Wednesday 28 January 2015

RELEASE DAY EXCLUSIVE - TAMMY FARRELL INTERVIEW

I was lucky enough to ask Tammy Farrell, author of 'The Darkness of Light' and 'The Embers of Light' (Released today) a few questions. Here are the covers of her amazing books, and her entertaining answers to my questions:



What inspired you to write your first book?

The Darkness of Light has existed (under many other titles) since 2006. I came up with the characters a long time ago. I knew exactly who they were, what they looked like, and what their inner challenges would be. But I always struggled with their setting, and their mythology. In 2007 Mara, Malcolm, and Corbin were vampires. Then, in 2009 they were incarnations of Greek deities. They’ve lived in New York, Paris, Toronto, and even Pennsylvania.

I have several abandoned manuscripts with these characters. Somehow their story never worked out. Then after a very long bout of writer’s block, and a couple years of working towards my BA in English Lit and European History, I woke up one morning and it hit me. I saw their setting, I saw their clothing, I knew exactly where they belonged! I attacked the computer that morning and wrote out a 7,000 word first chapter set in 6th century Britain. After that I did some digging, did some research, and settled upon the mythology of the Tuatha De Danann as the foundation for my characters. It all fit together like a puzzle, and once I’d found where they belonged, this book was incredibly easy to write.  


What were the challenges in bringing it to life?

Since I’d just come out of university, I felt I had a good grasp on how to write and how to research. So that part flowed well. What I found the hardest was learning the ropes of publishing. I didn’t know whether I wanted to go indie or find an agent. I started out by querying. I had a set number of agents I wanted to try, and while I waited for their responses, I looked into self-publishing. By the time the last agent rejection came in, I was already primed to go indie, and ironically enough, just a month after publishing myself, two agents I hadn’t even queried approached me. But by then I was so happy with being indie, I thanked them and chose to stay the indie path.  


Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

I do a bit of both. I start with a notebook and jot down any idea that seems viable. From there I plan out the conflict and (hopefully) the resolution. Then I go back and try to write out each chapter, but I only ever get to about chapter 6 before I have to write. That’s when I let the story take over. Every now and then I’ll plot ahead, but for the most part I just let if flow from there. 


How long on average does it take you to write a book?

For a first draft, if I was working at it full time, I would say it takes me about two to three months for a 100k novel. From that stage things tend to slow down a bit. I find revisions take longer than writing the actual book. I try to take my time with those, and then once my developmental editor gets it, I have to wait for her notes, then go back and do a whole lot more writing. So, following the fully-loaded book writing proccess with writing, editing, revisions, and more editing, it takes me about 6-8 months to produce a polished full length novel.

 
Who designed the covers, and why did you chose them?

Nathalia Suellen did the first two. Aren’t they amazing!? I saw her work on a few other covers and I knew I had to have her work on mine. For my third book in The Dia Chronicles I worked with a different artist. It was an experiment, really, but it turned out amazing! I can’t wait to show you the cover for that one when it’s ready. 


Did you always want to be a writer? Why?

Absolutely. This was not a choice. It sounds so cliché, but I was always meant to be a writer, and I can’t explain it more than it just came naturally to me. I’ve written stories since I was eight, and at twelve I was given my first journal. I started journaling my life, and that quickly turned into a story of its own. I still journal to this day and have an entire trunk with the books I’ve filled over the years.  

What jobs did you have/do you have before you began to write?


I love this question because I don’t think people believe how many jobs I’ve had.

I’ve been a baker’s assistant, retail sales associate, a cellphone sales person, a real estate assistant, a chiropractic assistant, a hotel housekeeper, a life insurance and mutual fund sales person, a replacement window salesperson and branch manager, a print ad salesperson, a freelance writer, a spa associate (for one day), a tutor, a research assistant for a non-profit, AND a published full-time author.

I think I’ve found my calling. lol


If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

I also love this question.

I wish I could have written Interview With The Vampire. Anne Rice is my favorite author and I wish I could possess even a fraction of her talent. I’m not depreciating my own writing ability but, for me, she’s set a standard that I envy.


Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

Henry Cavill for Corbin! No question!















I can see Joseph Fiennes or Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Rowan.

































Michael Fassbender would make an excellent Drake.























I always see Malcolm as either James Norton or Aneurin Barnard



































Mara has always been the most challenging to cast, since I have such a clear vision of her in my mind. I think the closest I can come to Mara would be either Tamsin Egerton or Kaya Scodelario. They both have this off-beat, almost elfish, beauty that I think Mara would possess.

 

 









































THE EMBERS OF LIGHT


The Dia Chronicles Book Two

by Tammy Farrell


 
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

Release Date: January 28th, 2015



 
Blurb:

The descendants of the ancient gods think they’ve found peace, but the time has come when new magic and ancient powers will collide…

Stripped of his Dia powers and left to rot, Malcolm is a prisoner of Valenia—a sentence he finds worse than death. His thoughts of revenge are the only thing keeping him sane, but when he finally manages to escape, Malcolm discovers that living as a mortal is more dangerous than he ever imagined. After stealing from the wrong man, Malcolm becomes a captive once more, only this time his punishment is one that he won’t soon forget. His only hope of survival is Seren, an enigmatic young girl with golden eyes and a malevolence to match his own.

When he’s led to Mara and Corbin, the two responsible for his fall from grace, their new faction of Dia is in chaos, infiltrated by an ancient power thought to have been banished forever. This only fuels Malcolm’s ruthless ambitions, but he soon realizes that he too is under attack, a pawn in a centuries old game of power and greed. As new battle lines are drawn, Malcolm finds himself in uncharted waters, forced to choose between helping those he’s vowed to destroy or give in to his lingering desire to settle the score.

Debts will be paid, lives will be lost, and no Dia will ever be the same.

 

EXCERPT

By the time the smell of smoke and roasting meat finally reached Malcolm, and his hole in the ground was completely black, he knew the time was drawing near. The sound of laughter and flutes from above stoked the fires of determination within him, while the repetitive drumbeat counted down the minutes.

His mind wandered as he stared sullenly at the walls of black earth. He clutched his mangled hand to his chest, far too weary for anger. He was humiliated. Over and over again he’d been disgraced, robbed, laughed at. The hardest truth to face was that there still might be more degradation to come. He had wanted everything and succeeded at nothing. Hope was now but a whisper in the past, still carried on the winds, but too distant to hear.

Malcolm pressed his head against the soft earth. He had nothing left to lose and nothing left to love. Even his own mother had become an unseen shadow, abandoning him in his time of need. She was useless to him, as she always had been, and he vowed that if she ever showed herself to him again, he would speak any word that might pierce a mother’s soul.

 
About the Author:


Tammy Farrell grew up in Orangeville, Ontario Canada where she discovered her love of writing, and all things related to Edgar Allan Poe. She now lives with her husband and six fur babies in Greenville, South Carolina, where she attempts to learn French when she isn’t busy writing.

Learn more about The Dia Chronicles and Tammy Farrell’s other works at: www.TammyFarrell.com

 
 
Author web links:
@tamzwrite

 

 

 

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