I’ve always loved internal conflicts, so I find dialogue fascinating, both when it comes to what people say and what they make a point of not saying.
Jessica Dall – 7 December 2015
The Back Flap
Palmer Tash always follows the path of least resistance. He has an unusual disability involving his hearing. But in theocratic Latysia, being different isn’t a good thing, so he conceals his problem. Brier Chastain’s malady is even more debilitating, and she often must take to her bed for long periods. Her days are spent in meaningless pursuits as she awaits an arranged marriage. When Palmer and Brier are kidnapped on the same night, they meet and discover that their so-called disabilities are actually budding powers. They are the incarnations of Order and Chaos. With their country on the brink of war, the two must step into their predestined roles and learn to take control of their own destinies.
About the book
What is the book about?
Summarized as best I can, Raining Embers follows two characters, Palmer and Brier, who find out that they are the incarnations of Order and Chaos, living in a world based vaguely on Renaissance Italy. I like to joke that it’s a high fantasy for readers who don’t generally care for fantasy—or like something a little different from the standard high fantasy (the world isn’t Medieval England and the story is slightly more character focused than a lot of high fantasies tend to be).
When did you start writing the book?
Raining Embers—in its somewhat final form—actually started out as a NaNoWriMo project back in 2012. Before that I had written bits and pieces with early versions of the same characters, but I can’t say I count them as part of the same book… though it would probably be fun to pull those scenes out to take a look at this point.
How long did it take you to write it?
Since the first proper draft started with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) the first 60,000 words or so were written in November 2012. It didn’t take me much longer to write the rest—editing, of course, was another story!
Where did you get the idea from?
I was actually at an art lecture—years and years ago at this point—and a picture of the Vatican Library came up on the projector. As the lecturer was discussing all the frescos and beautiful, beautiful Renaissance art on the walls, I got the idea for a scene where a little girl was caught inside that sort of library as the city around it was being sacked. It took another couple years of playing around with just what was happening there, but eventually that scene became the start of Chapter 1 in the final manuscript.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I’m pretty sure I rewrote the beginning few chapters at least four times… though that’s apparently the way I work, since that’s what I’m currently doing with Book 2 at the moment.
What came easily?
I’ve always been a dialogue-strong writer, so the character’s talking to each other was always the most fun for me to write. Then again, I’ve always loved internal conflicts, so I find dialogue fascinating, both when it comes to what people say and what they make a point of not saying.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
There are definitely personality traits from people I know in my characters. None of them are those people—I’d feel too weird putting words in their mouths—but there are a few I could point to as far as parts of their personality. I say I’m a writer because I’m fascinated by people. How they react to fantastical situations is one of my favorite things to work out.
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?
I’m actually an editor by trade, so I’m always reading authors who are in all different stages of their careers—from first novels to ones I wouldn’t be surprised to see as “the next big thing.” I think every single one has influenced me as a writer. There really is nothing quite like picking apart others’ writing to learn what works and doesn’t work for you. If I had to pick one “big name” author who had an influence on me, though, I’d likely have to say J.K. Rowling. I started out “seriously” writing as a teen writing Harry Potter fanfiction. Those stories are (probably luckily) lost to time at this point, but it definitely put me on track to move into original fiction and then put me where I am today.
Do you have a target reader?
My target reader tends to be anyone who enjoys what I write—whoever that might be.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Pick up pen/open computer, start to write, more or less. I’m pretty lucky in that I’m able to write wherever I am. I used to write on the train to and from work when I worked a 9-to-5. Now, most of the time, I write on a lap desk from my living room couch. I’ve always found writing to be the easy part—it’s editing and all the stuff that comes after that tends to be the hard part that really requires buckling down.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I tend to focus on the overarching plot lines (What are the major conflicts? What are the characters aiming toward?) more than actually outlining. I’ve tried doing detailed outlines before and I’ve found one of two things happens. 1) I end up throwing the outline out a few chapters in, or 2) I lose interest in the story. I find it very difficult to write when I lock myself into a plan. I tend to let my plots and characters grow as they chose after a bit (the “throw everyone into a fishbowl and then see what happens” method).
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I’ll clean up sentences here and there if something catches my eye while writing (typos or a lot of repetitive wording, etc.) but I definitely don’t do any substantive edits until I’m done. If I switch into editing mode before I’m done writing a piece I’ll stall and it will take forever to actually end up with a finished draft.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Definitely! Music can really help get me in the right headspace for a scene I’m working on. What I listen to really depends on what I’m writing, though I admit I’ve been getting a lot of mileage out of the Eleventh Doctor’s Theme (“I am the Doctor” I think the track is called?) off the Doctor Who soundtrack lately. There’s nothing quite like it for making your writing feel epic.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did to a few quite a while ago. I don’t think those original submissions much look like what was finally published however. I seem to be a chronic rewriter.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
After the early submitting and reworking, I ended up putting Raining Embers (then also under a different working title) on the backburner for a while I was working on other projects. I then found a small press that did amazing (very professional) work and decided that I’d love to be involved and so submitted there. I was lucky that they were interested.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
My publisher is great in all they do to help with marketing. I’m doing my best to help with what they’ve set up along with anything that seems like it might help on the outside. With as many books as there are published a month these days, marketing seems to be one of the most important—and time consuming—parts of being a modern author.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
If you want any kind of success, you have to be willing to put in a lot of legwork post-publication. No matter how good your book is, it isn’t going to sell itself.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Southern California (first Los Angeles then San Diego). My parents are still there, which makes going home for Christmas a treat.
Where do you live now?
I live in Maryland, just outside DC.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I write books that I’d like to read. I’ve found it isn’t possible to please everyone all the time—or perhaps even some people some of the time, depending on what you like to write—so it’s important to write things you yourself are interested in. Bad reviews still sting a little, I find, but that tends to be my philosophy when writing. After all, I’d write things even no one at all ever wanted to read my stories.
What are you working on now?
Book 2 of the Order and Chaos series is currently in edits, and I’m working on getting Book 3 done (this most recent NaNoWriMo’s project, actually). When I need to take a break from the series, I work a little now and then on a straight Historical Fiction novel—but I still have quite a bit of research to do to pull that off properly!
End of Interview:
Get your copy of Raining Embers from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.
