Tag Archives: First Love Author Interviews

First Love Author Interviews – All of them

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First-Love-KindleOver the last few days, I’ve been running interviews on this blog with all my fellow First Love authors, discussing their contributions to the eponymous romantic fantasy anthology from Dragon Soul Press.

My short story is entitled Papercut, and it concerns a lonely teenage boy living with his ultra-strict Jehovah’s Witness mother. One night a mysterious girl made entirely of paper appears in his dreams, taking him on a mysterious and magical journey that I won’t spoil here.

Whether you fancy reading about the dreamscapes of the religiously oppressed, or love stories involving forest nymphs, mages, selkies, Native American mythology, or, as one of my fellow writers pitched her story to me, “Bridget Jones meets Morgana Le Fay”, this is a must for those who like their romance with a fantastical twist.

For ease of reference, here are links to all of the afore-mentioned interviews (including a separate interview with yours truly):

Meg Boepple interview

Story: Message in a Bottle.

Story tease from the interview: “Boy meets girl on the beach. It’s instant attraction… but he’s already promised to wed the daughter of his king even though he’s never met the future bride… Meanwhile, the pretty girl looks at this handsome dude with a ring on his finger and assumes she’d never be in his league even if he were available… and just to add a twist, he’s pretty sure she’s a siren out to break his heart and destroy his life.”

Sofi Laporte interview

Story: Chestnut Woman

Story tease from the interview: “Imagine falling in love at first sight in a really mundane place: the crowded, stuffy metro. What would you do? My heroine, shy, introverted Pamela, can’t muster up the courage to make the first move. At home she runs into her superbly aggravating, gossiping neighbour, Mrs Schmid. Who is not at all what she appears to be. Mrs Schmid gives her three roasted chestnuts that will change Pamela’s life forever. Is she going to have a second chance with the mysterious, smiling stranger in the subway?”

Kathryn St John interview

Story: A Season’s Time

Story tease from the interview: “Whilst on a summer visit with his grandparents, a young man meets a strange young woman in a nearby forest. Over the course of the season, their feelings blossom into love, but there’s an obstacle looming in the distance that threatens to separate them. Is their love doomed from the start, or will they manage to find a way around their difficulties and remain together?”

Zoey Xolton interview

Story: Once in a Blue Moon

Story tease from the interview: “My story Once in a Blue Moon is about a girl called Faith. She is an orphan on the cusp of womanhood who comes face to face with her death, and salvation in the space of a single night, when she discovers vampyres not only exist, but rule over their small, Victorian harbour town!”

Melinda Kucsera interview

Story: Caught in a Glance

Story tease from the interview: “Ours was a friendship for the ages–an abused mage just trying to raise his younger brother and a gray-clad enigma who hides beneath a cloak and veil. (That’s me, Shade, your narrator for this interview.) We didn’t know it but the day Sarn and I met, we took the first step toward a perilous friendship that would unleash a demon and earn the ire of an angel. From the mines under Mount Eredren to the Gray Between life and death, follow the twisted paths friendship takes. Only one will survive when adoration turns to obsession. But not even death can sever some bonds.”

AR Johnston interview

Story: Twin Flames

Story tease from the interview: “Dragons, young love, and curses that need to be broken. Will fate tear them apart or will love be enough to keep them together?”

AM Cummins interview

Story: Savage

Story tease from the interview: “My story is a dramatic recreation of a family legend that was told to me by my grandfather. He was proud of his Native American heritage.”

Edeline Wrigh interview

Story: Of Seals and Storms

Story tease from the interview: “When a storm threatens the lives of several local fishermen, Elizabeth’s best friend – a selkie and the girl she’s in love with – comes up with a plan to save them. But there’s one little caveat: she has to return to the ocean for the rest of eternity. Assuming they can find the skin her father hid from her before he drowns, of course. Of Seals and Storms is a love story about hard decisions, sacrifices, and trusting fate.”

DS Durden interview

Story: Lonely Oni

Story tease from the interview: “An exiled woman in a futuristic city finds hope and love where she never expected.”

AD Carter interview

Story: A Forbidden Union

Story tease from the interview: “The story is about a young prince name Zander who sees a woman and instantly falls in love with her, but her fate is sealed. Now Zander must make a decision that could very well change the course of history for his kingdom as well as himself.”

Galina Trefil interview

Story: The Rusalka of the Murashka

Story tease from the interview: “The murder of an innocent spawns a seductive creature which stalks a Ukrainian village for centuries.”

Simon Dillon interview

Story: Papercut

Story tease: See earlier in this article.

First Love is out now, as a paperback or e-book, here (in the UK) or here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: AR Johnston

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First-Love-KindleIn this, my final interview with my fellow First Love authors, AR Johnston talks young love, curses, dragons, writer’s block and more…

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

In all honesty it was a fluke, I came across the submission ad mid-December and thought, why not? What do I have to lose since I had writer’s block on another story.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

Dragons, young love, and curses that need to be broken. Will fate tear them apart or will love be enough to keep them together?

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

AR JohnstonIt all depends on the story and where the muses take me.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Definitely fantasy elements in this story.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Can young love survive something that seems rather devastating? Honesty, hope.

What inspired your story?

