1.
What inspired you
to write your book?
My
inspiration was my granddaughter. She
was always playing princess, fairy, or rock star. Her middle name is Alivia which I found very
unusual and as unique as she is. Her
intense imagination forms worlds where she can be or do anything she wants.
2.
What is it about?
Princess
Alivia discovers that she is not only a sorceress but also the guardian born to
halt the returning terror of a black-magic wizard named Abaddon. Along with her
beloved pets and familiars, Conall and Erskime, she lives hidden in a cave
protected by three hobgoblins and twelve ancient warrior faeries in the town of
Brightenbeam. She is brought there to sharpen her skills and to avoid capture
by the horrific warlord Guthrie and his black-magic seer Necromanticus. Sent to
Clavenburn to learn magic, she becomes best of friends with well-mannered
Genevieve, sassy and outspoken Catriona, Dooley the warrior, studious Waverly,
and handsome but mischievous Alasdair, while being thwarted by the evil orphan
twins Tearlach and Broch, along with their sidekicks.
Headmaster
Professor Hesperus Orfeo wears a mysterious pendant similar to the one worn by
Falon, head guardian of the faeries. Also on staff is a mystifying school
sentinel named Sir Cayden, who is keeping a puzzling secret. Surviving a kidnap
attempt, Alivia acquires one of the twelve hidden amulets. During holiday, Cat
and Genevieve help Alivia rescue a baby Skye dragon she nicknamed Spitfire.
Attempting to return the dragon to his home, they befriend a berg troll named
Hernhaugen, who helps them battle bewitched bats and boggarts sent by
Necromanticus to steal the Ring of Nature. At the end of the school year, her
friends convince Alivia to enter a magical tournament where they learn that
teamwork is the strongest magic of all.
From
the start, my imagination went into overdrive, imaging a kingdom where
alternate forces worked with and against mankind. Where humans felt it was fate that caused
changes in the atmosphere, in our futures, and in history. Behind the scenes, however an alternate yet
existing universe, whose magical decisions caused the changes that form our
universe. Consider a child’s imaginary
friend. The child gives credit to or
blame for what they do or how they react by stating that their buddy told them
to do did it and that they are to blame.
Alivia was naïve. Although she
grew up knowing that others in her kingdom were different, she accepts them as
one of her own. It isn’t until the
battle that she realizes that the magical realm is a real universe whose very
existence impacts her own. She has to
then adapt and change to fight for the right to regain her kingdom someday and
protect both the existences of mankind and the magical realm.
3.
What do you hope
will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
My
hope is that first, this book is able to transport readers back into the dreams
of children who are able to release reality for a time and be whatever they
want to be. Secondly, I wish to show
that we can’t fix all our problems alone; rather, that there is power in
numbers and friendships that ties us together.
It is the binding, no matter how different we are, that gives us the
ability to overcome and remain strong and true to ourselves. Third, I have faith that no matter how
different we all are, we contribute to the success of the whole and are worthy
of respect, love and understanding. It
is our differences that make us all unique.
4.
What advice do you
have for writers?
Keep
pads and pens around you everywhere.
Inspiration rears its head in the strangest places. It may be an idea, just a description, a
word, or even a squiggle that later will turn into a story or a poem. Imagination doesn’t have to be all glitzy or
sweet. Imagination is sometimes where
our nightmares come from. Both good and
bad affects our worlds and our writing.
It is through these differences that our characters take on a form and a
life of their own.
Never
stop writing. If you get blocked, listen
to music, take a walk or a drive, sit in a crowded location, or pull up random
pictures on the internet. Then just
write about what you see. Use all your
senses to describe how you feel, what do you smell; the textures of life that
make a specific thing distinctive.
Don’t
give up and never let opinions get you down.
Rather learn from others. Relook
at what you have written as if someone else wrote it and it is your job to
critique it. Join book clubs. Research thoroughly eras, foods, clothing,
soils, foliage, and beliefs. Jot down
what you learn. Read and decipher other
author’s words. Pick apart what you
liked and didn’t like. What areas of the
story did you skip passed to get to the good stuff? What part made you hold your breath? What
made you stop and say, “Oh no she/he didn’t go there”? What is it about your favorite author that
makes you wait impatiently for the next book and pay full price the minute it
hits the stands? Those are your
mentors. Take one paragraph of theirs and
rewrite it. Their event took place in
sunshine. What would change if it was
storming?
These
things will build you into a writer.
Stories are lodged in many people’s heads. It takes a person with imagination, a
glossary of words, an ability to form scenes that makes one into a writer.
5.
Where do you think
the book publishing industry is heading?
I
feel it will evolve and survive. Mankind
went from storytellers who passed on the lore and history, to writing the words
down, to production of copies, audio and now electronic. People will always want to read or experience
an alternate universe where they can escape from their intense lives even if
but for a moment. Tales are told in
plays, movies, and even video games.
Each of these things always begins with a story. There will always be those who collect the
paper book forms. There is a special
bond with the book when you hold it in your hands, when you smell the
parchment, and when you flip the pages.
As with books, there is a need for tablets, phones or computers; where
people are able to jump into a story, while they wait in line or eat
lunch. We are creatures who thrive to
learn and be entertained. Books do both.
6.
What challenges
did you have in writing your book?
Time
to write, is my largest challenge. I
work full time. By the time I get home,
make dinner, take care of things at the house, I barely have time to get six
hours of sleep. So I use my lunch hours
and some weekends to write. Writing
means you must make sacrifices. It
entails having a supportive spouse or family.
It also requires setting priorities.
If you want to write, you will find the time. It may be at a loss of something else; but if
it is inside you, you will find the time.
Writing and reading are my outlets.
They relax me. I am seriously
introverted. I regenerate from being
alone. Even my job entails working alone
on a computer mostly. If you are a
social person, people stimulate you, activity charges your batteries; writing
may be a tedious job for instead of a form of relaxation. Writing takes work, editing, rewriting,
throwing away something you loved when you wrote it, starting again, then edit
many more times. Even once you have
written your book and published it, the work only then begins. Now you have to find time to market and still
fit in time to write. Dedication is a
must.
7.
If people can only
buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
As
Catrina says, “That’s why we fare so well. We complement each other. Wild,
prissy, and a princess. Who could want for more?” The book involves friendships, adolescence,
magic, plots, intrigue, and twelve godmothers who are warrior fairies. You have a blend of fantasy and real
history. I’ll even explain my take on
the Ice Age. Hopefully, if nothing else,
this book will leave you smiling.
For more
information, please consult: http://lenasstoryandpoetrycorner.blogspot.com.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
