The plaque on my lawn reads the
Edgington Mansion, it was once thought to be lovely I suppose, though now
rather decrepit and quite full of secrets. I live here with my husband. He is a
philosopher, and quite mad. Our house is full of books. Stacked, piled, and
always advancing out and away from the shelves that ought to keep them in. I
paint and draw, write and read, and occasionally go down into the dark, dismal,
cobweb-creepy dungeon, to do laundry.
If interested, you may choose to
follow me on my blog or check in with me on facebook. However, due to my
absolute terror of electronics and a crippling phobia of the social media
(technical term: Socmephobia), my blog posts tend to be infrequent and erratic.
Also, due to several post exile investigations I am generally prevented from
giving any specific information regarding my whereabouts...
Did
you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
Yes I always wanted to be a writer, but for
the sake of adventure I imagined I would be a journalist for National Geographic
(doesn’t everyone) or some other adventure/travel magazine. I took one journalism
class in college and really hated it.
What
is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20
words what would you say?
I just finished book two of my Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones series.
In 20 words I’d say: pirates, monsters, sisters, soldiers, ancient castles,
almost-Kings, violent guards, vicious fairies, one nice boy and one blind
dragon.
What
can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
Right now stewing in my brain is a sci-fi,
a post-epidemic set in the Northwest, two more fantasy books, and a historical
fiction.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Currently I am getting Book Three of Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones edited,
writing a companion book to my YA fantasy Ill-fated
and doing some research for a post-epidemic.
Do
you have a favorite character from your books? and why are they your favorite?
I love Bean from Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones. Bean is resourceful and intelligent. She has scientific nature and
a bad habit of running headlong into dangerous situations. Despite her keen
observation skills, she tends to choose the path of peril and adventure at every
turn. She also happens to be a minor hypochondriac with an incurable case of
scientific blathering.
Where
do you get your book plot ideas from? What/Who is your inspiration?
For me, plot ideas develop from something
very small: a magical device, an odd villain, a character’s back-story. A small
idea can develop in many different ways, whereas a big idea is often stagnate.
I tend to avoid big ideas and instead start small, begin with my character and
setting and let the plot take care of itself. All though I will say, having an
ending in mind seems to help things along.
Are
character names and place names decided after there creation? or do you pick a
character/place name and then invent them?
In real life villains are named Dennis, and
dreadful, dismal towns are called Point Place, but in a world where you can
create an immediate mental image with just a name, why be dull? I come up with
my names after the invention of the place, in hopes that the name will capture
the feel and mood of it (Within my YA fantasy Ill-fated a few of my
favorites were: the Fiercehollows, the Iron Spine, and
Deadroamer).
First names and surnames are just as
important (Would Lord Voldemort be as terrifying if his name were Terry?). My
characters always start out with the same name: MC (Main Character). Usually by
the time I’m actually writing my MC has a real name, but during the
brainstorming and plot building it is often just MC. Then one day the perfect
name comes along and… pop it all fits
into place.
Do
you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the
whole book or as you go along?
With Sticks,
Stones, and Dragon Bones the characters were defined by their interests rather
than character traits, prior to writing. I never really sat down and thought
“Bean will be hyper and Paige sarcastic.” Instead it was more like, “Bean will
love science and animals and have a fear of heights and germs, and Paige will
love books and writing and live down in a dismal library-dungeon.” Then as I
wrote, Bean became more feisty and excitable and Paige sarcastic– bordering on pessimistic,
as to bounce off one another.
Do
you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or
do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I would say a combination. Mostly I write
down names and places, drawn maps, and doodle pictures of my characters. I do
some outlining, though not extensively. Lately I’ve realized it’s important to
keep my characters flexible enough to grow and develop as I write and my plot
loose enough to avoid corralling my characters into unlikely choices/situations.
This brings us to a huge pet peeve of mine.
Perhaps some of you readers have also experienced that moment when a character
is nudged into a situation by the author. I call it “corralling.” The author
needs character so-and-so at point B by Chapter Four… How does she do it? By
having the character make an unusual, shall we say “uncharacteristic” choice or
by using a series of unlikely events to essentially "chase" the
character into position. For me as a reader, it is a terrible feeling to be
jolted out of a story, to suddenly feel the ugly hand of the author, turning
the character's head, legs, and marching him into position… Ugh!
I would say staying true to a character
means abandoning your plot at times. If you have to choose between being a
slave to your character or your plot, choose your character! I find if I listen
to my character, the plot will take care of itself.
Where
can readers follow you?
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/evelynink/
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535601
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