Continuing with the interviews from fellow fantasy/sci-fi authors, I was able to track down Ilana Waters on twitter and asked her some questions. The following is the result of that interview~
When did you start writing? What inspired you to pursue writing?
I’ve wanted to be writer since I was six years old. My first
grade teacher said I was good at writing, so I figured that’s what I should do
(this really tells you something about the power of labels). I didn’t take
writing seriously as a career until a couple of years ago. I figured it was now
or never. I chose “now.” J
Why do you write?
I think a famous writer once said “I write for the same
reason I breathe. Because if I didn’t, I would die.” I apologize for not
remembering the name of that writer, but safe to say, I share his/her
sentiment!
What would be your choice for a
superpower?
Reading people’s minds. I believe it was Anne Rice who said
“If you can read the minds of men, you can have anything you want.” Heh-heh.
;-)
Who is your favorite author?
Hmmm . . . there are too many to choose just one, but off
the top of my head I can think of Lemony Snicket, Michael Ende, Philip Pullman,
and Diana Wynne Jones.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently looking for new things to read, because I’m in
mourning after having finished all of Roald Dahl’s children’s books.
Who is your favorite character to
write?
In The Adventures of
Stanley Delacourt, I think my favorite character to write was Sophie (the
apothecary). I could see her so clearly in my mind: smart, feisty, with an
explosion of curly hair. Plus, she blows up at people the way I wish I could
sometimes, so that was easy to visualize. J
Do you have a writing process?
Hmmm . . . usually I procrastinate a bit in the morning,
followed by some dawdling, then lollygagging until noon. Just kidding! Sort of.
I do tend to procrastinate a little, but when I sit down to write, it’s often
so much fun I can’t stop!
What advice would you give to an
aspiring author?
Read books that you feel are well-written. Read the kind of
books you’d like to write. Sometimes, seeing
something done gives you a better idea of how to do it than someone explaining
it to you. You can read all the books on writing you want, but until you
actually witness those ideas in
action, they’re hard to emulate.
Tell us about your
books:
My first book, The Adventures
of Stanley Delacourt: Book I of Hartlandia, is a middle-grade fantasy. It’s available
at Amazon, Barnesandnoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords.
Look for the release of Book II of the Hartlandia trilogy in 2013.
Summary:
Ten-year-old Stanley Delacourt loves his quiet life in the
peaceful village of Meadowwood. At least, he does until his best friend is
killed. Then the town library—where Stanley lives and works—is burned to the
ground. The individuals responsible for both tragedies are a nasty group of
soldiers. They work for the kingdom’s new leader: Christopher Siren.
No one understands the rules Siren’s creating. They don’t
know why breaking them means death, or why the leader is so keen to destroy
books. And no one can figure out where the former queen and king disappeared
to—or if they’ll ever return.
With the grown-ups too fearful to take action, Stanley vows
to confront Siren. He plans to get answers and demand justice. Little does he
know that his journey will involve sword-wielding knights, kidnapper fairies,
and dark magic.
Stanley has only two allies back home. One is an intimidated
witch named Meredith. The other is a young apothecary called Sophie—who may
have enchantment problems of her own. Can they help him discover the reason
behind Siren’s crimes and end this terrible reign? Or is Stanley set to become
the next victim in the tyrant’s evil plot?
If you enjoy the fantasy works of Rick Riordan, Lemony
Snicket, or Philip Pullman, then explore the world of Stanley Delacourt today!
Also, I
can be cyber-stalked at these fine locations:
Thanks, Ilana and I hope to see you stalking us here at Eye on Ashenclaw in the future!
Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!
All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here
See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!
Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!
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Thank you so much, Gary, for having me on your site. I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming novel! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks just the book for my 11 year old son who loves fantasy. If all goes to plan, Santa will bring him a Kindle and this book will definitely be on it now. Glad to have discovered your writing through Gary.
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