Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Tales of Goldstone Wood
Welcome to the 17th stop on the 32 Author Scavenger hunt. I hope you enjoy this interview with author Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Anne Elisabeth is the delightful author of the award-winning Tales of Goldstone Wood series. Be sure to check out her giveaway at the next stop, Dragonwitch!
Hunters, don't forget to write down the clue and continue to the next stop on the hunt. If you've missed a stop, or if you are ready to enter the full phrase (clue), head on over HERE. Otherwise, enjoy the interview!
First off, Anne Elisabeth, tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I am the author of the
Tales of Goldstone Wood, a rescuer of kittens and lost dogs, a devoted fan of
my handsome husband, Rohan, a wannabe-connoisseur of the opera, and a wearer of
fuzzy socks.
Who/what is your inspiration for your writing?
Great books are my
inspiration! I was an English Lit. student at University, and I don’t think I
would be the writer I am today if I hadn’t spend years studying the great
masters, learning their tricks, discovering their passions, absorbing their
themes.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book. Most
of the time, somewhere between six and eight months. But I wrote Veiled Rose in two months! Which was
madness, but I had a deadline.
Do you outline or do you write by the seat of your pants?
My stories are far too
complex to succeed with seat-of-the-pants writing. I actually tried that with
Dragonwitch, and utterly failed. I need
a good solid outline of
what is going
to happen. I don’t always know
how it
will happen—that’s where the spontaneous creativity comes in. But I need to
know
what will happen to all the
characters, how they serve the plot, how their goals and desires work together
or at odds.
Do you have a favorite of the novels you have written?
My favorite is always the
one I’ve just finished. So currently that means my recently finished manuscript
for Book 7, which is under the working title of Golden Daughter.
How did you create the world of the Tales of Goldstone Wood?
I started out penning random
ideas in a notebook . . . little fairy tale notions that came to me while
reading great works by older authors. Dragonwitch
was one such fairytale, starting out as a few little notes, later expanding
into a more complex fairy tale, and then resulting in the novel I now present
to you. As I set to writing each of the fairy tales, I would see them
referencing and depending on each other. Thus a world was born. When I started writing
novels, it was much the same: I’d write one novel, but it would be subtly tied
to four or five other seemingly independent works, not to mention
already-written fairy tales.
Do you have a theme in mind when you write each book?
I never do. I just have a
story. But I spend a lot of time in prayer as I write each book, and I let God
provide the theme as I go. I write as an act of worship, and in worship, each
theme develops. But I can take no credit for any of them.
What made you decide to pursue publishing?
After completing the third
draft of my first novel, Heartless,
it seemed a shame to simply sit on the story! My mother is a professional
novelist, and I am friends with a number of her novelist contacts. They all
encouraged me and offered advice along the way.
What books have influenced you in your writing?
Oh, so many! C.S. Lewis’s
Narnia stories, of course. George MacDonald’s fairy tales, the short ones such
as The Light Princess or Photogen and Nycteris more than the
longer novels, though I did draw from some themes in Phantastes when I wrote Starflower.
A number of the Victorian and Romantic-era poets have been major
influences, particularly Robert Browning, who is my favorite. And, of course,
you can hardly dabble in the Faerie world without drawing from Shakespeare!
What is the hardest part for you in writing a book?
Always the beginning. I have
the hardest time figuring out where and how things ought to start! Usually once I get the first
40,000 words properly in place, the rest of the novel will fall together
beautifully. But if those first 40,000 words aren’t quite right, the novel won’t work, and major revisions will have to
be made. With Dragonwitch, I had so
much trouble finding the right beginning, I finally picked up in the middle and
wrote to the end, then went back and added the opening chapters! But I don’t
prefer working that way.
What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Good writers are good
readers. So READ A LOT. Don’t just read books that are easy for you. Pick up
the classics and study what it was that set them apart from other, forgotten
books of their day. Figure out which genre is your favorite, the genre you want
to write in, and read a ton in that genre.
Coffee or Tea?
Absolutely tea. Especially
the black Ceylon tea to which my husband introduced me. The perfect brew for a
writing session!
R. J. Larson here: Thanks, Anne Elisabeth! Hunters, check out Anne Elisabeth's amazing books and visit her
Facebook Page--I'm a fan! Before you go though, write down this part of the clue:
Without you, and you might want to enter an extra giveaway I'm hosting below. Now, head on over to Anne Elisabeth Stengl's website for stop # 18
HERE
Giveaway! R.J. Larson's book, Prophet, is FREE ------->
on all e-readers at CBD, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble!!! Click on any of these three retailer links and grab a copy!
Also, enter the Rafflecopter form below to win the complete Books of the Infinite series by R. J. Larson! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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