicide attempt. It wasn’t until I was much older that I really dealt with any of that. Therapy made me really look into how things have changed over the years. Sadly, the only thing that has changed is that rape, drug addiction, suicide, and so on are just more prevalent. And they’re just as taboo as they once were. Although we’ve gotten better, we’re not where I wish we were as a society. I believe it’s because these topics aren’t talked about. That’s what inspired me to write this series. Not only do I hope that if someone who has been through anything similar to what happens in these books will find comfort knowing that they aren’t alone, but that for people who haven’t experienced these things…it gives them understanding. It starts conversations, gets people talking. Because with conversation comes change and that is what we need as a society.


As a reader, these books drug me through an emotional roller coaster. Is there any point in the books that you found incredibly hard to write? Did you ever need to set the books aside for a bit to clear your mind?


Yes. “Damaged” is the one that got the most emotional for me. When I wrote that, I used my past with suicide, my own emotions, to elicit the most out of Bella. It became extremely personal, and I had to set it aside several times, especially after I finished it. This is actually why I write other genres.


Were any characters difficult for you to write? Were any easy?


While I’d like to think Bella was easy since I based some parts of her on myself, I think Heather has actually been the easiest. Her book is next and she’s already talking to me. Aurora was probably the most difficult. I say this because she still hasn’t fully opened up to me and there were things in her book that I don’t feel came through, but at the same time did.


How much control of the story did you have personally? How much was vastly impacted by your characters?


I feel like I should say, see above. I have no control over the story. It’s fully controlled by the characters. Their personalities, their actions, and what they decide they will or won’t do. They just like to make me think I’m in control by telling me what should happen. For the most part, they stick to that. Occasionally they throw me for a loop and put something in that I didn’t expect. I’d tell you about something in Burned, but then I’d give things away.


How long did it take you to write each book in the series?


Addicted took the least amount of time: 6 weeks. Then it went through several revisions to become what it is today. Burned took the longest for various reasons: nearly two years.


What can we expect in the future with this series?


I can already tell you that Twisted, the next book in the series, is going to be darker and rawer than the last four combined. It’ll showcase things that you may or may not have realized occurred in the first book and take a deep-dive into Heather’s past. Honestly, I think it’ll set the precedent for future books. Or at least the two that follow Twisted. Right now, I don’t know where the series will go beyond that. Though I can say, there are four high schools in Rescate County. They each have their own stories.


Tell me about Brigit Rosé. What books do you write under this name? Can we expect more books under this name in the future?


Romance. Lots of love and smut. Currently, I have two series under this name. Love’s Worth, which I have two more books planned to close the series out. At least currently, that could change in the future. And then I have my Fairytale Retelling Series, which I have several books planned for in that. There is another book that is planned as a standalone, but could change into a series.


I’d love to hear more about the The Guardhian Series. What are your plans for this series in the future?


This actually started as characters I created for online White Wolf. Everything that you read is all part of Niamh’s past. I have a total of ten books planned for this series, which will introduce readers to different parts of the world. And as there is three years between the first two books, I’ll be posting short stories exclusive to my Patreon that cover that timespan.


I know you’re working on a series with a few other authors called the Prisma Isle series. Can you tell me more about this series? What can we look for in the future with this series?


Prisma Isle follows the lives of various species. The isle was created as a safe space for species like fae, shape shifters, dragon shifters, sirens and more where no humans existed. We now have young, inexperienced characters trying to figure things out through all the mayhem they’re now facing as they find love and their place in the world.

I can tell you this is an ongoing series with multiple characters searching for their HEA. And lots of mayhem in the process. We have years of ideas already, so I’m not seeing an end at all in the near future. We’ve also got two spin-off series planned as well: The Atlis Chronicles and The Scarlet Sanctum Chronicles. We’re hoping to release the first book in each of these series next year.


How did you meet the authors that you’re working with? Can you tell me a little bit about each author?


