Can you tell readers a little bit about
yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
First of all,
thank you for letting me stop by today. I live in the high desert of Southern
Nevada and love it here! I have two dogs, who are my kids. They insist upon it.
I co-host a literary podcast, MythBehaving, which is loads of fun and has been
an awesome experience so far. Also I feature other writers on my blog and try
to keep folks up to date on my own work. I used to be a professional stage
actor in Southern California, but I retired out years ago. Now I teach Theatre
at a local college.
I’ve read fantasy
and sci fi for years as my main reading genres, so this was a natural genre for
me to write in.
What inspired you to write this
book?
This book actually
grew out of the main characters, Thulu and La Fi. I used to play World of
Warcraft and there were several people in our guild whose names began with
“Moo”. This one couple especially was confusing and I thought I’d give them
nicknames based on their in-game names. The result was Thulu and La Fi and when
I saw the names, the characters were in my head saying, “No, we don’t belong to
them. You need to tell our story!” So, I sat down and wrote the first draft in
five weeks. Of course, the subsequent drafts took over a year and included
ripping out the entire second half of the book and rewriting it.
Please tell us about your latest
release.
Relics is an Urban Fantasy set in San
Francisco. It’s the first book in the series, "The Thulukan
Chronicles", which follows detectives Thulu and La Fi as they navigate an
Earth forever changed by the return of myth and magic. Their detective agency
deals with supernatural clients, the dead, undead and anything else that comes
their way. They’re hired by an ancient daemon to find the missing relics he
needs to close a dangerous portal.
Do you have a special formula for
creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning
to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain
time periods or regions?
It depends on the
name. Thulu and La Fi grew out of a game, yet I then had to choose names that
they could be nicknames for. Fiona was an easy one and I played around with
last names until I came up with Thulukan to get Thulu. For many of the other
characters, like Reo, I knew his stage name but not the rest. I wanted his
initials to be BAM and his onstage persona to be completely different from his
real life. I wanted what everyone called him to be a cool name, too. I did
research until I came up with Brandon Arreo Malone. Some of the other characters
required research to get the right flavor for what I wanted their names to
sound like or mean.
Was one of your characters more
challenging to write than another?
Hands down that
has to be Jones, although all of the magical characters can be tough since they
are so old. Jones though, is well over eight thousand years old and a daemon
besides. I try to make him enigmatic and charming and wise. Hopefully that
comes across, but I don’t think of myself as those things, so I have to work at
creating that illusion. He has so many facets and layers that it really isn’t
work though. He is a joy to write.
Is there a character that you
enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
That would have to be La Fi, although I really enjoy creating
characters and love all my characters. La Fi, though, is the one who is in my
head the most, demanding I tell her story. I’m enjoying how she is evolving as
the series goes on.
Do you
have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch
or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character
develop as you write?
I let them develop, but I also have them pretty solidly in
my head. I spent years in theatre and creating characters onstage is pretty
much second nature to me. I think that helps with creating them for the
book. Some simply spring from my head to
the book. Other times, I work on getting exactly the right tone and feel. As
far as lists go, I keep a timeline with notes on appearance, but not personalities.
I know who they are so well that it’s almost like describing real people when I
write them.
What is your favorite scene from the
book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
That would be the
shower scene. I’ll include it at the end. J
With the book being part of a
series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere
other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as
stand alones?
I’m hoping they
can be. I explain enough in Book 2 that it stands on its own, but will want the
reader to go back and pick up the first book. I imagine that Book 3 won’t be
quite as easy, but who knows, since I have not finished writing that one. The
overall story is gaining complexity as it goes, especially with the changes to
Earth.
Do you have any weird writing quirks
or rituals?
I have to be comfortable. I’m envious of those who can write
anywhere. I need to be at home and in my study, at my desk and kicked back,
with my feet up on a small ottoman. I don’t really keep to a schedule for the
novels, although I’m writing something every day. I also write for my website,
podcast site and two gaming fansites. I like to listen to music when I write
and usually have a film or gaming or epic soundtrack on. Nothing with words
usually, though, because that would be distracting. Soundtracks, though, are
awesome.
What can readers expect next from
you?
Portals, Book 2 of The Thulukan Chronicles,
is complete and going through the last round with my beta readers before I
submit it to my publisher. I’ve begun Book 3, Crossroads, which I’m very excited to fully get into. Two prequel
short stories have been completed and gone through my beta readers. I also have
a historical fantasy, The Journal,
sitting on a back burner, teasing me now and then.
