We’ve talked to the author of The Elemental Wars series, Freya Robertson who has just released the second book in the series called Sunstone.
For the benefit of those not familiar with The Elemental Wars series, can you tell us a bit about it?
The Elemental Wars is a traditional epic fantasy series in many ways—it has a recognizable quasi-medieval setting with castles and knights, it features high stakes and heroes in a fantasy world, and the books are epic in size with a large cast of characters and journeys across vast lands. But I hope I’ve also given them a very modern twist—female knights as well as male feature highly in both books (and the leader of Heartwood’s army is a woman), there are no elves or dwarves, and the characters are based around the elements. In Heartwood, our heroes (who are the element of earth) are battling against the Darkwater Lords (the element of water), and in Sunstone it’s fire that’s on the rise with the Incendi fire elementals.
You have just released Sunstone, the second book in the series. What are your expectations?
I hope readers who enjoyed Heartwood will also love Sunstone as it features many similar themes such as the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, as well as some of the characters from book 1. But if you haven’t read Heartwood, you can hopefully still enjoy Sunstone as the adventure stands on its own.
How do you feel you have evolved as a writer from your first book?
In Sunstone I had already created the world of Anguis and so therefore the aspect of worldbuilding probably takes more of a backseat. I felt more confident in stretching myself this time, which is why Sunstone is set over three different time periods that interweave until they meet together in one event at the end. It was a difficult concept to get my head around but I’m pleased with the way it turned out!
Can you give us some insight into your main characters?
Procella, the leader of the army in Heartwood, plays a major role in Sunstone, and she’s a terrific character, feisty, courageous and confident in battle. Demitto, an ambassador to Heartwood, has been everywhere and done everything and is a real old-fashioned hero, and he comes to escort the young Prince Tahir to Heartwood to be sacrificed, but he’s in possession of a secret about the end of the world that he has to keep from the young prince which makes for an interesting read. Sarra is the heroine of the third tale and she’s pregnant, but she’s the only one who knows the way out of the underground city that the people of Anguis have been confided to for centuries. Her tale is one of strength and courage when all seems lost.
What sort of challenges, as a writer, might you have faced before your first book was published? Any insights you would be able to share for those aspiring writers seeking advice?
Being an author is most certainly not for the faint hearted! And unfortunately there is no magic button to being accepted. Well, I lie, there is one, and it’s Determination. The old adage that the main difference between a published writer and an unpublished one is that the first never gave up is unfortunately true. My advice is to be flexible: try traditional, try digital publishers, try indie, try different lengths and different genres. I love fantasy but ended up writing romance novels for a while because you don’t have to have an agent to get published in the world of digital romance publishers. I wrote twenty romance novels before Heartwood was accepted, and I’m convinced my success in this genre was a big influence on why Angry Robot decided to sign me, because they could see I was prolific, determined and committed. Oh, and make sure you have an up-do-date professional website. And don’t give up!
Have you ever struggled between what you would like to happen to a character and what you considered more sensible to occur? Can you tell us when and what did you do at last?
This happens all the time where I plan out a character’s path but the plot takes me in another direction. I’ve planned to kill characters off but they’ve become such a big part of the book and so real in my mind that I’ve changed my mind and kept them in. Equally it’s sometimes fun to kill them right when they’re at their height! It gives one a real sense of power. Mwahahaha.
Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?
Oh my God yes. It’s usually the first thing we all look at, then the title, then the blurb. A good cover can make or break a book. Luckily I have brilliant ones – I was so thrilled when I first received mine through the email! One of the best parts of being an author!
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
Basically, bad reviews suck. Yes they’re only one person’s opinion, and we should learn from our mistakes and blah blah blah but the truth is that they really hurt. Of course we all love being told how wonderful we are, but there aren’t many people who can read a harsh review of their work and come out smiling, especially when the reviewer is downright wrong. I had one reviewer complain about the “love scene after love scene” in Heartwood—I mean, WTF? It’s an epic fantasy, it has some romantic elements in keeping with the genre but it’s an adventure story with plenty of battles and deaths. That kind of review makes me want to bang my forehead on the table. But unfortunately there’s nothing you can do. You have to grin and bear it or look the other way and just not read the damn things. I think it was Michael J Fox who said “What everyone else thinks of me is none of my business,” and that is so true.
How do you define success as an author?
We would all like vast amounts of money, a gazillion five star reviews, a shelf full of awards and thousands of readers sending fan mail. And we’d be lying if we said we didn’t.
But ultimately success to me means the satisfaction of writing a good book to the best of my ability and knowing that at least one person in the world has enjoyed it. Getting that first email or tweet or Facebook message from someone saying they’ve enjoyed your book is what it’s all about.
But anyone who has ever written “The End” after writing a novel should give themselves a huge pat on the back. Just finishing a book is hard work and not everyone can do it.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I’m a gamer—at the moment I’m playing Elder Scrolls Online with a fantastic Altmer (high elf) Sorcerer who kicks ass. I also play PS4 games like Call of Duty Ghosts and Assassin’s Creed, RPGs like D&D, tabletop games like Warhammer and board games. I also enjoy podcasting and as part of The Fantasards produce recordings on all sorts of topics from gaming to our most recent one on Doctor Who.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
I’m kind of in between fantasy projects at the moment. I still write romance and am just finishing off the first in a new series of short romances—they’re fun to write and my readers love them, which is always satisfying. With the fantasy, I’m working on a few ideas for projects. I love Brian McLellan’s Powder Mage series—those covers are fantastic, and I would love to write something like that, a cross between Sharpe and Warhammer. Stay tuned! I’ll keep you posted 🙂
Freya
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More about Freya Robertson at http://www.freyarobertson.com/
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2014
