Today's guest author interview is with Amber Averay.
Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
I'm Amber Averay, a writer from South Australia. I don't actually have a job right now, unless you count trying to market and promote my novel Enchantment's Deception! It's difficult, but challenging, and I'm getting there - with lots of help from family, friends, and Goodreads members!
What first inspired you to start writing?
In Year 7 a class project was to write a poem; I realised then that not only did I enjoy writing, I had some talent for it. That is really where it started; before then, writing had been a chore, a necessity for school. After getting good marks for my poem, something changed - writing was still a necessity, but because it gave me pleasure to create worlds and characters that came to life from my own imagination.
What attracted you to writing fantasy?
I will read any genre, and have many favourite authors who reflect my wide interests in reading. However, for me fantasy writing just seemed the perfect subject; what drew me is that there are little boundaries when writing fantasy. There are so many possibilities open and characters to play with; there's a sense of freedom and excitement as the story takes shape and veers off in a completely different direction to what I originally envision.
If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Brandon Sanderson. His grasp of character writing and their evolution throughout each book is brilliant, and the scale of the worlds he creates is epic. The first book of his I read was Elantris, and I was gripped by the different religions warring for supremacy, the multiple questions raised by each answer given, and the sheer magnitude of his imagination. The man is a master of storytelling, and obviously I'm a huge fan!
What is your favourite song lyric?
I'm going to sound daggy, but my honest answer has to be ABBA's 'Money, Money, Money' - three simple words, but they say it all! (When you never have money and are always struggling to pay expenses, having lots of 'Money, Money, Money' is a nice dream!)
What do you enjoy most about writing?
I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it because it's true: the freedom of creativity. I love watching the worlds, characters, and storylines take shape and form into something that is bigger and more complex than originally intended. I start with an idea of how I want the tale to turn out, but by the end it's nowhere near how I originally saw it. That's the freedom of creativity, which is the best part of writing.
And the least?
Writer's Block! I know technically it's not writing, but it's frustrating because everything has been flowing so well and then all of a sudden - nothing. And unfortunately, I always find myself doubting what I've already written, thinking that if it was really good, why am I stuck on it now? I have learnt that when writer's block hits it's best to put away anything I'm working on until it passes, or otherwise I'll destroy months of hard work!
What are you working on at the moment?
As well as promoting Enchantment's Deception, the second book in the 'Enchantment' series. All five have been written, but now I'm going through each manuscript again, editing, making alterations, cutting chapters and rewriting great chunks. Yesterday I deleted the 50 pages I'd spent the last three days writing, but it was necessary! I'm being ruthless, but hopefully not at the expense of a good story.
Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
My debut novel, the fantasy Enchantment's Deception, took a long time from inception to completion. When I started writing it I was 17 (and supposed to be studying for Year 12 exams). I thought it was brilliant. Six months later I reread it, and hated it. The next few years were spent pulling it apart and rewriting it, so that it grew from a handwritten 93 page novella to a typewritten 530 page novel (and I am now 30 years old!)
I am very proud of Enchantment's Deception, and the fact that it is getting some great feedback from wonderful Goodreads members. For anyone who is interested, it is available in paperback and digital format from most internet bookseller sites (B&N, Book Depository, Amazon, to name a few). I have a facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Enchantments-Deception/335179877035) and have book details on my Goodreads profile... I'm just excited that after so many years of writing, my book is being enjoyed. And that's a huge compliment.
Buy Enchantment's Deception now from Amazon
Affiliate links on this site help pay for the monthly short fiction contest
No comments:
Post a Comment