Author Interview: Manner Hall

Author Manner Hall is a young upcoming fantasy author from Los Angeles. It is always my pleasure to feature local authors on my blog. Please welcome her to No Wasted Ink.

Author Manner Hall My name is Manner Hall, I am twenty-five years old. I am a published author, as well as a sword and vape collector. I also happen to be a muscle car fanatic. Alongside those pastimes, I enjoy spreading joy and happiness via my social media pages and in daily life. I have five loving fur babies, three dogs, and two cats. In recent months I have also been exploring the world of good health and a centered well being. I enjoy meeting new people, I feel that a person can learn valid things from almost anybody. Which is why I am so excited to do this interview and share some of my knowledge with other upcoming writers. Perhaps if I am lucky enough, I will be able to connect with more people and hear their experiences.

When and why did you start writing?

I began writing at the age of thirteen. At the time I suffered from nearly debilitating night terrors. You know, the kind that wakes you up in a bed of sweat gasping for air. Often times I would wake up terrified because my nightmares felt so real. I was told by various family members, mainly my grandmother, that if I told someone what they were about they would go away. Sadly, that did not happen. So instead every night I began going to sleep with an open mind rather than fear. I kept a journal by my bed and when I would have a dream I would wake up and jot down what I saw and heard. Over the course of the next few months, I realized that the dreams had begun to link together much like a puzzle. I began to get to know and feel the emotions of the characters, people, and creatures that came to visit me in the realm of sleep. I was always the bystander, my dreams seemed like a movie playing before my eyes. As I see it, I am the voice of my dreams, I bring them to life through my writing. It was that pain and terror that gave birth to my book series Amulet of the Elements.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I came to acknowledge myself as a writer by the time I turned fifteen. Between balancing my studies at school and other various activities, I forced myself to find time to write. If I went to long without pumping out a chapter or two a week, I found that my night terrors would return with a vengeance. The more I slept, the more I got to know characters from my series, Tonisa, Reanon the Red etc. The expansive universe my mind had come to subconsciously build, making me realize this was my calling and my gift. The more I wrote, the more mature and eccentric my writing style became, it was then that I labeled myself as a writer.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

The book that I would enjoy sharing with everyone would be, Amulet of the Elements Chosen of the Stone. It is a dark epic fantasy novel that I began writing, what seems forever ago. It takes place in medieval times and has races, planets, and languages that I have created myself. It is set around the story of three main characters. Zacura Bloodclaw, a hellhound who claims the breed of the Trivouchion Red Horn. She is what many believe is the next chosen Keeper of the Elements, of chosen of the stone. Zacura is the main protagonist in my series. Another character of note would be Tonisa Tyliquin. She is the main antagonist in the series, with her secret lover Calira Draconvieh or as he is commonly known, The Dark Dragon King, being the supporting antagonist.

In short, my book and its series are about the greater good. So many characters that many think would never clash do in unthinkable ways. The main focus is a battle for the planet of Evernia. It has been subjected to a noxious and plague-like cloud of darkness known as the Raxonian Bane. No one knows where or how it started, but some view it as the gods’ way of washing sin from a world they never meant to create. The secondary focus is a battle between the dragons of Evernia and the witches known as the Tyliquin race. It is a legendary war that has been going on for over ten thousand years. I would say it is a civil war, one that began with the sin of a goddess in the form of pre-marital sex with a demon. It is a battle for control, rights, and wealth in the form of land. One side wishes to regain dominion over what they feel was stolen from them, while the other wishes to see magic vanquished. This is often times found to be unreasonable in my series to most characters, as magic is what freed the draconic races from their chains and slavery to the human race in the Embryonic Era.

What inspired you to write this book?

I would have to say that my brain’s creativity inspired me to write this book and all six others that will follow. I always tell people who ask me this question, that my brain is in a way, my master. It shows me things that I never thought possible and allows me to connect mentally and somewhat physically to my characters and their stories. There are so many ideas and tales in my head that I feel it would be a disservice to my gift to never see them in print. I want to share my stories with the world. My hope is that everyone can find something in this book to relate to.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Yes, I do. I believe I would fall under both the descriptive and narrative columns of writing styles. I have had many of my readers tell me that my writing could be compared to a song. I found that quite flattering honestly. I am very descriptive, I enjoy explaining things like feelings, sounds and clothing textures in comparison to other items or things. I feel it gives the reader a much more realistic depiction of the text. For example, when I express something like a dragon roaring I would say something like the following.

“The thunderous ballad of serpentine vocals trampled through the open air like a drum of thunder.”

