Leo McBride puts on his Inklings Press hat to have a chat with Lydia Sherrer, author of the Lily Singer Adventures, a modern fantasy series, due to be published in April, as well as tales of urban fantasy and dystopian futures. She talks to the blog about her work, her influences, her faith and her plans for the future.
Hi
Lydia, and welcome to the blog! We bumped into each other out there
in the wired world of Twitter – so we're new to your work too, tell
us about the kind of fiction that you write.
Hi
Leo! Thanks so much for having me. I’m honored and appreciate the
time and effort you spend on featuring different authors! So far, I've
written modern and urban fantasy as well as dystopian and
post-apocalyptic scifi. My novella series coming out in April, Love,
Lies, and Hocus Pocus - The Lily Singer Adventures, is modern
fantasy, full of snarky humor, magic and cats. However, the first
series I started writing back in 2008 is urban fantasy and is much
darker, full of pain and heartache, weighty topics, death, and hard
choices. The story was too close to my heart to publish at the time,
so I started the Lily Singer series in 2014 to publish first.
You
have a website over at lydiasherrer.com – and readers arriving
there can get the first chapter straight away of your story of modern
day magic, Hell Hath No Fury. That stars Lily Singer – and don't
think we don't notice she shares your initials! - and starts off with
the best way to get out of a boring date. Tell us, that presumably is
your favourite launch point for readers into your reading, so what is
it about that story that you think represents your work best?
Haha!
I swear the LS initials thing was NOT intentional. Maybe
subconscious, but not intentional. I've always loved the name Lily,
and I was enchanted with Singer sewing machines when I was little. So
yeah, that’s where Lily Singer came from. The series name, Love,
Lies, and Hocus Pocus, focuses on the main themes of the whole
series: relationships (both romantic and familial), secrets (both
intentionally hidden and lost in time), and magic. It seemed natural
to open the series with one of Lily’s failed dates. Though an
introvert, she has a romantic side, just really awkward with
strangers, particularly men. I think these themes reflect a lot of
what we go through in life, whether searching for love, searching for
the truth, or exploring our imagination.
We
also couldn't help but notice that Lily very pointedly describes
herself as “not a witch. A wizard”. What's the thinking behind
that?
The
creative melting pot for my magic system has influences from D&D,
other RPG games, Harry Potter, Sabriel, The world of Tortall, and a
bit of Harry Dresden, along with my own dollop of crazy originality.
So in my world, wizards are born, witches are made. These designators
are not gender-based, but refer to whether you were born with the
genes that allow you to manipulate magical energy from the Source
(thus being a wizard) or are a mundane (non-wizard) who has gained
magical abilities through the trade of favors or alliances with
magical creatures. It’s the difference between directly accessing
the Source, or manipulating the results of its energy through a proxy
(artifact, fae, demon, spirit, etc). Anybody can be a witch, but only
certain people can be wizards. This has led to an elitist attitude by
many wizard throughout the centuries, and is one of the challenges
both Lily (a wizard) and her friend Sebastian (a witch) face.
We like that - that's a nice bit of world building to grow out of a simple designator! The
Lily Singer series is being released in an episodic format, we
notice. We chatted with Renee Scattergood recently, whose own dark
fantasy series has been running in a similar format which brings both
advantages and challenges. What made you decide on that format?
Deciding
on this format was two-fold. First, I love me some good TV series
(Dr. Who, Bones, Supernatural to name just a few). Short stories have
been severely underrated for a long time and TV series are just a
long string of short stories with an overarching plot. I really like
that format. Second, I was getting burnt out on my urban fantasy
series and wanted to try something different. I started writing a
light-hearted and humorous story, but didn’t want to wait a year
and a half before anyone got to read it. I needed to start putting
myself out there, building a platform. By informally releasing a
chapter a month (my own site, not amazon) it allowed me to build a
platform while preparing to self-publish. So, episodic format was
both my creative inclination as well as a business decision. Now that
I'm publishing in print, I'm including two episodes in each book,
along with never-before-read interludes from Sebastian Blackwell's
point of view, Lily's friend and trouble-making accomplice. That
brings each book up to about 60K, the same length as a short YA
novel.
You
have the first four episodes out now – with up to episode eight due
by September next year. Does it cause any issues with your writing as
you work on material and reflect on what you've written before,
having to make sure continuity holds together? Or do you have it all
mapped out in a grand plan?
Ha!
Definitely the former. I have an overall plot arc, but this story has
DEFINITELY changed and grown as I've written it. Each new episode
gets my creative juices flowing, adding to the world-building and
backstory. The trick is to: 1) be general where needed - this gives me
wiggle room later to further extrapolate on generalities I mentioned
before; and 2) have a solid backbone to the story that none-the-less
allows for a lot of flexibility.
Lydia Sherrer's website includes a rundown of all her stories.
Away
from Lily, I'm intrigued by one story of yours you mention as being
out there in the submission process – Eye For An Eye, a dystopian
sci-fi tale which you say was inspired by the September 2013 mall
massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. That must have been a very emotional tale
to put on the page, I imagine – what process did you go through
with the creation of that story?
