Helen Garraway's Blog, page 19
October 24, 2023
Author Interview – Marco Marek
Today, I am thrilled to be chatting to Italian YA Fantasy author, Marco Marek.
Helen: Welcome Marco. Tell us a little about your YA Fantasy books.
Marco: My current book is Magic Streets Arizona bound book three, end of the saga of Magic Streets, first one was based in Prague, second in London and Highlands in Scotland.
This is the blurb for the first book.
Photography has never been so dangerous for Jack. Excited to visit Prague, Jack packs his camera and sets out to complete an assignment for a well-known magazine. However, shooting award-winning photographs isn’t the only challenge that Jack will face.
Blissfully unaware of the magic contained within the city of Prague, Jack rents an apartment at a mysterious former hotel. Determined to complete his assignment, he stumbles upon a magic street, he didn’t know he will be involved with a monster hunt with a tarot reader, a young witch and a bridnet boy.
The adventure that awaits is filled with magic, turmoil, danger, and a newfound love. Will Jack be able to face his fears or will the city be lost forever?
Helen: What a great idea for a portal to another world. What were your thoughts behind your cover?
Marco: The last cover of book three is a witch with a grand canyon background with bright blue sky with Pleiades on the top left. I found a photo of this vampire woman in shutterstock and love it, right away communicate with my cover artist and she create it.
Helen: That is such a great feeling when you find the perfect image for your cover. How did you come up with your title and the idea behind magical streets?
Marco: Well one time I was driving in my city when I had a vision, seemed I was in the opposite area I wanted to go, so I thought that could be magic street that transfer you in the area you want.
Helen: What made you write this particular book?
Marco: Magic Streets saga is because I like Teleports and fantasy, but this one isn’t visible, it is just one small area where whoever has special powers could detect and use this teleport, just using their mind.
Helen: When did you realise you had a passion for writing?
Marco: I always liked fantasy movies and books. After I read The Lord of the Rings I thought: why I can write my own story? So I wrote Hyperearth, my first book.
Helen: Which genre do you typically write and why. Who inspired you?
Marco: I write mostly Fantasy, because for me it’s more easy, creating new worlds, creatures, is so simple for me since I have a huge imagination. I wrote one suspense thriller: Amstel Girl, seems went well. My insprirations were Stephen King, JK Rowling, Paulo Coelho.
Helen: Who is your protagonist and why did you write her/him? Do you have a favourite character?
Marco: Of Magic Streets is Jack Harson, one American man living in England, his profession is photographer, well my first two books the protagonists were two female teenagers and the second book Wesley Wooter, a man who met a quirky woman.
I like Wesley of Amstel Girl who is into a intrigue but he is strong to face this issues, and also met a quirky and terrible girl that make him mad. Jack of Magic Streets, is quiet man but his life will be changed forever by the two witches and thanks to them he will be more stronger.
Helen: If your Main Character could answer, why would they say we should read your book?
Marco: If you like adventure, action Wesley and Jack are the perfect guys, they like to joke and be serious when needs, they aren’t perfect but you will like them.
Helen: Tell us about your current WIP.
Marco: My current Wip is Magic Streets Arizona bound the end of trilogy. But I have lot of books on stand by: one of them is I get inspiration by movie Mulholland drive by David Lynch.
Helen: Let’s talk a little about your writing process. When do you do you most of your writing?
Marco: I always write most at night, it is more quiet and relaxing, during the day there is much noise, my cat is around and not good for writing.
Helen: I have a cat as well, and he can be very distracting! Do you listen to music while you write?
Marco: No, I don’t listen music when I write, I need to concentrate on writing and the music not the best thing.
Helen: How much research do you do for each book?
Marco: Well lot of research for my last book, since I never been in Arizona, I had to do extra search, about legends of Native American, Pleiades, Aztec Maya etc. I recently found that Native American ancestors came from Pleiades!
Helen: Research can be so much fun, but also can drag you down a rabbit hole. We authors, are full of useless information! Are you a pantser or a planner? Do you write free form, or do you have a framework you stick to?
Marco: I write free form without chapters and without read, but with framework I think it is better.
Helen: Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
Marco: Writing could be easy, though sometimes you are stuck and you can’t move because you haven’t inspiration, but the most challenging for me is editing and writing a blurb. Scanning every phrase finding mistakes of misspelling words and punctuation it’s annoying. As well as the blurb, concentrate all the book in a few words, it’s a really hard task.