Not really sure honestly, lol it just seemed to come to me.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Traits maybe but not usually anyone in particular and in this story, no one.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Sometimes I know the outcome I want to head to. If I end up there is a completely different story.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Seeing my imagination come to a realisation in front of me. That the words flow and weave a fantastic web of a story. That others enjoy it and tell me to keep going is such an amazing feeling.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

Writer’s block when the muses don’t want to talk and you get stuck mid story, not knowing where to take things.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

There will always be some elements of that. I’ve often been told that people see bits of my personality in some of my characters and that they love it. Even when I step into a genre that I’ve never done I try to lend a bit of something that I know to it.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

I often stick to one type of genre, urban fantasy mostly but, there will always be elements of paranormal, supernatural, romance. I have stepped out from these before too and even submitted dystopian and horror stories before.

Which writers inspire you?

There are so many!! Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, Tanya Huff, Anne McCaffrey, smaller time names but no less absolutely amazingly epic, JJ King, Candace Osmond, SL Perrine, Kindra Sowder, Shawna Romkey, Cora Kenborn, KL Ware, Alison Mello, Mickey Miller, Derek Adams, Christopher Harlan, Amy Cecil, P Mattern, ….I could keep going because there are so many fantastic writers that I am lucky enough to know.

What other books or short stories have you written?

So many but not published….yet.

What is your current work-in-progress?

Main piece is a series one, urban fantasy, different timelines, magic, mayhem, mystery….

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Do it! Just start writing and don’t stop.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: Zoey Xolton

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Today’s First Love Author Interview is with Zoey Xolton, whose short story Once in a Blue Moon rubs shoulders with mine in the afore-mentioned Dragon Soul Press romantic fantasy anthology. Oh – and I absolutely love her author logo, so I’m placing it below, nice and big. Take it away Zoey, and may God have mercy on your soul for reading those final chapters first…52911318_2094567414167972_7771570217750102016_n

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

Ironically enough, the gorgeous cover! It sounds cliché, but covers, I’ve learned, as an author, are often a ‘put your money where your mouth is’ kind of situation! In our world of Online marketing, a striking cover is crucial… I recognised which cover artist had designed the cover, and I found myself thinking “If this publisher is paying good coin like that, for a cover, they must mean serious business!” And so of course, it seemed like the kind of enterprise and project I wanted to be a part of.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

First-Love-KindleMy story Once in a Blue Moon is about a girl called Faith. She is an orphan on the cusp of womanhood who comes face to face with her death, and salvation in the space of a single night, when she discovers vampyres not only exist, but rule over their small, Victorian harbour town!

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

I love a romance where the spark, or relationship is so intense, and so undeniable, that the couple involved are willing, without question, to fight for each other, and if necessary, die for each other. As a result, I often mix my happily-ever-afters with strong lashings of tragedy.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Being that my story would fall in the Paranormal Romance genre, the fantasy element, of course, is the existence of vampires as a hidden part of the every day world.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Time, and love. The quote “We’re never promised tomorrow,” has always resonated strongly with me. It evokes a sense of urgency and appreciation for every moment. It also encourages the idea of making the best of whatever hand we’re dealt in life. Sometimes, you just have to follow your heart, or your gut and follow through on your choices, for better or worse.

What inspired your story?

Once in a Blue Moon is a story I had partially started some years ago, and so when I found the call for submissions to First Love, I picked it back up. It was born of my undying love of vampires, and the idea that life may be ephemeral, but love is eternal.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Not at all, my characters are purely works of fiction. If anything, they are most likely the embodiments of small pieces of myself. The things I dream and wish, the way I see the world, what I believe and how I’d deal with fantastical situations.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

I always know my endings. I know them before I even know the beginning! It’s always been a quirk of mine, but is just how I operate. I have a vision of the end, and I work backward from there. I figure out how the characters met, and how they came to be in the situation they’re in, and what they do about it. Apparently it’s a really bizarre concept to most writers, but it’s always been my way! Plotting a story from the start, working through the middle and then tying it all together in a nicely wrapped up conclusion is just such a foreign concept to me. I mean, I always read the last chapter of a book before I purchase it, to see if it’s worth buying! (So many people want to clip me over the ear for this!) To me, if the climax is not epic, I can’t bring myself to invest in it.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

The being a writer part! Writing is my life. I live for it. I breathe for it. It’s always been my dream to be an author. I’ve been imagining, writing and sharing stories since I was little. I can’t not write. I can’t imagine a world in which the written word is not my all. It’s just inconceivable.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

The frustration over lack of time. I’m a mother and business woman, as well as a writer, and I loathe the days I’m so busy and caught up in other responsibilities that I can’t wrangle the time to write. I often go without sleep to write, that’s how much it frustrates me! I figure I can sleep when I’m dead.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

Within reason, it absolutely makes sense. I read predominantly Paranormal Romance, Dark Fantasy and Horror. It’s what I know, it’s what I love, so it’s what I enjoy writing. I probably could write a Sci-Fi tale, but I’d feel uncomfortable about it, because it’d be unfamiliar territory for me. I don’t know a great deal about quantum physics, the laws of gravity and the engineering behind space stations, so I’d feel anything I could write, would most likely lack that sense of depth and realism it would really need to feel genuine. I think, ultimately, the better phrase would be “write what you’re interested in”, because the more interest you have, the greater your desire to learn and do that subject matter the justice is deserves.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Nice choice of descriptors, there! I’d say I’m loyal to three genres, though I may be tempted to dabble if something else catches my imagination!

Which writers inspire you?

My greatest inspirations and influencers would have to be J.R.R Tolkien, Terry Brooks, G.R.R. Martin, Wilbur Smith, Anne Rice, Anne Bishop, Cecelia Dart-Thornton, Mercedes Lackey, Jacqueline Carey, Melissa Marr and Holly Black.

What other books or short stories have you written?

