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Interview:
When did you discover your knack for writing?
About twelve years ago––when I decided to act upon a nearly forgotten childhood desire to illustrate children’s books––I started exploring possible stories for my picture book and found that writing came as naturally to me as drawing and painting.
Have you got a set idea of where you want this series to go, or do you find the story tends to run of its own sometimes?
I’ve learned to have a pretty firm A to Z plan in mind. Otherwise, it’s too easy to go off in directions that could lead to dead ends or places that don’t serve the story. That being said, I do remain open to those surprise twists and turns that often arise merely from the act of fleshing out the bare bones of the outline. And of course, there are always those characters that decide to pop into the story of their own accord, Sithias being one of them.
How did you come up with the idea for this book?
I was upset about my favorite bookstore closing, a charming little place full of eye-catching book displays and book ladders that rolled along the old brick walls. So one day as I thought about the empty store, I wondered what I might see if I peeked through the windows. Had anything been left behind? Strangely enough, my crazy imagination offered up a giant ten-foot-tall book––a magic Book of Fables to be exact. And then a girl named Fate came to mind and I knew she was destined to plunge inside that big bad book.
What was the hardest part about writing Fate’s Fables?
I guess I’d have to say layering in the details of scenes to make them as vivid as possible. I did a lot of research, even on the simplest things like food, clothing and different kinds of trees or flowers. Also finding fresh ways to describe my characters’ emotions without defaulting to crutch words and phrases.
What was the inspiration behind the different fables and which one is your favourite?
Fairy tales have always inspired my imagination, but they often left me craving greater character development and description. So my goal was to write wholly new fables, which not only explored those areas in greater detail, but also gave readers the feeling these stories had been around forever. It’s hard to choose a favorite fable, but I guess A Dark Faery’s Love holds a special place in my heart. There’s nothing like a good story about the power of love to transform even the most evil of creatures.
In Fate’s Fables there were 8 different fables that Fate had to venture into and learn from, will there be something similar happening in the second book, Fate’s Keep?
Yes, to some degree. Fate will be dealing with a whole different kind of trouble inside the Keep with all those damaged gateways and wherever those entrances lead, while also trying to find a portal back to Finn. So this opens up a huge opportunity to discover some brand new worlds, dimensions and characters.
If you had the chance to do it again, is there anything you’d change about your book?
Sometimes I feel that certain things could be changed and other times not. There are a million ways to tell one story, and I certainly tried at least ten different ways to tell Fate’s Fables. But there comes a point in which a writer––having done his or her utmost best with the help of an editor and beta readers––has to let go and allow the book to be what it is or risk being doomed to forever picking at the manuscript in the pursuit of creating the perfect story.