Helen: What is your favourite book and why do you like it so much?
Marco: The Lord of the Rings actually, it was an awesome read, I can’t put it down, maybe because I like fantasy but I like the travel journey they do and reading I’m imagining it in mind like I’m watching a movie.
Helen: That is an amazing series by Tolkien. I am sure it has inspired many writers. What is the best thing that has happened to you since you began writing?
Marco: Well, I was very happy when I won bronze medal in a contest of Readers Favorite in Miami 2018.
Helen: Congratulations on your Bronze Readers’ Favorite Award for Hyperearth. Such a great acheivement. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Just one one more question! What advice would you give new writers? Do you have a trick to overcome self-doubt?
Marco: Read a lot first then write, of various writers of the genre you like it, so you can learn their writing styles, then research when you want to write. Don’t listen to others they smile when you say you are start writing. Keep going. Also indie authors are writers and you must be proud and remember it every time. Celebrate yourself.
For self-doubt? Well finding a contract most of the times it’s a mirage but who knows… one day could happen, better write than leave your manuscript in your drawer. One writer said once, write for yourself first, when you see your books listed,(on amazon for now) you will proud and this is the feeling to keep writing.
About the Author
Marco MarekMarco Marek is an award winning author from Italy. He always had a fervid imagination and a passion for fantasy stories, medieval magicians, ancient history, and unexplained mysteries. While he was visiting a castle in Eastern Europe, he had the idea of writing Hyperearth. Apart from writing, Marco is also a painter and photographer, he likes digital artwork on Photoshop. He loves travelling when he has some free time
Contact Marco via his Website or on social:
InstagramYouTubeTwitterAmazonPurchase HyperEarth via Amazon:
As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring
By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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October 22, 2023
Book Review Alert: Dacia Wolf and the Prophecy by Mandi Oyster
Reviewed: October 22nd, 2023
Released: May 24th, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: ebook (KU)
Dacia Wolf longs to be normal. After accidentally killing her brother years ago when her awakening powers set fire to their house, the now-college freshman just wants to fit in. But when another unintended blaze results in a trip to the dean’s office, the distraught young woman learns she is the subject of an ancient prophecy.
Destined to battle a demon bent on annihilation, Dacia struggles to develop her magic into a controllable weapon. And now plagued by damaging dreams, a nosy roommate, and a haunted bully, the would-be heroine fears she’ll be responsible for the deaths of everyone she loves.
Can an unprepared sorceress conquer evil without going up in flames? Read My Thoughts…
October 11, 2023
Sentinals Destiny is Live!!
Book Six of the Sentinal Series – Final book in the series completing the set!
Release Day: October 11th, 2023
It’s Launch day! Sentinals Destiny is live! I am so excited to share the last installment of the Sentinal series, the sixth book. It seems unreal that in three years I have released a complete Epic Fantasy series! And another beautiful cover from Jeff Brown Graphics.
Sentinals Destiny
Birlerion’s leave of absence is up and it’s time for him to return to work. Before he has time to sit behind his desk, or discover the source of the brooding threat that is hovering over him, he is sent off to Terolia to negotiate with the families for a bride. The succession must be protected and it’s time for Anders to marry.
As he travels through the deserts, he realises that it is the Veil that is hunting him, and it wants his blood. But no one will listen to his concerns about the Veil. The healers believe he is struggling to adjust after his recent traumas. Their arguments are persuasive and overrule saner minds.
Betrayed by those he loves, driven by an oath invoked by the king, and with only Jaredion and Leyarille to protect him, Birlerion goes on the run across Vespiri, Terolia and into the islands of Birtoli, the home of the Oath. If he doesn’t discover a way to stop the Veil from killing him, it will not only be his life that is lost, it will be all of Remargaren that is destroyed.
Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.
The Complete Sentinal Series:
Book One: Sentinals Awaken
Book Two: Sentinals Rising
Book Three: Sentinals Justice
Book 3.5: Sentinals Recovery
Boook Four: Sentinals Across Time
Book Five: Sentinals Banished
Book Six: Sentinals Destiny
If you would like to read an ARC for my future novels, then sign up to my ARC team via the link in my linktr.ee. All I ask is that you leave an honest review on the week of the launch to as many platforms as you can!! (Amazon/Goodreads/Bookbub)
October 9, 2023
Live Reading – Sentinals Destiny
Book Six of the Sentinal Series – Final book in the series completing the set!
