The Chronicles of the Cove (Author Interview)


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBJGL2ZJ

The Chronicles of the Cove looks like an exciting story. Can you tell us a little about it?

The Chronicles were initially inspired by my childhood memories on Sanibel. Like the family in the books, my own family moved across the country from Oregon to Florida when I turned nine. Florida is so different from the Pacific Northwest, and I often felt like I was stepping into a story out of National Geographic. The animals and plants all looked prehistoric. Every summer afternoon, the air would turn electric with humidity boiling over into thunderous storms. It felt like I got to touch something magical. I wanted to capture some of that feeling in these books, especially as an adult looking back on her childhood. And so I did!

While books are heavily inspired by my real-life adventures around the island, they are far more fantastical on the page than they were in real life. This time, the magic is real. The animals talk; mermaids are more than just manatee-inspired myths; and were-gators roam the palm-lined roads.

 

Any plans to turn it into a series?

Oh, yes, I have already written the first ten books. Once I get the hang of self-publishing down (perhaps get a few more publishings under my belt), I look forward to writing the next ten!

 

How long did it take you to write the Chronicles of the Cove?

Believe it or not, I wrote the entire series so far in the last quarter of 2021. The company I was working for at the time shut down overnight, and I was searching for something to do while I transitioning to running my own business. I believe I started around September of that year and finished the final book on Christmas Eve. I still cant quite believe it!

 

What motivated you to become a writer?

I always loved stories. My parents told me different bedtime stories every night as a little one. Later on, I fell in love with books. I had a friend in elementary and middle school that had the same passion for books as I did, and we would spend hours debating the nuances of the texts. But it was my middle school language arts teacher that constantly encouraged me to try my hand at telling the stories I so loved to read about. She was one of those wonderful teachers the found the popular books of the time and read them aloud to us using all the silly voices. After she read the Percy Jackson series to us, we took her to the movie when it came out. She was well-loved, and her love for her students would inspire all of us.

 

How did you come up with the title to your book?

I was walking my dog in the evening with my partner, and we were spitballing all sorts of silly names. I threw out, the Chronicles of the Cove, and it stuck. Thats how all the book names were decided! Walking with my partner and my dog out at night, once it had cooled a bit in the evening, coming up with silly names and hoping one would work.

 

What part of the book was the most fun to write?

My favourite parts are always coming up with the characters. I love designing monsters and the places they might inhabit! Why have a werewolf when I can have a were-gator? Why not turn no-see-ums into pesky little pixies?

 

What was your hardest scene/section to write?

Action scenes! It is certainly tough injecting urgency into a scene. Real-life action is often remembered in flashes. Writing action in such a way that it doesnt drag out, explaining something that the reader might not have experienced firsthand, clearly and concisely... very tough. But a fun challenge!

 

What do you like to do when not writing?

I teach English as a second language; I do Cross-Fit with my partner, and we love to play tabletop roleplaying board games with our friends. Other than that, I am constantly, incessantly reading!

 

Where can readers find out more about your work?

Readers can find out more about my work at the Chronicles of the Cove FaceBook page, @CoveChronicles on Twitter, and @ChroniclesoftheCove on Instagram.