But if I have one golden nugget that is more valuable than that, it is this. STOP telling yourself and the world you are an aspiring writer/author. Start saying you are right this second! Change that mindset right now and watch what happens to your craft.
Christopher Lee – 27 February 2018
The Back Flap
For millennia the Nemeta have kept the fragile truce in the antediluvian world. A peace built on an ancestral curse upon mankind’s primal link to magic. After six thousand years, Man has tired of enduring subjugation. Kings and peasants clamor. Thrones tremble at whispers of war between the primeval foes of Man and the Fae.
Amidst her studies of mythical artifacts, a young Seræphym uncovers designs to reverse the hex. A scheme that implicates her own people as heretics. Faced with the apocalyptic consequences of magical war, Samsara must choose between her freedom or that of her people.
Even if it means eternal service to the order that threatens to exterminate her kind.
About the book
What is the book about?
Nemeton takes place before the Great Flood myth in an antediluvian setting before the world of magic was lost to humanity. It follows the story of a rebellious, yet brilliant young Seraephym named Samsara who amidst her studies stumbles upon an ancient secret that threatens the balance of power on Earth. Sam swiftly realizes that her discover has entangled her in a blood feud between mankind and Fae. At the cost of her own freedom Sam must make a choice between who she will aid, the Nemeton who has sacrificed her to eternal service, or mankind who once enslaved her people.
When did you start writing the book?
I began work on the concept of Nemeton in 2011, but life often got in the way. While the idea was germinating in my head I jotted down mountains of notes about how I saw the world of the Hallowed Veil Series and where I saw it going, but I did not begin writing it in earnest until 2015. A few more 6 month breaks later I finally put fingers to keys and smashed the final product out in 2017.
How long did it take you to write it?
Well from concept around six years, in reality this draft, which I believe was somewhere around draft seven or eight took me about three months to write, edit, and publish.
Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve always been enchanted by the question Where did Magic Go? Our human mythos is chock full of monsters, beasties, and wizards. It doesn’t matter what part of the globe you go to, there is a unifying statement that says this was all once here and that we played a major role in it. I set out wanting to answer that question, mostly for myself as a sort of catharsis because I was so ridden with remorse for what we did to be expelled. It was from this idea that I started researching the fall of man and began to incorporate all the various mythologies into my tale.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Oh I struggled mightily from start to finish. Primarily on the classic bane of a writer, finishing the damn book. I always put it off, thinking oh well I will finish it someday. It wasn’t until it became clear in my head that it MUST be written now and no other time that I began to take it as seriously as I do now.
What came easily?
Once I finished battling with doubt, fear, and procrastination it poured out of me. I suddenly didn’t have enough time to write, I was punch-drunk in love with the story and had to finish. If I am being honest, it felt as though I was simply a channel for some stream of consciousness that invaded my mind.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I think that as writers we always borrow from the personalities closest to us. In many ways Samsara is inspired by a mythic version of my wife, and really all women. As for the others, I drew heavily on mythology, many of the characters are personas you find in stories from around the globe. Nothing came out of thin air, it all has a place in the long and storied past of humanity, which was what I wanted to tell, a sort of alternative history of our 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?
This is something that I really need to improve on and I am uber sure that it shows in my writing, but I am just such a slacker when it comes to reading fiction. I do it from time to time because I force myself to. It is not because of a lack of interest, but primarily because I am always reading non-fiction, history, and mythology, where I draw a lot of my inspiration. But when it comes fiction, I am heavily influenced by Neil Gaiman, Frank Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson.
Do you have a target reader?
Like every other author, everyone man! In reality I think my work touches a large audience, though my analytics say that my primary fans are women from age 24-30, which I am totally ok with, cause I am super on board the strong female protagonist train. I want girls to have heroes that whip the pants off of male characters, and at the same time show the weaker/softer side of male heroes and villains and the things that men struggle with.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Honestly I am a pantster that pretends to be plotster. I start out with a general structure only to tear it to bits as I flow. I do write something every day whether it is a blog, an article, a poem, a short, but when it comes to my novels, I write them differently. It comes and goes in waves, or it has in the past. With the sequel to Nemeton I plan to approach it the same way as I did Nemeton, with some minor changes. In fact by the time this interview comes out I will probably be neck deep in edits of the second or third draft.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I do outline, but as I said above, I usually trash the first one in favor of another for each draft to compensate for the bursts of inspiration that come forward.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I try to edit as I go. I use Prowriting Aid the most in conjunction with Grammarly. Once I finish a chapter or scene, I run the reports and tighten it up before it gets read. Then I get my feedback and adjust, then more feedback, then adjust, and so on until polishing.