Preorder the eBook now: Sentinals Destiny for the special preorder price $2.99/£2.49.
Release Day: October 11th, 2023
Watch the Live ReadingSentinals Destiny
Birlerion’s leave of absence is up and it’s time for him to return to work. Before he has time to sit behind his desk, or discover the source of the brooding threat that is hovering over him, he is sent off to Terolia to negotiate with the families for a bride. The succession must be protected and it’s time for Anders to marry.
As he travels through the deserts, he realises that it is the Veil that is hunting him, and it wants his blood. But no one will listen to his concerns about the Veil. The healers believe he is struggling to adjust after his recent traumas. Their arguments are persuasive and overrule saner minds.
Betrayed by those he loves, driven by an oath invoked by the king, and with only Jaredion and Leyarille to protect him, Birlerion goes on the run across Vespiri, Terolia and into the islands of Birtoli, the home of the Oath. If he doesn’t discover a way to stop the Veil from killing him, it will not only be his life that is lost, it will be all of Remargaren that is destroyed.
Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.
Get ready for the final book of the series – Purchase the first book Sentinals Awaken now:
Book One: Sentinals Awaken
Book Two: Sentinals Rising
Book Three: Sentinals Justice
Book 3.5: Sentinals Recovery
Boook Four: Sentinals Across Time
Book Five: Sentinals Banished
Book Six: Sentinals Destiny (eBook Preorder price $2.99/£2.49 until launch October 11th, 2023.)
If you would like to read an ARC for my latest novel, then sign up to my ARC team via the link in my linktr.ee. All I ask is that you leave an honest review on the week of the launch to as many platforms as you can!! (Amazon/Goodreads/Bookbub)
October 7, 2023
Author Interview – Eme Savage
Today, I am thrilled to be chatting to science fiction/fantasy author, Eme Savage, whose latest science fiction book Beneath the Copper Sky releases on October 15th.
Helen: Welcome Eme, and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. Congratulations on your forthcoming release. Please tell us a little about your book, Beneath the Copper Sky.
Eme: Beneath the Copper Sky is a SciFi Fantasy Action Adventure. Amine returns to Titan to attend her father’s funeral after he dies in a mining accident. Clues left behind by her father tell a different story. With the help of her friend, Amione goes to the surface to find answers and sets into motion events that will change Titan forever.
Helen: What were your thoughts behind your cover?
Eme: I wanted a cover that felt retro and fresh at the same time. Something that will stand out on a shelf and get the reader to pick it up and read the blurb or click to find out more. I decided a simple representation of Titan’s landscape with Saturn on the horizon would immediately tell the reader they were looking at a SciFi novel.
Helen: Who is your protagonist in Beneath the Copper Sky and why did you choose to write them?
Eme: Amione Dhau is a brilliant young woman who was deeply misunderstood by the small community she grew up in. I based her off of some of my experiences growing up as an ADD/autistic individual who knew I was different, but didn’t know why at the time. Amione represents all of us who were made to feel less than, developed our sense of agency, and went on to do amazing things.
Helen: It’s great to see a strong heroine overcoming her difficulties. How do you fit your writing into your daily life?
Eme: I make a point to spend at least ten minutes a day engaged in a writing related activity. It can be actual drafting, but oftentimes it is research, editing, marketing, journaling, and reading. All of these activities push my project forward, hone my skills, and provide inspiration. Ten minutes is not a lot of time, but it does add up if when I do it consistently.
Helen: That is such a great routine to get into. Do you find you spend a lot of time planning your books, or are you more of a pantser?
Eme: 100% a pantser or Discovery Writer. Freewriting works much better for my process. I have tried various outlining techniques and I find them too restrictive. Mostly because I come up with a better idea as I’m drafting. The best feeling in the world is when I’m writing a scene and my characters take me in a direction I had not anticipated. It’s very motivating. I can always smooth out any consistency issues or rough spots in editing.
Helen: Thank you so much for chatting with me today, Eme. Just to close us out, what advice do you have for those writers struggling with imposter syndrome or self doubt?
Eme: Imposter Syndrome is part of the creative process. If I start feeling the fear, much as I’m feeling now, I remind myself that I must be on the right path. It is only a matter of time before I come out on the other side. Depending on where I am in the process, I will seek out feedback. This usually confirms a problem and gives me insight into how to fix the issue. It can also reaffirm what I’m doing well. As terrifying as it is to ask for feedback, it really is the best weapon against Imposter Syndrome.
