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Author Spotlight: Anna B. Madrise, Multi-Genre Author
I had the pleasure of meeting Anna B. Madrise a few months ago and immediately came to adore her. There aren't many truly open and friendly people in this world but Anna is one of the previous few. She has become a good friend of mine and a source of inspiration and strength as we navigate the often confusing and exciting world of book publishing. She is a writer of Fantasy, Romance, and Mysteries. She is a busy bee and has no less than eleven books in production or in her mind ready to fill the pages over the next few years. Her love of magic fuels all of her stories. Let's see find out why Anna decided to become an author.
Book Genre: YA Fantasy
Suggested Reading Audience: Young Adult to Adult 18+
Content Warnings: No content warnings– mainly action and adventure
Book blurb for book 1: The Hobgoblin Queen – Book 1 – Tales of Dovewood Series
Mundane Bergamot is just a simple Kitchen Witch from Whistlestoppe Village who thinks that there is more to life than gardening and cooking up spells with her Aunt Dovie. While traveling to Bettelburghal she meets Javen, a mysterious Book Mage from Nettlespire, who gifts to her a most unusual magic book which triggers a visit from two very extraordinary adventurers. She learns from her new found friends that they need her help to save them from a terrible fate. Through Javen's gift clues begin to reveal themselves that sets them on their quest.
But the evil King Vezzen of New Taleggia has plans of his own for the elusive creatures that inhabit the mountains beyond Dovewood Forest. Where previous kings have failed, King Vezzen is determined to succeed and impatient for a new war that could elevate his name above all others. Now Mundane must see if she has what it takes to out-smart the wicked king, save her friends from the brink of extinction, and quite possibly lift the curse that binds them all to Dovewood Island.
Interview:
What made you decide to become an Author and write a book or a series?
I have always been a fan of folklore and fairy tales. Over the years I dabbled in poetry and speech-writing competitions but did not get serious about writing a novel until 2013. The idea for Tales of Dovewood grew from a singular ‘what if’ question: What if what we perceive to be evil, isn’t really evil? I knew then that I had the beginning of the Hobgoblins of Boggleann and what I wanted their story to be.
Why did you choose to write in your genre and what are some of the difficulties associated with the genre?
Goblins throughout movies, TV shows, and other authors’ books are always elusive and mysterious. We know so much about the fantasy world of elves, and dwarves but I felt that little had been written about goblins – Hobgoblins in particular. I wanted to tell their story and show their metamorphosis from the folktales of the first ‘house elves’ to how they could have grown into the monsters that we view them as today.
Some of the difficulties with writing in the genre of fantasy is creating a believable world with a magic system that ‘works’. There are some elements that can be suspended in disbelief for the reader but for the most part the world has to make sense. World building is not for the faint of heart. It requires hours of research to really breathe life into an imaginary place that doesn’t exist in real life.
What is your favorite book you have written? What was the hardest part to write?
I am what is known as a multi-genre author. I write fantasy, mystery, and romance. The Tales of Dovewood Series will always be my baby however I am thoroughly enjoying writing the first book of my cozy mystery series – The Shearwater Mysteries which is forthcoming March 2017.
Some of the hardest parts to write in fantasy I feel are the battle scenes – there’s a lot going on in a short amount of time that has to been described in order – it can get tedious but when finished the results are incredible.
Who is your favorite character to write for and why?
In the Tales of Dovewood series I am torn between the Hobgoblins and the Book Mages. I love both of their personalities. With the Hobgoblins it is the constant bickering or fussing and with the Book Mages it is their subtle approach to life and how an event that could seemingly cause doom and destruction is greeted with a more passive, mild approach – like those kinds of things happen every day.
What is your writing process? Do you have the story planned out or does it surprise you as you
write it? Do you write at night, or in the morning? Do you listen to a play list?
I am very linear. I write out some form of an outline, especially since so much of my writing includes sub-plots and a rich character list. In order to keep everyone straight I need to see how they are going to get from point A to point B while still being true to the overall arc of the main plot. Though I don’t always keep everything I outline I feel it does help to keep me focused.
I can’t listen to music while I write. I know some will gasp at this confession but I need to read my scenes out loud and listen to the voices of the characters. I music when I write to be a distraction.
I write everyday no matter what. Could be 50 words, could be 5,000. I keep a notepad with me wherever I go, because sometimes just a simple one word sentence can be the spark for an entire scene in my stories.
Do you enjoy writing a series or individual stories?
I believe I started things backwards. Right out of the gate I decided to publish a YA Fantasy Series which has now inspired a cozy mystery series which has inspired writing a fairy-tale style holiday series where one book will be released every December. So, I have yet to sit down and just write an individual story with no follow up.
What are the strangest events or advertising methods have you used to get your name and books into the public eye?
So far I haven’t had to resort to anything unusual. I’m active on most social media website with my greatest presence on Twitter which I find interesting because I thought that FB or Instagram would have been more prolific first.
What would you like your readers to know about you or your books?
That I am going to be around for a long, long time. I plan to publish seven books next year in three different genres. Some of which are already written or in the process of being written. Is quite the feat to accomplish and I am passionate about the stories I want to share with my readers. There is something for almost everyone to sink their teeth into and I hope my writing continues to give my readers the ‘escapism’ into other worlds that they crave.
Looking ahead, what can we expect to see from you in the future? What are you working on?
For the rest of 2016:
Wrath of the King – Book 2 – Tales of Dovewood Series (Ya Fantasy with a release in June)
Daybreak – Book 1 – Silver Fox Nights Mystery Series (Romance/Suspense/Mystery with a release in Oct)
Sprite – (Holiday Fantasy with a release in Dec)
For 2017:
Black Magic Rising – Book 3 – Tales of Dovewood (Ya Fantasy)
Chirp No More – Book 1 – The Shearwater Mysteries (Cozy Mystery)
Ruffled Feathers – Book2 – The Shearwater Mysteries (Cozy Mystery)
Midnight – Book 2 – Silver Fox Nights Mystery Series (Romance/Suspense) – Joint w/Author Josie Kerr
Moonlight – Book 3 – Silver Fox Nights Mystery Series (Romance/Suspense) – Joint w/ Author Josie Kerr
Shades of Love – Violet (Romance Erotica)
Title TBD – (Holiday Fantasy with a release in Dec)
Author bio: Anna B. Madrise, is a multi-genre, fiction author who is a happy "transplant" to the state of Georgia where she lives with her husband and a menagerie of four-legged, furry, little monsters, that include four fluffy dogs and one rock-star kitty-cat. Anna is author of Tales of Dovewood; an on-going YAfantasy-book series and The Indie Manual; a How-To book for self-pub authors. She is an avid gardener, cook, kayaker, and much like the Hobgoblins she writes about; enjoys all things shiny. Currently she is working on a joint project with fellow author Josie Kerr for the forthcoming mystery series - Silver Fox Nights. The Shearwater Mysteries - Cozies - is also forthcoming in 2017. She is very active on Twitter where she promotes fellow writers and authors that make up the self-pub community. If you are wanting to escape from it all follow her Instagram page for beautiful pictures of nature and other inspirations.
Contact Anna B. Madrise:
Website: http://www.annabmadrise.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AnnaBMadrise
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annabmadrise
Instagram: http://www.intagram.com/anna.b.madrise