I just personally enjoy having common things to refer to when I read, especially in a fantasy novel. Authors of the fantasy genre build worlds we know nothing about. It is for this reason I enjoy adding a bit of realism to derive a scene from. Something to give the reader a painting of something that is familiar to them.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

Amulet of the Elements Chosen of the Stone is a second edition of the first book. The original title was Amulet of the Elements Keeper of the Elements. Over time as my skills evolved and I left my previous publishing company, I found it to be redundant. It felt more like a title for a children’s book or teen novel. Which my book is in no way marketed for, so I changed it having then been in my twenties. Amulet of the Elements Chosen of the Stone was born basically out of having more maturity and the ability to think deeper into my work. The title symbolizes that someone is the chosen being, and has been elected by a powerful and ethereal like stone, rather than by their peers or another being in the line of succession.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes! There are so many that I could never explain them all in one sitting so I will focus on pointing out the main ones. While writing AOTE, I wanted to spread what I feel is peace and wisdom in an exciting landscape. The fantasy genre is huge, so much so that some even cosplay, or live by the creed or lifestyle of some very popular books. We as people tend to be more open to make a stand or accept something if someone we look up to agrees with it. Writing is a valuable tool to see such things happen.

One of my messages would be on racism. Even today in 2018 we still face issues with judgmental opinions and prejudice. I happen to be in an interracial relationship, my boyfriend and I get looks all the time because I am African/German American and he is Caucasian/ White. Even answering this question ruffles my feathers a bit. I do not enjoy claiming a race, I am human as are we all.

To sum up this particular message I will say this. In my series, hellhounds represent the poor and middle class. In comparison to our world, they are the African Americans, the Latino, the Muslim or any race or religion that is currently or has always been frowned upon.

The dragons represent the rich and influent, they are often times prejudice and feel that anyone who is not like them are beneath them. Now I am not saying that every rich person is cruel or a racist or anything like that. There is good and evil in everyone, such is true with certain dragons in my books.

Take Calira and Tonisa for example. Calira is what is known as a hidden drake. Meaning he is a dragon but he can walk as a human. Tonisa is a Tyliquin witch, a race of human magical beings. It is illegal for a dragon to marry or mate with a witch. And in some countries as a dragon, you can be killed if you hold a Tyliquin as anything more than a slave. This couple has lived through segregation and torment. Even still, they persevere and fight for their right to love no matter the blood they claim.

The second I will share today is greed. In my books, it shows how greed can be enjoyed, but also how it can damage an ecosystem, a class of people and or creatures as a whole. My other messages are hidden here and there. I am sure everyone who reads my books will find them.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know or events in your own life?

No, they are not. This book and all those that will come to follow, just bloom as I go. I know how the story began and I know how it will end. Everything else is up to whatever direction my imagination forces me to take.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

I would have to say the authors who have influenced my life would be, J.K. Rowling and Steven Erickson to name a couple. I would even say a sprinkle of J.R.R Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. J.K. Rowling was my very first introduction into Fantasy followed by Tolkien, Martin, and Erickson. What I find most inspiring about them all is the originality of their work and how they never gave up on their dreams of becoming a well known and best-selling author.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

I would have to say J.K. Rowling for sure. She is an amazing person. She created a world and story both adults and children could enjoy. Gave messages of love and war and the good side, at last, gaining the upper hand. I hope to one day be like her. She is extremely rich and famous but still remains humble and caring to others. She is not greedy nor has she ever forgotten how far she has come, I admire that.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

I design all the covers to my books from my AOTE series to my short stories and novels. However, A wonderful man by the name of Sukrit, known as Doomguy26 on Deviantart illustrated them for me and brought my ideas to life. I chose him because he had the exact drawing style I was looking for. A realistic feel with the ability to keep the wonders of fantasy and myth in the art.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

My best advice would be to do your research and take your time. Never give up on your dream of becoming an author. It has been one of the most time consuming yet rewarding activities in my life thus far. I have had the experience of meeting new people from around the globe. I would also suggest that they look into self-publishing through Amazon if they run into issues or far too many denial letters from traditional publishers. I left my old publishing company Tate Publishing back in early 2016. They were not at all what they seemed. I have since then had much more exposure networking myself than I ever had with them. Research, talk to people, explore the vast world or the internet and educate yourself before you dive in. You can also build up your followers and popularity for free while you work on your book or series. That way you can grow as you go. I began on Wattpad and just expanded from there.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I just want to thank all my followers and readers for their support and opinions throughout the years. I would be nothing without all you guys. To all the followers I may gain from this interview, I wish to extend my thanks in advance to you and hope you enjoy this as well as my book and those coming in the near future. And of course, let’s spread love not hate.

Amulet of the Elements Chosen of the Stone Book Cover Manner Hall
Los Angeles California