About the Author
Eme SavageEme’ Savage lives in Dearborn, Michigan with her author husband, A.M. Holmes, and three feline overlords, Rosie, Tilly, and Mylo. She went to college and received a 4-year degree in Management. She worked in financial services for 8 years and then became an executive director of a disability advocacy organization. After being diagnosed with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and other ancillary illnesses, she left full-time employment. She became a freelance content creator covering issues ranging from school funding to the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and the socio-economic effects of public policy. Throughout her life, she has been working on The Genesis Chronicles, an adult epic fantasy series and adult SciFi Series. She published Echoes of the Gidat in 2009 and relaunched it in 2019 on its 10 year anniversary. Tetarul Parallel was published May 1st, 2020, and Mirror of Ettek will be released on December 27th, 2021. She also has three published short stories in the same universe and is working on her debut SciFi novel slated for a January 2023 release.
Contact Eme via:
Instagram
FB @eme.savage
Beneath the Copper Sky releases on October 15th, 2023 and is available for purchase from a vendor of your choice.
If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring
By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receive commercial information from Helen Garraway, located at 61 Bridge St, Kingston, Hertfordshire, UK (Data Administrator). You can withdraw your consent at any time. The data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.
October 5, 2023
Book Review Alert: The Necromancer’s Daughter by D. Wallace Peach
Reviewed: October 5th, 2023
Released: August 25th, 2022
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Format: ebook
A healer with the talent to unravel death. A stillborn child brought to life. A father lusting for vengeance. And a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.
A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she, too, learns to heal death.
Denied a living heir, the widowed king spies from a distance. But he heeds the claims of the fiery Vicar of the Red Order—in the eyes of the Blessed One, Aster is an abomination, and to embrace the evil of resurrection will doom his rule.
As the king’s life nears its end, he defies the vicar’s warning and summons the necromancer’s daughter. For his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade. Armed with righteousness and iron-clad conviction, the Order’s brothers ride into the leas to cleanse the land of evil.
To save her father’s life, Aster leads them beyond Verdane’s wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a wilderness of dragons and barbarian tribes. Unprepared for a world rife with danger and unchecked power, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son. Read My Thoughts…
October 1, 2023
Author Interview – Dex Greenbright
Joining me today is steampunk author, Dex Greenbright.
Helen: Welcome Dex, and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. Tell us a little about your book, Dreams of Eysan.
Dex: Tales of the Automazombs wrapped up last year (2022) with Dreams of Eysan, the fourth in the series. It’s a short story series with steampunk cyborg zombies (Yep! You heard that right!). The new book collects stories from the newsletter and website that never made it into the main storyline, as well as the piece from the bookmark postcard I give out at conventions. I also added a couple of mini comics, religious myths, and worldbuilding tidbits. Dreams of Eysan exists because I love the world my co-authors and I made and I wanted to play in it a little longer.
Helen: I must admit Steampunk cyborg zombies does sound interesting! What were your thoughts behind the cover?
Dex: So, to preface this, I’m also the cover artist! I like to tell folks I do my own stunts. Every book in the series has the look of a leather hardcover book, each with a unique color. A Desperate Plan is green, for the plague. A Darker Road is red, for blood. Downfall is black, for ash. And now Dreams of Eysan is blue, for connectedness (regardless of what happens to the characters, they share the same sky). With the newest book, it’s told through the lens of one of the characters, Liridon, who collects the world’s stories for the Grand Library. I wanted to give a little peek into his world. I imagine he’s doing research here in the stacks of ancient books, his green jacket laid on a ladder for safekeeping, while a beam of light streams in from above. I made a rainbow overlay for the scene to give it an extra dreamlike quality. It’s funny, when I finished, I asked my co-authors if it was “too gay?” To which they responded “impossible!”
Helen: I love the insights behind the cover. When did you first realise you had a passion for writing?
Dex: Oh man. I did NaNoWriMo on a whim (with my Tales of the Automazombs co-authors, actually!) in 2009 or so. A couple weeks into writing my first novel, I had this moment of wishing I could keep going like this forever. So one novel turned into two and three and on and on. I guess I’ve always been a storyteller, though. As a kid I made picture books constantly. Even when I’m making art or comics, it’s all to entertain and inform and share stories with those around me.
Helen: That is so inspiring to many writers and demonstrates how Nanowrimo can help you focus on your writing. So glad you found the bug to continue writing. Out of your series, who is your favourite character?
