Now let's get this party started!
casually inserting blog tour schedule
About the Book
In the magical land of Perth, divisions between the Old Kingdom and the New have waged for centuries. The humans have long harbored a mistrust of the spell-casting Fae and vice versa. In the midst of this conflict, Estrella the Sorceress lays waste to the Training Academy for Human Warriors, making an enemy in the soldier, Jalen. During their standoff, Jalen is turned into a squid and Estrella, unable to restore him to his original form, takes pity on him and travels west across the Sea to bring him to the Wizard in hope he can be saved. But is there more to the unrest in Perth than meets the eye?
Amazon // CreateSpace // Goodreads
About the Author
Emily Mundell is a 19 year old author, artist, horsewoman and lover of the wonders of the wide world. She hails from the Great White North of Canada and has spent her life growing up in the heart of rural Alberta in a close-knit farming community - though she has often entertained fantasies of inhabiting the Shire.
Writing is her true passion - though horses and art take a close second. With fantasy as her primary genre, Emily has been writing stories since the tender age of eight when she finished her first "book". She is currently working to complete her Creative Writing Certificate through the University of Calgary. An avid bookworm, true country-mouse, and unconventional tree-climber, Emily can usually be found on a horse, working on one of her half-dozen projects, chasing a loose cow, or being swept off her feet by the man she calls her own personal "hobbit".
The author sounds pretty cool, doesn't she? I thought you'd agree, so I have Emily here, all ready for an interview. :)
So Emily, my first question for you is, how did you discover your love for writing?
That
is a tricky question. I'm not entirely sure? I've always loved stories
and loved reading since I could read (and before that loved being read
to), so that was certainly part of it. I wrote my first "book" when I
was eight about myself, my friends and our horses so I guess I
discovered this passion somewhere before then? I only wanted to write
about horses back then, and I didn't spend nearly as much time on it,
but I did to it so I guess that's something.
Wow you've been writing for a long time then. :) What inspired you to write The Sorceress and the Squid?
There
is a long weird answer to this question! The inspiration for this story
came from a late night Facebook conversation between myself and
Jonathan (my then-not-yet-boyfriend-now-fiance). We were deep into the
subject of his secret identity as a ninja squid who trained an academy
of ninja squidlings to take over the world and yadayada. Now, clearly
this isn't quite what I wrote down for my book, but the seed of the
story was born from this conversation. Later, after I had become his
girlfriend, it was decided that I was the sorceress who had turned him
into a squid and later the next year I started writing this book. The
rest is history.
Haha, what an interesting way to be inspired! :D So why did you choose to self-publish?
Good
question. For most of my life I was not into the self-publishing scene
at all. I had some preconceived notions about it - mainly that it was
unprofessional. However, as I researched and was forced to study it for a
class in college, I realized that there were actually some solid things
about it, and that you could totally self-publish in a very
professional manner. It just depends on who you are. Once I had that
revelation, I also thought that even though I still wanted to be picked
up by a publishing house one day, self-publishing my first book would
help me create a platform from which to be recognized by a publishing
house. These days that's basically a prerequisite for getting published
anyways. So I decided to follow this through with my first novel and so
far it's been a really rewarding experience. I would absolutely do it
again (being traditionally published is even losing its appeal except
for the wider audience reach possibilities).
Oh
cool! Yeah, I used to feel the same way about self-publishing, but then
I started "meeting" indie authors. :) What is your favorite part, and
your least favorite part, of the whole writing and publishing process?
I'm
a very organized person, so I've enjoyed the marketing aspect of
publishing a fair bit so far (except for all the socialization it
involves). I also do enjoy writing the first draft most of the time -
even if I end up ripping out my hair once in awhile. Holding my book in
my hands was a great feeling as well. Some dislikes would be editing,
mainly rereading the same things so much, and trying to figure out
websites and their little things and being totally uncertain about what
I'm doing at times. There were definitely some frustrating moments, but
the rewards outshone them.
I
totally agree with you. I feel the same way about all of that. Except
the publishing parts since I'm not published yet. :P So what is your
favorite genre to write in?
Definitely
fantasy, hands down. I have been working on my own fantasy epic for
eight years, almost nine and I love it. Of course The Sorceress and the Squid
is also fantasy and I have a couple of other story ideas that are
fantasy as well. My favorite writers are JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and
they are my biggest inspirations/mentors. CS Lewis is quoted saying, "If
we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy,
the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." I
love this quote because I think it really reflects the heart of a good
fantasy story, but also - mostly importantly - reflects the Kingdom of
God and the Heaven He has created for us to belong to. I think that's
just so cool.
I also enjoy writing sci-fi, contemporary, and dystopian fiction - just not as much. ;)
That
is really cool! C.S Lewis is one of my favorite writers too, and I love
that quote. I find him to be very quotable. :) What do you do when
you're not writing?
So.
Many. Things. XD I'm a farmkid so I am often out feeding cows, driving
tractors, moving cows, getting back a loose cow, etc. I love horses to
death and spend a lot of time riding. Whether it be at home, at my barn
over jumps, at my summer camp working with camp horses or working horses
for friends. I can usually be located in a saddle. I'm an artist as
well and I love to draw and paint (though time for that is minimal these
days), and I also enjoy photography. I like being outdoors. I live in
Alberta, Canada near the Rocky Mountains and love going out there for a
hike with friends/family. I like to climb trees. I like to hang out with
my homeschool friends and my camp friends when I can. I love being with
Jonathan as much as possible. I do a lot of stuff - too much stuff!
No kidding! You must not get much sleep. My last question is, do you have any advice to give aspiring indie authors?
Advice!
I am so not good at advice! :P I think the main thing is to realize
that even though it's called "self-publishing" you don't have to do it
completely, totally by yourself. It's okay to ask for help, to hire
people to help, to ask questions of those who have gone through the
process. It's a daunting task to just write a book, nevermind trying to
publish it. Don't be scared to ask questions! Also, realizing that it's
an awful lot of work and you really have to make your project a priority
in order for it to come to fruition. And if it takes a long time, don't
sweat it! My entire writing and publishing process was nearly two
years, it's okay to move slowly. Be brave!
Ah, that's great advice! :D Well, that's it! Thank you so much Emily for being with us today. :)
Thank you so much for having me, Karyssa! I really enjoyed your questions! :D
And
that's a wrap, people! Here are the links again, where you can check
out the book for yourself. Go buy it! You know you want to. :)
Thanks for stopping by! See you next week! :)
