Hello riders and readers. Today I am sitting down with author Anne Mollova for an exclusive interview for this blog alone. Dive into the details about her life, journey as an author, and her current project over on Kickstarter that is in the works. Show your support with questions in the comments and feel free to stock her on social media or even over on Kickstarter. She would love for you to join her on her journey as an author creating books that you will not only love but cherish forever.
****
Author Interview with Anne Mollova
Hi, and thanks for having me! I’m Anne Mollova, author of the YA epic fantasy trilogy, The Trianid. I’m also working on a new trilogy, The Moonblood Cycle, which is a New Adult witchy romantic fantasy, with book one, The Maeblec’s Apprentice, coming out on Kickstarter this fall.
Fantasy has always been my favorite, both for reading and writing—in fact, I find it really difficult to write anything else! I love high fantasy, where I get to create new worlds, usually medieval-inspired, full of magic, adventure, romance, and folkloric vibes.
Do you have a favorite hobby you like to do outside of writing every day?
Yes! Aside from writing, the other half of my creative life is music. Although I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to, I do try to get a little music in each day, even if it’s just ten minutes with an instrument or singing in the car. I’ve played the violin throughout my life, and now I’m teaching myself to play the Celtic harp as well.
As an official, published author, I’ve been in the industry for almost five years. But I’ve been working on my writing and my books for about two decades now, so it feels a lot longer!
What is one thing you wish you knew back at the beginning of your journey as an author?
I wish I knew that there are readers out there for all kinds of books and not to be discouraged by current trends. When I was writing my first book, young adult fantasy was swinging heavily toward urban fantasy, which felt like pretty much the opposite of what I was writing. I was often discouraged, thinking no one would be interested in a story about dragons and sword fights and prophecies anymore. But it just wasn’t true. There will always be readers who love what you write as long as it’s written well, and I would have had much more peace of mind and confidence in my story if I’d realized that sooner.
Can you tell us what a day in the life of you is like?
Sure! My daily routine is actually changing quite a lot right now, as it’s the first year that both my children are in school full-days. So basically, I get up, get the kids off to school, then settle in for writing and whatever the most pressing publishing/marketing task for the day happens to be. I break to take a walk, eat lunch, and do a small workout, then work on more of the business side of writing and hopefully get in some music time in the afternoon. Once the kids are home, I spend time with them and drive to any extracurricular activities scheduled that day. And in the evening I’m usually watching (deconstructing lol) the latest streaming show with my husband before staying up too late to read before bed.
I have actually never had a pet. (Well, I did have fish at one point, but I found it hard to keep them alive.) My family travels for long periods of time, especially in the summer, so logistically, it would be hard to provide for a furry companion, and I think it would be stressful for them as well. Maybe someday when life slows down, but for now I have to live vicariously through my witchy characters and their animal familiars :)
Absolutely :) The Maeblec’s Apprentice is book one of a new trilogy I’ve started, and it was a project that dropped into my head completely out of the blue. It follows the story of Elowynn, a young woman who runs away from her father’s house to escape an arranged marriage. She flees into the forest to the cottage of the maeblec, Rune, and talks her way into an apprenticeship as a “woman who knows things.” (Salute to all the actual women throughout history who were brilliant herbalists, healers, scientists, etc. and were feared or persecuted for their knowledge and skills.)
As Elowynn works to discover her unique magic and gain the trust of a familiar, she is distracted by the not unwelcome attentions of her erstwhile fiancé who, armed with gifts and terrible poetry, refuses to give up on her.
But in the end, being a woman who knows things comes at a cost. An illness is spreading, and when all evidence points to Rune, Elowynn is forced to choose between the life she’s only just begun to build and the fiancé she never intended to love.
Most of my early hang-ups were entirely based on misconceptions about what the platform was and how it worked. I feared that running a campaign would feel like asking for charity, or pestering my friends and family to support my work. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Once I realized that Kickstarter is a way to connect closely with readers and bring them your stories in ways they could never get from a regular retailer, I was fully on board. I absolutely love running campaigns now, and the readers I’ve found through Kickstarter have become some of my most enthusiastic and loyal fans.