Dex: My favorite character in Tales of the Automazombs has to be Liridon. I didn’t realize at first when I was writing his stories, but he’s got a lot of me in him. Neurodivergent as all heck, queer (asexual in his case), and generally just an odd little nerd trying his best.
Helen: Which genre do you prefer to write in?
Dex: I write science fiction and fantasy. Those are the stories that spoke to me as a kid and continue to capture my heart as an adult. Plus, writing about dragons and aliens and magic and wayward undead cyborgs is just plain fun!
Helen: I agree, writing fantasy is such fun, you can let your imagine loose! Now this series is complete, what are you currently working on?
Dex: I have a few that I’m really excited about. Honestly, I could talk WIPs all day, don’t tempt me! There’s the genderbent rescue quest with pansexual monsters and plots of regicide. Another has three friends who have to save Earth from interdimensional warlocks, who in turn are trying to save the multiverse from evil aliens. That one’s wild, but nowhere near the insanity of the one I’m most excited about, where a trans man foolishly says that he will worship any god that helps with his bottom surgery. Forgotten deities start showing up to answer his prayer, usually to apocalyptic effect. I’m trans myself, so writing this one has been one of the ways I work through my dysphoria.
Helen: Oh my, that sounds hilarious! I can imagine you chuckling away to yourself while writing. I look forward to the opportunity to see what outlandish situations you came up with! Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
Dex: There are things I struggle to write (I’ll occasionally forget to delve into the characters’ emotions) but I think the most challenging part of the process is turning off new ideas long enough to get one thing done. Every shiny new idea demands to be heard and refuses to leave me alone until I’ve at least gotten the outline down.
Helen: I know the feeling, sometime ideas just keep bubbling and you’re afraid to lose them. Do you plan your novels or are you more of a pantser?
Dex: Both! I tend to make a rough outline and some basic worldbuilding before I begin a story. Then when I sit down to actually write, pantsing takes over. I also enjoy another term for it, discovery writing, because sometimes it isn’t until halfway through a chapter that I’ll discover an idea that would be amazing to include but has massive implications for the outline. Every few chapters, I’ll go back and revise the outline, because knowing the overall plan is still helpful.
Helen: Many writers experience self doubt or Imposter Syndrome, how do you deal with it?
Dex: Imposter syndrome is the worst, that little voice that tells me I’m never going to “make it” as a writer and to just give up. When I’m feeling like that, I can go back and read maybe the last chapter I wrote, or something older that I loved writing. It’s never as bad as our brains would have us believe. If that doesn’t work, I call on my writer friends. Everyone’s ready to tell a rude brain to go sit in the corner and think about what it’s done.
Helen: What are some of the books you read recently that you would recommend to others?
Dex: Some recent books I’ve loved are The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, the Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo, and the Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Helen: Thank you so much for chatting with me today, just to close us out, what advice to have your dealing with writer’s block?
Dex: Sometimes a story needs time to settle in my brain. I can’t move forward with it, so I switch over to one of my other projects. That way I’m still writing, still creating. Other times, I get stuck in place and feel this nebulous wrongness. I used to think this was part of imposter syndrome, that I was the thing that was wrong. It took me a long time to realize this is just my brain’s way of letting me know something in the plot or character needs to be fixed. I listen to that internal voice more carefully these days. It’s a wise little thing.
About the Author
Dex GreenbrightDex Greenbright is a writer of monsters both kind and cruel, a Capricon Best In Show winning artist, and the editor, illustrator, and a contributing author for Tales of the Automazombs, a book series with steampunk cyborg zombies. He is a creative whirlwind, a magical master of dungeons, and always, always available for hire.
Twitter: @dexthewriter
Purch ase The Tales of Automazombs from Amazon
Link to book on Amazon UK: Paperback
Link to book on Amazon US: Paperback
As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring
By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receive commercial information from Helen Garraway, located at 61 Bridge St, Kingston, Hertfordshire, UK (Data Administrator). You can withdraw your consent at any time. The data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.
Book Review Alert: Star Sick by Amy Marie Myers
Reviewed: October 1st, 2023
Released: April 20th, 2023
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: ebook
Introversion is illegal in 2084.
But the lovely people at Friendlee.Face.s, a front for the SUPER.V1S.1ON corporation, insist this is for the betterment of Earth.
All those deemed introverted are lazier and less productive than the most recent incarnation of artificial intelligence.
