Interview With Author Tammy Farrell
Welcome to IAB. I'm so
glad you could stop in today to chat. May I offer you a beverage?
Magic Margarita sound
lovely!
Excellent choice. Now that we are settled
in, let's get to know you better.
BK: Looking out the
nearest window, describe the scene you see.
My backyard fence and
the rainy wet forest behind it.
BK: Tell us about your
office. Is it a mess like mine, or is everything in its place?
I have to say, my
office is pretty awesome. When my husband and I moved into our new
home I took over the dining room. It’s quite large, with a tray
ceiling and a small crystal chandelier. The walls are covered with
things that inspire me— Gone With the Wind posters, Edgar Allan Poe
quotes, and shelves with fairies and ravens. It also has a large
window that looks out onto the neighborhood. Now I’m just working
on getting more book shelves, and it should be complete.
BK: What is a must-have,
such as coffee or a favorite pen, that you need to write?
Coffee is always a
must—that goes without saying. I am pretty particular when it comes
to plotting materials. I will only use one kind of notebook , the
Cambridge Limited hardcover, which I order by the box. And I will
only use one kind of pen, the uni-ball signo black ink pen.
BK: Do you like to write
in silence, or do you need music or background noise?
For writing, I need
silence. I can’t focus with noise in the background, but for
editing and some revision, I always have music playing.
BK: Tell us a bit about
your hero/heroine, and their development.
My heroine is Mara
Black. She is a young woman who has lived a very sheltered life in a
small medieval village. But when she is forced to flee, she has to
deal with the real world, as well as the truth about who and what she
really is. She is frightened and constantly unsure of herself, but
she has courage enough to take risks, fight back and never give up.
BK: As a writer myself,
I'm always curious how other writers get through stumble blocks. When
you find a story not flowing, or a character trying to fight you, how
do you correct it?
If it’s a fight with a
character, I always let the character win. It’s not like I can’t
go back and revise later. As far as scenes go, this does happen to me
If it’s a character
I’m having trouble with, I don’t fight them either. I let them do
what they want to do. When I hit a writing road block and something
just doesn’t feel right, I stop and re-examine the character or the
scene. Sometimes I’ll try writing the scene from another
character’s perspective, and if that doesn’t work, I scrap the
scene and start with something new. For the sequel to The Darkness of
Light, I wrote 10 chapters before I realized the direction of the
story wasn’t working. I finally decided to scrap the whole thing
and start over. Now the story is flowing much better and the first
draft is almost complete. Never be afraid of letting something go.
You can always create something else.
BK: How did your writing
journey begin?
I’m not quite sure.
I’ve been a writer for a long time. I’ve been a freelance writer
since 2006, but before that, I only wrote fiction for fun. As far as
I can remember, I’ve always written stories and poetry. I was born
with the passion for it, I guess.
BK: What is the craziest
thing you've ever written about, whether it got published or not?
I used to write under
the pen name, Dahlia Knight. I had a website and some of my stories
were featured on an ezine. The main content of my stories was erotic.
I gave up writing erotica a while ago.
BK: Tell us one thing
you've done in life, that readers would be most surprised to know.
I play the guitar and
once traveled from South Carolina to LA just to meet Ed Sheeran and
have him sign my Martin. He signed it and we even got to hang out
with him a little bit. It was a lot of fun.
BK: What can we expect
from you in the future?
The next installment of
The Dia Chronicles is called The
Shadows of Light and will be released
some time later in 2014. I have many other novels planned in this
series. Some will be directly related to the first novel, while
others will be stand alones and focus on secondary characters.
This
or That...
Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Pepsi
Night Owl or Early Bird?
Early Bird
Fantasy or Mystery?
Fantasy
Pen/Paper or Computer?
Pen and Paper
Pizza or Burger?
Pizza
Rock or Country?
Rock
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
Beach or Mountains?
Beach
Thank you so much for
having us as one of your stops today. It has been great getting to
know more about you and your book, and hope you will come back when
the next release is out (*hinthint*)
Thank you very much for
the questions.
Wishing you much success!
