Saturday, December 14, 2013

Feature: Maer Wilson, author of The Thulukan Chronicles

Today on The Shadow Portal, I'll be featuring Maer Wilson and her novel, Portals, as part of her virtual book tour.


 

Portals Cover Blurb

For supernatural detectives Thulu and La Fi, “normal” is a relative term. La Fi is a medium, Thulu is a finder, and their usual clients are already dead.
But when their friend Reo is shot, and a group of stranded angels show up at their house for help to find a missing child, things are striking too close to home.

And now the portals that let the magical races return to Earth have started opening on their own.

With trips off-world, a kidnapped psychic and changes to their own abilities, Thulu and La Fi are hit with a lot more than they usually handle. Of course, their magical friends are there to help, but even they may not be enough to save an increasingly unstable Earth.
Portals is the sequel to Relics and is Book 2 in The Thulukan Chronicles.
 
 
Excerpt from Portals

That night Parker had popped in to wake us at two in the morning to tell us our best friend, Reo, had been shot. The young ghost was distraught and panicked.
“They're on the back porch! You have to go help.”

“Where is he?” I asked groggily, as I jumped out of bed.
Thulu was instantly awake beside me, although he didn’t seem any more alert than I did.

“Back porch.” Parker enunciated each word in slight exasperation. “Go, please!”
Thulu looked at me, and I told him what Parker had said. Thulu can read lips, but even with a night light the room was too dark.

Thulu threw off the sheet and we both ran from the room. I was briefly glad we’d been wearing PJs.
Heart pounding, I took a few precious seconds to check on our three year old son, Carter. His night light showed him blissfully unaware of anything. Whatever happy dreams he was having made him smile slightly in his sleep. I sighed in relief that he wasn’t having another of his nightmares.

Downstairs, Thulu had turned on the kitchen and porch lights. In spite of the panic moments before, none of the three people on the porch seemed frantic when I joined them.
Thulu looked relieved, Reo was on the floor, but seemed stoic, and Sloane knelt beside him, brow furrowed only slightly in concentration as he dealt with the wound.

My heart rate slowed down and my own fear started to slowly dissipate. My heart gradually dropped from my throat back to its accustomed place in my chest. Still my hands were shaking, and I felt the slight chill from outside. The porch was screened in, and the late August day had been hot, but the night brought a cool breeze that made its way along my arms.
The scent of flowers from the backyard didn’t quite mask the smell of the blood that pooled on the porch floor around Reo. Sloane, his partner and an elf, had already removed Reo’s jacket and shirt. A bullet lay on the floor, and I could see the shoulder wound was already healing and closing up. In a few moments, only the blood would remain as evidence that he’d been shot.

Reo's face was white. The strain showed around his brown eyes and his handsome face had the sheen of sweat on it.  His short brown hair that was usually spiked, lay damp and flat against his head, but he gave me a shaky smile.
“Bastard ruined my favorite jacket.”
 
Buy Links
 


 

Interview
 
 

What inspired you to write this book?

Kyra, thanks so much for having me on your blog today! This is the sequel to Relics, Book 1 of The Thulukan Chronicles. While Relics can be a stand-alone, the characters weren’t done with me yet and I knew I had to tell more of their stories.

Can you give us an interesting fact about your book that isn't in the blurb?

Hmmm…fun question. This book takes what I feel is a very unexpected turn as to the reasons for magic returning to Earth. Some things are not what we thought in Relics.

How did you choose your title?

This one was very easy! Because the portals seem to be intertwined with many of the events in the book.

Tell us about the cover and how it came to be.

My cover was designed by the fabulous Ida Jansson. Ida has designed all the covers in The Thulukan Chronicles. I wanted a shattered portal (for reasons that will become clear in the book. J) At the same time we have the branding we used for the rest of the series.

Did you self-publish or publish traditionally and why?

I self-published Portals and the two prequel novelettes, “Ghost Memory” and “Unwanted Ghost” myself. Relics was released through a small press. Self-publishing is very challenging, but I’m learning as I go and I have an enormous support group of other authors to help with advice. I really wanted to be able to put my work out much faster than the Big Five does. The once-a-year or longer schedule doesn’t work for me.

What do you consider the most important part of a good story?

That would be character for me, hands down. I have to care about the people I’m reading about. I find character driven stories to have more depth, but coming from a stage background and building my own characters for so many years, it’s a natural progression.

What is your writing process?