And with the latest wave of brainwashing, most have accepted this reality.
But Luccee Winterscott refuses to comply. Her only hope is to escape Earth on her terms and find a planet with different rules. Or even better, a distant, uncharted star with no rules at all. She will find such a place.
And with the help of the alien race Coodaura, and a group of forgotten misfits, she will find her tribe. She will find love. She will take on the SUPER.V1S.1ON. Read My Thoughts…
September 24, 2023
Author Interview – Saz Vora
Today, I am thrilled to be chatting to contemporary fiction author, Saz Vora.
Helen: Welcome Saz, and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. Tell us a little about your book, Where We Have Come.
Saz: Where Have We Come, is a retelling of our experience at the birth of our profoundly disabled son and how grief and child loss is a stigma in the South Asian community. It looks at the cultural clashes faced by a young Gujarati couple as they embrace their Britishness and their heritage. The book is the second book in the university series Reena & Nikesh.
Helen: A difficult topic, though I am sure it must have been cathartic to write. What were your thoughts behind your cover?
Saz: The inspiration for the covers is a rose, and I love the scent of old-fashioned roses. In this cover, the rose is nearly at the end of its life cycle, representing the transient nature of life. The flower holds significance as we had white and yellow roses at our son’s funeral. The white background represents innocence, the red of the typeface shows sorrow. I asked my designer to look at the book cover designs for women’s fiction at the time of publishing.
Helen: There is always so much more meaning behind cover designs. Understanding the authors intent, makes it much richer. Why did you choose this title?
Saz: The title Where Have We Come, is a loosely translated lyrics for a Hindi film song. The title has several connotations. It was the song that came on the radio as my husband twiddle the dial when we brought our son from the hospital. They released the film that the song features in the year we started dating. And the title explains that no matter how many curveballs life throws at you, you can choose a different path.
Helen: Such a special song for you, ideal to use for your book title. Your book is obviously very special to you, but why did you choose to write it.
Saz: Where Have We Come is my first ever full book. I wrote it in 2006, on a writing course, and put it away, as I was told by some early readers that it was too niche a subject and wouldn’t appeal to publishing houses. After suffering from a full-blown panic attack and the anxiety that followed. I realised that sharing my story would help my mental health and might even help many other mothers who had lost their baby or had a sick child. I want to tell women they are not alone. If one woman feels that my story helps her cope with baby loss then I have done what I set out to do. To raise awareness.
Helen: That is such a great sentiment. Well done for sharing your story. If I asked your main character why we should read your book what would they say?
Saz: I recommend Where Have We Come: It helps you heal, feel seen and learn of life in multicultural Britain. It has helped me learn to live and love again after losing our son and coping with the grief of losing my mother at an early age.
Helen: When did you first realise that you wanted to write?
Saz: I’ve always had a passion for storytelling, usually versions of fairy tales to my much younger cousins and later to my children. I used to adapt stories from Hindu scriptures.
In 2017, after a panic attack and therapy, I went back to my book to process my feelings. Writing was my place of succour, a place to escape into the world of my characters and through them a way to raise my voice. Had I known earlier when I’d abandoned writing, that those stories would bring me respite from the grief. I wouldn’t have listened to the advice.
In hindsight, I feel that there is a time for everything, and now is the time for me to grow and find my happy space and my passion to write stories about people like me.
Helen: There is so much advice available, it can be difficult to know when to listen and when to ignore. I think keeping your reason for writing front and centre helps you decide whether it is applicable or not. Which genre do you write, and is there any genre you would like to try and write in next?
Saz: I write women’s fiction with romance at its heart. I also believe my books are suitable as book club reads as I tackle many subjects that are taboo. If I didn’t write Women’s fiction/romance I’d like to write a cosy mystery with a trio of South Asian women in their 60s set in England. An idea that has been brewing for some time.
Helen: How do you get the ideas for a new book?
Saz: I often get a song in my head and then a character forms. I usually read the lyrics and make a note of these and then write a monologue from the character and see where that leads me.
Helen: What are you currently working on?
Saz: I’m currently writing the story of Sonali and Deepak for the second duet of my university series.
As with the other books in this series, the first of the duet is a university romance set in ‘80s England. Neither Sonali nor Deepak can resist the magnetic pull to be with each other. Only Deepak mistrusts people with money and Sonali is secretly engaged to Anil.
