IndieView with Elyon Zarall, author of Destiny

She is a strong heroine that gets thrown in the middle of all the drama between angels and demons, she rediscovers herself and she will stand alone in the face of danger. 

Elyon Zarall – 23 January 2017

The Back Flap

A strong heroine, an Archangel , and the beginning of a plot that will rock the human world and the supernatural alike.

This is not a story about a damsel in distress. Jade has dedicated her entire life to find the murderers of her parents and destroy them. When she meets Michael the Archangel after a fight in a club parking lot her world turns upside down and she discovers that her true destiny is tied to his in ways that she can’t deny.

When Michael’s world invades Jade’s life and puts her in the path of danger she will have to find ways to protect them all and the strength to stand alone in the face of all evil.

About the book

What is the book about?

The story in the book is about a woman who discovers that she is instrumental in the things that threaten the stability of all worlds. She is a strong heroine that gets thrown in the middle of all the drama between angels and demons, she rediscovers herself and she will stand alone in the face of danger.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book in September.

How long did it take you to write it?

I thought it would take a long time to write it but I was done by the middle of November.

Where did you get the idea from?

The story just came to my mind, I’ve been ignoring it and while I was busy ignoring it it just grew until I had to sit down and type it.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Probably because I am not an arts major,I had to make the story flow and not get dead ends.

What came easily?

The story itself, every time I wanted to stop writing another idea just came and I had to open the laptop again and write.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

My characters are fictitious, of course there is a bit of a historical insert with using archangels and their names, I believe we could also say religious, but other than that there is nothing really based on real events or people.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

You know if I could write all of their names down we would have a ten page list. But I would have to name Christine Feehan and Nalini Singh who write with incredible passion and build worlds we would all want to be part of. I would not claim to be directly influenced by them but they sure made me believe that any world can find it’s genre.

Do you have a target reader?

My readers are people that love stories that connect with each book , I never set an age limit for it as I am sure that a lot of people would read my book just because of it’s genre and not for the targeted audience recommendations.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I usually aim to write around 3,000 words a day when I write, no matter how busy I am elsewhere,of course there are days when I write more. I just grab my laptop, sit on my bed and start typing. When I feel there’s nothing more coming out I stop and wait for the story to pick up in my mind.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I don’t outline per se, but the story is already having an outline in my mind, I know what should happen and I just have to connect the dots in between.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do a half and half. Most of my editing is done after I have finished but I do tend to correct while writing and deleting or adding things as I go,I can’t move forward if something doesn’t feel right.

Did you hire a professional editor?

No, I did all the editing by my self.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Yes and no. Sometimes I turn on my playlist and it feels good to hear it in the background while I write and sometimes it just distracts me. I am a multi genre listener so from rock to pop and R&B I listen to it all.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I don’t. I honestly don’t have the time to do so,and the horror stories I heard about them just makes me not want to even go near one of them at all.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I started researching on how I could get my book out and I found a lot of people just being happy with being an indie, I discovered you don’t need to send thousands of emails for your book to be picked up by a publisher and that you could reach a big audience of readers just by publishing online.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I worked on my cover with my friend who is a bit more photoshop friendly than I am. He is a 3D artist and he has been more than helpful with helping me get my cover done.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I took time to write to all major bloggers one by one, and I posted on major forums about ARC’s and reviews and I did use the list you guys have on the website and have gotten a few positive responses from here. As an indie it’s a mix of spread it to many and pray for the best.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Yes! Create your story as you see fit,have family and friends read it and give input,use them as beta readers,they will be honest and it will help. Build your mailing list and find as many bloggers and reviewers as you can before you do a pre-order or your book goes live!

About You

Where did you grow up?

Fairytale land of Romania.

Where do you live now?

The middle east, no not the middle east that comes to mind,but where technology and business thrive at an unimaginable pace.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That I am exactly as them, a normal woman that decided to write a book and had the courage to press the publish button. That I love normal things like movies and pizza and dogs! That I am very determined and never became complacent,I work hard and have managed to grow as a person first and plan on continuing to grow.

What are you working on now?

Besides my every day job I am working on the second book in the series, I really do not want to make readers wait long, especially since the books are connected and can’t go as independent reads.

And I am planning on writing a different book, I am just waiting for the story to build up in my mind enough so that I can have an idea of where I could go with it.

End of Interview:

For more from Elyon, visit her blog or like her page on Facebook.

Get your copy of Destiny from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

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