I like to have music playing. I have my study set up so I’m very comfortable and don’t have an excuse to wander away for whatever reason. That includes a nice executive chair with a footstool under my desk.

How long have you been writing?

I tried my hand at a play back in 2000. It was awful, so I rewrote it as a screenplay in 2004. It was better, but I didn’t do anything with it after editing. In 2010, I got the idea to write my first novel, Relics. So only a few years for writing novels. But as an actor I wrote many character studies and backstories, so that sort of work I did for ages. I just never formally considered myself a writer until 2010, when I wrote my book.

How did you get started writing?

The characters made me do it! They sprang to life in my head and I thought it might be fun to try. I mean, you never know if you can do something until you try. So I did. And so far, I’ve had a blast and I’m actually getting my work out there.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a total pantser. I have a general idea where I want to end up, but I work organically to let the characters get me there. It doesn’t always go exactly where I plan, either.

 What part of the writing process is the hardest for you?

The marketing. It can be daunting and exhausting, trying to come up with ways to get my work seen.

What tips can you give on how to get through writers block?

Interesting question. I’m not sure I believe in writer’s block.

I think some people might not be happy with the direction something is going, or maybe they aren’t sure exactly how to get to where they want to go. But real writer’s block, as in “I cannot write anything”? There could be a lot of different reasons someone might not be writing, but a true block? I sort of doubt it.

The trick is to not let yourself get eaten up with excuses and procrastination and just write that first sentence down! Any old sentence will do. It doesn’t have to be good. But make yourself get in there and write, no matter what. You can go back and fix it in the next draft, but don’t let yourself fall into the trap of saying you have “writer’s block.” Self-fulfilling prophecies and all. J I tell my students that with regards to creating art, there is no such word as “can’t,” only “won’t.” People get too hung up on trying to make it perfect the first time and that’s not going to happen. Just put those words down and fix them later. As you do that things will get easier and ideas will flow.

What kind of music do you like to listen to while you write?

I listen to film and gaming soundtracks, classical music, anything without words to distract me.

Who is your favorite author?

I have way too many favorite authors to pick only one, but my two of my favorites are George R.R. Martin and J.K Rowling.

Who is your favorite character from a book?
 
Again, there’s no way to have one. I’m fascinated by what Martin is doing with the characters in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. I especially like Tyrion, Bran and Dani. And Arya. And…

 What is your favorite book?

Well, I’m sure you can guess I love the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series. However, also Harry Potter. They couldn’t be more different, though. And I don’t have a fave.

Read anything good lately?

I’ve read a lot of good books lately! Because I do a podcast where I interview a lot of authors, I read at least one of their books for their interview. One of my fairly recent faves has been The Aylesford Skull (Tale of Langdon St. Ives) by James P. Blaylock and Nightingale by Dave Farland. I’ve also read a ton of wonderful books by Indie authors and I encourage everyone to take a look at those. There is some excellent work out there.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Listen to music, watch TV. I’ve got a lot of shows I watch this season. Lots of cool fantasy and mystery stuff. J I enjoy hiking, when I can find the time. Oh, and I get to play with my dogs, who are my kids. Of course, they demand that daily.

What advice would you give an author just starting out?

Don’t stop. If you really want something bad enough and are determined to work for it, then stay the course and don’t let anything stop you – including you.

Have you had anything else published?

Relics, Book1 of The Thulukan Chronicles
“Ghost Memory” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #1)
“Unwanted Ghost” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #2)

What's your next project?

I’m writing the third book in the series, Magics. I’m not sure if this is the last one, but it brings major changes and challenges for my characters to overcome.

Kyra, again thank you for letting me stop by and visit!

You're very welcome, Maer, I was pleased to have you and I wish you the best of luck with your writing.
 
 
 

Maer’s Bio

After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while. Turns out she's a writer. She's always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard. When she's not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. She also co-hosts the literary podcast, MythBehaving and writes for two gaming fansites. Maer lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her two dogs, a chihuahua and a poodle. Portals is Book 2 in The Thulukan Chronicles. You can find all books and novelettes in The Thulukan Chronicles at Amazon. You can visit Maer’s website at http://maerwilson.com/.

Maer’s Links

Maer’s Website: http://maerwilson.com/

Maer on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MaerWilson


“Ghost Memory” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #1) - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5W1W2Y/

“Unwanted Ghost” (A Thulukan Chronicles Story, #2) - http://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Ghost-Thulukan-Chronicles-Story-ebook/dp/B00FYACAZO/


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