Ask the Author: C.P. Lesley
Answered Questions (7)
C.P. Lesley
Hi, Denise, and thank you for asking.
Books 1 and 2 are largely independent, although some of the relationships in The Winged Horse will be easier to understand if you have already read The Golden Lynx.
Books 3, 4, and 5 will build on the setup in the first two novels. Each story will stand alone, but certain characters whose fate is uncertain in the early novels appear in the later ones (or are visibly gone from the scene), so someone who reads the series out of order won't wonder whether these characters do or don't survive. If that kind of thing bothers you, it would be best to read at least those three in order.
The Golden Lynx and The Winged Horse are already in print. With luck, the others will come out at 15-18-month intervals, starting in late 2015 or early 2016. I am working on book 3 now....
Happy holidays,
CPL
Books 1 and 2 are largely independent, although some of the relationships in The Winged Horse will be easier to understand if you have already read The Golden Lynx.
Books 3, 4, and 5 will build on the setup in the first two novels. Each story will stand alone, but certain characters whose fate is uncertain in the early novels appear in the later ones (or are visibly gone from the scene), so someone who reads the series out of order won't wonder whether these characters do or don't survive. If that kind of thing bothers you, it would be best to read at least those three in order.
The Golden Lynx and The Winged Horse are already in print. With luck, the others will come out at 15-18-month intervals, starting in late 2015 or early 2016. I am working on book 3 now....
Happy holidays,
CPL
C.P. Lesley
I do procrastinate, as noted, but I hardly ever experience writer's block. On the few occasions when I have, it's been because I was trying to force the story in a way that worked intellectually but not emotionally for a given character. I back off and figure out what's not working and why, then the writer's block disappears—so far, in any case.
C.P. Lesley
Making up things! Where else does an adult get rewarded for daydreaming in the company of imaginary people?
C.P. Lesley
Write what you love, then revise, revise, revise. Beyond that, I think it depends on the writer. Some people learn best from books, others from courses, yet others from interacting with fellow writers. Some people do best on their own in a quiet room. Whatever works for you is best.
C.P. Lesley
I just published my third novel and am starting on my fourth, which is The Swan Princess (Legends of the Five Directions 3: North). I'm gathering ideas, sketching out the story, and filling in missing pieces with research. I hope to start writing soon.
C.P. Lesley
I have ideas bubbling up all the time, based on books, current news reports, conversations, even paintings and photographs. And I love to write fiction—it's a form of relaxation. So inspiration is never my problem, although fighting off the urge to procrastinate on the Internet and juggling too many things at once sometimes are.
C.P. Lesley
I've always wanted to write about the Tatars, whom I find fascinating. The second book of my five-part series seemed like the perfect place to explore the effects of polygamy, the complicated Tatar politics, and steppe/settled dynamics without boring people to tears.
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