Author of A Fistful of Evil
Is being an Author all you dreamed of, or did
it just happen? The best and worst thing about it?
Being an author is
the dream that carried me through high school, college, temp jobs, and career-type
jobs. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to be, as far as I can remember, is an
author. There might have been a brief time when I would have wanted to be a
jockey more, but my height outpaced that ambition in my early teens. Which is
just as well, because I adore being a writer. The very best thing is that I get
paid to play around in my imaginary worlds. I would write even if it was not my
job, but being able to make a living at it is pretty awesome. The worst thing?
There are a lot of things that aren’t as fun as writing, such as website
maintenance and business accounting, but these aren’t bad enough to qualify as
“the worst.” This is my first year as a full-time author and I am still
enjoying the amazement of having achieved my dream; ask me again in a couple
years and I might have a more concrete answer.
What was the very first thing you ever wrote?
I wrote a short story
in the seventh grade that won second place in a contest. It was about a woman,
an amulet, and a dragon, and I illustrated it myself. The judges claimed I was
too wordy and descriptive. I took that as a compliment.
What made you create (your book)? How did it come to you?
For me, a story
always starts with the main character and her magic. For A Fistful of Evil, I knew I wanted a main character who could see
souls. I also had been reading—and writing—a lot of serious, intense fantasies
in which the main characters were practically superhuman in their endurance and
magical abilities, so I decided to write something the complete opposite.
Madison Fox is an everywoman learning the world as the reader does, and though
the situations might be serious, I intentionally kept the writing lighthearted.
After that, it was just a matter making a sight into something actionable, and
then the story took off.
Describe your main character in six words.
A bumbling, optimistic hero in training.
Describe the world you’ve created in six words.
Topsy-turvy suburbia
with hidden evil
What scene was your favorite to write?
I really enjoyed
writing the scene in which Madison is trained by Niko. I love the juxtaposition
between the characters: Niko is strong, assured, and patient; Madison is untried,
lusty, and spontaneous. The scene shows how much Madison still has to learn about
even the most basic illuminant enforcer abilities and situational awareness. It
also showcases her tendency to jump in with both feet based on her assumptions,
without having all the facts. Plus, I adore putting Madison the same room is
Niko, because the incredibly attractive super-enforcer short-circuits Madison’s
brain in amusing (though embarrassing for Madison) ways. Here’s a secret: this
scene wasn’t in the first (or second, or seventh) draft of the book. I’m so
glad I added it in!
What scene was the hardest for you to write?
I rewrote the
beginning more times than any other scene. The current opening scene was originally
about three chapters in, and it took a lot of growth as a writer before I
realized the flaws in the novel’s pacing. Even then, finding the balance between
building action and introducing the reader to the world was a very fine line to
write.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the
sequel to A Fistful of Evil, and I’m
trying to build an even more exciting, more magic-packed novel. Since I wrote
the first book almost 8 years ago, it’s very exciting to jump back into the
world of Madison Fox.
What's your favorite thing to do when you're
not writing?
Read!
Thank you for having
me on your site today, Serenity!
