Ask an Author: November 2022 Edition

I receive questions from readers and other writers all the time, and I want to share a few with you.

• What is your favorite trope?

My favorite trope by far is the Masquerade. That simply means that magic exists in a world but is hidden from humans. I love the idea of another society existing right under our noses.

• What is your favorite thing about the trope Kitchen Sink Magic?

I learned a lot about this trope by reading Jim Butcher obsessively and immediately fell in love with it. When I sat down to write Unearthly Magik, I couldn't decide on a magical system to

use. I definitely wanted to include elemental magic, but I also wanted to pull in some indigenous and Africa uses of magic as well. I couldn't forget to throw in the traditional vampires, werewolves, ghouls and the rest of the usual supernatural creatures, so the book is a mishmash of systems and deities.

• Do you have a favorite point of view?

I love writing in the first person. It is the most intimate point of view, and I love being privy to the main character's thoughts and motivations. First-person POV works really well in the urban fantasy genre.

• Do you need a HEA (happily ever after)?

Nope, not at all. My first series, The Vespers Chronicles, ends on a not happily ever after note. I think unhappy or unclear endings are more interesting.

• Book Adaptation: Like or dislike them?

As a rule, I dislike them. There's no real way to capture the essence of intricate storytelling and world-building.

Check in next month for the last of 2022's Ask an Author.