Tag Archives: interview

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Tiger Hebert

1 Comment

When I asked Author Tiger Hebert to describe his writing, he replied, “I write dark, epic fantasy that dares to hope.”  Don’t we need more hope in the world?  I think so!  Please welcome him to No Wasted Ink.

Author Tiger HebertHello, my name is Tiger Hebert. I am a Christian, husband, father of three children, and a veteran. I have a BA in Communications, and I work in the Quality and Training fields. I was born and raised in Maine, but I now live in North Carolina with my family. I love the outdoors and I am passionate about football, food, family, and faith.

When and why did you begin writing?

When I was a kid, I guess I had a knack for creative writing. The teachers really encouraged it, but I never did anything with it outside of school assignments. As I went through middles school and high school, I started getting into a variety of gaming ranging from Magic TCG to Hero Quest to Diablo. This really piqued my interest in writing fantasy, and I knew that one day I wanted to write something, but I never did anything about it.

Several years later, when I was in the military I began writing poetry and lyrics as an outlet. I didn’t really think I’d do much of anything with it until a friend told me that it was actually good. I dabbled in that type of writing for a few years, but never took the plunge into attempting fiction. Until one day, right around Christmas of 2011, I couldn’t wait anymore. So I created a blog for my “dragon” story, and I just began writing. I didn’t outline, plot, or worldbuild. I just started writing. After a few weeks, I realized I had something, and I needed to take it more seriously. That pet project turned out to be my first published novel, Dragon’s Fire.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

After I had written my sixth or seventh chapter of Dragon’s Fire, I was kind of blown away at how quickly it was coming together. The early reader feedback on those raw, and unedited chapters was incredible, and it gave me the encouragement I needed to finish the project. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, but I felt that it was actually something that I could, and should do.

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

I am currently working on The Halls of the Fallen King. It is my third book and is the next book in the series. I am hoping to finish up the 2nd draft and get it to beta readers sometime in May. The book follows our heroes from Dragon’s Fire, into the subterranean ruins of mysteriously abandoned dwarven ruins.

No one truly knows how or why an entire civilization just disappeared, but as waves of magical energy continue to radiate out from the ruins, it’s time to investigate.

What inspired you to write this book?

When I wrote Dragon’s Fire, I thought it would be a standalone tale, and it does stand on its own two feet quite well. However, there was so much more in the world to explore, including a much large story arc.

Then as I wrote Dragon’s Fire, I just really fell in love with the dwarfs and their culture, and I wanted to explore it further. The idea of diving deep, literally, underground into a mysterious dwarven kingdom sounded too fun to pass up.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I’m sure I do, and maybe someone else can articulate it better than me. I don’t have any fancy ten dollar words to describe their style. I generally say that I write dark, epic fantasy that dares to hope. I really strive to provide vivid imagery to really help the reader immerse themselves. I also work hard to maintain a healthy balance when it comes to the pacing because I’m not a huge fan of books that are slow.

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

The Halls of the Fallen King sort of fell into my lap if you will. It was a line from Dragon’s Fire describing the forgotten kingdom in a tiny dose of foreshadowing. Which interestingly enough, happened without me being the wiser. The line itself is based on the speculation of the Dwarven King’s fate and that connection to his kingdom’s sudden abandonment (or so it seems). Did the king die, did he go mad?

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

I can’t say too much, but one of the themes that deal with a combination of guilt, sorrow, and depression.

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

Tolkien and CS Lewis are huge to me. I was exposed to the splendor of Middle-Earth as a child, and the wonder never left me. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are timeless classics that never have never lost their luster to me. Ironically, I didn’t become familiar with CS Lewis’ works until I was an adult, despite them being children’s tales. Now, even as an adult, I can really appreciate the stories and all the messages they convey.

Among our contemporaries, I am a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and Steven Erikson. There are a great number of things that each of them does quite well. They are both fantastic world builders. They touch on everything from history to religion to art to society. The depth that they bring to their fictional worlds is unparalleled in my opinion.

I also have an immense respect for Brandon Sanderson’s work ethic. His product is off the charts. I would love to churn out books at the same rate he does, while still maintaining such a high standard of quality.

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

No, and perhaps that is silly of me. I find that I try to learn from a wide variety of other writers. I have found value from reading articles and blogs of bestselling, traditional authors. I’ve found value in learning from other self-published authors who have carved out a nice little spot for themselves, but I’ve also found tremendous value in learning from other people who have not yet had success. I think learning from each other’s experiences is invaluable.