All three of us were originally part of a larger group working together on a project. Livi and I had talked about writing a prequel to that series with our characters (Thalasia and Aurelia) being best friends. Some things happened in that group and before we got the prequel out, we decided to leave that project and start our own series. When it came down to things, it ended up being myself, Livi, and Nikki.

Livi has a love of all things dragon-related. As well as coming up with great character lines. We’ve turned ‘peacock’ into a running joke that we’ll never get tired of putting out there. She lives in Virginia, has a big heart, and is very much a selfless nurturer.

Nikki is a mother of three living in Indiana and I think she’s the glue that holds us together. She’s extremely creative, even more so than I am. She’s always ready with an ear whenever it’s needed. Oh, and she’s telepathic, but don’t tell anyone that. Okay, I’m kidding. Sort of. She and I have a rather interesting mind-meld thing going on when it comes to our characters. It’s something she shares with Livi too. Hmm, maybe she is telepathic.

The three of us have become good friends over the last two years. We whole-heartedly support one another in any way we can. I’m blessed to have both of them in my life.

About The Author:

Krys Fenner, also known as Brigit Rosé—like the wine, not the flower, has been infinitely passionate about writing and creating fantastical worlds since high school. Having already published over ten books, she avidly works on multiple series from social issues to paranormal romance. While she loves everything she writes, she’s genuinely excited about her new Fae Academy series, the next books in the Dark Road Series, and the two series she’ll be co-authoring as part of the next phase in her career. Krys received an Associate of Arts in Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, and is currently working on a Master’s degree. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, baking, hanging out with her family, or spending time with her three fur babies, Bones, Luna, and Lola. To learn more about Krys Fenner and her upcoming book releases, visit her official website: https://kbfennerrose.com.

Links:

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00ORI7OY6

FB: https://www.facebook.com/KrysFenner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FennerKrys

IG: https://www.instagram.com/romance_brigit_rose/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krysfenner3/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@krysfenner

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/krysandbrigit

Website: https://kbfennerrose.com/

Interview With Ceril N Domace

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Blurb:

Most people think the fae are gone. Most people are wrong.

Owen Williams wakes after a horrific car accident to find his wife is dead—and somehow turned into a gryphon—and his kids gone after a home invasion turned horribly wrong. Shattered and reeling, he vows to do whatever it takes to find them.

When a fae scout appears and promises to reunite him with his kids, he doesn’t hesitate before joining her. But she warns him that if he wants to protect his family, he must follow the fae to their city, the hidden haven of Tearmann.

With enemies on the horizon, Owen needs to set aside his fears and take up arms to defend their new home alongside the people he’s always been taught were monsters—or he’ll lose everyone he’s trying to protect.

Interview:

What inspired you to write the Fae Queen’s Court?

The Fae Queen’s Court was mainly inspired by old Scottish legends about people and fairies having children and a few too many late-night Wikipedia binges about de-extinction. In a sleep-deprived haze, I wondered if it would be possible to bring back the fae in the same way scientists are bringing back wooly mammoths or passenger pigeons.

The idea took hold of me and refused to let go, leading to the creations of twelve unique species, each with corrupted versions alongside the standard ones, and a culture that only had fifty years to find its feet. Honestly, some might say I went too far with the worldbuilding, but I had a great time getting there.

How long did it take you to write each book?

I wrote Haven in six months during college and edited it over five years. It was my first completed writing attempt ever and it suffered from my lack of experience, which is why it took so long to get into a publishable state. I love what came out of it though, even if it was a struggle to get there.

Avalon took longer, nearly two years, because I was editing Haven at the time. About midway through Avalon, I decided I should approach writing in a more dedicated way, so I began reading craft books and actually outlining where the story should go so I would have less to do when the time came to edit. It paid off, because it only took s year and a half to edit it.

Hiraeth, the third book in the series, only took me five months to draft. I’d improved a lot as a writer when I was working on it and my rough drafts are a lot neater now. I’m still editing this one but I’m very pleased with how it’s going so far.