In the sequel, we meet Sonali and Deepak, who are successful in their professional life but are struggling with their marriage. After many failed attempts at IVF, a miscarriage and growing pressure from family and the community to conceive, Sonali becomes secretive and Deepak feels isolated. Can they stay together, or will the stigma of a childless marriage pull them apart?
Helen: Plenty of emotions to play with! When it comes to the craft of writing, which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
Saz: I find editing the hardest part of my writing process. I write above the normal word count that recent book lengths have become and find it difficult to delete my chapters. I’m learning to save these chapters for another story. I would love to send my rambling chapters to someone to read who’d slash and delete for me. But I know I need to learn this myself as it will make me a better writer.
Helen: Do you listen to music when you write, if so, what do you listen to and why?
Saz: I often have a song come into my head and listen to music when I’m mulling over ideas. When I write I prefer silence as the lyrics in songs make lead me astray and I usually end up writing them in my work. I feature songs in my books too and have a playlist or two for each book I’ve written.
Helen: Do you find you have to do much research for your books?
Saz: I fact check a lot once I write my first draft and create a Pinterest board for fashion, food and places for my story ideas. As I set my books in places, I know I don’t need to research the area. The most important thing I research are the songs and film dates to keep it authentic to the time period.
Helen: Are you a pantser or a planner? Do you write free form, or do you have a framework you stick to?
Saz: I’m a planster, (planner and a pantster) and if any of my characters are persistent, I write scenes in my notebook. I mind map afterwards and then I plan where the scenes might fit. I use Save the Cat by Blake Synder as my planning process only because I used to teach film studies. I recommend using Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody’s book is superb for all genres. She shares many examples and provides useful beat sheets.
Helen: What are some of the books you read recently that you would recommend to others?
Saz: My reading list is mostly women’s fiction and romance. Me Before You, Jojo Moyes; PS I Love You, Cecelia Ahern; It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover; Grown Ups, Marian Keyes. I read all genres, except horror. Recently I’ve been reading South Asian writers like me, not recent migrant stories, but those who struggle with belonging and identity.
Helen: When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to overcome it?
Saz: I don’t beat myself up with unattainable word counts. There will be days when words flow out of me and others when there’s a dam that blocks them. I try doing something else even if its reading books, watching films or TV programmes.
Helen: Thank you so much, Saz, for sharing your work with us. Just to close us out, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Saz: Find a cheerleader, or many cheerleaders through writing prompts on social media and the writing community. Read everything, especially books in your genre but wider too to understand what people like and dislike.
About the Author
Saz VoraSaz Vora is a wife, mother and writer. She was born in East Africa and migrated with her family in the ‘60s to Coventry, Midlands, where she grew up straddling British and Gujarati Indian culture. Her debut novels, My Heart Sings Your Song and Where Have We Come, is a story in two parts of love, life, family, conflict, and two young people striving to remain together throughout.
Where Have We Come, Finalist – The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2020, is based on true events that have shaped her outlook on life’s trials and tribulations. Her short story, Broad Street Library, was long listed in Spread the Word, Life Writing Prize 2020.
Before she started writing South Asian melodrama, she had a successful career in Television Production and Teaching… But her need to write stories has led to what she is doing now—writing stories about people like her in multi-cultural Britain.
She gets inspiration from listening to music, cooking and watching Bollywood, Hollywood and Independent films, hence the references to songs, food and films in all her books.
Please visit her website, where you can read her blog and sign up to newsletter where she will share, missing scenes, recipes, playlists and all things book related. Please also follow her on social media, where she will post her comments.
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If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
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September 22, 2023
Book Review Alert: A Song of Mange and Poison by Caroline Noe
Reviewed: September 22nd, 2023
Released: September 19th, 2023
Genre: Humourous Fantasy
Format: Paperback
It was all going so well…
But I might have guessed a dark side sequel was on the horizon.
No sooner had this Menopausal Madam nabbed her Mangy Wolf, and the jumbled pack of wolves, bears, snakes and an eagle howled their way to a Happy Ever After, than up pops the Messenger of the Alpha of Alphas, announcing the imminent arrival of the stinky Southern Pack.
A shed load of furry trouble descends, chief of whom being Curt’s Auntie Yelena, known as Yellfire to her enemies.
I’m one of them, apparently.
Before you can say ruffle my fur, we’re paw deep in backstabbing, arson, poison and attempted murder.
Everyone’s heart is in danger, especially mine.
Don’t turn your back. Don’t turn tail. Read my thoughts…
