I have known of Tracy for well over a year now and judging from her covers and descriptions, I am going to have to pick them up and give them a read! She writes epic fantasy, which is exactly the kind of stuff I read. So, I want to thank her for stopping by and Tracy was kind enough to let me interview her. This is what she had to say...
First off, tell us a little bit about you.
I’m a native
Midwesterner but I lived out West in Nevada
and California
for many years. I’m currently living in Michigan
again and appear to be a nondescript soccer mom. I take care of my kids,
attempt to train my juvenile German Shepherd dog, and volunteer at my kids’
schools. But when no one is looking I write novels. In my head I’m plotting
daring escapes, the conquest of civilizations, love triangles, and mortal
duels. My imagination has always saved me from an existence punctuated by
boredom and stress. Surprisingly people have often described me as “down to
Earth.” This must stem from my intuitive connection to the natural world. I’m
an advocate for the local food movement. I source as much food as I can from
local farmers and grow food in my yard. Yes, I process my kitchen scraps with a
worm composter in case you were wondering.
What genre do you consider your books?
So far I have
written 8 epic fantasy novels. They have magic, high stakes, many characters of
all ages, and span years of time. There are two magical races: the rys and the
tabre. Plus there are humans and a few monsters.
When did you start writing?
To be entirely
honest I started writing when I was taught to write in grade school. By second
and third grade I was writing my own stories, illustrating them, and stapling
the pages together into books. I’m a born self publisher! As an adult I began
to seriously pursue a career as a novelist in 1997 when I started writing Union
of Renegades. More or less, I’ve been writing daily ever since.
Why do you write?
I need a creative
outlet. I feel physically, mentally, and spiritually good after each writing
session. My stress increases if I go days without writing. It’s therapy
basically.
What would be your choice for a superpower?
I’m rather fond of
Magneto’s ability to precisely control magnetic metals.
Who is your favorite author?
Many authors over
the years have touched my heart and intellect. Picking one is difficult, but
J.R.R. Tolkien is an author whose work I not only contemplate but continually
lean on as a source of comfort in difficult times. His epic taught me courage,
and I identify with his deep environmental themes. I’ve talked to trees since I
was a child. Don’t call me weird. They’re good listeners.
Other favorites
include Jean Auel, John Steinbeck, Frank Herbert, and Stephen King.
What are you reading now?
The Night Circus by
Erin Morgenstern
The Devil’s Doctor
by Philip Ball
Furies: War in Europe 1450 - 1700 by Lauro Marines
Who is your favorite character to write?
I’ve written so many
characters over the years. I don’t know if I could choose one. Honestly I adore
writing them all. It was great to write Amar because he’s so bad ass and troubled
by his conscience very little. I loved writing Cruce because he has a good
heart and always stands in the defense of his people no matter his fear or
dread. Although it really is not apparent, Dreibrand from The Rys Chronicles is
very close to my heart. Writing the character of Demeda was an indulgent trip
into pure teenage female rebellion. I also find special challenges in writing
the rys and tabre characters because I have to imagine having great magical
powers and a non-human perspective.
Do you have a writing process?
Lots of daydreaming
plus a disciplined approach to daily writing unless something absolutely
prevents me from doing it. To begin I read what I wrote the day before to warm
up my brain and then I start writing. At the end of the writing session I’ll
write a little note about the next scenes. Later I’ll go over what I wrote and
fix it up a bit.
What advice would you give an aspiring author?
My main advice is
having a concept of how you want your story to end. I believe you need a goal
to write towards. Knowing the ending will help you create the whole story. It’s
best to write as often as possible because I believe the skill is like a
muscle. You need to use it to make it stronger and better.
What inspired you to pursue writing?
My need is innate. I
imagined myself as a novelist as a young girl. I always wanted to build a
business around what I love to do. My hope has always been to express myself
and create stories that entertain others. Truly connecting with a reader is an
amazing achievement for me as an artist.
What are your favorite TV shows and movies to watch in
between writing?
TV - current
favorites
Mad Men
Sons of Anarchy
Trailer Park Boys
Portlandia
Movies - old
favorites that I watch over and over
Wall Street
Conan the Barbarian
Chronicles of Riddick
Doctor Strangelove
The Godfather
Thank You for
Smoking
Spartacus
I’m also a massive
documentary junkie.
What are your current projects?
I recently announced
my newest work in progress with the working title of Werelord Thal. It’s a
werewolf novel set in Renaissance Bohemia. Although I’m keeping magic in my
fiction and adding paranormal elements, I’ve chosen a real historical setting
instead of a purely imagined fantasy world. It’s been a good challenge and I
love studying Early Modern Europe.
Do you have anything specific to say to readers?
To those who have
read my novels I say thank you for giving me a chance. I’m glad I entertained
you. To readers in general, I will advise them to keep an open mind about indie
authors. Publishers are businesses and they only have limited and tightly
defined production slots. They can’t take on or even look at everyone. There
are tens of thousands more talented people than there are publishers to produce
them. Self publishing is how these creative people seek an audience.
Quick Fire
Cats or Dogs?
Both!
Coffee or tea?
Coffee
Favorite food?
Fried chicken
Vanilla or chocolate
ice cream?
Chocolate but I like
vanilla too.
What are 3 things
you never leave home without?
Water, a lighter,
and money.
Laptop or desktop?
Desktop, but I use a
portable word processor called a Neo for most of my writing. It’s way better to
type on than a laptop. I find laptops tremendously uncomfortable.
Who are 3 famous
people you’d like to hang out with?
Jimi Hendrix (if he
was alive)
Woody Harrelson
Roseanne Barr
TV or movies?
Movies
Published novels
Rys Rising, Savage
Storm, New Religion, Love Lost, Union of
Renegades, The Goddess Queen, Judgment Rising, and The Borderlands of Power.
Find them all at:
Brave Luck Books
Thank you for the great interview!
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!
Visit my
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!
Also, please visit
MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!
All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.
Thank you for interviewing me. I've followed your blog for a while and you always have great content. I hope that I succeeded in adding to it. Best wishes with your novels. They look great too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing all of that with us here, Tracy,and thanks for the kind words. You absolutely had a great interview and it was a fun one to read. I am sure the folks at Eye on Ashenclaw here will enjoy it as well. Also, your book covers look awesome and I am marking them to read. Which series would you suggest I read first? Also, great advice at the end on your statement about indie authors. I couldn't agree more. And I also liked 'Thank You For Smoking'. It was an interesting movie. All the best!
ReplyDeleteI love the dialogue in Thank you for Smoking. As for which of my series to read first, it does not really matter, but I think most people like to start with Rys Rising because then everything will proceed chronologically. Over two thousand years separate Rys Rising from The Rys Chronicles so they are their own stories but with interesting connections.
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