Ask the Author: M.L. Spencer
Answered Questions (33)
M.L. Spencer
Hello Jerrica, Book 2 is still in the making! I got a little behind on it.
M.L. Spencer
I've been in a serious writing slump the past couple of years due to struggles in my personal life. I'm trying to crawl my way out of it, and when I do I will definately not forget Chaos Cycle 3.
M.L. Spencer
Thank you! Right now I'm planning for 3 books, although there is a possibility it might extend to four if a big idea hits me :)
M.L. Spencer
Yes, it's in the making!
M.L. Spencer
I write adult fantasy. The Rhenwars Saga has fade-to-black sex scenes and a couple of scenes where characters are nude (not nude together). The Chaos Cycle is a bit steamier though nothing X rated.
M.L. Spencer
Thank you, Damien!
I do think advertising has improved the visibility of my series. Before I started advertising this series was languishing down in the hundreds of thousands of Amazon store rank. I doubt I would have reached as many readers without it.
I do think advertising has improved the visibility of my series. Before I started advertising this series was languishing down in the hundreds of thousands of Amazon store rank. I doubt I would have reached as many readers without it.
M.L. Spencer
Hi there! I am releasing Darkfall as a paperback (not ebook) this coming Friday. :)
M.L. Spencer
Hello! I suggest starting with Darkmage, then going on to either Darkstorm or Darklands. Darkstorm shows the circumstances that created the central conflict of the series, but it occurs a thousand years before and has (mostly) different characters. Up to you! :)
M.L. Spencer
Hi Nick! The next book is with the editor, so hopefully it will be available sometime in the next month. I am currently writing the last book in the series. I hope to get that out in the fall of 2018. So...That would make the series a total of 5 books. A prequel + 4 books in the main story arc.
Thank you!
ML Spencer
Thank you!
ML Spencer
M.L. Spencer
I would go to Robert Jordan's world and I would become an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. :)
M.L. Spencer
So many! I'm going to be going down the #SPFBO list and picking and choosing a few that appeal to me...but there are so many good ones!
M.L. Spencer
Thank you, Eric. I entered Darkmage in three contests: Readers' Favorite, IPPY and IRDA. It won the IRDA award in the Fantasy category. I think winning the award has done a little for sales. I think I will enter Darkstorm in a couple of contests, mostly for fun.
M.L. Spencer
Lol! In bed. Preferably with a heated blanket. Purring cat would be nice!
M.L. Spencer
Even though my writing is influenced by these genre "heavies", I definitely have my own take on blending elements of fantasy, scifi, and horror.
I think what sets my series apart from other works of speculative fiction is the theme. The Rhenwars Saga isn't about good versus evil; it's an exploration in two conflicting moral ideologies. So I'm definitely attacking things a little differently. My heroes are very dark and my villains can seem perfectly justified, and I have a lot of flexibility with character.
So while I strive for King's insight into psyche, Herbert's fluency with institutions, and Jordan's capacity for world-building, I definitely have my own "thing" -- pushing the boundaries of moral philosophy.
I think what sets my series apart from other works of speculative fiction is the theme. The Rhenwars Saga isn't about good versus evil; it's an exploration in two conflicting moral ideologies. So I'm definitely attacking things a little differently. My heroes are very dark and my villains can seem perfectly justified, and I have a lot of flexibility with character.
So while I strive for King's insight into psyche, Herbert's fluency with institutions, and Jordan's capacity for world-building, I definitely have my own "thing" -- pushing the boundaries of moral philosophy.
M.L. Spencer
Honestly, no. I would never wish upon my students what I do to my characters! Actually, I think the real reason is that I teach high school and I'm not writing YA. My characters are older than my students, mostly in their late 20's.
M.L. Spencer
My all-time favorite authors are Robert Jordan, Stephen King, and Frank Herbert. Of the three, Robert Jordan has the most influence on my world-building and plot. I think my writing style is probably like a more descriptive Stephen King. I wished I have his power and brevity, but I can't approach it.
M.L. Spencer
Don't pants it. Plot it all out, every book, before the pen ever hits the proverbial page. A trilogy needs to many ties from one book to the next to wing it.
M.L. Spencer
Thank you! Well, I wanted a planetary system of magic that was stronger in some places and weaker in others, offering my characters solutions and challenges when and where I needed them. I immediately thought, "I need something like a magnetic field". So, that's where the Rhen's magic field came from.
M.L. Spencer
Outliner. The pen doesn't hit the page until every chapter has a plan. I really hate rewriting whole chunks because I didn't see a plot element in time to implement it.
M.L. Spencer
I really identify with Quin. I don't have his sarcastic wit, but I do have his penchant for disaster. We both also share some similar history.
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