What made you decide to write the books in Owen’s point of view? Was writing it from that point of view hard or easy for you?

When I started writing Haven, I decided I wanted to write an everyman style character. Someone that most people could see themselves in, but not a chosen one. Additionally, since I wanted them to have a lot of kids and I wanted to lean away from the fantasy cliché about female characters adopting/taking care of/only wanting children, my MC should be male. That would differentiate him from other male leads in the genre and the kids would give him a motivation beyond revenge, wanderlust, or prophecy.

So, I landed on making my MC a father with a lot of kids and someone who is more of an outsider to the world he finds himself in than his children.

Owen’s POV wasn’t hard to dive into because his motivations were quite clear cut. He wants to protect his kids. Everything he does is focused around that. Even in Avalon, when he’s in the Corps and actively running from his grief, he justifies it by saying he’s doing it because he doesn’t want another family to suffer like his family did.

Which characters were easier for you to write?

Owen and Beira were very easy to write, mostly because by nature of what they are they’re very similar. They’re protective people who are willing to do what it takes to keep those they love safe.

Also Dorothy, because she’s cute and small and four.

Which characters were harder for you to write?

Honestly, I really struggled with Tiffany. The initial response to her in Avalon from my alpha readers was so negative I ended up completely revamping her arc a week before I sent Avalon to my beta readers. She was originally very angry and lashed out at Owen for joining the corps in a more aggressive way, but no one liked that so I had to tone it down.

Ashley’s quiet and constant grief was a hard thing to balance because I didn’t want it to overwhelm the other characters but it also needed to be obvious because her role is fairly small in both books.

Were there any parts of either book that were harder for you to write than other parts?

I struggled with the early scenes a lot. I joke in my writing discords that I always end up starting my books way too early. It was most obvious with Haven(which used to start even slower and 10k longer, believe it or not), but I dealt with it in Avalon too.

I probably cut 15k just from the first five chapters of Avalon. Originally, there was supposed to be a lot longer sequence with Ashwind’s soldiers and we actually got to see the mission that Owen is returning from at the start of the book, but it took attention away from the main story and I had to leave it out.

Which character did you resonate with the most? You can name more than one if you want.

That’s hard to say. In many ways, I put a bit of myself in all my characters.

That being said, Beira is probably the one I understand most. She’s in between a rock and a hard place. The fae rely completely on her and the various oaths she’s sworn have left her with fewer options than she would like. She’s carries herself with a lot of internalized tension and the very real knowledge that messing up will have catastrophic effects on everyone she knows and loves.

What can we expect for the rest of the series? Especially book three.

Hiraeth is in the beta phase now! It picks up a few months after the events of Avalon and sees Owen struggling to master his new abilities as he learns more about Merlin and the creation of the fae. I’m planning on publish it sometime in the spring of 2023 and hope to release an omnibus with art of each fae generation sometime afterward.

Long term, I’m planning on writing a prequel about the first fae war and sequel duology set a few centuries after the events of the third book. The sequel series would follow Owen’s halfling great-great-great granddaughter after Beira disappears from the public eye.

What advice do you have for authors and writers out there who may feel discouraged?

Perfect is the enemy of done! The first six chapters of Haven actually ended up being the roughest because I kept fiddling with them to “improve” them instead of writing new stuff. It’s a lot easier to fix things when you know where they’re meant to lead instead of making your best guess.

Also, I highly recommend finding a core group of people to write with. You may not actually talk about your project much but having someone you can throw a rant to about how your characters aren’t behaving is so refreshing. The rubber duck process is fantastically helpful even when the rubber duck doesn’t quite understand what’s going on.

Can you tell us about your other works or works in progress?

Outside of my work on the greater FQC universe, I’m working on a gaslamp fantasy about a group of pirates hired by a dragon to retrieve some property that was stolen by a Dutch merchant prince. It’s tentatively called Fortitude’s Prize and I’m hoping to release it sometime in 2024. I’m also world-building for a hopepunk epic fantasy project I’m calling the Fallen Knight. I’ve got a busy writing schedule ahead of me!