There’s quite a number, and I’m constantly churning out more! My most recent short story publications, outside of Once in a Blue Moon for First Love, by Dragon Soul Press, are: The Eternal Masquerade for Echoes of the Past, by Fantasia Divinity, as well as Heart Song and Ancestral Magic for Spring’s Blessing. Also, my flash fiction tale Beneath the Blood Moon was published by Factor Four Magazine, just to name a few!

What is your current work-in-progress?

I’m working on a submission for Dragon Soul Press’s Coffins & Dragons anthology, one for Fantasia Divinity’s Summer Splash fantasy anthology, a couple submissions for Iron Faerie Publishing; as well as over a dozen micro-fiction pieces for Blood Song Books’ Tiny Tales trilogy!

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Just do it! Write your heart out. Bleed your soul onto the page until you feel brain-fried, and then get up do it all over again. Write what you love, but challenge yourself, and never give up! If you truly want it, if it really is your greatest passion and dream, you’ll find a way to succeed.

Check out Zoey’s blog here , her Facebook page here, and her Amazon author page here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: DS Durden

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Continuing this series of interviews with my fellow First Love contributors, next up we have DS Durden, whose science fiction tinged short story Lonely Oni proves a fascinating entry in this eclectic romantic fantasy Dragon Soul Press anthology.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

Romance is fun to write every so often. I mostly write very serious and tragic sci-fantasy, so a happy little romance is refreshing at times.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

An exiled woman in a futuristic city finds hope and love where she never expected.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It wildly depends on the story. I tend to lean toward some tragic themes that turn into a happily-ever-after, though.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Sci-fi technology, sentient subterranean beings.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Misinformation perpetuated by government officials, xenophobia, and a bit of rebellion.

What inspired your story?

It just kind of came to me. I was taking a shower one day, thinking about some ideas for some cool graphic design titles, and “Lonely Oni” passed my mind. It just had a ring to it. As for the story plot, I’m not really sure. It just kind of came together.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Absolutely none for this story. I rarely base characters on people I know, but sometimes I do base characters on different aspects of myself. Every now and then, I’ll make a character that is everything I wish I was, but still sprinkle in enough troubles to make them realistic because I absolutely loathe Mary-Sue-type characters.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Most of the time, no, I have to work really hard for the ending. Every now and then, an ending just kind of falls into my lap, but it’s rare. Generally I try to identify the main point of the story, then figure out how I want whatever conflict to be resolved, then work an ending around that concept.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Being able to breathe life into ideas to make them something somewhat tangible to share with others and being able to chronicle those ideas.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

Deadlines, writer’s block, and being overly critical of oneself. I have this awful habit of not doing something if I feel it won’t be good enough, which is something I’m working on.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

Given that I do a lot of sci-fi, this is huge for me. I greatly admire sci-fi, but I’ve always struggled to remember more finicky things from the media I’ve consumed. Although I have also been fascinated by science most my life, science was not my best subject in school. It was one of my worst, actually. But my appreciation for it is what drives me to double-down on my research whenever I’m dealing with a subject that I really don’t have a clue about and fear I’ll make amateur mistakes on. But one thing I’ve found especially helpful is given that I do sci-fantasy, I can make-up a lot of the stuff I wouldn’t normally have an explanation for. Creativity and problem-solving has really been my strong suit. There’s no better feeling than finding a legitimate reason for why something happens in a story, how something works, or how something is related to another thing, and then it all fits perfectly together like a puzzle. Another aspect of “write what you know” that I very thoroughly stand behind is when you’re writing characters with particular difficulties that they face. I hate when a character has some sort of struggle or mental illness and they don’t handle it in a realistic way. But whether you’ve experienced said struggle or illness yourself or not, if you research hard enough and/or interview people with similar issues, you should always be able to make a decent representation if you’ve studied up and are able to really show that in your work. I may write sci-fantasy, but I need my characters and conflicts to be believable, and I can’t enjoy media to its full extent when characters and conflicts are poorly written and inaccurate.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Oh ho ho… I’d say I like to experiment a bit. Heh. Although sci-fantasy is my foundational genre, I’ve been dabbling in a bit of political dramas, thrillers, and I’ve been musing a few attempts at horror for a while now. I also really want to get into westerns, oddly enough. My father was big into western films and although I don’t watch them nearly as much anymore, I have a great appreciation for the Old Wild West aesthetic and am looking forward to spinning my own twist onto the genre.

Which writers inspire you?

Given that I don’t actually read nearly as much as I should and am even worse at following the real lives of people outside of my own circles, I think pretty much any writer that overcomes obstacles and follows their dreams no matter what. Also, writers with entertaining writing styles. I tend to write very straight-forward while still descriptive, so whenever I read an author’s piece that has an air of whimsy, I just really admire it.

What other books or short stories have you written?

My piece for First Love is actually my first publication, but I’ve got a ton of works in progress that just need some final worldbuilding details and they can get written out. I almost had a sci-fi short story published a year or two ago but I hit some snags. In a way I’m kind of glad for it, though, because now I can make the story way better and really do the story justice.

What is your current work-in-progress?

