Tell us about The Awakening.
Before True Light: The Awakening is the first instalment of the Before True Light Series. It is unique in a sense that the world created is relatively different from the typical fantasy worlds. The world created combines elements of ancient alchemy with historical references of ancient civilizations. There are also hints of Greek and Japanese mythology. The story itself has a setting that is medieval, but with a twist. The main storyline follows the strife of the main character, Izanami, who is faced with a harsh reality. This harsh reality is that she must confront a sinister madman who threatens to destroy all life.

What genre is it?
Fantasy – Young Adult.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
I would consider my book to be targeted towards young adults, however, I have had some older people read and quite enjoy the story. I think that if a person likes fantasy and is not afraid to try something different, they will enjoy the book.

How long did it take to write?
It took just under a year to write.

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
Making characters that were believable was difficult. I wanted to have characters that left the reader connected or attached to them. They needed to seem like they were real. This took a lot of tweaking at first until I created personalities that felt right.

Tell us something about yourself.
I always enjoyed writing, even when I was little and just learning how to write. For sometime I gave up on creative writing. However, when I was 16, I got my first poem published and that gave me the confidence to seriously start writing again. By 17, I started writing The Awakening and had my first novel published by 18.

I also do other forms of writing such as writing professional artist bios at an indie level and song writing. When I’m not writing I am focusing on my career field of an audio engineer either in a studio application or in audio post production/field recording at an indie level for now.

Have you got a blog where readers can follow you?
No blog, but I have twitter (@FantasyFanatic7) and a Facebook fan page.

What’s next?
The next instalment of the Before True Light series is already in the editing phase. Another book is about half way done in the writing phase. However, my major objective right now is to try to build a small fan base to start with.

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Enjoyed this interview? Check out our conversation with Delores Hawk.