About The Author:

Ceril N Domace is an accountant, the owner of a cat with more zooms than brain cells, and a dedicated dungeon master.

As a lover of fiction works great and small, Ceril has been reading age-inappropriate stories since her father failed to pull The Silmarillion from her grubby little fingers at age five. As a grown-up accountant, her spreadsheet compiling gives her plenty of time to make plans for a fantastic world that isn’t plagued by balance sheets . . . and also has dragons.

On the rare occasions she manages to free herself from an ever-growing and complex web of TTRPG, Ceril enjoys taking walks and griping that all her hobbies are work in disguise.

Links:

linktr.ee/cerilndomace

https://www.goodreads.com/series/329096-the-fae-queen-s-court

https://www.cerilndomace.com/

https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/group.html?group=22251

Author Spotlight: Emily Camp

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This Week’s Author: Emily Camp

Book Spotlight:

Author Bio:

Emily Camp is an author of several young adult novels. She also studies literature and is currently working toward a creative writing degree.

Follow me and find my books here: https://beacons.ai/emilycampwrites

Interview With Emily Camp:

1. Tell us about the books you’ve published so far. Can you tell us about some of your upcoming novels? I write young adult and new adult romances. I have two that have mystery elements to them as well. A Homecoming to Forget is about a girl with amnesia and she tries to figure out what happened to her the night she lost her memory.  I like to write characters that people can relate to. I feel like I’ve accomplished that in my stories. 

I’ve been busy writing a story for Kindle Vella. It’s a soap opera type story, some romance and lots of drama. It’s called What Is Hidden. Vella is a serial fiction platform, so far I’ve published over 100 episodes for this and am still working on more. I’m planning on finishing at about 120 episodes. I’m also currently brainstorming a project for an upcoming anthology in May and have another YA romance with a little bit of suspense in the works. It’s about a girl who’s ex-boyfriend is stalking her. She fake dates a guy to get the stalker off her back, and we all know what happens when people fake date in fiction. The problem is, the stalker doesn’t give up that easily. I was wanting to have it ready by spring, but I’ve been focusing on my vella projects the last few months. 

2. What was the moment you knew you wanted to be an author? I fell in love with storytelling at an early age. I remember reading and watching things and trying to come up with my own endings before they happened. But my first time thinking I could be an author was when I was 13 and fell in love with the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I even wrote a story inspired by that book. I still have the story, too. If there would have been fanfiction back then I’m sure I would have written fanfiction for it as well. 

3. What are some things you do to overcome doubts about your writing? 

I started posting my stories on Wattpad to get a feel for what readers thought about my writing before I published on Amazon. I actually had a decent following there. But one thing I did was I made a document of all the kind messages readers sent me while I was writing there. I look at it whenever I feel like giving up. 

4.Have any actual life experiences reflected in your writing? Absolutely. I have used several life experiences. 

5. Who was your easiest character to write about and why? The easiest character I’ve written is Kacey from Boy of the Week. Because I got the idea of her from my teenage self. From some of the feedback I get about that book, I’m not the only one who was like her in high school. 

What was your hardest and why? My hardest character was Pierce from Sydney’s Last Night. I never really felt like I understood her at the time. She lost her sister and was grieving a sibling. I’d never experienced that when I wrote about it. However, I did lose my brother six months after I published the book. I don’t know if that would be harder to write now or not. 

Contact me at nikkiereads@starsbooksandtea.com if you’d like to be featured here!

Author Spotlight: Scarlett Kol

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This Week’s Author: Scarlett Kol

Book Spotlight:

Author Bio:

Scarlett Kol is the USA Today Bestselling Author of dystopian, paranormal and fantasy novels for young adults. Born and raised in Northern Manitoba, she grew up reading books and writing stories about creatures that make you want to sleep with the lights on. As an adult, she’s still a little afraid of the dark.

