Author Interview.

· At what point did you decide to be an author and what was your path to publication?

I have been writing, to some degree, for a long time, but it was during my junior year of high school that I decided I wanted to be an author. I began working on “The Stranger’s Orphan”, the first book in my series, The Armean Journals. It began as a first-person, single point-of-view story following a young woman, Anastasia Daren, and evolved into the extensive epic seen today. In my senior year of high school, I self-published the first edition of “The Stranger’s Orphan” using The Book Patch, but I later transitioned to Kindle Direct Publishing. I have been using KDP ever since, though I am looking to get into traditional publishing with my next series.

· Who is your favorite character to write, and why is that person your favorite? If picking a favorite character would be like picking a favorite child, which character seems to be the most demanding or your attention and detail as a writer?

My favorite characters to write vary from book to book. In “The Stranger’s Orphan”, the disgraced Knight, Edrik Greywine, was my favorite, with Lea Jamine as a close second, but in the sequel, “The Desert’s Son”, my favorites became Persius Gordov and Bianca Summerson. Each book, my favorites depend on the storyline the character is working through and my mental space at the time.

Overall, the characters of Anastasia and Eleonora demand the most attention and detail for me. They are two of the central figures of The Armean Journals, and due the unique circumstances of their placements in the story, they are rather complicated. Eleonora, in particular, has an extensive background that I only recently got to put fully to page, and that was the most rewarding chapter I have written.

· Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot and plan, or is your writing more organic?

When I began “The Stranger’s Orphan”, I did not have a full outline for the series, but by the end of the first book, I knew where everything was headed. I have outlined each book since, breaking them down chapter-by-chapter. I usually write a sentence or two describing the main events of the chapter, leaving room for organic developments while still giving myself a firm direction. I believe this helps when layering foreshadowing into the earlier books.

I have recently begun working on the final book in The Armean Journals, “The Outcast’s Home”, and that has required a much more extensive outline. The outline document alone is as long as some chapters I have written in earlier books.

· What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is my favorite series, so I will always recommend it. I read all fourteen books when working on “The Desert’s Son”, and the influence those characters and stories had on my writing is obvious. I also

consider A Song of Ice and Fire, The Lord of the Rings, and, later, The Stormlight Archive as major influences. I would recommend all of them.

Another series I really enjoy is The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, and that series is a major influence on the work I am trying to get traditionally published.

· Tell us what you enjoy most about writing fantasy.

I love the breadth and complexity of epic fantasy stories. Flipping between point-of-view characters and telling a story that weaves across continents becomes immensely satisfying when the various plot threads are pulled together. This is the genre I have grown up reading, so I gravitated toward writing it, but I am interested in expanding into other areas. I have plans for a Sci-Fi trilogy in the works.

· What have you found to be most challenging about writing in fantasy?

While it is the reason I love sprawling fantasies, the sheer complexity of the story can be a burden. I keep extensive notes, and I have a spreadsheet of over 100 characters describing their basic traits (age, height, hair color, etc.), but keeping track of where everyone is, who knows what, and where they need to go can be a challenge. I believe I have done well juggling this, but it has stumped better authors than me (George RR Martin comes to mind), so I think it is undoubtedly the biggest challenge.

· Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?

I went to UT Dallas for a Human Resources Management degree, and the only job I have had is in HR, so I would not say there has been a lot of overlap between those aspects of my life and the fictions I create. My personal life has definitely impacted the tone and demeanor of the characters, and I draw inspiration from other media and people I interact with.

· Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?

I do identify with my main character, Anastasia, though I do not intentionally use her to mirror myself. She is a bit quieter and has a passion for reading, so I obviously relate to the latter.

· Describe the [book/series] in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

It is an epic fantasy series with time travel elements.

· Do you have any odd (writing) habits?

I can’t leave a finished story alone. I often go back and revise published works. On KDP, the eBooks automatically update, so sometimes my readers will get a free grammatical fix or spelling correction without fanfare. This is especially true before I start working on the next book in the series, as I like to go back and re-read the previous books, but I can’t re-read them without fixing the issues I find. I never change the story, but I correct small mistakes and the like.

· What has been the toughest criticism you have received as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I’m not sure I can pinpoint the toughest criticism, as it is often the little flaws that I find in my work that hurt the most. Disappointing myself feels far worse than getting told I did a bad job by someone online. I think it is often important to remember that, with many “critics” online, there is no telling whether they have any idea what they are talking about, and personal tastes also account for some issues.

The best compliments have come the people I am closest too, those who have read The Armean Journals or my other stories and engaged with the characters and story beyond a surface-level “Well done!”. It means a lot when people read these books. I don’t (currently) write to earn a profit. I write because this story means a lot to me.

· Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Write! Don’t let anything stop you from finishing the story you want to tell, regardless of whether it becomes a best-seller or not. Self-publishing is a great route, especially for young authors, to see your work brought to print, but at the same time, set realistic expectations. Setting small goals has kept me sane.

There’s a lot of advice I would give a younger me, but I worry that advice would change the path I have taken, and I’m happy with where I am at. Maybe I would slip myself some notes on a few grammatical things!

· What is your favorite line from your book?

I have a ton of lines highlighted in the eBooks, but if I have to choose one, and it can’t be from my upcoming book (because spoilers!), I will go with one from “The Stranger’s Orphan”.

“I wish I was a cow.”

· To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?

My favorite chapter is actually in my upcoming book, “The Heritor’s Willow”, so I can’t say a lot about it, but I think it is my best work from both a plot and technical standpoint.

It takes an in-depth look at one of my favorite characters, and when the series is over, I think it will remain a highlight.

· Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?

All the time! There are weeks I just can’t get through a chapter or a scene, and it is very frustrating, but I just keep working at it until I get through. One thing that often helps is having multiple projects going at once. I like to switch from one story to another if I get stuck in my head.

· What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to read, but I also spend a lot of time watching TV and playing video games. I also have a full-time job, so that occupies a lot of my time, but no matter what I’m doing, it is likely I’ll be thinking about my next story in the back of my mind.

Want to see your face here?

Just send an email to zmartinbooks@gmail.com with the subject line “I want in the light”