The spark that started it all was this idea of Gifting – the notion that Fay-folk grant each other magical powers during moments of heightened emotion, sometimes without intending to. 

J. Aleksandr Wootton – 9 February 2014

The Back Flap

Petra Godfellow is ready – a little nervous, but ready – to grow up and leave home. She doesn’t know the family secret – about the man who loved her mother, who never could accept that it was over between them…

Who’s crazy enough to believe that he’s the king of Faerie.

As she begins her first semester at Lightfoot College, Petra will be forced to navigate her own doubts when others in her family reveal their beliefs in the absurd and impossible. She’ll be stalked by the supernatural, asked to bargain with unfriendly powers for the fate of another world.

And it’s not just her future that’s in danger – it’s her mother, her aunt, her best friend… and thousands of refugees from a centuries-old civil war in Faerie who are tired of staying in hiding..

About the book

What is the book about?

Faerie, going away to university, family drama, supernatural stalkers, & what to do when people you respect abruptly reveal that they believe in something absurd and impossible.

When did you start writing the book? How long did it take you to write it?

I first got the idea for it in November 2006, but I let it steep awhile in my brain for almost four years before actively working on it. Then I started research in April 2010, began outlining that following August, and started writing part-time in December. Then in February 2012 I started writing full-time and finished the manuscript by May 2012.

Where did you get the idea from?

The spark that started it all was this idea of Gifting – the notion that Fay-folk grant each other magical powers during moments of heightened emotion, sometimes without intending to.

I have no idea where I got that from. I think I was thinking about non-traditional (i.e. not money or property) types of inheritance, trying to come up with other reasons characters might have for cozening up to dying relatives.

Ironically, Gifting ended up playing a fairly minor part in the story that developed. You never really know where these things might lead!

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

A few places – mostly where I needed to develop a relationship between two characters, but didn’t have any ideas about what kind of scenario to put them in so that the kind of interaction I wanted them to have would express itself naturally, without slowing the current of the main plot.

Whenever that happens I stop writing and try to spend a day running errands, going for a walk, doing something physical, and let my subconscious work on the problem without the distraction of the computer.

What came easily?

The characters came pretty easily, to be honest. Each had a role to fill for the story, a place in the world, and I didn’t have to look far to find their motivations.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Of course I’ve borrowed from people I know – when I haven’t borrowed from classic literature. About half the cast comes from favorite books like The Wind in the Willows, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So Stories, the Brothers Grimm, and so on.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

The two authors I probably aspire to most are Peter S. Beagle and Ursula K. Le Guin. Their words never get in the way of the story they’re telling.

Do you have a target reader?

No.

That is to say: the book’s protagonist, Petra, is just going off to university when the story begins, so I suppose Her Unwelcome Inheritance is “New Adult.” But it’s for anyone who loves fairytales and classics like The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, etc.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Day to day? I sit at the computer and type the next bit.

Then I stare off into space, come back, and type another bit.

Then I leap up to a bookshelf to check something I can’t quite remember from another book, collapse into an armchair and read for a bit, then get up with a start and lean over my deskchair to type a little more.

Then I pace around in frustration, or concentration – you never can tell – and then come back and type some more.

Eventually I stop to cook dinner.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I outline very extensively. I try to discover and work out any potential plot snarls in the outline, well before I start writing the actual story. It saves a lot of time and emotional energy.

I got this technique from Ian Caldwell.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

The little stuff I edit as I go, but I don’t fuss about it. When I come back to work through whole drafts, a lot more editing happens.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes. Neither you nor your beta readers can possibly catch all your mistakes.

Most recently I’ve used Black, White & Read, and would definitely recommend them.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Oh yes. I listen to almost every music genre except country, death metal, classic rock, and certain kinds of electronica. My Pandora or Songbird are constantly set to shuffle, unless I’m trying to put myself in a really specific mood.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Not yet, though I may try to “cross over” at some point.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Self-publishing has so much more to offer new authors, once I’d done a bit of research the decision was easy. The biggest attractor for me is the minimal turnaround time between finishing a book and actually publishing it – readers can buy a self-published book two months after I finish it, where they would have to wait almost two years from a traditional publisher.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I commissioned an artist and a graphic designer. Covers are not my area of expertise!

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Haha! I suppose I’m winging it. There aren’t really blueprints for success in DSP – it’s too young, and everything about the market is constantly changing.

There are some principles that remain constant though.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Oh, so much advice! Way too much for this interview. Follow my blog or twitter, or email me directly with specific questions.

Most importantly, though: Pace yourself, and practice patience. Launching an indie author career is like signing up for a marathon.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Her Unwelcome Inheritance from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.