Thanks for stopping by to
talk a little about your writing! Let's jump right in. When did you begin writing
and why?
Do you have a favorite genre?
Is it the same genre you prefer to write?
No favorite genre. I write
romance, contemporary and paranormal including fantasy and reincarnation
novels. I also write cozy mysteries and one medical suspense. There are also YA
fantasy stories and several non-fiction books,
Do certain themes and ideas
tend to capture your writer’s imagination and fascinate you?
This is a hard question to
answer. Since I write in several genres there are themes I follow in each. The difference between good and evil
fascinate me. As do gems, fire and astrology. I’ve used the all in books. And of
course romance and people finding each other and falling in love are themes I
enjoy. Devising the ways I can use these themes differently is a plus.
How do you
balance long-term thinking vs. being nimble in today's market?
I’m not
sure I really care about markets. I know what I’m comfortable writing and I’m
not expecting to earn a mint. I write stories I like to read and when they’re
bought, I’m happy. The market is volatile bit it ahs always been. It makes no
sense for me to write something I’m not comfortable with just because that’s
what’s selling. I tried that in my early days say thirty years ago and I was
unhappy so I returned to writing what I want.
How do you
find readers in today's market?
Finding
readers takes a number of things and one is writing new books. There’s always a
jump in sales of my backlist when a new book is done. I have a blog that has
something new up every day except for those few when I can’t access the
internew. I also am a permanent feature on two blogs (BWL blog and Sweet and
Spicy Divas.) I also guest on someone’s blog once a month. I’m active on
Facebook and on Twitter. I could do some advertising on various sites but I
choose them with care. All a writer can
do is continue to write.
Do you
come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig
through until you find a hook?
Actually,
I first come up with an idea for a book. I wouldn’t call it a hook but it’s a
situation that interests me. Then I figure what genre I want to write the story
in and having this in hand, the characters and the plot come together. It’s
telling myself a story evry night while I’m falling asleep. Thus the characters
and story come together and I finally start to write. I don’t search for that
perfect line that starts the story. Often something will come to me. I remember
once sitting up in bed after hearing a voice shouting “Not the children.” This
became the opening for a book.
How do you
create your characters?
I use
Astrology to develop my characters. Often, I know their occupation and other
things about them before I know their names. I use the Sun sign to create their
inner nature, the part of them defining themselves but one they may not show
the world. The Ascendant or Rising Sign becomes the face they show the world.
Sometimes this creates a great inner tension in the characters. Their Moon is
chosen for their emotional response and guides their reactions and sometimes their
actions. Once I put all these together, the character has become one to develop
as I write the story.
What's on the top of your TBR pile right now?
My TBR list doesn’t stay for long since besides writing I read a book
every two or three days. I often re-read books I really like. At the moment,
I’m reading Black Dragon by Vijaya Schartz
Tell me a little about the
characters in The Children of Fyre
This is my latest release and
is the final book in the Fyre series. The main characters are four young
adults. Three are the children of the heroes and heroines in the three other
books. The fourth is a child of the villanous wizards. Each of these characters
bond with a dragon and they set out to destroy the power of the wizards for all
time.
Cerene is the wizard’s child.
To her father, she is considered a breeder. Women have no power among the
wizards. She has learned how to use all the fyrestones and plots to escape the
isle of exile.
Arkon is her opposite. He is
the youngest dragon rider but destines not to have a dragon. He is rather
cautious and skeptical about the others but he finds Cerene interesting. He has
the most trouble with the fyrestones since he ahs always believed those who use
them are evil.
Riara is the youngest
daughter of the priest and priestess of the Temple of Fyre. She has a tendency
to leap before she looks. She has mastered the fyrestones.
Lorton is the child of those
who defeated the wizards and drove them into exile. He is steady and
thoughtful. He has learned a bit about using the fyrestones.
Where’s the story set? How
much influence did the setting have on the atmosphere/characters/development of
the story?
The story is set on the island
of Fyre, a total invention that I’ve developed over the course of four books.
There are mountains, rivers and the island is large enough to have three
different lands. There are high mountains separating the three lands. Mountains
that can’t be climbed. In this story, the sea coast and the ocean play a large
part in the story. Setting always plays a part in a book and this includes
weather. Here the weather has much to do with several scenes.
If you had to write your
memoir in five words, what would you write?
Eclectic writer invents many
worlds.
How often does your muse
distract you from day to day minutiae?
I don’t have a muse. I write
every day until I finish my goal for that day. It’s usually a scene or when
revising, two chapters.
What do readers have to look
forward to in the future from you?
Right now I’m working on Forgotten Dreams, the
fifth book in the Moon Child Sries. A contemporary romance set in a large town
called Fern Lake. The heroine Emma is a nurse practitioner in private practice
with her doctor friend. Returning to her life is Chad Morgan, Hollywood action
adventure movie hero. She is the girl he left behind. He is tired of the same
role over and over again and of life being a photo op. He realizes he still
loves her and she wants to rid herself of the dreams she remembered and he
forgot.
Children of Fyre
Fantasy
Island of Fyre book 4
BWL Publishing Inc.
In this return to the Island of Fyre, each of
the heros and heroines of the three previous books have children. Lorton is the
youngest son of the Wizards of Fyre and he has bonded with the yellow
dragon.
The dragon through the magic of the stones has been rejuvenated and is now green. Dragon sends Lorton to travel to where the Dragons of Fyre are raised. There he meets Arkon son of the hero and heroine of the Dragons of Fyre.
