Today, I have a special treat for you - Rebecca Roland, author of the newly released Shattered Fates is here answering some questions! Enjoy this interview, and then check out more info about the book below.
1. Plotter or Pantser? Or do you have your own writing method? I've tried plotting, but it never works for me. It drains all the excitement that made me want to write the story in the first place, and it tends to make my characters feel two-dimensional. That being said, I sort of outline. I know what the beginning is, I have an idea what the ending will be, and I usually have a few major scenes tentatively outlined in my head. I'll write this down and work toward the major plot points and the ending I had in mind, but I find these things often change along the way as I get to know my characters and they make choices independent of what I'd prefer they do. For me, this makes the story stronger. But it does mean more work when it's time for revisions. I end up cutting chunks and adding new scenes. After writing six books, though, I've finally accepted that this is just who I am as a writer.
2. Do you write full-time or part-time? I wish I could write full-time! I have a day job (part-time), and I'm pursuing my Doctorate, and I have a seven year-old. And then I wonder why I'm perpetually tired… In all seriousness, though, I recall a writer commenting years ago that it's different for women who write. She suggested you can't have a day job and a family and write. I found this really discouraging, especially since she insinuated that something would suffer in order to make the other aspects of one's life work. It took me a while to realize that she was flat out wrong. You can juggle multiple aspects of your life, but you have to be realistic about it, and you have to be really good at time management. Usually I get up early and write for about fifteen to twenty minutes first thing in the morning. It doesn't sound like much time, but if I've left plans for the scene the day before, I can get right to it and get a few hundred words down. And right now, I'm on Spring Break, although that's somewhat laughable. I don't have a heavy school workload today, and I didn't for the past few days, so I got several thousand words down. Is it the word count I'm used to? No. Is it manageable and keeps me sane and happy and lets me focus on the day job and school and my family? Yes. Don't let anyone tell you what you should be doing. Figure out a way to do what you want.
3. What's the hardest thing for you when it comes to writing? This answer has changed for me over the years, depending on where I was in my career. These days, I would say that the hardest thing is to be patient and let the first draft suck. I think this is because it's taking me longer than usual to get the first draft written on my current work in progress, so I have more time to second guess myself. It's taken a lot of reminding myself that it's okay to let the first draft suck. It can all be fixed later.
4. Stand-alones or series, what is your preference? As a reader, I prefer series. When I invest my time in caring for a character, I want to follow them all over the place. I love the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. She's written a lot about Miles Vorkosigan, and less so about his mother, Cordelia. Miles is such a fascinating character, and I've enjoyed following him from childhood to his forties. His body might have slowed down, but his mind is nimble as ever.
As a writer, I'm a bit more ambivalent. It's nice to write series because you invest a lot of time in characters and world building, but sometimes I just want to write something different and weird and only explore a bit of it.
5. Did you learn anything new while writing this book? My book Shattered Fates is the third and final book in my Shards of History series. I've finished another series, so this wasn't my first time wrapping up a series plot line, but that didn't necessarily mean it was easy! I feel like I learn something new with every story I write, and what I learned this time was about creating satisfying endings. I worked a lot at this story's ending, and I feel like I stuck the landing, so to speak. I hope readers agree!
About Shattered Fates
The magic barrier protecting the Taakwa from their enemies, the Maddion, is gone. Malia, who led the Taakwa against the Maddion in the Dragon War, must convince the magical being, the changer, to repair the barrier before the Maddion invade to take revenge on her people and the winged Jeguduns who also call the valley home, even if it means reversing the healing the changer wrought for her.
Chanwa, the wife of the Maddion leader, uses the disorder created by the changer to lead a coup against her husband in a desperate attempt to ensure she and the other Maddion women are treated as equals. Her life, and the future of every Maddion woman, depends on her success.
Both women know the only way to succeed is to come together in an unlikely alliance.
Shattered Fates is the exciting conclusion to Roland's Shards of History trilogy.
Get the whole trilogy from Amazon.com!
Check out Rebecca Roland's books on Goodreads.com.
Check out Rebecca's backlist on Amazon.com.
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~