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

(This cover is not yet finished released, but it should be in the next couple weeks)
Stefan Celic did the cover art for The Halls of the Fallen King. I started looking for a new cover artist well over a year ago, and a few people mention working with Stefan. The style of their covers was slightly different from what I was looking for, but when I looked through his portfolio, I saw that he had a diverse array of skill and style.

So I put out some feelers, seeing if he felt he could pull off the vision I had. He was not only confident he could, but he actually sounded excited to take on the project. My progress on the book hit a few snags so everything was delayed, so we never moved forward. Fast forward to this year, I reached out to him again to see if he was still interested. He was, so once his schedule opened up, I commissioned him.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write now, and write often. I think those are the two things that the best and most successful authors have in common. They don’t wait for “someday” to write that book, they just get started. Then they develop good writing habits, to make consistent progress.

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

Thank you! Thank you for your time and your patience. It will be rewarded.

hall of the fallen kingTiger Hebert
Whitsett, NC

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
PATREON

The Halls of the Fallen King

Cover Artist: Stefan Celic
Publisher: Brightblade Press

AMAZON

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Jeffrey L Kohanek

2 Comments

From a young age, Author Jeffrey L Kohanek felt driven by an internal desire to create. With an early love for heroes with superpowers, he found his childhood-self creating his own comic books. When he finally decided to write his own epic fantasy series, it was with the desire to instill that same sense of wonder in his readers. Please welcome him to No Wasted Ink.

Author Jeffery L KohanekMy name is Jeffrey L. Kohanek. I grew up in frigid Minnesota and moved to sunny Southern California fourteen years ago, where I currently live. I am married, and I have two children who are both in college. Among my favorite activities are: hiking, traveling, reading, spending time with my family, and playing the occasional video game.

When and why did you begin writing?

Like many others, I took the responsible route in college and graduated with an engineering degree rather than one in creative writing, although I loved it. When my children neared the end of their high school careers, I found time in my schedule that had previously been filled with their activities. That was when I decided to resurrect my passion for creative writing. Four years later, I have four published novels with two more releasing this year. I love being an author, and I intend to keep writing for many years.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I guess the moment came when I was offered a contract for my first book. It was published by a mid-sized press, and I have since reclaimed the rights and self-published the same book. However, the validation that someone else saw value in my writing flipped a switch inside my head and made it all seem so much more real.

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

I currently have four books published, all set in the fantasy world of Issalia. A Warden’s Purpose, the first book of a new series set in the same world. Set seventeen years after a major war that destroyed half of the continent, the story is told through the eyes of a brother and sister. Here is a synopsis:

Two schools: One of magic and science, the other about military excellence.
A dangerous undercurrent flows within both…dark and deadly.

Everson is brilliant, ingenious, and broken. Cursed with a disability, he dreams of nothing more than being useful. Quinn is bold, defiant, and will do anything to protect her brother. When Everson is accepted to an academy of magic and engineering, Quinn enters a school of combat in order to join him in Fallbrandt. However, things within the fabled institutions are not what they seem. Beneath a mantra of good intentions and the objective of a better future, conspiracies lurk.

Quinn finds herself embroiled in a struggle she doesn’t understand, one that has dire consequences as her training shifts from difficult to deadly. Her relentless determination and will to survive might be enough if she only knew whom she could trust.

Within the other school, Everson learns about a dangerous power known as Chaos. Unable to wield this magic, he instead focuses his efforts of melding Chaos with science, dreaming of inventions that would shape the future. Perceptive, imaginative, and curious, his endeavors lead him to a revelation that could change the world…and then he discovers the truth.

What inspired you to write this book?

When I finished the Runes of Issalia trilogy, I felt that there were many more stories within the world I had created and characters that I had yet to explore. Everson and Quinn drive the story. I feel like they demanded it be told and I was merely a conduit to making that happen.

Do you have a specific writing style?

My prose tends more toward action and emotion, with tight worldbuilding and a limited narrative rather than trying to astound the reader with poetic verse. This keeps the pacing up and has worked well for me.

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

A Warden’s Purpose is the first book in the Wardens of Issalia series. The title itself came through the book and was not set until I was almost finished with the first draft. In the end, the people who are recruited to be a Warden must have a purpose that drives them, something that makes them who they are while also suiting the overarching needs of the Wardens.

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

Inclusion. Many of my books feature inclusion or prejudice as an overarching theme. In this case, Everson’s disability may limit him physically, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a whole person or that he cannot be useful.