Way too many to count, but right now the story that’s got most of my attention requires a TON of worldbuilding, still. It’s a blend of science and magic with an emphasis on machinery and I am so, so, SO excited to finally bring it to life. Funny enough, when I first wrote Lonely Oni, I didn’t think it would tie into anything else of mine, but I figured out where it fits in and it’s actually a small piece of a much, much larger story in the works.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Do it. Just do it. Don’t listen to anyone giving you doubts. Just practice, a lot. Write whatever comes to mind, on paper, on your phone, whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Get a second opinion on the things you make. Ask for gentle honesty. You want real opinions but you don’t want to get discouraged if you’re a sensitive person, but you need that feedback to get better. Read things you like and dissect why you like it and what’s good about it. Mimic it a little and do that with everything you like until you find your own voice. Experiment with different writing styles, genres, themes, and even point of views. I actually get a lot better with my writing every year or so despite not writing much at all during that time. I usually just throw myself out of my comfort zone with zero expectations and I usually really like what I make. You also gotta find what works for you, too. I struggle with the concept of short stories because I tend to invest a lot into my characters and settings, so sometimes I’ll watch movies and compare the pacing and what sort of things I learn from an hour and a half movie and figure out how I can translate that into a short story. It’s been really helpful for me given that I’m significantly more visual of a person.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: Meg Boepple

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First-Love-KindleMy series interviewing my fellow First Love authors continues. Meg Boepple has contributed a romantic fantasy tale for the eponymous Dragon Soul Press anthology entitled Message in a Bottle. Here are her thoughts on her story and more…

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

I’ve been a fantasy fan since junior high and a reader of romance since high school. In college I read an essay by JRR Tolkien where he basically said we humans have an innate yearning for fairy stories, happy endings, good news. And I took that as total validation for my penchant for fantasy and romance. So…fast forward… First Love is a fantasy-romance anthology. Totally my cup of tea.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

Boy meets girl on the beach. It’s instant attraction… but he’s already promised to wed the daughter of his king even though he’s never met the future bride… Meanwhile, the pretty girl looks at this handsome dude with a ring on his finger and assumes she’d never be in his league even if he were available… and just to add a twist, he’s pretty sure she’s a siren out to break his heart and destroy his life.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

Oh, totally HEA. There are way too many sad events and okay-for-now moments in real life. I want to escape to a better place when I pick up a book or go to a movie.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

There are significant themes of Celtic mythology in a very modern setting, such as Manannan Mac Lir (the god of the sea) who weaves his magic throughout the story as well as heads up a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise…. The hero Sean is a Selkie (Seal/human shifter) and Moira might be a mermaid. Or a siren. Or just a pretty girl with a thing for rescuing sea turtles and cleaning their habitat on her spring break vacation.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Love. Destiny. Identity. Faith. And a few others.

What inspired your story?

I think it started with something someone said to me in church, of all places… “We’re all daughters of the King. It’s just that most of us don’t think of ourselves as princesses. And we definitely don’t see ourselves as worthy enough to be pursued by the heroes.”

Next, a friend on Facebook shared an article about how ancient Inuit kayakers lost in the currents and washed ashore in northern Europe might have given rise to legends of Selkies and Mermaids. A few other random things came together and suddenly I had these two sweet young characters with issues and instant attraction and a story I really wanted to tell! About the only thing it wasn’t inspired by was a recent DCU movie. I didn’t even see a trailer, much less the movie, until after I’d finished the story story and submitted it. I think any resemblances to that are purely products of our culture. Or maybe the magic of Manannan Mac Lir, shaping our reality around us?

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

These characters are totally out of my own head. Although some of Moira’s insecurities might be similar to mine, I absolutely can NOT sing and you’d never want me to try karaoke. Not ever. Even my cat gets upset when i sing in the shower!

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

I usually know the ending in a general sense, but I’m more a pantser (write by the seat of my pants) than a plodder. And in this case the characters surprised me with this ending (Although the original ending I had planned is the basis for a sequel story).

What is the best thing about being a writer?

From the creative perspective: Asking “what if,” and being able to say “I don’t like that answer.” And from the communication perspective, hearing that something I’ve written has resonated with or impacted someone I otherwise would never have met.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

For me…The years it takes to bring a project to completion of the first draft, and then looking at the beginning and realizing that my skills have grown to the point that it needs a complete re-do…which will take another year or so again!

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

Meh. I really don’t. Homer did all right imagining the fall of Troy even though he wasn’t there. Jules Verne and HG Wells went pretty far from their personal experiences with their time machines and journeys to impossible places. Madeline L’Engle took me to Farandolae, battling Echthroi, on unicorn rides, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t “writing what she knew.” Imagination counts for a lot, in my book. (Pun intended, of course).

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

I write 2 very distinct genres under 2 different names. So… you make that call. Monogamous but with split identity disorder?

Which writers inspire you?

Madeline L’Engle, definitely. I adore her children’s books, but also her deep spiritual connection to the soul of the artist. Then there’s those in my writing community, my circle so to speak, lesser known but still inspirations to me like Jessica White and Lena Nelson Dooley and Lisa Miller Crane. I’d give a shout out to a jillion more, too, but that will do for now.

What other books or short stories have you written?

Well, let’s see… A novella Explosions and Fireworks was published in a collection titled Summer Fireworks in 2017 which I’m hoping will be re-released as a stand-alone this summer… I had a short story Intentional Consequences in Forbidden Rites in 2016 … and I’ve written some drama pieces ranging from monologue to full three-act musical that were performed in local churches several years ago.

What is your current work-in-progress?

I’ve got a couple irons in the fire, including that sequel to Message in a Bottle. I’m about half or ⅔ through the first draft of a magical realism romance set on a horse ranch in Oklahoma called Horsing Around. And I’m also the same distance through the first draft of a women’s fiction, about a refugee/survivor of a civil war in an African country and her need to deal with the past in order to embrace the opportunities of the future – working title Out of the Desert.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Oh, I’ve got lots of advice! First… It’s not something you WANT to be, it’s something you ARE the moment you write or type that first word on the page, so go for it! Second …To be a good writer, a strong communicator, takes practice. You can’t practice until you start…so go for it! Third, the first draft is for you; the revisions are for your market/readership/audience. Since you can’t edit till you’ve got a draft in front of you, just go for it, and write! I guess you could sum it all up as: “Go for it!”

