The Battle of Words

As I have stated previously, writing was never on my radar of things I wanted to do in my life.  I was never very talented with school work, math especially, so doing something like this was far from my mind.  As I got older, and became more mature, I realized my love of coming up with stories in my head, so why not write it down.  When I realized I actually had a knack for this skill, I kept going and Mere Enchantment was born.  The problem, my story was much to long for just one book, and I knew after I hit around 90,000 words that I was going to have to make it a series, so The Enchantment Series was then put into play.  I finished up the first book, and published it for all to read a few years later.  

Life got busy, my kids started growing up and their schedules began to fill up my calendar. Now I'm sitting in front of my computer, looking around at my somewhat clean house, listening to the quiet breathing of my dreaming son in the next room, trying to battle my mind for the right words for each character.  

I have dubbed this problem, The Battle of Words.  Each sentence gives new life to my book, creating more excitement, and I hate to say it, more battles with the right words.  Who knew that writing a series would be so difficult.  Trying to tie things in from the first book, so those that read the series won't miss a step is becoming quite the challenge, but one I am thrilled to dive into.  Each time I pull up my laptop, and open up my book, my mind races to get everything out at the same time, causing me to type so fast I end up erasing many many errors. :-)  So here is to those who came before me, those that have written many series, kudos to you.  I only hope that my fingers can keep up with my "dreamer" mind!

Author Event!

I have the pleasure of doing an Author Reading for the 3rd and 4th grade students at Elm Tree Elementary on June 8th.  After the reading, there will also be a Q & A and I also will be available afterwards to sign copies of Mere Enchantment that were purchased in advance from www.amazon.com or  www.bn.com.  Please feel free to contact me at mere.enchantment@gmail.com with any questions.

Great Author Interview!

Thank you to Ann Haines, the author of Brunswick, for yet another wonderful author interview! Visit her blog  HERE

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Our interview today is with Alicia Rivoli, Author of Mere Enchantment. Alicia Rivoli is a stay at home mom, currently living in beautiful Northwest Arkansas where the weather is ever-changing! She loves to sing, write, read, spend time with her family, and travel. She also loves chocolate, and gooey caramel, together they make the perfect candy.

Welcome Alicia thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.

Q: Tell us about Mere Enchantment (The Enchantment Series, book 1 )………………

My new book is actually a magical tale of five friends who have to fight for their freedom in a kingdom that they never really knew existed. They find that they are being tracked down by a man that betrayed the crown and knows that their presence in Mere threatens his plans to overthrow the entire kingdom. They have many challenges that they must overcome, but the biggest one is discovering who they really are, and who and what they think their friends are.

Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?

I choose to write for the juvenile/young adult genre, because that is what I find interesting. Nearly every book on my shelf is from these two genres. My mind is constantly dreaming up different stories that appeal to a younger audience.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?

The biggest challenge I have faced is trying to find a publisher. With so many books being written, breaking into the industry is very difficult. I received my share of rejection letters, and finally decided to self publish.

Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?

My imagination is always running wild, so when the story of Mere came to me while lying in bed one night; I decided I needed to write it down. Also every time I read a new book, more and more story plots come to mind, so I have to keep reading, to keep my mind open to more ideas.

Q: Who or what are your influences?

My husband and sister have been my two biggest influences in my writing process. My sister helped me keep going when I found myself stuck, and my husband gave me the final push to become a self-published author.

Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub journey?

Marketing!! It’s so hard to get your book noticed. There are so many good books out there, and to get people to realize that they want to read your book out of the thousands to choose from is not an easy task. It’s tough to know where to go to get the best audience for your work.

Q: What format are your books available in?

Mere Enchantment is currently available in paperback, Kindle, and Nook editions. Other versions will be available soon as well. It can be purchased online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Q: How many books have you published so far?

This is my first published work.

Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?

We found an amazing artist to do the cover art, and we also hired an editor. I highly recommend an editor before publishing. They help a lot!

Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?

The best advice I received is to never give up. It might take a long time, but eventually the story will be heard.

Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?

Keep writing!! Things are never easy, but as long as you keep trying, you can never fail.

Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?

I am currently working on the 2^nd installment in The Enchantment Series. I hope to have it available to readers by the fall of 2012.

Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?

That’s a tough one, I have many authors that I recommend, some of my favorites are Nicholas Sparks, Brandon Mull, Stephenie Meyer, Rick Riordan, Richard Paul Evans, JK Rowling, and Donita K. Paul. There are a lot more, but that’s a good start.

Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….

“I never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it!” (Jesus Christ)

Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….

I have an extreme fear of spiders! It doesn’t matter how big or small, they creep me out. Even if I see them on television, they give me the chills.

