Q&A
I am just under 2 weeks from self-publishing, and I have never been more terrified and excited in my life. After all these years, I have a proper book coming out!
Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to do a Q&A about Champion A’dara my new adult fantasy romance.
These are just a few questions that people have asked me, and thought it’d be fun to share with you.
Where did you get your idea for this book?
I first came up with the idea when I was around 18 or 19. I was working shifts and didn’t sleep much, so I liked to daydream a story before bed to help drift off, and as a massive DnD and fantasy fan, the story just came from the idea of being in a forest somewhere and getting caught up in a new world.
Why did it take so long to write the story?
Well, mostly life got in the way back then. I travelled the world, was in and out of relationships, moved around a lot, and worked two jobs most of the time; it just fell by the wayside. It wasn’t until many, many years later that I started to type out scenes – all the best parts I could remember.
Why did you suddenly start? What changed?
I was doing a master’s in science, it was totally draining, but I was trying to read The Shannara Chronicles and learnt that Terry Brooks had started the first novel during his master’s as a form of creative outlet from it, and I thought - brilliant idea, so did the same, and having a creative outlet was so needed.
Was the story still the same after all that time?
Yes and no, the premise shifted a little, and the ending massively changed as that would have dragged on to an entire new bombshell that I felt was too much, but I image some would have enjoyed it – I just felt there were too many why would they do that, that doesn’t make sense moments and I hate those in any book or movie, so I shorten it a lot, but even then I had written approximately 188k novel in the end. Also, the sex scenes were removed from Book Two as just cringe when rereading, so fade to black rather than explicit now.
Wow, so that's why you split the book into a duology?
Yes, after the first rounds of pitching with the main take away being we liked it but, then a few here’s some useful websites on word counts I got the hint, well and a few directly saying the word count is too much – shorter may, I just went back into another flurry of edits it ended around 148k, but still too much and no way I felt comfortable hacking further, so two books was born,
So Dee is the main MC. Is she based on you as a young woman then?
There’s deffo some of me in Dee, the hot and cold emotions, falling for people quickly, and not wanting conflict for sure. I did art at college, then dropped it for conservation and environmental studies, but due to a knee injury, ending up not taking it further and just getting stuck in work, as wanted to move out of home asap back then, but she’s probably got her shit together way more than I did at that age so that’s where the similarities end.
Are any of the other characters based on people you know?
No, I was really conscious of ensuring I didn’t write people I knew, after all, it’s fantasy, and I wanted these very different men in Dee’s life that would cause her to be unsure who to choose, that type of thing. Kian is very noble but uptight with the need for duty drummed into him, making him a bit too cold when he shouldn’t be, and Rillion is just charismatic, charming, and in control (maybe a bit of my hubby in there), but no, the odd mannerisms might be there, but very much from the depths of the imagination.
Do you have a favourite character?
I think it would have to be Delphi; now she is the type of woman I want to be - formidable, hard, honest but fair, and just captivating, and takes no shit from anyone. Even if she is a little vain, I just love her sassy nature.
So Book One is out on the 5th October, but with that cliff-hanger ending, how long will people need to wait for Book Two? Is it written?
Well, as I wrote the whole thing and split it into two books, barring a couple of added chapters, it’s written and I’m hoping to have it out the same time next year, just with the final edits it’s what takes the time, but the story is done, and the ending is finished for those that are eager to see where it goes.
So who does Dee end up with?
Well, that one you’ll have to wait and see.
Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to do a Q&A about Champion A’dara my new adult fantasy romance.
These are just a few questions that people have asked me, and thought it’d be fun to share with you.
Where did you get your idea for this book?
I first came up with the idea when I was around 18 or 19. I was working shifts and didn’t sleep much, so I liked to daydream a story before bed to help drift off, and as a massive DnD and fantasy fan, the story just came from the idea of being in a forest somewhere and getting caught up in a new world.
Why did it take so long to write the story?
Well, mostly life got in the way back then. I travelled the world, was in and out of relationships, moved around a lot, and worked two jobs most of the time; it just fell by the wayside. It wasn’t until many, many years later that I started to type out scenes – all the best parts I could remember.
Why did you suddenly start? What changed?
I was doing a master’s in science, it was totally draining, but I was trying to read The Shannara Chronicles and learnt that Terry Brooks had started the first novel during his master’s as a form of creative outlet from it, and I thought - brilliant idea, so did the same, and having a creative outlet was so needed.
Was the story still the same after all that time?
Yes and no, the premise shifted a little, and the ending massively changed as that would have dragged on to an entire new bombshell that I felt was too much, but I image some would have enjoyed it – I just felt there were too many why would they do that, that doesn’t make sense moments and I hate those in any book or movie, so I shorten it a lot, but even then I had written approximately 188k novel in the end. Also, the sex scenes were removed from Book Two as just cringe when rereading, so fade to black rather than explicit now.
Wow, so that's why you split the book into a duology?
Yes, after the first rounds of pitching with the main take away being we liked it but, then a few here’s some useful websites on word counts I got the hint, well and a few directly saying the word count is too much – shorter may, I just went back into another flurry of edits it ended around 148k, but still too much and no way I felt comfortable hacking further, so two books was born,
So Dee is the main MC. Is she based on you as a young woman then?
There’s deffo some of me in Dee, the hot and cold emotions, falling for people quickly, and not wanting conflict for sure. I did art at college, then dropped it for conservation and environmental studies, but due to a knee injury, ending up not taking it further and just getting stuck in work, as wanted to move out of home asap back then, but she’s probably got her shit together way more than I did at that age so that’s where the similarities end.
Are any of the other characters based on people you know?
No, I was really conscious of ensuring I didn’t write people I knew, after all, it’s fantasy, and I wanted these very different men in Dee’s life that would cause her to be unsure who to choose, that type of thing. Kian is very noble but uptight with the need for duty drummed into him, making him a bit too cold when he shouldn’t be, and Rillion is just charismatic, charming, and in control (maybe a bit of my hubby in there), but no, the odd mannerisms might be there, but very much from the depths of the imagination.
Do you have a favourite character?
I think it would have to be Delphi; now she is the type of woman I want to be - formidable, hard, honest but fair, and just captivating, and takes no shit from anyone. Even if she is a little vain, I just love her sassy nature.
So Book One is out on the 5th October, but with that cliff-hanger ending, how long will people need to wait for Book Two? Is it written?
Well, as I wrote the whole thing and split it into two books, barring a couple of added chapters, it’s written and I’m hoping to have it out the same time next year, just with the final edits it’s what takes the time, but the story is done, and the ending is finished for those that are eager to see where it goes.
So who does Dee end up with?
Well, that one you’ll have to wait and see.
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