https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09Q749S8Q
Shadowfire Academy looks like an exciting story. Can you tell us a little about it?
Of course! Shadowfire Academy tells the story of Alice Baxter, a young girl who finds herself on the threshold of a beautiful, mysterious academy with no memories of how she got there. No memories at all, in fact. Over the course of the story, she must discover who she is, why she’s here, and what ties her to this school, as a student and as part of her family. The story is set in Wales, and draws heavily from Welsh and Arthurian mythology, with some added stories of my own.
How many books do you have planned for the Kindle Vella?
I’m probably only going to release the first one on Kindle
Vella. The later volumes will be released straight to Kindle.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was thirteen,
I thought I wanted to be an actress. I acted in the school plays, but I also
liked to write plays of my own. And short stories. And comic books. My parents
sent me to an acting camp, and I was busy writing something in my top bunk. One
of the other campers asked me if I wanted to be an actress, and I think I said
yes—but as I was saying it, a voice inside me said, “No, I don’t want to be an
actress. I want to be a writer.” That’s how I found out.
What inspired the idea for your book?
I wish I could remember! I like high concept books because
it gives you a reason to read them right away. And I liked the idea of someone
losing their memories on the threshold of a Hogwarts-type school, because how
would you survive that environment? What if there was no Dumbledore-type figure
who could guide you—or there was, but you were too scared to tell him anything?
I wanted to explore that world and find out what happens.
Can you tell us a little about Alice?
I’ll tell you what Alice knows about herself in the first
chapter: almost nothing. She doesn’t know her own name yet, she has to discover
it from her passport. She also discovers that she’s an American, which explains
why her voice sounds so strange compared to the other students.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
The big battle scenes! I had to write them layer by layer,
kind of like creating a big digital painting of a battle scene. But it’s very
satisfying to see that scene finished.
What was your hardest scene/section to write?
I don’t know if any
scenes were hard to write exactly. The hardest part was figuring out the
structure of the book. I went through many outlines and scene lists, and I had
to keep asking questions about the backstory. All that work was definitely
worth it. I think the end result will please readers, especially when they get
to the big twist in the middle of the book.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I love to draw, but I’m not sure if drawing loves me back
yet. Perhaps, in time. I’m also learning how how to design my own book covers
with Daz and Photoshop. And these new AI tools, like Midjourney and Stable
Diffusion, offer amazing possibilities for artists that I’ve just barely begun
to explore.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
The best place is my website, www.esmerome.com , which features lots of information about my books, my art, and whatever interests me at the moment. You can also sign up for my newsletter, either here: https://esmerome.com/newsletter/ or here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/c1k3e8
