Ask the Author: K. Isabella Frost
Answered Questions (9)
K. Isabella Frost
My breath hitched as he moved towards me, his eyes narrow and his snarl making me cringe as he pressed his lips to my neck, preparing to sink his fangs in. Then... as suddenly as it had begun, I felt nothing... abandoned, trembling and terrified of the absence that filled his place...
(Probably not great, but it's an attempt at least)
(Probably not great, but it's an attempt at least)
K. Isabella Frost
If I could travel to any fictional book world, it would have to be Middle-Earth. I would just love to explore the world and all its rich cultures in full medieval dress. That would be great.
K. Isabella Frost
Plato's Criteas and Timeus, Good Omens, the second and third Immortal Blood books (if I can get the second), and The Brother's Grimm stories.
K. Isabella Frost
I like to do a lot of practical research if I can. Like I actually dressed in a medieval princess dress and joined a LARP group for a little while to get the feel for how my character would explore the world and how she'd use a sword (which I was good at, but really wasn't the epic fighter). I also play video games where I can use character creation to play as my protagonist. Games like Dragon Age and the Elder Scrolls were particularly helpful for exploring how my heroine would behave in those kinds of worlds, some of the quest lines even inspiring my own versions of how I encountered those kinds of events. I also use the Sims 3 a lot to plot how my characters work in my "Eternal Bloodlines" series and even design the locations I describe in my worlds to have a visual. But definitely a safe, practical, real life experience is the best for understanding a character and the world they live in. I'm pretty hands on like that sometimes. But when I can't, games are a great alternative. I also draw a lot of what I see in my head and sometimes sketch whole scenes. A drawing can be very inspiring.
K. Isabella Frost
A lot of the inspiration for my books come from dreams I have or artworks I've seen. For example, the Shade Seekers from the Pendant of Dragons series were inspired by the painting "The Scream". The whole concept of "Pendant of Dragons" started when I was a child and I either dreamed of or saw a picture of a girl riding on the back of a dragon. I was only seven or eight and that stuck with me. And it all just snowballed from there as I began drawing the characters, then writing the stories. This series today starting with "The Aldrich Legacy" is the second incarnation of my original idea and the most refined. As I continue working on this series and the next two to come I take a lot of inspiration from working on mythology classes, reading up about mythical creatures (mermaids, vampires and dragons are my favourites) and of course reading classic fairy tales from the Brother's Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and the brilliant works of Professor J. R. R. Tolkien. Given that this is a series my ideas really do come from so many places, but mostly dreams I have or drawings I either create or see.
K. Isabella Frost
I can't say that there's any one thing that's the best. Personally I enjoy everything about it. I love the process of creating the characters and their world, using drawings that I do to design them and even get to know them. That's really fun. Getting to know your characters is definitely a great thing to enjoy. But writing their story, seeing how they interact, watching the events of their story unfold as you write is really something I love. And that final moment where I type the last words of the story is so satisfying. I even love rereading my work and seeing how it flows, and discovering a new way to word something too. So I guess the best part of being a writer for me is the process towards creating and completing the work. But there is no comparison to the feeling of holding your work for the first time as a real book.
K. Isabella Frost
The best advice I can give is write what you love. Don't write for fame, or to be popular. That goes nowhere. Writing something that you enjoy and writing as if it is just for you is the best way to get started. When you love what you write and make it something that you enjoy and adore, then eventually, when the day comes to other people start reading it, it will take on its own life and be loved by others too. Don't be disheartened if at first it seems like no one reads it, like on some of the writing share sites. Most people there are after the same thing you are. But above everything else just have fun with the process and enjoy every moment. It's your work and that makes it special in its own way.
K. Isabella Frost
The best way I deal with writer's block is to think of scenes that I would like to write and then write them. They may eventually be put into one of my books, or they may just be an influence to one, or even just be something I keep as a test, but I find that it helps a lot. Writing is always the cure for writer's block, no matter what it is you write. It doesn't have to be good or even part of the grand design of what you're creating. It just has to be an outlet to keep the momentum. Sometimes a story will flow really easily, like it wants to be written. Other times it'll be stubborn and drag its feet, and that's where you need to negotiate the way forward. This is where just writing anything that comes to mind can help.
K. Isabella Frost
At the moment I'm writing the fifth instalment to my new fantasy series "Pendant of Dragons" titled "Defenders of Therras". It follows on from currently available first book "The Aldrich Legacy" and its sequels "Custodians of the Past" (available by Christmas), "The End of All Things" and "The Uncertain Road". It's the latest continuation of the series and Princess Leander's encounters with the sinister Shadow Lord, taking her on a deeper adventure into the mystical world of the fae, merfolk, dragons and other beings of High-Realm. It is the second last of the Shadow Lord Hexology. I am also plot lining and planning a sister series to this one set after the final book of the hexology as well as working on a vampire series called "The Eternal Bloodlines", the first which is named "Shattered Reflections" will be released from White Light Publishing some time in the next eighteen months.
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