The Hills Are Alive
Watch as I do my best Julie Andrews impression. Watch as I decide to stick to writing.
Recently, I completed my interview on Smashwords while researching the guidelines for e-book submission (no, sorry, you can’t submit your pristine and professionally-designed files…you must strip everything out, thereby rendering it broken—yeah no one uses italics in books…who cares if we’re asking you to take out all the formatting—send in a WORD document so we can shove it through our meat-grinder with the barest of formatting to create versions of those exact same files you already made, only not as good…whatever).
But this post isn’t about the ridiculousness of their process (though maybe it should be). My interview can be viewed here, as well as under the Press & Media tab on the website. What other questions would you like to see answered? What would you like to know? Nothing too personal, mind you, but drop a comment and let me know if you think of any questions to add.
Oh…and I’ve added a little playlist of sorts to the Book Trailer page, to tide you over until we complete the official trailer itself! Now, we obviously won’t be using these songs in the trailer (they frown upon copyright infringement and such), but they’ve been in my head for so long screaming to get out and play with everyone. And so I obliged, with only the utmost respect intended to the songwriters and performers involved. These are the videos from the official YouTube channels.
What first drew your attention to mythology and fantasy in general?
Hmmm . . . that’s a difficult one. Growing up with parents who watched Dune and Battlestar Galactica probably had something to do with it. My dad encouraged me to read Tolkien and Lewis when I was about 12 or 13, but I know I was hooked on fantasy and mythology even before then. Most of the plays that my childhood friends and I would put on were based on Greek myths. The combination of the two elements is what I find fascinating more than anything else. Both Tolkien and Lewis (and others) were masters at this, and I am constantly in awe of their brilliance: the ability to create make-believe stories and places while interweaving myths and ideologies without being too “in your face.” While I am a religious person, I’m also a bit of a gnostic (as in, the whole search for knowledge bit) when it comes to . . . anything. I have my dad’s scientific mind, so I always want to know things, to find out how and why they were what they were. Archaeological and mythological documentaries have always captivated me, as does the idea that every culture has been so very similar—yet so very different—from the others. Some part of our psyche that exists beyond our understanding has shaped the archetypes and patterns that pervade everything. As someone who holds strongly to their religious beliefs even while questioning them on a daily basis (quite the conundrum, I know), I believe that nothing can be thrown out as impossible. That’s just my opinion, but I like imagining the what-ifs and creating myths of my own based on what could be. In fiction, we make things up, but we borrow a lot as well from myth and legend. In fantasy, we mix those elements with our own creations. I hope that answers your question. I’m not entirely sure that I did 🙂