2.3 Author Interview: Unwanted Slave by M J Drakkon
Auric: As a writer, what
was the defining moment for you when you were writing this novel? Good or bad?
MJ: I suppose the
easy answer would be to say “the end”, because that’s when it was officially my
novel, or “when it released”, which is another hallmark. But for me, the
defining moment was relatively unspectacular. I was about 18. I’d finished the
very first draft of the very first version. I was gushing over it to my
parents, and a friend of theirs insisted I print it out, sign it, and then
purchased it from me. The gesture was only small, but he seemed so genuine
about it, so excited to have the first copy of what he was sure was going to be
a best seller. I still think back on that moment, the first moment I realised
that I could do it, I could turn this story I’d begun into something people
would actually be excited to read.
Auric: What was the
biggest hurdle to the self-publishing process that you went through? What took
the most effort to get around?
MJ: For me, the
biggest hurdle for self-publishing is not, I think, getting the book to market.
For me, everything up until that point was relatively easy compared to the
monster that loomed after that moment: Marketing. I’m a recluse, a hermit, I’m
not terribly active on social media, I’m only vaguely aware that other people
exist. Promoting and marketing a book, or indeed, anything requires a whole
other skill set than the one used to actually create said book. To date, that
remains the one hurdle I think I’m yet to surpass.
Auric: Now I would define
this as a YA fantasy, was there any specific genre conventions you had in mind
when you were writing it?
MJ: YA Fantasy is
more or less what I had in mind when I wrote it, although I confess I started
writing it first, and developed my target audience along the way. Otherwise,
the story is more or less textbook fantasy.
Auric: After releasing
your first book was there any big lesson you learned or major changes you will
make for the next book?
MJ: Oh
absolutely. Unwanted Slave began as a short story originally, that I expanded
on, slowly building into something bigger. But while that was interesting, it
ended in having to do three complete rewrites to make the whole thing make any
sense. So the biggest lesson I learned is to go in with a plan from the start,
a skeleton, so I know where it’s going and it makes sense from start to finish.
Auric: Tell me about the
scariest part of the process for you?
MJ: The scariest
part was definitely when my book officially went up for sale. At that moment,
it was no longer within my control. It’s out there now, for everyone to see. I
can’t alter it anymore, I’m forced to just have faith in what I’ve done and let
it speak for itself.
Auric: What about the
best moment? The moment that made it all worth it?
MJ: The best
moment? The best moment would be when I wrote the last word on the last page. That’s
by no means the end, as the moment you write the last word, the editing begins.
However, to me, that moment represented proof to myself that I could do it, I
could write a novel. It was an incredible moment, all everything that came
after that, whatever challenges I faced, I knew that I had done it, I had
written a novel, and nothing could take that away.
Auric: Now is there any
advice you’d like to give other authors about writing?
MJ: The best
piece of advice I’ve ever seen, that helped me immensely was actually a piece I
found on Reddit. It goes like this: no more zero days. Expanding on this: write
a little bit every single day. Don’t let a day go past without putting down at
least a word or two. Is it 10 to midnight? Sit down and write a sentence, three
words if you have to. But don’t let a single day go by without at least
something going down onto your writing.
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