Read more from Meg Boepple here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: Sofi Laporte

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SofiToday’s interview with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love is with Sofi Laporte. Her short story can be pitched as “Bridget Jones meets Morgan Le Fay”, but I’ll let her tell you more.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

Honestly? The cover! Isn’t it pretty? I totally choose books based on their covers. Then, of course, the challenge of writing a short romance story that includes elements of first love and fantasy. I enjoyed the challenge and had fun writing Chestnut Woman.First-Love-Kindle

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love. 

Imagine falling in love at first sight in a really mundane place: the crowded, stuffy metro. What would you do? My heroine, shy, introverted Pamela, can’t muster up the courage to make the first move. At home she runs into her superbly aggravating, gossiping neighbour, Mrs Schmid. Who is not at all what she appears to be. Mrs Schmid gives her three roasted chestnuts that will change Pamela’s life forever. Is she going to have a second chance with the mysterious, smiling stranger in the subway?

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It depends on my mood. Most of the time I prefer happily ever after, but if I’m in the right mood I don’t mind reading heavy, steamy tearjerkers.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

A reference to Arthurian mythology and the sorceress Morgana Le Fay. Her cat Arthrapax who insists he’s in reality a dragon. Three magical chestnuts.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story? 

The main theme seems to be love, but actually it is loneliness. It can be excruciatingly lonely to live in a big anonymous city, not knowing what your life’s purpose is. Then there is the theme of self-fulfilment: having the courage to break out of the drudgery of every-day life and to follow your dreams. Then there is the theme of appearance versus reality: finding your true self and seeing the true self of others – neighbours, colleagues, your boss, even animals. What is fantasy? What is reality? Maybe there’s more to the aggravating gossipy old neighbour than meets the eye. What if she’s in reality a powerful sorceress? Deep stuff, this.

What inspired your story? 

Many little things. My cat as she looked at me with those green eyes of hers. A neighbour, when she gossiped in the hallway with an excruciatingly strident voice. A boring subway ride home where a man actually read a book instead of staring into his cell phone.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Annoying Mrs Schmid is indeed based on a former neighbour of mine who liked to gossip to no end. Pamela, who may have been a younger version of myself. And the cat. I have a very arrogant black cat like Arthrapax so of course she had to be put into a story.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Usually I have an idea of where I am going, but sometimes the ending is vague and reveals itself to me as I write.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

I like the pre-writing part when you get to daydream your story. When you just stare off into space and have this inner movie that unwinds. I love that moment.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

When it doesn’t come out like your awesome daydream and you ask yourself for the gadzillionth time why you ever wanted to be a writer.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”? 

It is certainly possible to write about what I don’t exactly know. That’s why we utilise two things: imagination and research. On the other hand, if I do know certain things maybe it would add a layer of depth or a certain something that my work wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice? 

I am all over the place! I write chicklit, YA, Romance, children’s, paranormal, historical, you name it. Except horror. But who knows, I might try that too, one day.

Which writers inspire you?

The one and only Astrid Lindgren has been my biggest inspiration since I was a child. I just read The Brothers Lionheart aloud to my younger son. It’s not just a children’s story.  I marvel at the language, the story, the voice. Every single word sits perfectly. The way she grips you and pulls you into the story just fascinates me. Maggie Stiefvater (vision, depth, fantasy and plain awesome writing), Julianne Donaldson (romance in its purest form), Viennese writer Ursula Poznanski (for some of the most gripping YA thrillers out there), Robin McKinley (best fairytale rewrites) and many, many more!

What other books or short stories have you written?

This is my debut as an author! Many more stories and novels to come.

What is your current work-in-progress?

I am working on a YA paranormal fantasy/fairy tale.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Just listen to yourself and have faith in your stories and in your own voice. The stories you want to tell are deep inside you and only you can tell them the way they need to be told.

Please come visit me at my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/sofilaporteauthor

website: www.sofilaporte.com

twitter: @Sofi_Laporte

Thank you for this interesting interview, Simon!

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: Galina Trefil

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Continuing this series of interviews with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love, we have Galina Trefil, whose fascinating short story The Rusalka of the Murashka delves into forgotten Ukrainian folklore.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

A fellow author, V. P. Allasander, was kind enough to draw my attention to several upcoming Dragon Soul Press anthologies. I’m not generally a fantasy author, so the topics seemed a little difficult for me, but I do love a good challenge.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

The murder of an innocent spawns a seductive creature which stalks a Ukrainian village for centuries.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

Overall, it depends on the story, but I am much more drawn to writing tear-jerkers with hard-hitting back themes.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

In truth, I don’t consider my tale, The Rusalka of the Murashka, to be a pure-blood “fantasy” story. It’s based on authentic Ukrainian folklore, featuring a female monster/benevolent deity, the rusalka, whose origin predates Christianity. So much of the indigenous beliefs of Europe have been obliterated. As a Slavic writer, I enjoy showcasing what little managed to survive. The rusalka is especially fascinating as it is a creature that was once a human female. It evolved into something else, something immensely powerful, only as a result of being murdered. It then murders in turn as many men as possible. To my mind, this mythology existing at all is a tremendous reflection on the prevalence of gender-based violence that Slavic women in times of yore must have endured.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Betrayal, lust, and vengeance are present throughout all, I would say, but the biggest theme is the loss of innocence.

