April 28, 2013

Author Interview with Mel Chelsey

[Picture by juliedillon]

Hi Mel, first of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself.
Sure! I’m a wife, mom and all around gamer chick. I love playing games like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings online, etc. I’m a fantasy writer and I’ve been writing for a very long time now. (Don’t want to give away my age, you know.)

What do you think makes your genre special?
Fantasy genre is not exactly special, per se, in that it is something new and exciting. Sometimes fantasy can be stretched out over a myriad of other genres to create new, sub-genres. But if you are talking about what makes Fantasy itself special, well, then I would have to say all of the magical creatures that are formed from it. The wizardry, the races and all of the heroic tales told as if they were all mythical legends from our world.

What do you think makes a great story?
Personally, when I read a book and I’m looking for a great story, I am looking for a rush of events that leads us to the overall end goal, whatever that may be. Whether it is finding the long lost sword of a forgotten king or a race against time to find a killer. I want action and I sort of like it to move along quickly. I also think that characters that are well thought out and have depth to their personalities make for a great tale. I like to connect to the characters somehow as if they are new friends. By the end of the book, I want us to be buddies for life.

What is your latest book called and could you explain to us in 20 words what it is about?
My book is called ‘Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One’. It’s about two warring kingdoms that have fought for generations and it’s finally coming to an end, one way or another. It will either end on a peaceful note or total destruction of both kingdoms.

Which kind of reader do you think will enjoy your book?
People who like any kind of high fantasy akin to ‘Forgotten Realms’ or ‘ShadowLance’. Anyone who likes RPG (Role-playing games) such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Is it a Standalone, or part of the series? If it the latter, how long do you think will it go on?
This is the first in a trilogy. There will be two books to follow, ‘Veritas’ and ‘Bellum’.

What influenced or inspired you writing it?
Honestly? Playing an online RPG that was text based. I took all of the roleplays from my friends and asked if I could turn it into a short story. Well, things just went from there. I have all of (or almost all of) their characters in this first book, just the story is different from anything we ever did.

Why did you choose especially this title? Was it your first choice?
No, far from my first choice! Titles are a little difficult for me. But I thought about this first book and what was happening in it. I have a love for languages and thought I would use a one word title to describe the book and translated it into Latin, hence ‘Adversarius’ was chosen.

What was the hardest part for you working on your book?
Almost all of it! Writing it is easy. I seem to see the movie in my mind and just write out what is happening. The hardest part was editing it and trying to describe such a book in one short sentence. (I went over up above!) Querying seemed just as difficult and marketing and promoting my book would have been horrendous if I hadn’t began building my reader base a long time ago.

Was there a scene that you didn’t want to add or remove in your finished work?
I’d say yes, but most everything I wanted in the book is there. I have had to shorten some parts, rearrange others and increase descriptions. Overall, though, the hardest part was trying to decide where book one should end and book two should begin. Now I have a clear goal for the ending of the second book as well as the last and know how to start book three.

Do you already know what to do next?
Yes, finally! Now I have a clear goal for the ending of the second book as well as the last and know how to start book three. I’ve had to map out the story in outlines and on my world map I’ve created so I know how to get from point A to point B.

Where can we find more about you and your books?
You can always find me on Facebook or my blog. I have been getting on Twitter (@MLChesley) a lot more lately. You can always find my book on Amazon or Smashwords as well.

Any last words?
Yes! Thanks so much for this opportunity, Patrick. I appreciate it. I’ll happily do interviews and like to reciprocate. Anytime you feel like guest posting on my blog, just holler! And thanks to your readers for being so very patient. I’d like to offer up a free copy of my book to one lucky commenter, if that’s all right with you.


Adversarius

Two kingdoms, two goals.

The king of Relavia is determined to wipe out his warring neighbors in Paridzule, a worthy adversary for over five hundred years. News of an arranged marriage between his son and the daughter of his lifelong enemy has fueled the temper of Relavia's tyrannical king. What he doesn't realize is the true measure of his son's honor and how far he is willing to go to gain peace.

4 Kommentare:

  1. Mel, quick question: you mentioned basing the characters from Adversarius on an RPG (maybe a MUD?). Did you make any attempt to disassociate the characters from the game that birthed them, or would other players in the RPG instantly recognize the setting?

    Just curious. I've done the same thing with characters in my own fantasy stories, but did take some pains to uncouple them from the game.

    Thanks!

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  2. Hi Larry! Yes, I used to play a MuD. I have one city in my entire world that resembles (however slightly) the setting from the game. The only way I disassociated them from the game was by changing their name (when needed, due to being named after other characters from games or books). There is one city that is easily recognizable from the game itself, but is only mentioned in the first book. I also made sure to ask permission to use the characters from the people who created them. The game wasn't that big of a deal because I never used the name of the city or made my city exactly like theirs. Lots of the other players that have read my book so far, feel like they've stepped back into that game and really like it.

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  3. Increase descriptions? That sounds familiar.
    Appealing to the D&D geeks is smart. There are a lot of us.
    I like an action story with a good pace as well.
    Good stuff, Mel!

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    Replies
    1. Whenever a writer says that, somewhere a editor dies, repeating his last words "show, don't tell!".

      Not fully understand this "iron rule", but at least some of you seem not to be bothered by breaking it.

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