1. What inspired you to write this book?
I have always loved writing, but never felt I had the resources to publish a book. My wife is a voracious reader. She can rip through a Harry Potter book in less than a week. I wanted to write a book for our anniversary. I chose a Medieval genre because I have referred to her as "my princess" ever since we met online, more than 25 years ago. After writing three chapters, I was worried that what I had written wasn't up to par with what she was used to reading. I transferred those chapters to a text to speech program, and played it in the car while on a road trip. My wife and sons fell in love with the story, but they didn't know I was the author. Feverishly punching out the rest of the book, I stayed sometimes merely paragraphs ahead of the family hearing more of the story. After completing it, my wife demanded I tell her the author's name so she could look to see if he had any other books. I had to come clean. It took at least 10 minutes of convincing before my family would believe I had written it.
2. What exactly is it about and who
is it written for?
The story is written for the whole family to enjoy. It centers on a little girl (Audrianna) who is betrothed to the prince (Henry) of Nadeau. But, because of her youth, they both have to wait until the princess is 16 before they can marry. Which they both are happy for because neither one likes the other. The prince is spoiled and abusive, and the princess is naive and superstitious. However, when a warring faction invades the castle, Audrianna and Henry are forced to flee together. Circumstances force them to trust one another as they seek out Allies that will help them retake the castle and restore their rule over the kingdom.
3. What do you hope readers will get out
of reading your book?
This is a love story between two people who cannot be lovers. I wanted to tell a love story where sex was not a factor. I wanted to show the readers what pure love looked like. Love that breaks down barriers, and makes you willing to sacrifice everything for those you care about.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and
cover design?
Betrothed seemed to be a perfect title because betrothal just feels medieval to me. The original cover of the book, when I self-published it through Amazon, had a picture of a little girl wearing what seems to be a white wedding garment, and holding a royal crown over her head. I found the picture on Pinterest, and hunted down the photographer responsible for the photo. I paid him for the right to have it on the original cover. The picture perfectly depicted Audrianna's character in the book.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers – other than run!?
One thing I remember from school was an interview with Ernest Hemingway who said in order to become a good author, you must first be a great reader. Once you read and discover the craft, don't be afraid of writing. Don't think that there is no way you could possibly write a 500- to 600-page book. Just focus on telling your story. If you can tell it in 100 pages, tell it! If it takes you longer because you want to expand the story, do it. Don't let self-doubt handicap your creativity. One thing that motivated me was listening to it on a text to speech app. There are some TTS apps that are better than others. But hearing the story unfold with encourage you to keep writing. And when you hear grammatical errors, or story continuity issues, fix them. Don't let it discourage you. Just adjust it until the story sounds appealing again.
6. What trends in the book world do you see --
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
A lot of people, my wife included, prefer to read books on a tablet. This opens the door to getting your book out there without expensive publishing costs. At the same time, for those who prefer printed books, Amazon (KDP) has made it incredible accessible to publish your books without costly publishing contracts.
7. Were there experiences in your
personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
I've had many people, peers and teachers alike, who have encouraged me to write. I had written in the past only nonfiction. But after publishing a picture book for my wife for out anniversary, I realized how easy it has become to print a book. A lot of the books I enjoyed growing up were the Chronicles of Narnia series, Barbara Robinson's Best Christmas Pagaent Ever, and all the Beverly Cleary books. I also loved O. Henry's short stories, Charles Dickens, and Alexandre Dumas. These books helped me develop my humor in writing, as well as formulating descriptive plots in stories.
8. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I would say my writing style is a mix of sarcasm, situational humor, and dramatic description. I think there is a lot in my writing style that’s similar to how C.S. Lewis describes things in his Chronicles of Narnia, but I think my humor comes from how Barbara Robinson described the Herdmanns in her books.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
The fear of failure. Having my family listen to the book, without them knowing it was mine, gave me an honest critique, and motivated me to keep writing. However, I had to figure out how to write the story in a way that my personality or personal idioms didn't come through in the book and give me away.
10. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
It's a unique plot and a fresh angle of a love
story. They will never be lovers, but they both learn to love and respect
each other. That love changes both of them. Audrianna is no longer weak and
timid. Henry is no longer selfish and arrogant. They both are willing to risk
everything to save the other.
About Thre Author: M. LeRoy Lombard, or Marc to his friends and family, realized at an early age that he had a gift for writing. He would write short stories in school and show them to his classmates and teachers to critique. His high school English teacher once asked him to include her in one of his books because, as she wrote on one of his short stories, "I want to be famous." Marc started writing short stories, poems, and silly songs for his wife when they were first dating. Later he added special writings for his sons as well as well as some to help the family keep a positive outlook while going through some series health issues. Marc has been a long-term fan of the show "Whose Line Is It Anyways", and was fascinated with the ease many of the cast could make up song lyrics. Marc currently works part time as a hospital chaplain, an occupation he finds a lot of joy doing, as well as inspiration from meeting so many people from different cultures. Please see: kingdomofnadeau.com
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