Today's guest author on Interviews with Dante is Robin Field. Robin is an author of Young Adult Urban Fantasy. Enjoy learning a bit about this wonderful author.
Please tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Robin Field and I am a stay at home mom who just recently moved to the east after living all of my life in California (by the way, I thought I knew what winter was but boy has living here definitely changed my perspective on that!) I have enjoyed writing ever since I was young and find that it not only relaxes me but allows me to express myself in ways I can't in real life.
Tell us about your latest book:
I just indie published my debut novel by the title of Drow of Darkness. It is about a community of elves that have a doppelganger curse set on them since embracing the luxuries of modern life. Each mother gives birth to a set of two identical children at once: one who is meant for the elven light while the other is meant for the darkness of their drow brethren which is essentially a dark elf. It centers around a set of sisters who have to undergo their test to determine who stays and who goes and what happens in the aftermath of all the chaos.
What do you have coming out in the future?
Currently I am working on a story about the afterlife and how souls are ferried to their correct "place" once passing over. My main character has been living in this world for a few years and she deals with her new duties with a more skeptical eyes then her fellow peers. It will be the first in a trilogy and I am very excited about getting it to publishing status.
What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I enjoy writing young adult, urban fantasy the most and I think that is because when I was growing up and coming into my own, I found I could get lost in the stories meant for that particular age group and anything that had a fantasy element allowed me to get lost in worlds that weren't real and let my imagination take flight. I still to this day love to read in that genre and love to write in it as well.
From where do you draw your inspiration?
I personally look at things that have been done and wonder what I can contribute to a genre that has so much in it already. That's where I thought of throwing in a doppelganger curse into an elven community because it was something I had never heard of before and wanted to try giving something done before a new twist.
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
I wouldn't say I base characters fully on people I know but I do inject certain traits of people I know into my characters. I try giving them all a mix of quirks and skills that make them into their own person who has good and bad traits that people can relate to.
What kind of books do you like to read?
I definitely love to read young adult books and anything with elements of fantasy in them as well. I occasionally read thrillers and mysteries and also enjoy science fiction and its subgenres.
My name is Robin Field and I am a stay at home mom who just recently moved to the east after living all of my life in California (by the way, I thought I knew what winter was but boy has living here definitely changed my perspective on that!) I have enjoyed writing ever since I was young and find that it not only relaxes me but allows me to express myself in ways I can't in real life.
Tell us about your latest book:
I just indie published my debut novel by the title of Drow of Darkness. It is about a community of elves that have a doppelganger curse set on them since embracing the luxuries of modern life. Each mother gives birth to a set of two identical children at once: one who is meant for the elven light while the other is meant for the darkness of their drow brethren which is essentially a dark elf. It centers around a set of sisters who have to undergo their test to determine who stays and who goes and what happens in the aftermath of all the chaos.
What do you have coming out in the future?
Currently I am working on a story about the afterlife and how souls are ferried to their correct "place" once passing over. My main character has been living in this world for a few years and she deals with her new duties with a more skeptical eyes then her fellow peers. It will be the first in a trilogy and I am very excited about getting it to publishing status.
What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I enjoy writing young adult, urban fantasy the most and I think that is because when I was growing up and coming into my own, I found I could get lost in the stories meant for that particular age group and anything that had a fantasy element allowed me to get lost in worlds that weren't real and let my imagination take flight. I still to this day love to read in that genre and love to write in it as well.
From where do you draw your inspiration?
I personally look at things that have been done and wonder what I can contribute to a genre that has so much in it already. That's where I thought of throwing in a doppelganger curse into an elven community because it was something I had never heard of before and wanted to try giving something done before a new twist.
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
I wouldn't say I base characters fully on people I know but I do inject certain traits of people I know into my characters. I try giving them all a mix of quirks and skills that make them into their own person who has good and bad traits that people can relate to.
What kind of books do you like to read?
I definitely love to read young adult books and anything with elements of fantasy in them as well. I occasionally read thrillers and mysteries and also enjoy science fiction and its subgenres.
Wenonah Ward lives in the small elven community of Ion, filled with modernity but hidden away from prying human eyes. All is well with her life, that is, until the eve of her sixteenth birthday when the test of the doppelganger curse is to take place.
Each set of parents give birth to two children at one time; one meant for the elven light and one destined for the darkness of their drow brethren. Wenonah is resigned to leave to Eile to live with the drows so that her sister Sereda isn’t subjected to such a startling new life. If only she had expected even a hint of the outcome being that of the reverse.