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

I always include some personal experiences in my stories, but Everson’s tale is fully original, as is Quinn’s.

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

In the early years, David Eddings and Raymond E. Feist were significant influences on me. More recently, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss are two who authors whom I admire.

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

I would love to have Brandon Sanderson as a mentor. His BYU 318R courses on Youtube show how well he can break down a story in an analytical way and his support would be very helpful.

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

J. Caleb designed my cover. I chose him because I am attracted to his style. He did a wonderful job taking my guidance and bringing images of Everson and Quinn to life.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I have three bits of advice to other writers:

1. Write. The more you do it, the better you get.
2. Editors are important and you MUST have someone qualified edit your work and make it the best it can be.
3. Lastly, share your writing. Authors are often afraid to do so, fearing that their work isn’t good enough. Don’t worry about that. If you’ve written a book, get it in front of other people for them to experience and to provide feedback. Not everyone will love it, but that’s fine.

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

I love, love, love my readers. I enjoy hearing your feedback and I read every review about my books. The positive reviews give me an emotional boost and feed my muse. The critical ones help make me a better writer. Also, don’t be afraid to email me.

A Wardens Purpose eCoverJeffrey L. Kohanek
Huntington Beach, CA

FACEBOOK
GOODREADS
TWITTER

A Warden’s Purpose

Cover Artist: J. Caleb
Publisher: Fallbrandt Press

AMAZON

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Karen Michelle Nutt

21 Comments

No matter the genre her tales fall under, Author Karen Michelle Nutt tries to capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most mysterious and fabulous human phenomena of falling in love. I’m pleased to welcome her on No Wasted Ink.

author karen michelle nuttMy name is Karen Michelle Nutt. As a multi-published author, I spin tales for The Wild Rose Press, Highland Press, Victory Tales Press, and Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery. I have also ventured into self-publishing.

I reside in California with my husband. We’ve been married for thirty-two years and have three fascinating children, who are grown now and have started their own adventures in life. We still have a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, my Chorkie, is my writing buddy and sits long hours with me at the computer.

When I’m not time traveling, fighting outlaws or otherworldly creatures, I create pre-made book covers with my daughter Katrina Gillian at: Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing down my stories when I was about nine or ten because I thought it was fun. I wrote plays at first. My fifth-grade teacher let my friends and I perform one of them too. It was very exciting for a ten-year-old.

Later, I jotted down stories in notebooks. I still have those early writings. They were written in ink, not on a computer. So ‘spell check’ wasn’t available. I couldn’t erase or add words if they were needed. Definitely, a rough draft. My daughters, when they were young, loved those stories and read them over and over again.

However, after I was married and had three children, life seemed to be too busy to pick up a pen and write. It wasn’t until a good friend of mine asked me why I didn’t write anymore that I realized how long it had been. That week I sat down and started my first novel and haven’t stopped writing since.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I suppose I’ve always been a writer in my heart, but when I held my first book in print that my publisher had sent me, I truly believed it.

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

Evie Reid on a whim agrees to travel back in time to 1997 to change bad boy/rock star Bellamy Lovel’s path. She’s smart with a college degree, but she is still fan-girl crazy for the rock band, Civilized Heathens. Evie knows despite all Bellamy’s smiles and enthusiasm on the stage, he’s destined to end it all on one lonely night in a hotel room unless she can change his path.

Bellamy isn’t keen on having Evie as his personal assistant, hired by his bandmates to watch over him, and keep him on schedule. However, there is something about the woman that sparks his interest, despite his best to ignore her. When darkness threatens to consume him he realizes she may be the only light that will chase the shadows away.

What inspired you to write this book?

My daughter and I watched ‘INXS, Live at Wembley’ on DVD. We were sad to think the lead singer had died so tragically and there would never be another song written or performed by him. The time travel tale about Bellamy Lovel took root, but I wanted a happier ending for my rock star and sent Evie back in time to try and save him.

Do you have a specific writing style?

No matter how dark the story may be, I try to also keep some levity in the tale. Life is about ups and downs and everything in between. I strive to keep the characters real no matter if their human, a vampire or shapeshifter. I want them to have genuine emotions and flaws because no one is perfect. I want them to fall in love and by the end of the story, I want the characters to find their happily ever after even if its only for now.

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

It was inspired by an INXS song. It wasn’t the title or the theme but three words within the song that inspired the title. Two Worlds Collided became the title for two reasons. My heroine is from the future and my hero is from the past, but their worlds collide. Also, my heroine’s essence is what travels back in time to merge with her younger self in 1997. In a sense, her worlds collide so she can be with the hero and hopefully change his tragic past.

