I recently reviewed Melokai, a harsh and intriguing story in an unusual world with animalistic humanoid races. Author Rosalyn Kelly was kind enough to agree to be interviewed!
What inspired your
world building process?
I thoroughly
enjoyed the world building process for my In
the Heart of the Mountains trilogy and spin-off novellas (The Sand
Scuttler, The Fall of Vaasar) and short stories (Peonhood, The Tunnel Runner,
Ruby’s Return). The world is now so alive in my imagination that I have more
standalone stories and a second trilogy set in the same world planned.
There are a
few key things that inspire me when it comes to creating my own rich worlds. These
are:
1) Travelling – I’ve actively ‘designed’
my life so that I could spend long periods travelling. I would work like crazy,
save money and then go backpacking for months on end. I’d make my savings last
as long as possible by being super frugal and staying in hostels, taking the
cheapest transport option and making my own food rather than eating out etc. I
have travelled all around the world, experiencing new places, cultures, people,
food and landscapes. All these memories and first-hand experiences simmer in my
brain and then pop into my mind when I’m imagining places, races or customs.
2) Reading – I’m an avid reader. Not
just of fiction but of non-fiction, magazines, newspapers and blogs. I like to
consume written content in all forms. In this way I’ve built up a bank of weird
and wonderful information that I can draw on when creating new worlds.
Sometimes it’s the smallest details that bring a story to life.
3) People-watching – people are so
interesting! I can spend hours on end watching life happen around me, hearing
snippets of conversation, seeing how people interact with others. Understanding
that not one person is the same as another and that we each have such intricate
personalities really helps when building realistic characters. It’s easy to
fall into clichés and generalizations when writing people, especially fantasy protagonists
and antagonists. But remembering that characters are shaped by the world you
create for them is an important part of world building.
Who are you writing
for and why?
I’m a devoted
reader of fantasy fiction. I like the lighter stuff, but predominantly my
tastes skew towards more grimdark fantasy. I enjoy fantasy with fair maidens,
wizards with pointy hats and a dashing hero who saves the day, but too much can
get a bit tedious. Give me a grey character, realistic setting, high stakes and
unpredictable outcomes and I’m much happier. My absolute favorite is to be
surprised and challenged when reading.
As I love
reading this kind of fantasy, my writing tends to be on the darker and grittier
side. The characters aren’t always likable or take the actions you’d expect,
there’s no guaranteed happily-ever-after, the world can be bleak and the story
is realistic. People die, shit happens and the ‘goodie’ has a nasty streak.
What do you do to
recharge your creative energy?
I’ve always
been very drawn to water. Being around it, whether a river, lake, pond, sea,
canal etc. always seems to soothe me.
Currently, I’m
very lucky to live near to the sea. When I need to take a break to recharge I
often go for a walk on the beach. Looking out at the great expanse of ocean and
endless sky helps to clear my mind. I like to sit and watch the waves lapping
at the shore. The constant motion is relaxing and motivating. It seems to say
to me, “keep going,” and so I always feel refreshed when I get home.
I also love
going on long treks up mountains! There’s something very inspiring about being surrounded
by nature. Following a set path up the mountain and then back down allows my
mind to wander freely as I don’t need to worry about anything other than putting
one foot in front of the other. The idea for my trilogy came when I was
trekking in Nepal’s Annapurna sanctuary.
What reactions do you
hope to inspire in others?
I hope that
readers of my writing will enjoy the vivid descriptions and deep world building.
I like to take them to new worlds, where they can understand a character’s
actions in the context of that world, rather than our own. My aim is that some
of the customs in the strange worlds make a reader think, “What if?” and prompt
them to use their imagination.
One reviewer recently
described Melokai as “intensely interesting” which I really appreciated. My goal
is for readers to find my world intriguing, and perhaps a little strange,
rather than generic or dull.
Where is your writing
taking you?
At the moment
I’m working on book two of the In the
Heart of the Mountains trilogy. I wrote it in late 2017/early 2018 but then
changed my mind about a couple of things, so am in the process of a rewrite and
heavy editing.
There’s a
short story planned, set in the same world, called The Clash at Jagged Canyon
which should be out in an anthology in early 2019. There are more short stories
and novellas in the pipeline, as well as one standalone novel and another
trilogy all set in the same world. That’s quite a few years of writing… but I’m
game!
Find Rosalyn Kelly online:
I love social
media! You can find me here:
www.instagram.com/rosalynkauthor
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