Where can readers find you on the
web?
Maer’s Website - maerwilson.com
Maer’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maer-Wilson-Author/149085628472833
Maer’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/MaerWilson
Maer on Goodread’s - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7040319.Maer_Wilson
Maer at MythBehaving - http://mythbehaving.com/
Would you like to leave readers with
a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Sure and thank you
for asking. From the above-mentioned shower scene:
The door opened. A cool draft of air
wafted my way, swirling the steam in the shower. I peeked out to see Thulu
shutting the door behind him. It was a great view.
“So, have I ever mentioned that I'm
a soul reader?”
I moved forward to clear the small
waterfall and gave him a suspicious look. One never knew with Thulu.
“No, I don't think you've shared
that bit of information.”
“I'm quite good at it, actually.” He
sat on one of the side seats and motioned to the one across from him. I moved
to the other seat.
Nodding, he continued, “I'm quite
surprised you didn't know this. In some circles, I'm known as the Great and
Wonderful Reader of Souls.”
“Oh, really? I'm shocked that this could have escaped my
attention all these years.”
“Well, this is the perfect time for
me to read yours. Being that you're all pruney.”
I looked at my hands. They were
pretty pruney. I shrugged and held out my hand palm up.
Thanks again for
letting me visit today!
Yes! Relics will be available in the very near future on Kindle and Nook! We're offering Super Secret Surprise Giveaway for one winner!
It's something very special and there are only a limited number of these special items created- and one of you will win one.
Here's what you do:
1. Leave a comment at Maer's site that you intend to buy a Kindle or Nook
2. Subscribe to Maer's site through the button found on the right of her site
3. Maer will notify you when the Kindle and Nook are available
4. Buy a Kindle or Nook version
5. Send Maer proof of purchase
That's all you have to do! All entries (proof of purchase) must be received by May 31st.
Enter at: http://maerwilson.com/2013/04/30/relics-on-ebooks/
May 1 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
May 2 Spotlight
The Stuff of Success
May 3 Interview
Fang-tastic Books
May 6 Guest blog
Share My Destiny
May 7 Spotlight
From the Writer's Nest
May 8 Guest blog
Kristy Centeno
May 9 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
May 13 Interview
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
May 15 Interview
Bewitching Book Tours Magazine
May 16 Spotlight
Brianna Lee Book Reviews
May 17 Guest blog
Krystal's Enchanting Reads ...
May 20 Guest blog
Lisa’s World of Books
May 21 Review + short interview
CABIN GODDESS
May 21 Spotlight
Paranormal Romance and Beyond
May 22 Spotlight (review later)
Mythical Books
May 23 Guest blog
Cloey's Book Reviews and Other Stuff
May 24 Guest blog and review
So Much To Write So Little Time
May 27 Spotlight and review
Faerie Tale Books
May 29 Spotlight
Cover Reveals
May 31 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
Book 1 of The Thulukan Chronicles
Maer Wilson
Maer Wilson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Date of Publication: 5/1/13
Number of pages: Approx 293
Word Count: 105,000
Book Description:
When the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, they're nothing like your mother's fairy tales.
Most of Thulu and La Fi's clients are dead. Which is perfect since their detective agency caters to the supernatural. So, a job finding relics for an ancient daemon should be simple.
The daemon needs the relics to keep a dangerous portal closed. His enemy, Gabriel, wants the relics to open the portal and give his people access to a new feeding ground – Earth.
Stunning humanity with their existence, portals to other worlds begin to open and the creatures of magic return to Earth.
When Gabriel threatens their family, Thulu and La Fi's search becomes personal. They'll need powerful allies in the race to find the relics before Gabriel does. But maybe that's what grateful dead, magical allies and daemonic clients are for.
About the Author:
After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while.
Turns out she's a writer. She's always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard.
When she's not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. She also co-hosts the literary podcast, “MythBehaving”. She lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her two dogs, a chihuahua and a poodle.
Relics is her first novel and will be released by Crescent Moon Press on May 1, 2013. You can visit her website at www.maerwilson.com.
Website/Blog: http://maerwilson.com/
Facebook Author page:
Facebook Series Page:
Facebook Street Team Page - Team Thulukan - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamThulukan/
Google + Series Community - The Thulukan Chronicles - https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109768648938269805454
Posts
3 comments:
Thanks for letting me stop by, Roxanne!
Sounds interesting
Thanks for stopping by bn100!
Post a Comment