Did you hire a professional editor?
This is something I plan to do with the sequel. I could not afford a professional edit with Nemeton because of financial circumstances but I did hire an editor to help me route out the big problems areas, particularly in structure, character moments that needed an extra oomph, etc. Next time around I will certainly hire a line editor if not only to take the pressure off of myself. Still, I think everyone should try editing their own work, simply for the learning experience.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Oh absolutely! I have a few channels I tune into on Pandora, particularly sweeping cinematic scores. One of my favorites is Thomas Bergersen, and pretty much any epic movie score. I also really dig listening to Wardruna.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
You know I thought about it at first. I wanted the traditional experience, but shied away because of creative control. Yeah, its arrogant of me, but I wanted to be the master and commander, for better or worse. I am a big DIY guy, so I wanted the experience of getting this thing done all by my onesie. I did try to crowd fund the novel via Inkshares.com however, the campaign failed, and I am honestly glad that it did. Not because I didn’t want to publish with them, they have a great platform and many friends succeeded there where I failed. I was happy I failed, because of how much I learned, it was incredibly edifying. Plus I just so wasn’t ready, neither was my story, yikes it was in bad shape.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
After my failed crowd funding campaign I said, screw it. I’ll do this thing my way and I did. I did put the story away for about six months before returning to writing. I got into ghostwriting to keep my skills fresh and when the time was right, I jumped back into it knowing that I would simply publish through Amazon as a last resort. Once I knew that was the pathway all I had to do was sit down and get it done! I am super glad that I did, again because of how much I learned.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I designed Nemeton’s cover myself. I have always been photo shop proficient, largely because of my schooling in Filmmaking and Digital media. So again, rather than paying someone else to do it, I knuckled down and made something that screamed me. So far the cover has gotten nothing but killer reviews. I am constantly being told, what a great cover! Again, glad I did it because it’s fun!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
You know I failed miserably at the release of Nemeton, but that’s ok. I learned a lot. Marketing comes naturally to me as a veteran sales person, so I started behind the ball, but things are picking up. My social circles online are exploding at the moment and show no signs of slowing down. I am confident as usual that my author brand will expand as well, and with that sales will come. However, next time around, for Nemeton’s sequel and subsequent books I will be well-armed for a big-time release, so look out! I know it sounds uber arrogant, but hell man why not be sure? If you aren’t sure then get out of this business immediately cause you absolutely have to be positive you will succeed.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
I love to say Just Write! BUT! That isn’t enough when you are Indie, particularly when you are a self-published author. You have to be on all guns at once, at the same time as steering, and navigating. Writing is key, if you don’t write you have no book, you have an idea. Finish the damn book and then you can start to build a following, which takes even more work and time than the book did! But if I have one golden nugget that is more valuable than that, it is this. STOP telling yourself and the world you are an aspiring writer/author. Start saying you are right this second! Change that mindset right now and watch what happens to your craft. Once you are an author in your own mind, it’s no longer a possibility, it is a certainty, and all you can do is get better from there.
About You
Where did you grow up?
All over. I was born in Phoenix, raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas till I was twelve, and then Denver, Colorado ever since.
Where do you live now?
Denver, Colorado for now, soon to be hitting the road, a change of pace and lifestyle is on the way!
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am a fire starter, rebel, and general pain in the ass. I am here to make waves and write books, and if along the way I help a bunch of folks that is what I consider a successful life. I like to disrupt things and shake things up and most importantly to learn.
What are you working on now?
Several projects as usual but my primary focus is on churning out a sequel to Nemeton. Secondary focus is on building my author platform with another book I am calling, So you Wrote a Book: What the Hell do you do Next? Which I am starting out as a blog and hope to release on Kindle in the next few months. After that I am hoping to release at least four books this year on varied topics. Basically I am addicted to work because I have to be!
End of Interview:
For more from Christopher visit his website, follow him on Twitter, and like his page on Facebook.
Get your copy of Nemeton: The Trial of Calas from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