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

First and foremost, I hope the story is heartwarming, fun and simply entertaining.

Though Two Worlds Collided is a time travel romance with plenty of humor and steamy romantic moments, my fictional character, Bellamy struggles with addiction, depression, and suicide. They are all serious emotions that should never be overlooked.

Of course, thoughts of suicide are not necessarily something people announce to the world and this means loved ones often have no idea that their friend or family member is even contemplating such an act. However, there may be signs and risk factors, and while you might think you can’t make a difference by yourself, you’re wrong. Sometimes all it takes is one person to say something or do something that will change their decision. One smile, one comment, a conversation or even a gesture toward someone who is considering suicide could make all the difference in the world. It could instill hope and with hope they may seek help.

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

Though I’ve known people who have suffered from addiction and depression, Two Worlds Collided was inspired by the tragic story of a true-life rock star.

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

Not really a mentor, but I do have someone I can bounce ideas off and discuss story plots. This is my daughter Katrina, who is not only a talented cover book artist but also an author as well. We’ll sit down and brainstorm about where I should send my characters next.

I also have a very good friend who edits my work and she’s not shy about telling me if something isn’t working for her in the story. This is vital in penning a good tale. I value her honest opinions. Thanks, Cathy.

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

I’m blessed with knowing many author friends that I’ve met online who have shared their experiences on what works and what doesn’t work in the storytelling world. Both are important in striving to be a successful writer.

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

Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover” is the name of my book cover store that I co-own with my daughter, Katrina Gillian. I created the cover for Two Worlds Collided. There were a few covers created before the one you see now was finally chosen.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Be true to yourself. Write every day even if you don’t feel inspired. Sometimes your quick thoughts can blossom into something more.

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

Readers are what writers can never live without. The novel doesn’t only belong to the writer; it also belongs to the reader as well. Without the reader, the story is just ink on a paper and nothing more. Opening the book, reading those first words, this is where the true magic begins. I love readers! Thank you so much for loving books.

book cover two worlds collidedKaren Michelle NuttKaren Michelle Nutt
Huntington Beach, CA

FACEBOOK
GOODREADS
TWITTER
PINTEREST
TUMBLER
YOUTUBE

Two Worlds Collided

Cover Artist: Gillian’s Book Covers
Publisher: Twin Star Books

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS
KOBO
BOOKS A MILLION

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Laurel Anne Hill

Leave a comment

Author Laurel Anne Hill is an award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, steampunk and horror. Many of her stories inspire readers to choose the way of worthiness.  Laurel is a fellow Broad Universe member and costumer with whom I’ve shared many a rapid fire reading with.  Please welcome her to No Wasted Ink.

Laurel Anne Hill for EWL Back CoverHello, I’m Laurel Anne Hill, author and former underground storage tank operator. Really! My day job for many years included environmental health and safety at a pharmaceutical research and development facility. I grew up in San Francisco with more dreams of adventure than good sense or money. My close brushes with death, love of family, respect for honor and belief in a higher power continue to influence my writing and my life. I’m blessed to have a loving husband and four wonderful children.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing before I could read. Stories created themselves within me I’d tell them to my older sister and she’d write them down. I’d illustrate my tales with pictures from comic books and magazines. My sister loved to write her own stories, too. I admired her and still do.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I was very young, I don’t think I understood the concept of being a writer. At some point in elementary school, I knew writing was what I wanted to do. I had a story published in the children’s section of a major San Francisco newspaper when I was eleven years old. Then I knew I’d become a real writer. The story, “Nancy Saves the Day,” was horrid, or course. Heck, I didn’t know the conventions for creating quality prose. I still read the piece every once in a while, to laugh and remind myself of how far I’ve progressed.

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

A Life-Saving Mission

A mystical vision of an airship appears to fifteen-year-old Juanita in 1894. The long-dead captain commands her to prevent California’s thrown-away people—including young children—from boarding trains to an asylum. That institution’s director plots murder to reduce the inmate population.

Spirits watch over Juanita. But who is she? A mystic in love who holds life sacred? Or a ghost-possessed railroad-saboteur?

To save innocent lives Juanita must take lives of the corrupt. How can she reconcile her assignment with her belief in the sacredness of all human life? And will she survive to marry her betrothed?

Juanita sets out despite inner trepidation to sabotage the railroad. Her ancestor, Billy, guides her. Then bit by bit, she discovers the gut-wrenching truths all of her dead family neglected to reveal.