What inspired your story?

I am a great fan of traditional costuming and hair wraps. I was researching Ukrainian wraps and jewelry and thought it would be nice to write a story which showcased the way they designated the different ethnic and economic groups. The concept of a korali necklace being so important, I knew, would ring true for Ukrainian readers and, I thought, might convey a part of the culture over to those without that heritage.  Furthermore, my adopted sister is from Shargorod, the village featured in the story.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

None of the characters in this particular story were life-inspired, thankfully. In some of my books, I’ve invested a great deal of myself and others, but not this time.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Whenever I start a project, I always think that I know my ending. However, like a bunch of bullheaded teenagers, my characters tend to ignore my wishes and go haywire. For example: the twist in the end of The Rusalka of the Murashka was not intended. I was already writing a separate full-length book though, set in Shargorod.  The rusalka in this story does feature in that book.  I didn’t originally plan it that way.  It just happened.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

A lot of people have to turn on the TV for entertainment. For me, my keyboard is my TV. I may have to edit, but at least I don’t have to wade through commercials.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

This is a field in which there is truly no justification for gender discrimination and yet female authors still have less chance of being published. It’s the world where J.K. Rowling had to use her initials, rather than first name, to get off the ground.  Personally, I’ve also been told to publish as a man before; been told that “no one would believe a woman could write this.” That does more than hurt my feelings or offend me. It directly impacts my future livelihood. As a female horror author, I see a lot of ways in which other female authors are struggling in this industry. The big-time publishing world should be held accountable for this trend, but currently that’s just not happening.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

In fiction, there is some validity to it.  If you’re portraying, say, a profession that you don’t know, what do you do? You research until you’re to the point where you can at least pass for knowledgeable. But, even then, there’s got to be a halfway point. If we wrote only what the things which are based on our personal experience or research, literature would be a good deal more boring than it is and the fantasy genre wouldn’t even exist. One of the keys of being a good writer is our ability to imagine other points of view, other time periods, and things impossible to the world of modern science. Innovation is every bit as important in fiction as knowledge.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Put that way, I suppose I’m a genre slut and come by it honestly. My main genre is horror, but I also like to do human rights themes. Whenever I do a human rights story though, it often involves quite graphic violence. I don’t believe in sugar-coating. The Rusalka of the Murashka is one of my more toned-down pieces.

Which writers inspire you?

Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Isabel Allende, Edith Wharton, Anne Rule.

What other books or short stories have you written?

I am rather a bit of a hermit. Most of my work hasn’t been made available publicly yet. Currently, my book The Incomplete Ones: A Tale of Slavery and A Cape for Kali are available on Amazon. My short stories and articles have appeared in Neurology Now, UnBound E-Magazine, The Guardian, Tikkun, Romea.CZ, Jewcy, Jewrotica, Telegram Magazine, Ink Drift Magazine, The Dissident Voice, and Open Road Review. I’ve also appeared in the anthologies Flock: The Journey and Suspense Unimagined.

What is your current work-in-progress?

I always tend to have several projects going at once.  At current, I am working on the second book of my series Don’t Say Gypsy. These books are feminist short story collections, showcasing the racial discrimination and violence perpetrated against the Romani people of Eastern Europe. Project two is a series exploring the human rights violations going on within California’s prison system, focusing largely on gladiator fighting. Project three, The Silent Tsar, which is currently five or six chapters from completion, is the tale of a medieval Russian vampire. Its first book ties in to the rusalka story featured in First Love.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Learn to love the editing process. Until you learn to take pleasure out of it and see it as an opportunity, things are going to be heck.    

Find out more about Galina Trefil at her blog here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: Melinda Kucsera

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613BEdnm4UL._US230_(1)Day five of this series of interviews with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love was supposed to feature an interview with Melinda Kucsera. Instead, someone called “Shade” answered questions on her behalf…

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

I’d been bugging my scribe, Melinda Kucsera, for years to write the story of how I met my best friend. (He’s also my first love.) Since Melinda’s not here right now to answer these questions, I’m answering them for her.

Don’t worry. She’s fine and currently working at her day job. In fact, she has no idea I’m answering these questions for her. But the cast of the Curse Breaker series, of which my story is but a small part, usually doesn’t let her answer these kinds of questions. We know the story better than she does because we’re living it.

Who am I? I’m called Shade. If you want to know more about me, you’ll have to read First Love. 😊

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

First-Love-KindleOurs was a friendship for the ages–an abused mage just trying to raise his younger brother and a gray-clad enigma who hides beneath a cloak and veil. (That’s me, Shade, your narrator for this interview.)

We didn’t know it but the day Sarn and I met, we took the first step toward a perilous friendship that would unleash a demon and earn the ire of an angel.

From the mines under Mount Eredren to the Gray Between life and death, follow the twisted paths friendship takes. Only one will survive when adoration turns to obsession. But not even death can sever some bonds.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

I prefer happy for now because that’s truer to real life. There is no such thing as happily ever after. Circumstances change. Life throws curve balls, and we must adapt to survive. Love takes work to keep it going strong.

I have no idea what Melinda prefers. Since she’s not here right now, I can’t ask her.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Oh boy, how do answer this without giving away too much? Since I fall madly in love with a mage, there’s definitely magic in there. After all, we do live under a mountain that’s surrounded by a ridiculous number of enchanted trees, and we mine magical rocks for a living. That’s all I can say without spoiling things.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Our scribe, Melinda Kucsera, plays with friendship and love, innocence and lust. Opposites really do attract in this sweet tale of First Love.