Interview With Scarlett Kol:

Tell us about the books you’ve published so far. Can you tell us about some of your upcoming novels?

I have a smattering of different novels out there. My debut novel was a near-future Robin Hood retelling. It’s a little bit dystopian, a little bit biopunk, and is told from the point of view of an upper east side Maid Marian named Mercury. However, my first and true love is more of the paranormal/urban fantasy type stories. Most of my novels to this point are standalones featuring witches, demons, wraiths, and anything else I can think up (Wicked Descent, Sleepless, Keeper of Shadows), however I always like to temper my magic with a little bit (or a lot) of romance as I adore writing those intimate moments between characters. My latest release will be Fierce which is book three from my Faraway High Fairytales series. This is a super fun series of fairytale retellings set in a contemporary Iowa high school in the fictional town of Faraway. So far, I’ve tackled the Little Mermaid but with angels (Falling), Sleeping Beauty but with Celtic mythology and portal magic (Dreamer), and the latest release will be The Twelve Dancing Princesses but make them a cheerleading squad and wolf shifters (Fierce). The nice thing about this series is that they all interconnect, but are completely standalone so you can read them in any order and still get a complete story. After that I plan on launching a brand-new series centered around tarot, so definitely watch my social media for that!

What was the moment you knew you wanted to be an author? 

I was always a huge reader and had an amazing librarian who turned me on to paranormal and contemporary fantasy in middle school However, somewhere around my early teen years as I devoured Christopher Pike and Anne Rice novels, I realized I had my own stories to tell. I loved the books I was reading and started writing short stories for local contests, and even won a few. After high school, life kind of got in the way, but I still wrote some moody, angtsy poetry for a bit and focused on studying. After my first son was born, I realized I’d strayed away from what I loved and wanted to get back to something that felt like “me”. I started writing this Women’s Fiction/Reese’s Book Club type book, but it just wasn’t coming together. Around that time, a friend gave me this book she thought I might like that I’d never heard of called Twilight and it sparked the love I had back in my teens for those kinds of paranormal stories. I’d convinced myself I had to give up the childish things I used to love but here was this writer in her 30’s doing what I wished I had. I scrapped the novel I’d started and picked up a pen to write a YA story full of magic, mystery, and swoony romance. The rest was history.

What are some things you do to overcome doubts about your writing?

Omigosh! This is such a great question as I still battle with this on every single project. It doesn’t seem to matter how many books I write or how much I hear that people love them, I’m constantly struggling with the thoughts that this book won’t be as good as my past ones, or it should be so much better, or the book I’m reading is leaps and bounds more amazing than mine. However, if I let those thoughts take over, I’d never publish another thing! Fortunately, I have an amazing set of writer friends who are my cheerleaders and support system who put me back on track when I fall. But what’s really been working for me lately is promising myself that no one needs to read what I’m writing. “It’s a first draft, if it sucks, I won’t publish it/submit it/send to readers.” Usually once I get through the first draft, it might still suck, but there are pieces in there that I love and then I strive to make the book match those parts. Eventually, I’m a few drafts in and have switched to thinking about the release so it moves from “this sucks” to “it’s coming out soon, better make it shine”. I also put a photo of my cover in my workspace to remind me that if I finish the story I get to put that pretty on my shelf.

Have any actual life experiences reflected in your writing?

All the time, whether I realize it or not (however, people I know will usually let me know). I think we all write what we know to some extent as that’s how we experience the world and we reflect it back in our writing. Most of time it’s usually a character or character trait, something minor like an object or saying, or a place fictional place I wrote about that is totally a real place somewhere that meant something to me. However, I do have one kiss in one of my books that is based on a real kiss I had once … I’ll let you all guess which one.

Who was your easiest character to write about and why? What was your hardest and why?

