by Ceara Comeau
Published by Ceara Comeau
A review-interview by John Irvin
CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MEMORIES OF CHRONOSALIS!!!
“A real war zone. It was now clear to Amber the urgency of her arrival—she had to fix this. The only question was, how?”
Doing something Different
With this book review blog I get to take it a different path for my readers. I actually know the author of Memories of Chronosalis personally and she was so generous and willing to answer a few questions I asked about her work.
I’ll share that Q&A here before giving the book blurb and a short note from me at the end. I want to say upfront, Thank you, Ceara Comeau for your awesome responses.
- What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Yes! I went to Ireland, but I wasn’t there for writing a book specifically. It just so happened that the country itself inspired me for the trilogy I’m currently working on!
2. What is the first book that made you cry?
The last book of the Divergent series. I was so attached to a certain character that ended up dying.
3. Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. Well, it really depends on the book I’m writing at the time. If there are a lot of characters involved or the scene is very complex, it can exhaust me. But if it’s just a few characters and the story is going through a “lull” then it’s not so bad. I feel the most energized when I get to a climactic part in my writing.
4. What are common traps for aspiring writers?
One of the most common traps I’ve seen is people trying to make their work perfect for the reader. It’s not a bad thing to want one’s work it’s absolute best. As writers, that’s what we all strive for. But I always tell aspiring writers to write for themselves first. If we force our work to be something it’s not, that will show in the final product.
5. What is your writing Kryptonite?
I wouldn’t say I have a Kryptonite, I face writer’s block like any other writer. The closest I can get to “Kryptonite” is when I have too many ideas in my head and I can’t figure out how to organize them.
6. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
When I began writing it was a thought that crossed my mind, but I realized I wanted people to know that I was me writing all those stories. Besides, some people think my name is a pseudonym!
7. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
My seventh book is the starting point to many other books. I will be creating a universe in which all the books (with the exception of a trilogy I’m working on) will be stand alone. However, these books will hint at other books. Some characters will even meet up with other characters from the books.
8. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
When I published my first book, my mom helped me out. She found the self-publishing website that I still use today. I was fifteen when the first two books came out and at the time it didn’t make a huge difference to me because I was so young. In fact, I wouldn’t have even considered publishing had my mom not suggested it. I don’t think the publishing process really hit me until I became an adult.
9. How many hours a day do you write?
Honestly, it depends on what else I have going on that particular day. I do lots of other projects on the side. There will be weeks where I’ll go without writing because I feel I need a break from it to recollect my thoughts. I always encourage new and seasoned authors to take breaks as you can get burned out very easily. But I’d say on a normal writing day, I can go three to four hours straight writing and get a good five thousand words in.
10. How do you select the names of your characters?
This will sound weird, but I actually listen to the characters and wait for them to tell me their names. Sometimes they come to me even before the image of the character comes to mind. But there are those rare times where I just can’t think of a name and I’ll look on baby name websites.
11. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Sometimes I’ll add real life scenarios to my fictional settings. I’m one of those people that like to read a story and learn something from the characters. When I’m writing my character outlines, I ask myself, “What can I learn from this character”. By keeping that in mind, I’m able to develop the character around that question and it helps with keeping that character consistent.
12. What was your hardest scene to write?
In general, the hardest scene for me to write is “killing off” a character that I grew attached to. That happened in “Memories of Chronosalis” and in the trilogy I’m writing.
13. What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Probably being patient with myself. Because my future books all take place in the same universe, I’m often writing notes for each book all at the same time. There will be days that my thoughts will get ahead of me and they get out of control. That’s when I know I need to give myself a long break. But in regards to writing, I think the hardest part for me is description. As a kid, I couldn’t describe to save my life, but over the years I’ve gotten better at it. I still have difficulty with it from time to time.
14. How long did it take you to write this book?
“Memories of Chronosalis” took me a year and a half to write.
15. What was your favourite scene to write?
All of the action scenes and the psychological twists that were thrown in there. I could almost imagine the look on my readers’ face when they got to those parts.
16. Do you remember what sparked the idea for the book?
This book came from the “Amber Oak” series that I began when I was younger. It was a four-book series that I ended up stopping because it wasn’t going anywhere and didn’t make sense. So, I scrapped it and rewrote it.
17. What is the best time of day for you to write?
Depends on my mood. Sometimes if I feel the urge to write, I’ll do it in the afternoon, but I mostly write super late at night.
18. Are there more books in the works to follow Memories of Chronosalis?
I recently came out with a prequel to “Memories of Chronosalis” called “A Scientist’s Remorse”. I call it my spoiler book because it contains secrets about all the characters in Memories. I always warn people to read “Memories of Chronosalis” then it’s prequel as reading the prequel first could get confusing.
From the Back of the Book Blurb:
It’s one thing to read about heroes saving worlds in far off galaxies, but to become one is an entirely different story. Sixteen-year-old Amber Oak wanted nothing more than to stay in her own world of music and solitude. But the inhabitants of Galaseya, a Utopian planet rooted in the past, had other ideas in mind.
According to them, only she wielded the power to stop the dark forces threatening their home. At first, Amber sympathized with the planet, but saw no reason to involve herself in the affairs of something outside her world. But the stakes have risen when she discovers that Galaseya is not only the world that has been invading her dreams, but also the place her estranged family originated from. With this new knowledge, questions began to surface and secrets of Amber’s life come to light causing her to second guess everything she knows.
Her desire for a normal life quickly dissipates as she goes against her better judgment and agrees to journey to this strange planet. Any doubt Amber had before arriving is quickly replaced with a different reality when she finds the once beautiful land in ruin due to a terrible device forged with the knowledge from an evil world called Darmentraea.
Through this adventure, her family’s dark past is revealed, and a new threat begins to emerge from the dark world—a threat unlike anything Amber or her family expected. The Brothers, rulers of Darmentraea, are coming with a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in jeopardy.
Contact the Author or Follow her:
Follower her Amazon Author Page to see ALL of her works: Amazon.CearaComeau
And make sure to follow her blog here: Ceara’s Blog
My Short Thoughts:
I’ve always had a thing for books that explore a new extraterrestrial world. So you know I enjoyed this book. Amber seems like your average teenager, but with these dreams she starts off with, you immediately know the aim of the plot and next thing you know, you’re kidnapped on a wild ride of a story.
Actually having the honour of knowing the author is pretty cool to me as well. I’ve enjoyed sharing the journey of the independent author with Ceara and look forward to reading more of her works!
So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: MEMORIES OF CHRONOSALIS.
As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!
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