Welcome to Author Interview Thursday hosted by the Never Too Old for YA and NA Books group on Goodreads. September is our Indie Author Interview month and we're very excited to share it with you!
Today we welcome author D.B. Neilsen!
A
powerful, hidden artefact is unearthed and, with its discovery, an ancient
conflict is reignited. Seventeen-year-old Sage Woods, the daughter of an
eminent archaeologist, uncovers the artefact’s disturbing secret and is placed
in terrible danger. Unwittingly, she has stumbled into an invisible war between
two primordial dynasties of a supernatural order – a war in which she has a
fateful role to play in a race to control the power of the SEED.
Embroiled
in a quest that takes her from the British Museum to the Louvre to the Vatican
Secret Archives, Sage realises that her blossoming romance with the mysterious,
alluring St. John Rivers is inextricably tied to the artefact. Up until now,
St. John has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Sage is determined
to delve deeper to uncover his dark secret and his connection to the SEED. It
is a decision that will have a devastating effect on humankind…
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Keepers-Genesis-Volume-nielsen/dp/1908879181/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Amazon AUS: http://www.amazon.com.au/SEED-Keepers-Genesis-d-nielsen-ebook/dp/B00K75I06E/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1_Q3G3
Welcome to the group and blog! Take it away!
1Did you always know you wanted to
be a writer or did you want to be something else?
I always enjoyed writing. When I
was in high school, I would write short stories and poetry for the school magazine
and even entered a few newspaper/ magazine writing competitions. I never
formally studied creative writing – I think if you love to write (and have
people read your work/s) then you’re a writer whether you’re published or not.
Instead, I studied Humanities at university, majoring in English Language and
Literature and Linguistics (Semiotics) and became a university lecturer. But I
continued to write for fun and it was only when some of my students encouraged
me to publish my novel that I thought about writing professionally (and not
just publishing academic essays and articles for journals which many people
would consider boring!)
How long does it take you to write
a book from start to finish?
The first novel took very little
time to write – a matter of months. But each successive novel takes me between
a year and eighteen months. I think, in part, it’s due to all the research.
There’s a lot of ancient history and religious elements (angels and demons) in
my novels, so I take time to ensure that those aspects are as accurate as
possible. To be honest, writing might take less time if I didn’t have a million
distractions!!
How do you come up with themes for
your stories?
This will sound crazy but I dream
them. I wake up the next morning and quickly write down what I can remember. I
have pages of ideas for novels (everything from paranormal romance to dystopian
fiction). Some ideas have been bubbling away in my brain since I was in high
school. Other ideas come from reading – I wonder what a minor character’s life
might have been like and start filling in the backstory. Life is made up of
stories – everyone has a story – the art of the writer is to record them and
add a bit of imagination.
Do you have a schedule of when you
write?
I wish! I admire writers who can
write 2,000 words a day and stick to a schedule!
I’m more a stop-and-start,
when-the-mood-takes-me, bash out a chapter in a day then take a hiatus for two
weeks, get some inspiration from other authors/ reviewers/ readers and bash out
another few thousand words, get distracted by my family and grind to a stop
(swearing in frustration because I want to write but have to prioritize), then
do it all over again.
On the up side, I do have a plan
of where I want my novel to go and work around that. I always have a mental map
of about half the chapters (including the beginning, climax and denouement) and
let the rest work itself out.
How are you able to balance other
aspects of your life with your writing?
With difficulty!! No, I’m kidding
– in all honesty, I think that I happen to be slightly OCD, meaning that I like
things organized. I have a fear that if I didn’t stay on top of things, it’d
all come crashing down.
Family comes first always. Life
has a habit of taking over, so you have to go with the flow. When I have
writer’s block, I turn to mundane things like housework or cooking (which I
love – I love to bake) to allow for fresh ideas to sweep away the cobwebs.
I’m so lucky to have wonderful
friends and family too that keep me grounded but also encourage me as the
pressure of relentless deadlines mount. I have a wonderful family that picks up
the slack when I let the reins go or the wheels fall off.
What elements do you think make a
great story line?
Passion and romance. Adversity.
Conflict. Complications. Characters that you fall in love with (and take on a
life of their own) so that there is a character arc/ development.
I don’t think there is a simple
answer to this question. I guess I know what I like to read. And it all starts
with being a reader. What that means to me is that when I read a book, I want
to feel satisfied and fulfilled at the end – that the novel has met certain
genre expectations but that the author has manipulated or subverted certain
conventions to make the story line more interesting. Like all readers, I want
to become invested in the characters – to have them make me laugh and cry. To
cheer for them. And to have a book boy/ girlfriend – my fictional crush whom I
can romanticize over. That’s what makes a great story line to me.
What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
Editing. When you edit, you
realize how bad or good your sentence/ paragraph/ page/ chapter really is –
whether there’s too much purple prose or too much historical detail (and so it
sounds like a history textbook or tour guide) or too little description of
setting or … or … well, you get the drift!
The only thing worse than editing
is the anticipation of feedback from your Beta group. Will they like it or
won’t they? What if they hate it? It’s the hardest thing and the scariest too,
because you sometimes doubt yourself and your ability to write – until you hear
back from them and realize it’s better than you thought.
How many books have you written so
far? Do you have a favorite?
I have written three books – one
published (Seed: Keepers of Genesis I) and two in the editing stages (Scroll:
Keepers of Genesis II and The Department of Dead Letters – a
different series). And there’s another on the way (Sword: Keepers of Genesis
III which I’ve only just begun writing).
Do I have a favorite? Oh, tough
question! I loved my first novel and it was my favorite – until I finished my
second novel … do you see where this is going? I’m sure my next novel will be
my favorite … until I write the one after that!
Do you have a favorite character?
Why are these questions so difficult???