Thanks for taking time out for us Alicia, it was lovely chatting with you. Good luck with everything.

Writing Style

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my writing style. Growing up, I never thought I would write a book.  I disliked everything about school, and English was no exception.  At the end of my High School career, I began filling out the dreaded college applications, and when the question came up about the type of major I was interested in, English wasn't even part of my thought process.  After awhile, I decided I wanted to be a Culinary Arts Major. Why? I have no idea, I couldn't really cook, I am extremely picky about what I eat, so this really wasn't a great option, but I pressed forward.

My first semester, I entered into one culinary class, and immediately knew this was NOT for me. Before I had the chance to change my major to something more up my alley, I got married and dropped out of college to help my husband go to school.  This was also when I discovered my love of reading.  When the story of Mere came to me years later, I was surprised by how much I LOVED to write.  Sitting in front of the computer, listening to the click of the keys on the keyboard was soothing, and I found myself finally comfortable with something that I had chosen to do.  Now here I am, ten years later, enjoying the sweet sound of my laptop whirring on my desk, as I make the all to familiar sound of the clicking of the keys, asking myself what type of writer I am?

Am I the "OCD" writer that always has an outline, follows the outline, lives by the outline, and never strays from the outline?

Am I the "COPY" writer, that writes out the story on paper, reads it, and then transfers the story word for word onto a computer file after every possible change has been made?

No, I am what I like to call the "DREAM" writer. I have no outline, no pencil or paper, I have only my dreams.  I read through what I had written previously, and go with whatever pops in my head that I think will make a great lead into whatever is going to happen next.  I dream about the story at night, think about it all day, then sit down, and write it all down.  Most of the time, I'm putting the story together as I write, word for word, thought for thought. I am the type of writer that looks out her window, and watch as the birds fly by, thinking about how maybe they could be a fairy in disguise, or listen as the rain makes the pitter patter sound on the rooftop and think to myself that maybe it's tiny footsteps of little elves as the make their way to their home hidden on my roof.  Of course this is silly, but that is why I call myself the "DREAM" writer.  This is how my little mind works.  Even growing up, I could always come up with a story.

So if I could go back to those college applications, and fill out my selected major I would want to put down that I would like to become exactly what I am now, a dreamer that loves to share her dreams.

So now I want to know, What type of writing style do you have?  Are you a "dreamer" like me, or are you a different type of writer?

Another Great Author Interview

A big thank you to Jessica Sorensen, the author of The Fallen Star series, for the wonderful interview. Check out her author blog by clicking HERE! 

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Can you tell us a little about your book?

When a newly formed group of friends finds themselves fighting for survival, little did they know that was just the beginning.

When Chloe, Megan, Jason and Zach are forced to take cover in a nearby cave from a violent storm they find their new friend Preston there as well. Zach guides the group through the cave but as they go deeper strange things begin to happen and they find themselves separated in a magical kingdom surrounded by unusual people and wizards. Things get even more dangerous as they travel the kingdom in search of the city of Mere and each other.

As their journey unfolds, Preston discovers that the bedtime stories he was told as a child are true and that his rightful place in time must be realized. The kingdom itself has gone under attack as Jacan, a traitor to the crown, forces his armies through the magical borders.

Looking back Preston should have recognized that it was all real. He should have seen the signs. But how could he have known? After all, Jacan was just a villain in a story that took place in a far off mystical land. How could he have imagined that the stories that his father told him as a child were true?

How could any of them have known that their destinies were already written, and that to discover who they really are would take courage that they never realized they had?

Where did you get the idea for this book?

This story came to me as I was lying in bed one night. I knew that it would make a great little story, but never expected it to turn into what it has become.

Is this book part of a series? If so, how many books will there be?

Mere Enchantment is the first book in The Enchantment Series. I am currently working on the 2nd installment, but I'm not sure yet if it will be the last book.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

 

No. Growing up I thought I would do many things, but writing a book was never one of them. Things changed when I got older and I realized that I loved to read, and would love to be able to write my own story for the world to read.

What kind of books do you like to read? Do you have a favorite book?

 

I love any book that can catch my interest. I'm a big fan of Twilight, Harry Potter, Fablehaven, etc... but I also love a good clean romance, like Nicholas Sparks, and Richard Paul Evan's books. I'm not sure I can tell you my favorite book, there are to many to choose from.

What is your favorite snack?

I love Caramello candy bars. There is just something about chocolate and caramel that makes the perfect combination.

What is your favorite movie?

My favorite comedy has to be "Robin Hood, Men in Tights" that movie is hilarious. I also like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"

If you could have any supernatural power which would you choose and why?

I have always thought having magic would be the awesome. With a flick of my wrist, I could do anything I wanted, like have my house cleaned for me in an instant.