Ask the Author: Rosalyn Kelly
Answered Questions (5)
Rosalyn Kelly
Hello, thanks for your question :) Although inspired by real world mythology, history, tales and legends, Melokai is not specifically based on any one myth.
Rosalyn Kelly
I draw on everything to be honest. Firstly, my childhood. I was extremely lucky to grow up with two sets of involved grandparents who encouraged imaginative play and were great storytellers. I spent most of my early years romping around castle ruins or stately homes, on the beach daydreaming or exploring the New Forest and learning about its history and legends. I also went to a school that is famously haunted. Our family holidays involved culture and history, and I was always reading and escaping to my own made up worlds.
Travel, exploring new places and discovering new cultures has filled me with a bank of ideas and inspiration, and I made sure I organised my life, my finances and my work to be able to travel for long periods at a time and really immerse myself in the country or continent I was visiting.
I’m definitely influenced by other fantasy books and films, as well as all kinds of fiction. One of my favourite (geeky) things is to read National Geographic and New Scientist as these magazines often spark ideas and the natural world is full of endless wonder. I think continual learning and passionate curiosity inspires me more than anything. I’m happily devoted to finding out about new things.
Travel, exploring new places and discovering new cultures has filled me with a bank of ideas and inspiration, and I made sure I organised my life, my finances and my work to be able to travel for long periods at a time and really immerse myself in the country or continent I was visiting.
I’m definitely influenced by other fantasy books and films, as well as all kinds of fiction. One of my favourite (geeky) things is to read National Geographic and New Scientist as these magazines often spark ideas and the natural world is full of endless wonder. I think continual learning and passionate curiosity inspires me more than anything. I’m happily devoted to finding out about new things.
Rosalyn Kelly
I'm currently working on book two of the In the Heart of the Mountains trilogy. It's called V and focuses on the events that happen immediately after the close of Melokai. V must pick up the pieces of a broken Peqkya and settle some scores with errant neighbours, all the while figuring out how to deal with the new magic in the world.
Rosalyn Kelly
My original idea for Melokai came when I was trekking in Nepal’s Annapurna Sanctuary as I started to daydream about a country surrounded by mountains and ruled by women. The trek took eleven days up and down, hiking for seven hours on some days, so I spent a lot of time in my head and a story formed.
Rosalyn Kelly
Trust your intuition. If your plot/character/scene/word choice doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t.
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