When
I read that news story, I was helpless with fury at the sick bastards
who would slaughter innocent people. I empathize easily with others
and have a vivid imagination. It makes me a good writer, but it also
makes me cry a lot when I read the news. Reading that story got me
thinking -wishing, really - that if people suffered the same pain they
inflicted on others, maybe they'd stop hurting each. I started
imagining how a future society could make that reality, and what the
social consequences would be. The
story doesn’t give an answer for what’s right or wrong, or what
society should do about violence. Rather, it explores human nature,
and some logical consequences of society’s efforts to fix its
problems. The path to hell is paved with good intentions.
One
of the things that is very soon clear to anyone visiting your site is
the importance of your faith in your life. Do you think that reflects
in your writing or are they distinct strands in your life? If so, how
do you think it comes through – and what do you try to express in
your writing in that regard?
My
faith is my life, literally. It’s the hope that keeps me going day
by day, and as the good book says, I should always be ready to give a
reason for the hope that is in me. I believe we are separated from
God by our sin, and Jesus died on the cross to bridge the gap sin
created. It’s ultimately not about right or wrong (though that is
part of it), but about having a personal relationship with someone
that loved you so much, he sent his own son to be executed on your
behalf. Its about being loved by him, returning that love, and
sharing that love with everyone else. That’s a powerful message,
and I can’t NOT share it. So yes, it definitely shows up in my
fiction, but in subtle ways. C.S. Lewis is my model. The Chronicles
of Narnia are full of metaphor pointing to Christ, but never once is
he mentioned. I want to tell stories, not preach. My stories are
based on the basic moral foundation I believe in, but that doesn’t
mean my characters are Christians or that they do the right thing.
Far from it. I want my stories to be accessible and resonate with
those who don’t necessarily believe what I believe. So I try to
write realistically. Life is full of death, evil, uncertainty,
mistakes, and struggle. I know what it’s like to doubt, to lose
hope. But I also know what it’s like to have unshakable faith, and
to see hope in the darkest night. That’s what I try to express in
my writing - that ultimately, good always wins, love always conquers,
and hope never dies.
There's
a great deal of supportive material for other authors on your site –
with advice on publishing, tips for writers... it feels very much
these days – perhaps it was always thus – that writers are very
much their own support network. Tell us a little about why you feel
it best to reach out to help others.
Wow,
what a great question. For a more in-depth answer, check out this
blog post I did on friendship. The short answer is,
I could never have gotten where I am now without the advice and
support of my writer friends. At its core, it is better to give than
receive, and the act of giving brings so much blessing to the giver.
I have been exponentially blessed by reaching out and helping others,
not to mention how happy it makes me personally.
We
chatted briefly on Twitter about how hard it can be to be learning to
do your own marketing as writers – how do you feel about that part
of the process?
It
is so, so important, and a part that I personally enjoy (though a lot
of writers don’t). But there is a definite learning curve. You have
to do your research. If you're trying to make a living, only about
50% of your success is based on what you actually write. The other
half is how well you A) show you exist and B) convince people to
buy your product. Nobody can buy what they don’t know about, so
getting the word out is essential. It’s just a reality of
successful publishing. Here’s a REALLY great vid you should watch from Simon
Sinek who explains that “People don’t buy what you do, they buy
why you do it.” It’s a good place to start when creating your
marketing strategy.
So
what are you working on now? I see the Lily Singer books are due for
release in April next year, and a novel in the works too.
This
month I’m polishing up Book 2 while Book 1 is with my editor. From
Jan-May, I’ll be writing Books 3 and 4, and hopefully finishing Book
1 of my urban fantasy series which (fingers crossed) I’ll publish
spring 2017. I do hope to get Eye for an Eye published either in an
anthology, or self-publish it as a freebie, so definitely head over
to lydiasherrer.com/subscribe and sign up for my bi-monthly
newsletter list if you’d like to stay up to date on book releases,
giveaways, behind-the-scenes juicy stuff and more fun things than I
have time to mention here.
Anything
you can tell us about the novel at this stage or is it under wraps?
Well,
the working title is Orphan Cursed, and it definitely has vampires in
it (along with vampire hunters, a telepath, clones, general
ass-kicking, and a lot of hard questions with no easy answers). The
series revolves around two orphan sisters and has been a way for me
to write about and examine the plight of orphans and foster kids in
our world (an issue very close to my heart).
OK,
last question – and it's a two-part question – what are you
reading at the moment and what has been the best book you've read
this year?
Currently
I’m reading “A Discovery of Witches” by Deb Harkness. I picked
it up because a friend compared it to my series. It’s wonderful so
far, but has a very different magic system. So far this year, I'd say
World War Z (the BOOK not the movie). That book is a spectacular,
realistic look at how world societies would react to a global zombie
apocalypse. It is intensely riveting, fascinating, and delves deep
into human nature and psychology.
We can't argue with World War Z, great book in a really different format - all those diary entries and individual stories from the face of the apocalypse! Lydia
Sherrer, many thanks for stopping by the blog. It's been good to
talk!
Thank
YOU, Leo! It’s been a great pleasure. If anyone would like to know
more about me, my books, or what I do, check out lydiasherrer.com.
Just click on the subscribe tab and sign up to get updates on
publishing and all the free goodies, plus head over to my Facebook
page facebook.com/lydiasherrerauthor or my twitter feed @LydiaSherrer
to get daily updates. Thanks for reading, guys! You are awesome and I
can’t wait to hear from you.
Are you an author who would like to feature in a future Q&A? Drop us a line over at the Inklings Press Twitter here.
