Here's a general interview,
I'll be happy to answer more questions!
When writing this book
what was the most important thing you wanted your readers to come away with?
I write to entertain, so I want my readers to feel
that they’re having a good time, I want them to follow Ella’s adventure, to
relax and take a break from the outside world. However, there are some hints
that could generate ethical discussions about today’s reality and solutions,
especially toward the end of the novel, so it’s not entirely “empty”
entertainment. The ending is quite strong and can lead to a wider
confrontation.
While
working on the book, what would you say was your biggest challenge, and what
advice would you offer a writer to overcome that obstacle?
I can tell you about two challenges, an emotional
and a practical one.
My biggest emotional challenge was and still is to
write about love. Romance is not my strongest skill, I feel more comfortable
writing about killing, scheming and fighting… but my characters needed to have
something more than that in their lives, so I sprinkled some love here and
there. I don’t know how to help other people in my position… I used music to
get in the mood, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, mostly. I hope I managed to convey the
right emotions. Readers will let me know!
The practical challenge was a linguistic one.
English is my second language and this is my first novel written in English. I
feel confident enough and I did my best to avoid mistakes, however if you still
find something odd or wrong… please tell me! I’ll be super grateful and I will
correct it. Advice? Well, I read a lot and watch a lot of series and movies,
Wordreference.com is my best friend. There’s always room for improvement,
especially when learning a foreign language.
Was this your first book?
How
important is it in your genre to have more to a story than just hot heavy
scenes? Do you believe good back story is important?
Hot heavy scenes are not even important for
my genre, which is Fantasy. I know that erotic stories are very popular right
now, but that’s not what I write or read. Love stories/hot sex are not the
center of my books, they are part of the story, but never the only spark that
moves the action. Backstories are crucial, every character has to have a solid
background. I write about war and trust, killing and saving lives, hot romance
is not my purpose.
Rating
your type of book, what ages would you say it is most suited for?
I wrote it targeting adults, some scenes
are very violent and some themes such as mass murder and destruction are better
suited for grown ups… but it’s still something that I would have read as a
teen. It depends on the reader, this novel is not about cheesy teenagers giving
their first kiss; it’s about Elvish soldiers caught in the middle of something
too big to avoid. There is some romance, but nothing overwhelming. The language
is sometimes strong but not disturbing, I’m talking about soldiers after all…
they are allowed to swear from time to time!
Do
you have anything new coming up the pipeline? If so tell us about it.
Yes, my next novel is about a genie. I
only wrote the outline, but I know what is going to happen and I have the last
scene clear in my mind. The setting is Istanbul in the past with a scene in
Venice and Oriental atmospheres the entire time. It’s still fantasy, but with
an historical flare. There are two main characters: Jade and Yanmak.
Where
can people purchase this or other books you have written?
Everything is on Amazon, this is my author page: amazon.com/author/evafairwald
Do
you have a blog where readers and authors can talk with you and share their
thoughts on your books and writing in general?
Yes, I’m also on FB, Twitter and
Pinterest:
I
am available for more interviews, questions and reviews, just get in touch with
me, even if your blog/page/group/website
is not in English… I might surprise you.
I
can handle a full interview in Italian and German; also Spanish and French are welcome
with shorter and less articulated answers.
