1. I was watching a show on Netflix about villains. It begged the question…”Do the villains know they are the bad guy?” Well certainly some do but what about Sauron? Would he see himself as the bad guy? Then I thought about the character I’d created so long ago…would Arawn see himself as the bad guy?” My answer was no. He would not have seen himself that way. Then how did he get that way? Boom. That was the question that started it. My character needed an origin story. I started the book the next day.
2. I am. I read my first (big) book at 15. It was The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I enjoy Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie as well.
3. I am writing book 2, “A Confluence of Shadows” and have book one out on Audio. I plan 6 books in this series. My next 3 series are already in planning stages. I’m planning an urban dark fantasy about the Norse gods. A superhero series. I’m also planning a martial arts inspired fantasy.
4. Don’t let anything stop you. Not fear. Not finances. Not lack of knowledge. Write the damn book!
5. Reading. No question but it wasn’t just the reading. It was the absolute immersion a great book could provide. The escape into a different place. That’s the hook for me.
Samantha Evans--Author 