What inspired your story?

I begged Melinda to tell the story of how Sarn and I met. I’d earned a rather bad rap in Curse Breaker: Enchanted because I’d made some poor decisions. Letting a demon possess me might not have been the best idea I’ve ever had. My passenger caused a fair amount of trouble for my beloved before all was said and done in that story.

But Curse Breaker: Enchanted only told part of the story of us. I wanted the rest on record because I was the best friend Sarn ever had before the demon incident, but you’d never know that if all you read was Curse Breaker: Enchanted.

First Love is my time to shine, and it just might net me a second chance to do right by my beloved if that angel is right. We’ll find out more about that in later stories. 

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Umm, I hate to break it to you, but I’m a real person. I might live in a fantastical world full of magic. But I assure you, I’m not fictional. My world exists somewhere beyond dreams. Somehow our scribe, Melinda, can see what goes on there and chronicle them. There’s a book coming out soon that explains all that and just how characters like me can cross over to your world. More about that later.

I might have borrowed her computer to type out this interview. Don’t tell her about that, okay? She gets upset if we drop in when she’s not home.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Melinda writes our adventures in real-time as they happen. So, no, she has no idea how they end, and neither do we. We’re busy living the adventure-in-progress. But, according to other cast members, Melinda’s getting better at predicting what will happen from book-to-book. But we like to keep her guessing.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Melinda gets to write about us and ride along on our fantastic adventures. What could be better than that?

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

That’s easy. Since Melinda is the only scribe who can see our world or interact with it, she’s the only one who can write down our stories. So, she’s besieged by requests on an hourly basis. Her inbox is a scary place.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

I’ll agree to that because I’ll get more stories if Melinda only writes what she knows. She knows me pretty well, and I now know how to reach her apartment from my world, so we can chat about anything she needs to know.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Melinda only writes epic fantasy. The characters from my world keep her too busy to finish that funny sci-fi story or that urban fantasy one gathering digital dust on her hard drive. But you never know. She might one day slip our creative leash and write something else. We might even let her. 😉

Which writers inspire you?

This is a tough one because Melinda reads like crazy and at the end of every book she says, “I wish I could write like that.”

I’m pretty sure she admires something about every book she’s ever read, and that’s a lot. She has over 2000 audio books on her phone, and she’s listened to 90% of them. The remaining 10% are on her TBR list. 😊

What other books or short stories have you written?

Besides contributing to First Love, Melinda has written:

Curse Breaker: Enchanted

His Angelic Keeper

Curse Breaker: Darkens

Curse Breaker: Faceted

Curse Breaker: Falls

Curse Breaker: Books 1-4 (Best value)

Curse Breaker: Sundered

What is your current work-in-progress?

Melinda is working on A Darker Shade of Love, the sequel to my story in First Love.

My tale takes a darker turn when a group of summoners set their sights on my beloved. I will do anything to stop them from stealing his magic and with it, his life.

Melinda is also working on Curse Breaker’s Companion: Catch the Scribe.

Catch the Scribe before she falls.

When grief threatens to overwhelm a lonely scribe, the fate of her fictional world hangs in the balance. If she doesn’t finish the book and get it into the hands of readers, all her characters will disappear forever.

Melinda’s also working on about four other books, but those two are the closest to being done. So I’ll stop there.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Be careful. The stories you write could be real, so have a care with your characters. You never know when they might drop by for a visit. 😉 I’m sure Melinda would have something better to say, but she’s not here. I am, and I’m a character in a fantasy book series, so take my advice with a mountain-sized grain of salt.

This is Shade, one of the heroes of First Love signing off. Grab your copy of First Love now. I’d love to meet you in the pages.

Also from Melinda, sent before Shade decided to answer on her behalf:

“Melinda Kucsera writes fantastic short stories, novels, and books when not being kidnapped by dragons or chased by armies of fictional creatures. (We do, on occasion, rescue her.) She leaves the running of her newsletter to a cast of lovable characters who hog her inbox. Enough about her, it’s us you’re really interested in, her cast of characters. Join us every week for a new story.

Over 10,000 readers have already enjoyed our fight to survive and thrive as we straddle the often blurry line between fiction and reality. Because we do exist outside of the books Melinda writes for us. Let us take you on an adventure behind and between the scenes.  Sign up to experience our weekly shenanigans. Go where no book or newsletter has gone before!”

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interview: Edeline Wrigh

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Continuing this series of interviews with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love, here’s Edeline Wrigh, whose short story Of Seals and Storms delves into Celtic myth and selkies.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

When a storm threatens the lives of several local fishermen, Elizabeth’s best friend – a selkie and the girl she’s in love with – comes up with a plan to save them. But there’s one little caveat: she has to return to the ocean for the rest of eternity. Assuming they can find the skin her father hid from her before he drowns, of course. Of Seals and Storms is a love story about hard decisions, sacrifices, and trusting fate.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It depends on the story, but also my mood. I read (and write) all of them.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Selkies! That’s the most obvious/explicit one, but there’s also some anthropomorphizing of the natural world and allusions to at least one Celtic deity.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Choices and identity.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

They aren’t. Not at all. Of course past experiences influenced it because they always do to some extent, but no one’s intentionally based on anyone.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

It depends on the project. Different ones develop differently. Sometimes I start with the ending and none of the lead up, sometimes I start with a vague idea, sometimes I start with a random middle scene. For Of Seals and Storms I think I knew what the ending was about 20% of the way through it.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

Balancing writing with other life obligations.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

I agree with it, but find it’s often misinterpreted. As a fantasy writer, of course I’m not intimately familiar with unicorns or what-have-you, but the themes I’m writing about are always ones I “know” – loss, love, cruelty, solidarity, faith, etc. Also, there are moments in fiction that can parallel things we intimately know and we can pull on our experiences for those things. If the job our character is applying for is a wizard’s apprentice, many of us are still familiar with the anxiety surrounding interviewing for a job even if we were interviewing for an office gig.

