Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it? For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema. Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn't get himself killed first.
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What are you most proud of
accomplishing so far in your life?
Probably having my five kids.
How has your upbringing influenced
your writing?
Actually life was hard for me while I
was growing up. I was very much the latch-key kid and had to raise myself since
I was about seven or eight I think that's probably one of the reasons I always
made-up stories in my head--a runaway mechanism. Also, I buried myself in books
and faraway lands--see the trend?
When and why did you begin writing?
When I first began writing Keeper of Reign in 2008 it was
just a tale, one of many, that I made up for my five kids then. They wanted a
fun, adventure story set in a fantastical setting and as a mom, I wanted the
story to be more than just a fairy-tale. I wanted them to learn about the
importance of loving each other--as they grated on each other a lot --and the
importance of family, and the value of persevering and so on. So I wove these
themes into the tale, at the time called Kingdom of Reign. Then I thought, hey,
maybe I could publish this…hence the journey to self-publishing.
Do you recall how
your interest in writing originated?
I've always like to
tell stories even as a young girl of eight. I remember how my neighbor friends
would sit around by the front porch and kept pestering to tell one tale after another. I also recall being
very annoyed by them--I mean how was a girl going to think up all the stories
if she had to keep spewing these out each time she had any moment away from
school work, right? As for writing, I joined an ad agency after college and was
posted to the copywriting department where I had to write print ads, radio and
even some 30 second TV blurbs. It was fun.
When did you first
know you could be a writer?
Probably when I
started winning awards at the ad agency. I thought,hey, this is fun and
gratifying, too.
What inspires you to write and why?
Life and generally everything around
me could inspire me. I see stories around every corner. I just wish I had the
time to download them…like a computer!
What genre are you most comfortable
writing?
I like the Young Adult and Middle
Grade Age range. Maybe it's because I've done so many read-aloud with my kids
throughout our sixteen years of homeschooling. I remember I sometimes read to
them till I was hoarse. As for genre, I enjoy anything from mysteries to
fantasy to thrillers to historical sagas.
What inspired you to write your first
book?
One of the things that helped me to hone in on
the theme for Keeper of Reign is the
song from Switchfoot. When I first heard the song , "Meant to Live" (for so much
more) it got me thinking about how far short each of us fall from our true
potential. The trials and troubles of this world reduce us, and it feels that
our troubled world is so big. This is just like how it was for the Elfies.
Who or what influenced your writing
once you began?
I feel my desire to empower young
people is one of the things that fueled me on and to write sometimes way in to
the night.
What do you consider the most
challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
I think writing a novel was the
second hardest thing I'd had to do. The hardest is probably raising kids!
Writing in general is so different from creating a story and fleshing out
characters and the world, and the conflict that can exist on so many levels.
And don't forget structure. when I first wrote Keeper of Reign, it never
occurred to me that stories had an architecture to them, really? I though
architecture had to do with buildings? Several books from Writer's digest
later, I had the Aha! moment and then I understood the need to have proper
story engineering. All good stories have them. So, I had to re-revise keeper of
reign--only about 17 times-- and finally I was happy with the structure. Of
course, having two editors helped me some, too.
Did writing this book teach you
anything and what was it?
I
learned that when I put my book out there, in the wide world of Amazon and
beyond, I will get praises, but I will also get criticisms, and it's just a
fact of life, but that was something I never realized before. No one single
book is for everyone. Some people may be offended, some may be confused, some
may actually get it. I took a look at some of the bestselling authors and their
books on Amazon, and I see that they, too, get five and one star reviews, and
they have been doing this for decades, made millions, and even won awards. Not everyone can eat jalapeno, without
hiccuping. But as long some people enjoy the book, that's what's important.
That's the most impactful lesson I'd learned from having written Keeper of Reign.
Do you intend to make writing a
career?
I have so many other stories in me,
so I'd like to continue doing this.
Have you developed a specific writing
style?
I am more of an organic writer since I always have a story in my
head, an idea I'd like to grow, and once I start with the character and the
conflict the story blossoms on its own. I just keep writing until the end. But
then I go back to the piece when it's all done (about six-seven months later)
to rearrange scenes and plots so that it has the traditional structure that is
recognized as the basic architecture of what a good story should be--the
1/4-1/4/1/4/-1/4 structure.
What is your greatest strength as a
writer?
My wild imagination.
What is your favorite quality about
yourself?
I feel for people, like when I see
someone sad, it really hurts me, too, and I feel this helps me to be more
compassionate.
What is your least favorite quality
about yourself?
Feeling for people, too much. Funny,
how the very same thing that could be a virtue could also be a vice, and that's
how it is with me. When I don't put a boundary around this, life can get pretty
confusing.
What is your favorite quote, by whom,
and why?
I have too many quotes to put down,
but one that I live by is, "where there's life there's hope". I just
feel that hope is such an important element for each person to have to keep on
going.
ABOUT EMMA RIGHT
Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one. Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before she settled down to have children. Visit Emma Right at her home site and blog for tips and ideas about books, homeschooling, bible devotions, and author helps of various sorts: www.emmaright.com and follow her on facebook emma.right.author or her fanpage on facebook.com/keeperofreignKeeper of Reign Book Publicity Tour Schedule
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