BK
Walker
The
Darkness of Light
The
Dia Chronicles
Book
One
Tammy
Farrell
Genre:
Historical Fantasy
ISBN-13:
978-1492766582
ISBN-10:
1492766585
Number
of pages: 375
Word
Count: 90,000
Cover
Artist: Nathalia Suellen
Book
Description:
The
world has long forgotten them, but their descendants live on, not
wholly mortal or god, but something in between…
At
the dawn of the sixth century, in the aftermath of her mother’s
brutal execution, Mara Black is forced to flee the only life she has
ever known.
Mara
can tell she’s different, but isn't sure why. After she encounters
two mysterious strangers, she discovers her secret is but a drop in
an ocean of many. She is a Dia, a descendant of ancient gods, and her
mother sacrificed herself to protect Mara from their past.
Summoned
by an uncle she didn't know existed, Mara thinks she’s found the
family she’s always wanted, and Corbin, a love she never thought
possible. But not everything is as it seems. Her uncle has other
motives for protecting her, and her mentor, Malcolm, becomes so
jealous, he’ll do anything to get what he wants.
When
tragedy strikes, and the true darkness among them comes to light,
Mara discovers that sometimes love can give you everything, and
obsession can take it all away. With her powers gone, and destiny
calling, she has to look deep within to find the courage to save
herself. Mara, along with Corbin and her newfound family, must fight
to get back what was taken, or die trying.
Available
in ebook and Paperback
Excerpt:
The
drums echoed off the walls as Corbin and Malcolm made their way
through the back gates of Moorthrop. The guards and villagers were
gathered near the green, leaving no one to challenge their entry, or
seize their swords.
“We’re
too late,” Corbin said through clenched teeth.
“I
can see that,” Malcolm responded. “How was I supposed to know we
wouldn’t make it in time?”
Corbin
bit his tongue. Now was not the time to argue with Malcolm. They had
a job to do. As they weaved through the rows of huts, an old woman
called out to them. She sat near the door of her hovel, her body
hunched with age, and a half-woven basket in her lap. “Here for the
execution?” she asked.
Malcolm
laughed at the woman with a sneer and continued on. Corbin stopped
and looked at her with a tilt of his head; the knuckles of her hands
were swollen, and appeared painfully stiff. “Will there be an
execution today?” he asked.
She
nodded and pointed to the square. “I never saw in all my life such
evil as this. Killin’ folks fer nothin'.” She gave a disapproving
shake of her head and began to fumble with the basket.
Corbin
walked up to her and dropped a coin in her lap. When she glanced down
at it, he took hold of both her hands. She gasped as the blue light
from his fingertips covered her skin, but in less than a moment he
stepped back, and the light vanished. Blinking in amazement, she
examined her hands, her fingers spread out like wings, healed from
the stiffness that crippled them. She moved her fingers up and down,
and then met Corbin’s gaze and asked, “What magic is this?”
Corbin
smiled. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Before
the old woman could respond, he continued towards the green.
He
met up with Malcolm as he approached the edge of the crowd. Malcolm
used his energy to move the onlookers aside. The crowd of people
wouldn’t know why they moved or even look at the two men moving
past them. The power of the veil was a gift to their kind, to protect
them from discerning mortal eyes. Most mortals wouldn’t have
noticed Corbin much anyway. He looked almost human. But anyone could
see that Malcolm, with his white hair and fierce gray eyes, was
different, unnatural.
The
man in the long black robe bellowed out to the crowd. “By order of
King Gerren of the realm of Dumnonia, we are not to tolerate evil
among us.” He pointed his finger at the accused woman on the
platform. Corbin used his keen sight to examine her. She looked
wretched, defeated, and certainly not one of their kind. Could Rowan
have been mistaken?
Corbin
turned to Malcolm. “Are they charging her with witchcraft?”
Malcolm
nodded with a smirk. “It appears that way. Fools. They waste their
time looking for witches. They have no idea what walks amongst them.”
About
the Author:
Tammy
Farrell grew up in Orangeville, Ontario Canada where she discovered
her love of writing, and all things related to Edgar Allan Poe. She
now lives with her husband and four fur babies in Greenville, South
Carolina, where she teaches pre-GED English and attempts to learn
French when she isn’t busy writing.
@Tamzwrite