Tell us about your main character in “The Maeblec’s Apprentice?”
Elowynn was such a rewarding character to write. She’s strong, witty, and independent, but not overconfident; she struggles a lot with self-doubt and the fear of what failure to find her magic would mean. She feels the magic within her, but she’s trapped between two different lives, unable to completely reject the pull of either, yet unable to fully inhabit either one until a choice is made. And how can you hope to align your choices with your true identity if you haven’t figured out who that is yet? In the end, I think she learns that all choices come with a price, and it’s never only one person who pays it.
I actually never expected or planned to write witchy fiction, but I’m so glad I took the leap when the idea came! I had so much fun writing The Maeblec’s Apprentice, and I’m eager to keep going with the rest of the trilogy. I will always have a deep love for epic high fantasy, and I’m sure I’ll return to it again, but this has been a delightful way to expand my creative work, and I’m loving writing in a new genre. It keeps things fresh!
The biggest attraction by far for The Maeblec’s Apprentice campaign is the special edition hardcover. It’s the first fancy edition I’ve done, and it’s going to be incredibly gorgeous. It features foiling on the jacket and case, sprayed edges, two full-page illustrations and custom chapter headers, a ribbon bookmark, printed endpapers showing a full-color fantasy map, and head and tail bands. The proofs are in the mail as we speak, and I can’t wait to see them!
Of course, special editions aren’t for everyone, so readers can also opt for ebook, paperback, or regular hardcover versions. I’ll also be adding on some special extra rewards as the campaign progresses that readers will get to vote on, such as a bonus scene, audio commentary, printable bookmarks etc. You’ll be able to add on any of the books from my other trilogy as well.
1) Set a low funding goal. On Kickstarter, you only get funds if you reach your funding goal; if you fall short, you receive nothing. So you want to make sure your goal is low enough to give you the best chance of hitting the mark. Never list the amount you hope to make; you want the goal to be the minimum amount you need in order to fulfill your promises to your backers. For most first-time or early-career campaigns, $500 is plenty.
2) Start simple! Kickstarter is known as the place to go for special edition campaigns and books with foiling, illustrations, sprayed edges, etc. But you don’t have to do all that—in fact, as a first campaign, I would advise you don’t. You can have a very successful campaign offering just paperbacks or simple hardcovers; I’ve even seen solid campaigns that are ebooks only. The first campaign will already be the most work because you’re setting everything up for the first time and learning how it all works, so go easy on yourself. Study other successful campaigns, join Kickstarter groups on social media (I highly recommend the Kickstarter for Authors group on Facebook), then give it a try!
Tell us about all the Kickstarters you have run in the present and what are you plans for the future with Kickstarter? Please include links.
My previous two Kickstarters were for the launches of books 2 and 3 of my YA fantasy trilogy, The Trianid. I offered ebooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers, all of which were lovely, and the campaigns funded successfully. I’m really glad that I followed my own advice and didn’t overstretch myself trying to do special editions in my early campaigns, but I desperately wanted fancy versions of those books as well and had so many ideas of how to make them extra beautiful.
So, this coming spring, I’ll be running a special edition campaign celebrating the 5th anniversary of The Trianid! I’m so excited for it; illustrations have already been commissioned, and there will be new covers, etc … I can’t wait. So, that will be my next campaign, followed by a campaign for the sequel to The Maeblec’s Apprentice, hopefully in the fall of 2027.
Check out the Campaigns: The Trianid Book 2 Campaign, The Trianid Complete Trilogy Campaign & The Maeblec's Apprentice Campaign
One of my biggest creative goals is eventually to bring my music and my writing together. I would love to compose and record “soundtracks” to my books, and I’ll admit to having a few songs and snippets for The Trianid stashed away on my computer, waiting for me to decide the time has come. Once I have an album in hand, I think a book box Kickstarter campaign will definitely be in order!
****
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
****
No comments:
Post a Comment