Ghosts, Goggles, Guns and Grit

Come visit Juanita’s world—an alternate nineteenth-century California—where spirits meet steampunk, where both love and anger emanate from beyond the grave.
What inspired you to write this book?

In the early 1990s, I had a dream about an elderly woman riding a train. The train headed toward a disreputable asylum where inmates died of neglect or even by euthanasia. The attendant placed an abandoned baby in a basket on the adjacent seat. The woman realized the baby was her great-granddaughter and escaped the train. With a broken foot, she carried the infant many miles. This dream became the basis of a short story, never published.

Where had the dream come from?

First of all, when I was a teen in the 1950s, my beloved maternal Swedish grandmother had paid the hospital bill for the birth of one of my sister’s sons. The bill had cost Grandma much of what she’d possessed. Grandma had died in 1989. In the early 1990s, my memories of her remained close.

Next, a month before I birthed my daughter in 1979, I’d fallen and broken my foot as I left work in San Francisco. My husband, David, had expected to meet me on the other side of the bay. Cell phones as we now know them didn’t exist. I hadn’t wanted to worry David by not showing up when expected. I’d walked on a broken foot, taken public transportation and traveled thirty miles to reach the train station near our home.

Third, and quite important, before I’d married David, I’d worked for him in a hospital laboratory. The hospital performed lots of abortions, including many late term. I’d believed in the right to choose, and still do. Yet stacks of plastic specimen containers containing pickled babies left a sour taste in my mouth. After all, I’d hoped to birth a child of my own someday.

That fateful night of dreaming, my pro-choice beliefs had gone head-to-head with a pro-life type visualization. In the story that emerged, a woman who’d married into a Mexican family declared her own opinions. I had no choice but to accept her challenge to tell the tale of the baby she saved. Only years later did I discover the inspiration and tragedy associated with my paternal Mexican great-grandmother’s life. I’d never met her. She’d died over twenty years before I’d been born.

Do you have a specific writing style?

My stories tend to be plot driven, although I try to stay close to my point-of-view characters. I like to “show” rather than “tell” whenever I can.

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

I’d gone through a number of potential titles during the writing process. When I sent my manuscript to Sand Hill Review Press, I’d entitled the novel “Woman of the Light.” That title hadn’t worked for the editor, so I chose The Engine Woman’s Light. I wanted potential readers

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

What we do can make a difference in the world.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Some experiences are based on events in my own life, as explained above. Also, I’ve hiked, camped, run rapids, ridden horseback and operated a steam locomotive.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring? I love the work of many authors, such as Neil Gaiman and Graham Joyce. I think, however, the work of children’s authors have had the biggest impact on my life. For example, Elizabeth Foster, author of Gigi: The Story of a Merry-Go-Round Horse, showed me the magic created when blending imagination with the reality of world conditions and history.

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

My mentor is Charlotte Cook, a writer, editor and dear friend. She has the ability to read a story and determine with ease what makes the piece work and what doesn’t.

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

Julie Dillon, winner of the Hugo and Chesley awards, designed the cover of The Engine Woman’s Light. I love the vibrancy of her art, and her breathtaking ability to portray diverse women protagonists.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

If you love a story that’s not working, don’t give up on it. Put it away for a while then take a fresh look. Read each page, then ask yourself if the text invites a reader to turn the page, and why?

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

Thank you for reading my work! All the characters living in my head thank you as well.

EWL cover proof 2 RGB (4)_001Laurel Anne Hill
Orinda, California

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
PINTEREST
GOODREADS

The Engine Woman’s Light

Cover Artist: Julie Dillon
Publisher: Sand Hill Review Press,

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE

Author Interviews

Author Interview: H. L. Burke

Leave a comment

H. L. Burke is a writer of eclectic fantasy for young adults and children. She is also a semi-professional dragon keeper. Please welcome her to No Wasted Ink.

author-h-l-burkeMy name is Heidi, but I write as H. L. Burke because, while I appreciate that my mom likes classic children’s books about Swiss goatgirls, I really don’t think Heidi is a great name for a fantasy author. Just way too cute. Can’t go wrong with initials, right? I’m a part time writer, full-time mother, and military wife. My two young daughters and my gigantic orange cat argue about whose slave I am, and our German Shepherd never listens to me. I drink a lot of coffee.

When and why did you begin writing?