Lol. I guess I love Saffron (see book two in the Keepers of Genesis
series) because she’s everything I’m not but would like to be – daring, feisty,
adventurous with a ‘street smarts’, whereas her sister, Sage, is a character I
can empathize with more (she’s bookish and a nerd). I love St. John as he’s so
mysterious and alluring (a real Renaissance man) but Gabriel makes me laugh
more as he’s quite irreverent and cynical yet charming.
Where do you write?
In my ‘library’ at home. It’s cozy
but is very much the Victorian reading room. It’s private (about the only room
in the house that is private!) and quiet. It gets lots of natural light and
also has its own fireplace. It’s my favorite room in the house.
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route
you took?
Essentially I’d like to be a ‘hybrid’ – both
traditionally published and also self-published. Right now, being an Indie
writer suits me as it gives me a great deal of freedom, but I’m lucky in that I
have a great deal of support from fellow authors, readers, family and friends,
and my agent. And I think I’m in good company – not only have a lot of
successful authors started in Fanfic which has broadened the industry (such as
Cassandra Clare, E.L. James, etc…) some of them started with self-publishing
then moved into traditional publishing (most notably, E.L. James). I didn’t write
Fanfic but I think it’s great that there are avenues for writers to express
themselves and get their words and works out there. I’ll continue in this
direction and reassess when I get my next novel out there.
Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
My family are my biggest fans. I
have several members who are just awesome Beta readers – they are critical but
encouraging and that really gives me the inspiration and support needed to
write. But not everyone in my family is a reader. My younger brother hasn’t and
probably won’t read my first series – the Keepers of Genesis series is
paranormal romance and he likes to read thrillers like James Patterson and
Wilbur Smith novels. My older brother thinks there’s too much romance (hmmm…. that would be because it’s paranormal romance) but he enjoyed it for the
history. I think, at times, it’s difficult for family members to divorce the
author from the novel – when they read my books, they think of me and, perhaps,
read too much into characters or situations by trying to find real-life
equivalents (for the record, the only similarity is that I’ve been to most of
the places depicted in the novel so I can write from some small experience).
What kinds of things do you like to
do outside of writing?
Reading. Reading. Reading.
I also love cooking, especially
baking – cakes, brownies, cookies, scones, etc… I find it relaxing – almost
like therapy.
I love throwing parties and dinner
parties. Themed parties are my specialty. I threw a costumed medieval party
once – complete with entertainers such as a magician, a couple of knights in
shining armor who dueled in the hall, a fire-eater, a glass-blower, etc… It was
a fantastic evening and everyone went home with a hand-blown glass gift.
I love spending time with my
family and travelling or chilling with them on a weekend or lazy afternoon
after work. This is the most rewarding free time I have.
And I confess to being a
shopaholic – I love to find bargains (but mainly buy for others rather than
myself). Christmas and birthday shopping is so much fun – I love buying the
right gift for the people I love.
What kinds of advice would you give
to someone who wants to start writing?
Don’t think about it, just do it. I
think most writers would tell you that writing is a compulsion; it’s something
you must do. Most writers don’t do it for the fame or money – the unheard of
sums that J.K. Rowling or E.L. James have made from writing would be awesome
but they do it because they love it. They have a story and they want that story
to be told. So if you feel compelled to write, that’s what you should do.
But, before you begin, you must
know the story you wish to write. I always believe it’s important to know the
ending (it gives you direction in your writing). I like to know my characters
as intimate friends (even though they are fictional). And I edit as I go. But
we all have our different styles – the main thing is to find your own and stick
with it.
What is your favorite book? favorite
author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
I have very eclectic tastes. I
read everything from paranormal romance to crime fiction. Some of my favorite
books and authors are (in no particular order): Pride and Prejudice by
Austen; the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde; The Alchemist by Coehlo;
In the Skin of a Lion by Ondaatje; The Lord of the Rings by JRR
Tolkien; the Belgariad series by Eddings; the Harry Potter series by JK
Rowling; The Time Traveler’s Wife by Hiffenegger; The Catcher in the
Rye by Salinger; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Life of Pi
by Martel… and more and more…
The authors who inspired me the
most to write the Keepers of Genesis series were JK Rowling and Stephenie
Meyer.
Do you have any go to people when
writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta
reading and such?
I don’t usually get help with the
story lines apart from the historical elements which I try to make as accurate
as possible (though I do love to hear what my readers want to read more about –
what characters they like and want to see more of, what romance parts need to
be extended…). I do have a group of Beta readers of family and friends and
fellow authors whom I rely upon for feedback – I think it’s important to know
if you’re consistent (or if there are gaps and holes in the plot) or whether
certain scenes are too little or too much, whether you need more information or
character development in parts (even for minor characters) and so on. For
instance, I included more or Fi’s eating disorder in the first novel than was
previously intended, and developed the backstory a bit more (especially of Sage
and Fi’s childhood quests) because the Beta readers suggested it – so I do take
their advice on board.
I think it’s a nerve-wracking
process when you first let your book out of your hands – you don’t know what
reception you’ll get and you need the affirmation of others to provide balance
and sanity. After all, you’re offering yourself up on a platter in some ways –
you’re putting yourself out there. And you love your characters, so you want
others to love them just as much as you do. This is especially true when you
have a love triangle – you want feedback from the Beta group and readers about
which ‘team’ they’ve joined and why – it could influence the direction you take.
Are you working on anything
now?
I’m in the process of writing book
three in the Keepers of Genesis series; Sword. It takes up Sage’s
point-of-view once more and develops her relationship with St. John whilst
pushing the story line forward in their quest to return the Seed safely to its
origin. So, basically, more adventure, more drama, more conflict, more history
and more romance…
Thanks so much for being here today. It was great having you!
Website: goo.gl/6L7I1P
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