There have been four eggs laid and there must be two young men and two young women found to bond with them. On the island where the evil wizards were exiled, Cerene has grown up as little more than a slave. She can use all the fyrestones unlike her father. She learns about the kidnapping of Riara, daughter of the hero and heroine of the Temple of Fyre and vows to save her.
The four must unite with their dragons and finally destroy the evil.
The dragon through the magic of the stones has been rejuvenated and is now green. Dragon sends Lorton to travel to where the Dragons of Fyre are raised. There he meets Arkon son of the hero and heroine of the Dragons of Fyre.
There have been four eggs laid and there must be two young men and two young women found to bond with them. On the island where the evil wizards were exiled, Cerene has grown up as little more than a slave. She can use all the fyrestones unlike her father. She learns about the kidnapping of Riara, daughter of the hero and heroine of the Temple of Fyre and vows to save her.
The four must unite with their dragons and finally destroy the evil.
By Mark:
Excerpt:
The first meeting of the four.
Arkon pushed his steed into a gallop leaving Lorton and
the pack horses behind. Dragon’s report that the women hadn’t eaten for a full
day troubled him. He rode until the horse slowed its pace. Ahead, Dragon
crouched on the grass. Arkon scanned the area ahead and spotted the two women
sheltering in a cluster of trees.
Not far from their position, he dismounted. With his hands
held high to show he held no weapons, he approached the pair. The women rose.
Their beauty brought a smile. The one with the hair of fire stood tall and
slender. The ice blonde had curves tempting him to touch. Which one would be
his? Would he and Lorton or the women choose?
By the time he constructed a fire circle and gathered
wood, Lorton arrived. Together, they unpacked the steeds and gathered the
makings of a meal.
He struck his fire starter several times and failed to
ignite the kindling. “Sure wish there was a magical way to start a fire.”
“There is.” Lorton pulled a wand from his pack.
Arkon held up his hand. “Don’t.”
The fair-haired woman laughed. “Let me.” A spear of flame
shot from her hand. “Are you the friends Dragon said were on the way?”
Arkon nodded. “Why did you use a fyrestone to start the
fire? Those stones and those who use them are forbidden in this land.”
“How foolish,” she said. “Why?”
“There are many reasons. My father…” He clamped his lips
together.
The flame-haired woman stepped forward. “Who are you?”
“The youngest son of the dragon riders of High Peaks.”
“Name.” Both women spoke.
“Arkon.” He pointed to his friend. “Lorton.”
The taller of the women stalked toward the fire. “I’ll ask
again. Why are the stones considered evil?”
“My father suffered much because of the temple priestesses
who used the stones to keep him a prisoner. He managed to escape and return
here.”
“Managed? I know that story. My father aided a slave to
escape. There is no need to worry or fear our people. The evil priestess was killed
when she fought my parents. They used fyrestones to defeat her.” She turned to
her companion. “We have no friends here. We must find another refuge.” Cerene
joined her. They walked away.
*Stop.*
Dragon’s voice roared in Arkon’s head. *Why should I? I
won’t bring reminders of what my father suffered under the rule of the
priestesses.” He turned to Cerene. “I want you to promise not to use the stones
until we speak to my father.”
Cerene shrugged. “I see no harm in using them but I will
refrain for now.”
Arkon reached for a large pot and filled it with water
from a leather sack. He added dried vegetables and chunks of meat from the deer
Dragon had killed. Lorton lifted a pack to the ground.
The ice blonde dimpled when she smiled. “I am Cerene. My
companion is Riara.”
Arkon stirred the pot. She is beautiful and one he could
consider as a bondmate.
Lorton pulled tunics and divided skirts from a pack. “The
lady of the keep sent these. There are several sizes.”
Riara accepted the stack. She walked into the woods.
Cerene followed. When they returned their tattered clothing had been replaced.
Arkon dished bowls of steaming stew. The four settled to eat.
Cerene dipped a spoon into the dish. “Where do we go from
here?”
“Home,” Arkon said.
She sighed. “How wonderful you make that sound. The isle
where I was born never felt like a place where I belonged.”
Riara grasped her bowl. “I would love to go home.” She set
the dish on the ground. “I hope they don’t pay the price the wizards asked.”
Lorton refilled his bowl. “What price?”
“A hundred thousand white fyrestones. I doubt there are
that many available.”
Arkon shuddered. “And they will be used for evil. That is
how all fyrestones are used.”
“They can be used for good,” Lorton said. “The yellow
casts light in the darkness. When Dragon and I traveled the dark tunnel, I used
them.”
Arkon’s jaw clenched. “No more talk about those stones. In
the morning we’ll begin our journey to the keep.”
“How far must we walk?” Cerene asked.
Author Information
Janet Lane Walters has been published for 50
years but she took off about twelve years to return to work as a nurse to help
put her four children through college. She began with short stories and when
that market went sour, turned to novels. This came after an editor at a
magazine told her the short story she sent sounded like a synopsis for a novel.
She has a BA in Creative Writing and a BS in Nursing. As a writer, she bounces
around from contemporary, mainly medical based stories, cozy mysteries, fantasy
and paranormal novels. There are probably 50 or more books out there. She worked
as a ghost writer for several years and those books were written with doctors.
One is a book on writing with her friend Jane Toombs.
Janet lives in the scenic Hudson River Valley
with her husband of sixty plus years. She has four children, three biological
and one adopted biracial child. She has seven grandchildren. Four are black and
three Chinese. Her eclectic nature continues in her family.
http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com
1 comment:
Thanks for having me
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