The easiest character was Brea Vardan from Dreamer. She’s a bit of an overthinker and is probably one of the characters I’ve written that is most like myself in how they think and break down information. The hardest character was definitely Berkley James from Sleepless. I tore down and rebuilt this book about twenty times! I think she was the hardest because she has a ton of bad stuff that happens to her in the book and it weighs on her pretty heavy which makes it tough for her to try to fight her way out of it. My heart kind of broke for her a bajillion times while I wrote that book.

Contact me at nikkiereads@starsbooksandtea.com if you’d like to be featured here!

Author Spotlight: Amanda Marin

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This Week’s Author: Amanda Marin

Book Spotlight:

About The Author:

When Amanda was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing back a book as a present for her. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about faraway knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories.

Nowadays, Amanda writes books of her own. She is a USA Today bestselling author and works in scholarly publishing. Her favorite things include Starbucks lattes, lazy summer afternoons at the beach, and stories with characters that make you go “awww.” She lives in New England with her family and furbaby, Snickers the Poodle.

Stay in touch!

Interview With Amanda Marin:

Tell us about the books you’ve published so far. Can you tell us about some of your upcoming novels?

Yes! Young adult fiction holds a special place in my heart. I got really into reading YA almost ten years ago while experiencing some major health issues. YA quickly became my go-to comfort read at the time, and as I recovered, I started to dabble in writing it. It took a couple of tries to get right, but I stuck with it. Eventually, I churned out a draft of my first novel to get published: North to Nara, a YA dystopian romance.

North to Nara grew into a trilogy (the Crimson Sash series), and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart! “North” (as I call it for short) is a forbidden love story that reinvents the Hester-Dimmesdale romance from The Scarlet Letter against a backdrop of modern social issues. I like to think that it has a positive, deeper meaning beyond the surface-level story of the two sweet, beautiful main characters who only want the chance to love each other.

Being a sucker for retellings, I also write fairy tales and mashups with a twist. The heroines in my Happily Other After short story series choose endings other than their originally crafted Prince Charming. I’ll be adding another story to that collection in early 2023. In the meantime, I have two mythology-based academy stories out (or coming out soon!) in anthologies in 2022. I love putting a modern spin on old stories!

What was the moment you knew you wanted to be an author?

Tough question … but mostly because the answer is SO simple! I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Even as a kid, I loved reading and writing stories. I was an early reader, and I used to walk around with notebooks and journals from the time I could write. To me, there’s nothing better than becoming immersed in a story—books are my cure-all when I’m sad and my happy place when times are good.

What are some things you do to overcome doubts about your writing?

I usually find comfort in knowing that other authors have experienced the same sorts of doubts. Imposter syndrome, lackluster reviews, rejections from agents and publishers—all the greatest writers have faced these … as have my own writer pals. There’s comfort in knowing you’re not alone in your struggles!

Have any actual life experiences reflected in your writing?

Absolutely! Without pointing fingers, I will say that some of the guys in my Cinderella story, “Another Midnight,” have a similarity or two to one or more of my exes (shhhh—don’t tell!). Plus, I have lived with PTSD for many years. I drew on some of my treatment/coping experiences in my novel Sky to Sea, which is a sequel to North to Nara. I wish I could say that I could dance, paint, or foretell the future like the muses and seers in my Mythic Academy series … maybe someday if I cross my fingers and keep practicing!

Who was your easiest character to write about and why? What was your hardest and why?

Another great question … My hardest character to write was Micah, the cinnamon-roll hero in my Crimson Sash books. He’s SO good and selfless, especially at the beginning of the trilogy. Writing him made me much more aware that kindness matters in real life as much as a novel! I learned from him even while I invented him, I guess. The easiest to write was Corisande, a siren who falls for her intended victim, in my upcoming novella A Song of Salt and Secrets. She’s shy, awkward, well-meaning, and a bit nervous all the time. I can relate! LOL 🙂

Contact me at nikkiereads@starsbooksandtea.com if you’d like to be featured here!