VBT# Jacquitta A. McManus Part 2 :)

As I had lots of Information about the wonderful authoress Jacquitta A. McManus, I thought I would split it into two parts. A Bio the other day and Today an Interview with the authoress.

Interview with the Authoress:

1) Tell us about your book? Labyrinth’s Door – Anyia “Dream of a  Warrior” is a story of a young girl, Anyia, whose dream of becoming

a Nagoran Warrior is infused with adventure and danger. Running from  her duties as a Yora, she dares to break tradition to follow her own dream, during a time when Empress Zarina threatens the magic treaty that protects her village.

 2) What genre do you enjoy reading the most and do you have some  favorite titles? I love to read fantasy/adventure stories. I really wish James Cameron’s Avatar was written as a book, I think that would be a favorite.

 3) What gives you the innovation to write a particular genre? |
For me the fantasy/adventure genre is what is in my head. I’ll see something and a story will start to form. Everything / anything can inspire ideas.

 4) Has your characters or writing been inspired by friends/ family?
Not my characters however my daughter was inspiration for writing children stories. I remember looking for fantasy/adventure books to read to her at night and found it very disappointing that there  weren’t a lot out there to choose from.

5) Did you experience writers block?
If so, what did you do to get  rid of it? I don’t remember getting writers block while writing  Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” but I do get writers block, but not because I don’t have anything to writebut rather because I’m stuck on something and can’t move past it. Once I figure out what isn’t working I can continue to write on. It’s very annoying actually.

 6) What are you working on now?
I’m currently finishing up my first fantasy/adventure coloring book
that should be out in the next week or so. And I’m working out the first draft of the 2nd edition of Labyrinth’s Door, which continues with Anyia’s journey. My working title is Anyia “Truth or Betrayal”.

7) What is your favorite scene in your book?|One of my favorite scenes for Anyia is when things are revealed to her. Anyia, the daughter of the Chief of Nagoran Village, is very naive about the traditions and history of her people, and has to learn about her history to reach her goal of becoming a Nagoran Warrior. So I like  that she is slowly brought into the history and tradition of her people without knowing.Anyia gazed up at the canopy of the Erow tree and slowly closed her eyes, listening. The forest’s sounds were soft. She could feel its presence, its alertness. The breeze blew around her and, for the first time ever, she felt the energy surrounding her, a calm she did not know existed.

8) Had you previously written anything?
I have a handful of unfinished stories that I hope to finish in the near future, but Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” is my first completed story.

 9) Were there any scenes that were cut in the editing process you  wish had made it into the book? There are no scenes I cut in the editing process that I wish I had left in the book, but I do wish I could expand on a couple of scenes. A different style of writing is needed for short stories verse novels. Novels allow more time on character development, where as a short story doesn’t allow for  those moments. I do wish there were some of those moments in the story.

10) Can you give us one fun fact we might not know about your book? Something about the story itself or the writing process?
A fun fact The first draft of the story was under 1500 words and it was written because I was trying to figure out who Anyia was and how she reacts to people and why. Anyia is actually part of the novel I’m working on.

11) How did you get into writing? Did you always want to become a writer?
Since college I always knew that I wanted to direct fantasy/ adventure stories. But it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized that I could write them as well. So Its about telling a story for me not so much about being a writer.

12) If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three material things you couldn't be without? My family, food, and materials to  make shelter. All the things I need to survive.

13) What are you reading now?
As far as fantasy/adventure books, I’m reading The Red Pyramid alongside my son and The Secret of Nimh with my daughter.

14) Which author has inspired you most and why?I’m inspired by the Harry Potter books love to listen to the audio books, I think Philip Pullman has a very nice writing style and I like that Tolkien wrote his novels the way he wanted them written.

 15) What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Don’t give up and  give yourself time. Although Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” was pretty easy for me to get on the page, the fantasy/adventure novel she came from has been a work in progress for over 2 years and I’m nowhere near a complete first draft. I’m still working on building the worlds and I’ve written the beginning at least 4 times and I’m going to start a new rewrite of the first 3 chapters soon. The world is huge and it takes time to develop it takes time to get to know the characters and the world and it takes time to develop your writing style. Give yourself time there is no rush.

16) As a Quotes Person I always like to ask to finish off, do you  have a quote or poem that has stuck with you over the years and what is the story behind it? Yes one of my favorite quotes is by: Joseph Campbell "People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost
being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being  alive."