Also, honestly, with the internet it’s really easy to research a subject and can draw on other people’s experiences too.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

I’m devoted to fantasy and fantasy subgenres, but I don’t have a particular subgenre I’m “monogamous” with.

What is your current work-in-progress?

The first in a lesbian harem paranormal romance series – The Witch and the Werewolf. It comes out on March 21 and is available for preorder now.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Just write.

It’s simple and it can be hard at first, but really… just write. Stop prewriting and get words on paper. Finish your drafts even if you hate them; it’s a hard habit to form and it’s important if you ever want to “get anywhere.” If you feel your project sucks, finish it and then write something else, and share it with someone who will be kind but also honest in the meantime. But also don’t get caught up on making your first project “perfect.” It won’t be. Neither will your fifth or your twentieth, and that doesn’t actually matter. Your readers largely won’t care and they’d rather have something to read. Promise.

To follow Edeline Wrigh, visit edelinewrites.com and check out her writing here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

First Love Author Interviews: AD Carter

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51W4hbr-IWL._US230_Today’s interview with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love is with AD Carter. His short story explores concepts of leadership, as well as love at first sight.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

I was working on my fantasy universe to see where my novel would go, and as I continued, I noticed a quick story I could tell about one of the characters. Originally, I was going to put it on my blog, but I was in the fantasy group ran by Jade Feldman herself, when she announced the anthology. I looked at it and said, “why the hell not?”

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

First-Love-KindleWell, the story is about a young prince name Zander who sees a woman and instantly falls in love with her, but her fate is sealed. Now Zander must make a decision that could very well change the course of history for his kingdom as well as himself.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It really depends on the story, but mostly I like for them to be happy-for-now. The reason for that is because I believe that even though love conquers all, love also ends all.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

For this story, I show a little bit of magic so people can get a small understanding of how the magic system. I’ll give you a hint, it was inspired by Harry Potter.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

The theme of the anthology is ‘love at first sight.’ But I also tried to show how making decision-based on emotions alone can either be a good thing or a bad thing. As well as what makes a good leader? As this is something Zander and his father discuss early in the story.

What inspired your story?

As I said earlier, I was working on my universe for my WIP, and I was becoming more interested in my main character’s parents, and I wanted to tell their story. So, I sat down for a couple of days and thought about their personality and how they met and BAM! I had a story about them.

What other Dragon Soul Press anthologies have you contributed to?

This will be my first one, and I’m excited about it. But after careful consideration, I’ll participate in future ones as well.

What romantic fiction do you like?

This might sound crazy, but I don’t like romantic fiction at all. They’re all the same to me. Guy meets girl, the guy wants to be with the girl. The guy must get past the jerk she’s dating. Guy confesses his love in the most melodramatic way possible, and they live happily-ever-after. Due to my life experience, I have a hard time believing a story like that.

Is romance something you would normally write? If so, what attracts you to the genre? If not, what challenges did you encounter in the writing process?

Well seeing that I don’t like it, due to them being so cliché, I thought maybe I should write a story that was more believable. Right now, I’m currently working on a series called “Love Chronicles,” where it tells a story of a guy looking for a woman he met at a carnival. I would say the challenge here is not to make it cliché and focus on the question I had for myself. “How long will you wait for the love of your life?”

What themes are you drawn to time and time again?

I would say abuse of power and different forms of government (sometimes in a negative light). Including racism, bigotry, misogynist, and/or human nature in general.

What do you prefer writing? Short stories? Novels? Novellas? Poetry?

I like writing short stories, to either create a back story for myself or fill in a minor plot for my audience. But my dream is to write a novel, which I’m currently doing right now. It won’t be easy, that much I know, but it will be worth it in the end. As for Novellas, never tried one, but I should. Poetry I tried my hand at it once and yeah, I quit. If you want to read them, you can find them on my blog as well.

What is your favourite work that you have written so far?

Well, there’s two. A short story series on my blog called Strangers in a Restaurant. I really loved how these two characters came together and tried to figure out why they drifted apart for so long.

The second would be a feature-length screenplay called Reaper’s Game. I really loved the story here, as you dive into the mind of a killer seeking redemption, while at the same time trying to stop a war. I took a lot of inspiration from movies like The Godfather, Sicario, and Blade Runner 2049. I have plans on sending out and hopefully, someone will pick it up to produce it into a film.

What is your current work-in-progress?

My current WIP is not a fantasy, but a coming of age story. It’s titled Exile, and it’s about a young black kid who goes on a ten-year journey trying to find his place in the world. While being ‘exiled’ by those he identifies with. He will make a lot of bad choices, and meet a lot of undeserving people, but it will shape him into the person he’s supposed to be.

What other writing plans do you have for the future?

The plan for this year is to work on two other short stories for future anthologies. As well as write a sequel to my other movie, and be more active on my blog and author page. But my goal is to finish my debut novel and hopefully get it published by next year.

Follow AD Carter on his Facebook page here, and on his blog here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).