I have to remind you all that this so far is one of my most favorite books of 2018, quite possibly of all time and that is saying a lot since I read all the time. I was super excited when Nancy agreed to do a Q and A with me.
1. This story reads like it could be out of a book of old fairy tales, what inspired this story?
Daydreams. All of my life since I was fifteen, I have had the most vivid, obsessive daydreams, most of them about two heroes, one golden and great-hearted, the other dark, tormented, moody, musical, visionary. At age 22 I started writing in an attempt to offload them and be rid of them. It didn’t work, but that’s how I became a writer. I wrote about the two heroes until I succeeded in accepting my own “dark” side. THE ODDLING PRINCE is a throwback to my beginnings as a writer, with one important change: the musical, visionary prince may be shadowed but he is no longer “dark.” Aric and Albaric are like the two sides of the same golden coin.
2. What was the hardest part about writing the story?
Stopping when it was finished. I wanted to keep going, to write about Aric and Marissa’s wedding and how Albaric regained his strength and continued to heal people and all sorts of wonderfulness. Actually, I had to cut a lot of surplus verbiage off the end.
3. Can we dare to hope for something in this same style in the future?
I never say never, but not likely. In writing THE ODDLING PRINCE I was returning to my roots. I succeeded, and I feel no need to do it again.
4. You have quite a diverse collection of characters throughout your books, which character or series was your favorite to create and why?
Oh, heck, they are all my favorite when I am writing them, but – yes, I can answer this. My current favorite character is Beverly Vernon, who is the protagonist of my down-home/mystery/paranormal fantasy novel GrandGhost, which will be released in the USA and Canada on the first of August, this year. The reason she’s my favorite is that face it, she’s me, thinly disguised. She’s dealing with my personal troubles – living alone, no grandkids, and fearful that she might end up as hopelessly senile as my mother did. Which is her main problem when she encounters the ghost of a murdered child. Is she going bonkers? Is it crazy to try to help a phantom grandghost find love and peace while her own adult children think she’s going bonkers, and she half thinks so herself?
5. What is something unique or funny about yourself that not many people know? (nothing embarrassing)
I’m fascinated by radial symmetry and the symbolism of the sun/moon/circle, so after I crayoned my way through several mandala coloring books, I got out a compass and protractor and became obsessed with creating my own mandalas, “squaring the circle.” Everything depended on which pencil lines I erased and which I left in place. How cool. “What to leave in, what to leave out.” A visual echo of writing.
I am happy to let all of you know that I was approved to read her new book GrandGhost on Net Galley and I can't wait to read it. In the meantime, check out the links below to see my original blog post about the book, Nancy's website where you can find more of her awesome books, and a link to get your own copy of The Oddling Prince.
Click here to see the synopsis and the review.
Purchase your own copy of The Oddling Prince here!
Check out Nancy Springer's website to see what is coming, connect with her, and see her books. There are links to follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.
Also, comment below any questions that you would like me to start asking authors. I have noticed that a lot of Q and A's focus on the author as a product, not a person. I am more interested to get to know them as a person so no questions about marking, writing strategies, money, or anything like that.
Stay tuned for more updates, awesome book reviews, and hopefully more Q and A sessions with authors!
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