Remember, there's an eBook giveaway going on! Be sure to
check it out here if you missed it.
As part of this giveaway, all of us authors are swapping interviews! So hop on over to all of our blogs and see what everyone has to say. :)
Now that you've looked into all of the above authors... let's find out more about Ellyana!
Me: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Most people look at writers as if that's all they do. ;) So what are some of your top favorite things to do?
Ellyana: Being the oldest of 6, there's always something to do! Me and my brother enjoy doing voice-overs with our youngest siblings and yelling Shakespeare lines at each other from across the room or on long car rides. (to the bitter annoyance of our parents) But I will be found with riding horses whenever I get the chance. I love reading mysteries, Shakespeare, and historical fiction. I'm also a baker, archer, crafty-person, crocheter, and music player. (e.g Guitar, Piano, Tin whistle, and Ocarina) And I have a slight British accent because I watch too much Narnia and read far to much Shakespeare.
Me: Now, to explicitly writing. How long have you been writing?
Ellyana: I first started writing before I knew how to spell "fall".
Me: When did you first dream to become a published author? When did you realize that dream would become actuality?
Ellyana: Honestly I never thought my book would be published. It was my brother who said that this was a book that had to be out. (As well as the encouragement of some dear friends) I also thought that publishing was something scary that only adults, who knew everything, did. So, two years ago, once I realized how easy it was to publish, and how much I adore writing, I embarked upon the epic journey!
Me: When did you first get the idea for The Wings of Antheon? In contrast, how long did it take for you to write, edit, and publish it?
Ellyana: I got the idea, actually, from a toy I had seen when I was eight. It was a man with the splendid wings of a hawk. I loved the idea and added it to my world of imagination - which I entered every night, deep into the night. I wrote The Wings of Antheon because my friend challenged me to do NanNoWriMo a little over 2 years ago. I popped the book out in a hasty 4 months at only 40k for words. I thought it was fantastic when I first made it. But when I went back and read it again I realized that I had created a world that held a lot more potential. I knew it needed more. I fixed it up in another year and sent it to a PenPal of mine. She promptly delivered the Honey and the Hatchet, ripping my book apart and pointing out the Good and Bad. It was back to the drawing board for another year until I finally produced a book that I don't cringe at and actually can't think of anything else I could ever put in to make it better! Also the book doubled to 80k for words as the story plot grew so complicated that I needed to keep a separate book to keep track.
Me: Do you have any other works in the thinkings right now? :)
Ellyana: I tend to think of new ideas faster than my fingers can type! The Fall of Antheon is currently being edited. (no release date yet) And the last book for the trilogy The Five Thrones of Antheon is in the holding dock due to a new inflow of ideas that I haven't had time to put in. Some other works I'm hoping to begin after I finish the Antheon Trilogy is a series called Sage Land Series about a young Christian teen and her life in the boonies. (Drawing heavy inspiration from my own life out in the Blue Mountains with no neighbors that I can see) And one that I am super excited to start is Prince of Pirates, which will be about a young exiled prince named Reynold, his band of pirates, and the mystery of the French War that destroyed Reynold's life.
Me: Who most inspires you as an author?
Ellyana: An author named Chuck Black. I was so tired of reading books that were considered "Christian" and finding a dumb teenage drama with the name of God tossed in to slap the title on. I picked up Chuck's book, The Knights of Arrethtrea, with heavy skepticism. Needless to say, I was blown from my chair. His books were truly Christian and even had biblical references for some of the lines he said. And it's medieval with tales of daring knights. What's not to love!? I would finish each book challenged to become a warrior for Christ! I want to show people that you can write a wonderful book without anything gratuitous.
Me: If you could tell an aspiring author one thing, what would it be?
Ellyana: Write for the glory of God! If He lives in you than it should show in how you write.
Me: How does your relationship with Jesus Christ influence your writing?
Ellyana: Whenever I think of a problem that my character has I'm always solving it according to how Christ tells us. If it's bitterness, they need to forgive like Christ forgave us. If it's anger, they need to learn that love overcomes everything. If my character is running away from authority so they can rule their own life, they learn that it's so much harder to do it yourself. Humans were made for God. We all have that God shaped hole in our hearts.
Find out more about Ellyana's book here.
Jansina has published three novels and two short stories to date. She is also an editor and graphic designer and runs a nontraditional publishing company, Rivershore Books (www.rivershorebooks.com). Her goal is to honor God in her writing and encourage other authors to do the same with their own.
Lesa McKee grew up at her Grandmother's knee, listening to the French folk-tales her animated Grandma Ida shared. A love of stories was born and her imagination took off!
