1. What is
the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less
words, what would you say?
Whirl was
released in September 2011 and is my debut novel.
In 20
words or less: *Hmm. Thinks for a second*
Whirl is a
journey of magic, action, fantasy, and romance as a fiercely independent teenage
girl faces her difficult destiny.
2. Do you
have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Whirl is the
first novel in a new young adult paranormal urban fantasy series called the
Ondine Quartet. As the series name implies, it is the first of four planned
books. I am currently working on the second book in the series, entitled Billow, which I hope to have out in a
few months.
3. What or
who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I began
writing as a child. I loved to read and had a very overactive imagination! When
I was around six, I started writing down the stories constantly running around
in my head because I wanted to be like the authors of the books I loved. Every
day, my mother patiently read every story I wrote and nurtured my love for
words.
I won
several writing competitions and had marvelous teachers in high school who
encouraged me to pursue it. But when I went off to college, I ultimately chose
another career. The dream of writing and publishing remained, but was more of a
far-off and vague idea.
One of
my resolutions in January 2011 was to publish a novel. No more excuses. The
idea for the Ondine Quartet series came to me at the end of the month, and I
immediately began writing Whirl.
4. How did
you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
I
designed the cover of the book. One of the great joys of being an indie author
has been the complete creative control I’ve had over the entire process.
I’ve
never been much of a fan of books that have a person on the cover and prefer
conceptual covers. And I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do for this
book. Everything on the Whirl cover
relates to themes woven throughout the story, including the coloring and the
images of the ripple and irises.
5. How did
you come up with the title for your book?
The
Ondine Quartet series deals with the world of water elementals, and I wanted
each title in the series to reflect a theme of water.
The
first book is not only the beginning of the series, but also the start of an
extraordinary journey and adventure for Kendra, the protagonist. I came up with
the title of Whirl because it implies this start - the very first ripple and
movement in water as Kendra begins to discover what her destiny has in store
for her.
6. Do you
have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
Yes, I
do have a trailer for Whirl!
I don’t
consider book trailers a means of promotion, since I’ve never bought a book
because of its trailer. Often times, this is because the quality of a trailer
is not great - the world of visual imagery and the world of books are two
separate things. That’s why people are often unhappy with the movie version of
a book. The purpose of the two mediums are completely different.
However,
I have gone and looked up book trailers for books that I’ve enjoyed. It somehow
adds an extra dimension to what I’ve read and can act as a factor that supports
the world building.
So when
I made the book trailer for Whirl, my
intention was for it to be something for fans of the series. There are elements
in the trailer that hint at key moments in the book, and I hope readers who
enjoyed Whirl will go and watch the
trailer and relive some of those moments.
7. Do you
prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I used
to believe that only hardcovers or paperbacks could truly provide the sensory
satisfaction that comes from reading a book. My husband and I are voracious
readers and have a library in our home of over a thousand books. It got to the
point where we were running out of physical space to store them and I couldn’t
bear the idea of getting rid of any of them.
In 2010,
my husband got me a Kindle for my birthday. At first, I remained skeptical but
I’m now passionately in love with it! I never go anywhere without it. Having a
Kindle has increased the number of books I read because I’m easily able to take
it everywhere. As a frequent traveler, lugging around heavy books I wanted to
read used to be problematic. Now, I have everything right at my fingertips.
I do,
however, still purchase paperbacks and hardcovers of books that I really love
and want to add to my library.
A few
years ago, I tried to listen to an audiobook, and just couldn’t get into it. I
can’t listen to someone else narrating the story because I enjoy reading and
taking in the words myself.
8. What
book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I’m
currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and The Iron Duke by
Meljean Brook. I’ve been meaning to read A Game of Thrones for awhile now and am
finally getting around to it. The Iron Duke was on my TBR list for awhile as
well. I’ve never read steampunk before and was very curious about the genre.
Both
books are, of course, e-books that I’m enjoying on my Kindle. :)
9. Do you
have any advice for other writers?
Read a
lot and write a lot. There are no shortcuts to this. Read everything you can
possibly get your hands on, including books outside of your genre. Learn to
recognize excellent writing. Understand why one book is convincing and another
one is not. This will help later when you write and attempt to communicate your
story - you must be aware of how a reader will absorb and understand your
narrative.
You should
also get into the habit of writing daily. Writing is difficult - it requires a great deal of hard work,
sweat, effort, time, and most of all, discipline. You need to write a lot of
awful crap and make a great deal of mistakes in the beginning. Gradually your
writing muscles will strengthen and your art will improve.
10. Where
can your readers follow you?
Website:
http://emmaraveling.com
Facebook
page: http://facebook.com/emmaraveling
Goodreads
author page: http://goodreads.com/emmaraveling
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/emmaraveling
Whirl is
available at:
Amazon
(Kindle & paperback): http://www.amazon.com/Whirl-Ondine-Quartet-Book-ebook/dp/B005NIXRRC
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/89719
Barnes
and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whirl-emma-raveling/1105622491
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
Hi Rachel -
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me on your site! It was such a pleasure to have the chance to answer your questions.
Thanks for sharing a bit about Whirl with your readers!
- Emma