I’m a talker, and writing is like talking, just a little slower. I wrote short stories even before I could write, dictating to my mom, then illustrating them in crayon.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I took ownership of the title at a really young age. When it was the late 90s and all my friends got hotmail accounts, I had a mailing list of people who I’d send short stories to. I won a few small contests, and my peer group generally thought of me as “the writer.” Then there was a point that I stopped … but I always felt guilty about it, like I was letting down people who I knew in high school because I wasn’t writing any more, so eventually (after about maybe a five year break) I kicked myself in the pants and started again. That was about four years ago.

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

My most recent book has the current title of Coiled. It is a fairy tale retelling based on an obscure French fairy tale called The Green Serpent which is in turn heavily influenced by Cupid and Psyche. It’s about a prince who turns into a giant snake whenever someone looks at him, so he befriends a princess with her own curse that has twisted her appearance to make her grotesque and courts her in darkness … of course, there’s a vengeful god who isn’t too happy about this and a quest that involves Gorgons and even a dragon. The book was recently picked up by Uncommon Universes Press and is due for June 2017 release.

My published book is Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors, a steampunk adventure. It was released in 2016.

What inspired you to write you published book?

The idea writing Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors was to reverse engineer a “puzzle game.” One of my favorite ways to relax is with a good puzzle/adventure game, and a lot of them have a similar premise: the protagonist (played by you) is trapped somewhere and has to navigate their way out while solving a mystery or putting together a story. So I worked backward from that and thought about a reason a person might have to break INTO some place and the sort of challenges they might face. Then I wondered who their companion would be, and what if there were killer robots … I loved coming up with the premise for this book and once the setting and the challenges were decided, I think it was probably the most effortless story I’ve ever written (helps that it’s a novella).

Do you have a specific writing style?

Conversational. I tend to be very to the point. I like each little detail to carry a lot of weight, so while I’m not a minimalist, I do tend towards sparser prose. I like things simple and sincere.

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

My idea for Nyssa has always been that she’s reminiscent of a serial adventure heroine. Sort of a female Indiana Jones but trained as a cat burglar rather than an archaeologist, so having her name be the title was a given. The House of Mirrors refers to the primary antagonist. While Nyssa does face some human baddies, the thing that really has it out for her is the house itself. It has booby traps and killer robot sentries. The “creepy mansion” set the mood for the piece, and I wanted to put that in front of the reader from the get go. 

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

There is one that I cannot discuss without getting into spoilers, but it involves how different people deal with situations out of their control, whether with acceptance or anger. Also, throughout the series, there’s an underlying current of Nyssa trying to redeem herself from past sins and also of finding one’s family in people who are willing to love you in spite of your past.

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

Nyssa is a lot like I imagine my young daughter will be when she grows up, sarcastic and smart but with a soft-center that would like to trust and which feels deeply for other people. The funny thing is I didn’t make the connection until after I’d written her. I think that’s one reason she appeals to me so much.

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

I am a big time fan of J. R. R. Tolkien. He’s the only author I really obsess over, in that I’ve read biographies about him and collect books written about him as well as books written by him … but he’s kind of such a massive figure in fantasy that it’s almost a given. My personal writing style is more influenced by more modern YA Fantasy authors, specifically like Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine or Patricia Wrede, the ones I grew up reading. I love their fresh take on fairy tales.

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

I’m such an impossible student that any writer I chose would probably get really annoyed with me and it would totally ruin our (admittedly hypothetical) relationship. Seriously. Can I just have tea with Neil Gaiman instead? I really would like to have tea with Neil Gaiman.

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

I used my friend Jennifer for Nyssa. However, since I’m going with a publisher for my new book Coiled, they will be providing an in-house cover designer. For my other books, I started working with Jennifer because we’ve known each other since our days on a Tolkien Fan Forum … and we are both mothers of young children trying to balance creative-life with all that motherhood entails, so it was easy to work with her. I probably will continue to use her for my self-published projects.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never ask permission to make art. I see a lot of hesitant new writers wanting to know “am I any good?” (the answer is usually, “probably not yet, but you have to keep trying.”) or “is this idea worth writing?” (impossible to know until it has been written) or other versions of trying to get the approval of others before they begin. Just begin. Then get your work torn apart by a good critique group and start over … rinse and repeat until you rise from the ashes as a Mythical Writer Beast!

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

Hey there! Theodore the Dragon says hi! (they’ll get that)

 

book-cover-nyssa-glassH. L. Burke
Oceanside, CA

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

GOODREADS
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors

Cover Artist: Jennifer White

PURCHASE