Wenonah, feeling guilty of her current situation, vows to reunite with her sister and make both sides see that living in unity would be more beneficial than the rifling tension that is building between the two sects. If she could manage to open up her father’s eyes to the threat of war that lies in waiting, then their family might remain whole and unharmed. With the help of her best friend Colton, they race against time before their lives are changed forever.
This young adult, coming of age urban fantasy will show you that with determination and the never ending bond of family love, bridges can be mended and triumph can loom on the horizon against the most impossible of odds.
Each set of parents give birth to two children at one time; one meant for the elven light and one destined for the darkness of their drow brethren. Wenonah is resigned to leave to Eile to live with the drows so that her sister Sereda isn’t subjected to such a startling new life. If only she had expected even a hint of the outcome being that of the reverse.
Wenonah, feeling guilty of her current situation, vows to reunite with her sister and make both sides see that living in unity would be more beneficial than the rifling tension that is building between the two sects. If she could manage to open up her father’s eyes to the threat of war that lies in waiting, then their family might remain whole and unharmed. With the help of her best friend Colton, they race against time before their lives are changed forever.
This young adult, coming of age urban fantasy will show you that with determination and the never ending bond of family love, bridges can be mended and triumph can loom on the horizon against the most impossible of odds.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
When I'm not writing I spend most of the time hanging out with my family. I am currently expecting my second child at the beginning of June so I'm only hoping I still get the chance to write!
Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
Drow of Darkness is a stand-alone but my second novel that I hope to have out within the next four months will be the first in a trilogy.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The hardest part would have to be when I hit the third or fourth edit. That's where I get really particular about every word I have used up to then and I end up second guessing decisions I had made. I try not to be overly critical so I don't edit it to death so that is when I normally take a good few weeks to just focus on another story or just read to get my creative juices flowing back on track.
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
I would have to say the first draft. I fly through them so fast so that I can get it all out of my head for the first time. It's exciting to get it all down whether or not the writing is the best because I know I can go back and edit as much as necessary.
What is your preferred writing environment?
I like writing in my room at my little desk. I tend to write the most and the best at night after my son is asleep and I get this second wind where my creative self just explodes to its delight.
Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
I always find that whatever ideas I have I make sure I write down. After that step, I kind of let these scenarios play out in my mind until they flow in a way that I believe could be a good story and then I bust out a simple outline that I go back to later to develop in more detail before I start that first draft.
When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
I have always enjoyed writing but I never thought that I would be taken seriously until I realized that it isn't degrees or a big name that would make my writing worth reading. It was my determination and passion in what I did that was going to give me that courage to take the leap whether it would pan out or not. I don't care if I'm a highly recognized name in the literary world; as long as someone reads my book and can experience that sense of escape that it does for me, then I have done what I have set out to do.
When I'm not writing I spend most of the time hanging out with my family. I am currently expecting my second child at the beginning of June so I'm only hoping I still get the chance to write!
Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
Drow of Darkness is a stand-alone but my second novel that I hope to have out within the next four months will be the first in a trilogy.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The hardest part would have to be when I hit the third or fourth edit. That's where I get really particular about every word I have used up to then and I end up second guessing decisions I had made. I try not to be overly critical so I don't edit it to death so that is when I normally take a good few weeks to just focus on another story or just read to get my creative juices flowing back on track.
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
I would have to say the first draft. I fly through them so fast so that I can get it all out of my head for the first time. It's exciting to get it all down whether or not the writing is the best because I know I can go back and edit as much as necessary.
What is your preferred writing environment?
I like writing in my room at my little desk. I tend to write the most and the best at night after my son is asleep and I get this second wind where my creative self just explodes to its delight.
Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
I always find that whatever ideas I have I make sure I write down. After that step, I kind of let these scenarios play out in my mind until they flow in a way that I believe could be a good story and then I bust out a simple outline that I go back to later to develop in more detail before I start that first draft.
When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
I have always enjoyed writing but I never thought that I would be taken seriously until I realized that it isn't degrees or a big name that would make my writing worth reading. It was my determination and passion in what I did that was going to give me that courage to take the leap whether it would pan out or not. I don't care if I'm a highly recognized name in the literary world; as long as someone reads my book and can experience that sense of escape that it does for me, then I have done what I have set out to do.
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