Author Interview

Book title:  The Blue Unicorn’s Journey To Osm Illustrated Book For Teens

What moment or event sparked the inspiration for your novel? Please share three interesting facts about the characters in your book.

1)  The 12 unicorns in my story all have metal horns with related magical powers. . .except for one.  He has neither.  This book is about his quest to find his power and to save his tribe from extinction.

2)  The evil wizard wasn’t always evil.  The over whelming power of the event which changed him affected him in the same way that drugs can completely change any person who succumbs to their lure.  Addiction can literally change the structure of the brain.  That and the unrelenting call of particular drugs can change the person using them into unrecognizable monsters.  In Magh’s case, his lure comes in the form of the power he receives from magical unicorn horns and hooves.

3)  The firebird in the book is not a phoenix.  I point this out because most people relate firebirds to the phoenix which rises from the ashes.  Girasol never died and never rose from ashes.  She is a magical bird who generates flames when she flies and can breathe a blast of flames when she is angry.  She only consumes one nutrient.  That is the seed of the Pepo tree.  It gives her enough energy for 3 days flught.  Girasol’s name and colors come from the fire opal which has an orange and reddish glow.

Genre/Author/Reader:What genre and age group does your book fall into? 

This illustrated  fantasy book is meant for teens and any older readers who enjoy coming of age stories (in particular about unicorns) and who love bathing their eyes in lavish artwork.  But the novel for this story will be published early next year.  It will be about 3 times longer and will be for  a more adult audience.

What is the first book you remember reading, that affected how you thought or felt about something?

Strangely, the first book title that just leapt from my memory is Watership Down by Richard Adams.  It was as if the author had mind-melded with different members of the rabbit warren and was actually writing from their point of view.  There were over 25 rabbit characters in that book but I had no concept of just how many there were as I was reading.  To me, it was just a wonderful tale full of action and adventure with human-like rabbits as the heroes.  Now that I look back on the vast amount of characters that very famous book had, it makes me wonder why so many people in my book’s reading audience are worried that 12 are too many unicorn characters to keep track of. 

Which three authors have inspired you the most, and why?

1)  It’s apparently not politically correct for a woman to give kudos to Piers Anthony in this hypercritical world we live in today but his books definitely inspired The Blue Unicorn’s Journey to Osm.  His ability to twist words around and give them new meanings really appealed to my imagination.

2)  For me, Anne Rice is one of the best authors of all time.  She writes pure poetic prose.  I wish I could write like her. 

3)  J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about worlds that mesmerized me.  I wanted to travel to them and live in them.

Do you have any ethics or morals you would like to come across in your books through story telling? 

You can’t judge a book by its cover.  You have to open it to read what’s within.  And I’m not really referring to actual books.  I’m talking about having enough interest in any particular person, place or thing to peel the layers back to see what is inside.  When you take that time and effort, there is almost always a reward to be had.

Do you read a book, while you are writing a book? 

I have read over a thousand books in my lifetime and have enjoyed most of them.  But since I started delving so deeply into the process of writing, I find I don’t have much time to read any longer.  It is a sad thing to admit.  I wonder how many writers that happens to.  Writing can become all-time consuming.

The process:
What were two challenges you faced when writing your book?

1)Time – There’s never enough.

2) Research – Learn about my research process at Martha Emms Cognitive Dreamer Blog.