Hey Book Lovers–Amazon 25% Off Code!

This is going to be a long post! Here are my answers ^_^

1)what was your inspiration for the book?
It’s hard for me to stay what the inspiration for my book was, since the story has been rolling around in my head for almost as long as I can remember. I used to do a lot of driving between my college and home, it was during that time period that I remember seeing the first scenes for the story in my head. Ironically, those first scenes are of characters that won’t be introduced until the third story arc! But, if you’re paying close attention, there are already references to them in the first book.
For certain though, there are songs, quotes, and places that bring to my mind scenes–both ones I’ve written and ones yet to be written. (I’ve made posts about them here: https://recordsoftheohanzee.com/2015/09/04/that-song-reminds-me-of/, here: https://www.pinterest.com/recordsoftheoha/quotes-that-have-inspired-my-writing/, and here: https://recordsoftheohanzee.com/2015/12/09/beware-of-the-spirit-that-guards-the-book-in-the-cave/ )

2)how did you develop certain characters, and did you base some on real-life people?
It’s a little bit of both. Some characters, like Nerissa, are entirely imaginary. I knew her role in the story before I knew her personality, so her character was formed by working backward and figuring out what kind of person she was to react to the events of the story in the way that she did. In the process, I had to keep in mind that no one is perfect, so I had to be mindful that, even though she was meant to be the heroin of the story, she also had flaws too. And so she became a character who is meant to be strong, smart, level-headed, and passionate, but also a bit devious, vain, stubborn, and reluctant to let go of the freedom she had as a child.
Some other characters are loosely based on people I know. While they weren’t modeled entirely off of them, bits and pieces of their character traits came from friends and family. I’m very fortunate to have many interesting and admirable (and sometimes downright zany!) people in my life. For instance, Pan’s sense of humor and mischief was inspired by a friend who made me smile every day (and sometimes laugh so hard I cried) when I worked with him.

3)who is your favourite character and why, please decribe personality aswell:)
Oh, how I wish I could say who my favorite character is, but it would reveal spoilers about the story. Actually, I can’t even say my second favorite because that would reveal spoilers too. I guess that means that I most love the characters who initially appear to be one way, but, perhaps, the motivation for their actions has been misunderstood. I love each one of my characters for all different reasons though—even Casimer.

4)what advice would you give to people like me, who want to write a book too?
My advice would be to keep writing, no matter how long it takes to tell your story. It takes time to get your story onto paper in the same way that you see it in your head. Read as many books as you can get your hands, on so you can be exposed to all different styles of writing and storytelling. And instead of being discouraged by criticism, take it into consideration and try to use it to improve—you can often learn more from someone’s critical analysis of your work than you can from compliments.

5)what do you think of my blog?
I think your blog is great! Your variety of posts is interesting and you always have a positive and upbeat perspective. ^_^
6)how long did it take you to write the books?

It took me 10 years to plan out the plot for all three story arcs and write Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror. It took me 3.5 months to write Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix. I’m getting faster each time! ^_-

7)what do you love best about blogging?
I like having the ability to interact with book lovers from all over the world, and being exposed to a wide variety of opinions and perspectives.

8)are you planning to write another book?
Of course! I’m writing Records of the Ohanzee book 3 right now and have plans for 9 more books to follow it. I’ve got a lot of writing to do.

9) what are your favourite books, and why, and who are they by?
It’s tough to pick favorites! I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre and I tend to read series over one-shot books. I like to get invested in plots and characters so the longer the series, the better. I’m a big fan of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, and I’ve read each of those books multiple times. For single books, two of my favorites are Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo.
I also like mysteries and cozy mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie and Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen.
For YA books, a few more recent ones that I’ve enjoyed are The Winner’s Curse Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, the Malediction Trilogy by Danielle L. Jensen, and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

10)your personality now in contrast to when you were a child?
Haha, I’m afraid that I haven’t changed a great deal compared to when I was a kid. I’ve become more confident and mature, but for the most part I feel like I’m an adult on the outside and a kid on the inside. I still love video games, squealing over cute things, hoarding anything (and everything) sparkly, and sleeping in every chance I get. Hubby and I went to a hockey game last night and couldn’t decide which color cotton candy I wanted—so I got both. XD As an adult, you have to be responsible, but you can’t forget to have fun whenever you can.

11) why do you be an author?
I’ve always loved reading, but never even considered writing. Then Nerissa’s story came to me, and it unfolded in more and more detail in my mind. I thought that this was normal and that every person daydreamed in the same way. I don’t even remember how it came up in conversation, but one day I mentioned something about the story and the characters involved to my mom. She was the one who told me that the average person does not have an unfolding saga rolling through their imagination. She was also the one who suggested that I should use the ideas to write a book. So I write, not because I enjoy writing itself, but because I have a story to tell.

12)how do you know if someone will enjoy the book, if you have the right balance of humour/description etc?
This is a hard question to answer. When I’m writing, I focus on telling the story with all of the events and details that are necessary to the plot. I think about how to describe things in terms of what I would find interesting to read. I’ll let the chapters sit for a couple of weeks before going back and revising to make sure it actually makes sense and reads the way that I want it to. Then, I have friends and family who read the manuscript and give their opinions. I count on them to be honest about what they like and don’t like and that really helps me to weed out any bits that are confusing or boring.

LikeLiked by 1 person

6 Comments

mahjabeen says:

December 11, 2015 at 12:30 pm

thats cool!! You know about the interview, can I do it now, it is only about 10 questions, and it isn’t a proper interview, its just where I ask you questions in your comments box, then transfer it to my box, then promote your book, and your blog.
thanks,
bye
hope to hear from you soon

LikeLiked by 1 person

1. Records of the Ohanzee says:
  
  December 11, 2015 at 1:40 pm
  
  Sure! Send me the questions, and I should have time to reply over the weekend. ^_^
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  1. mahjabeen says:
    
    December 12, 2015 at 1:24 pm
    
    Hi!!thank you so much!!!
    questions:
    1)what was your inspiration for the book?
    2)how did you develop certain characters, and did you base some on real-life people?
    3)who is your favourite character and why, please decribe personality aswell:)
    4)what advice would you give to people like me, who want to write a book too?
    5)what do you think of my blog? I think your is amazing
    😀
    6)how long did it take you to write the books?
    7)what do you love best about blogging?
    8)are you planning to write another book?
    9) what are your favourite books, and why, and who are they by?
    10)your personality now in contrast to when you were a child?
    11) why do you be an author?
    12)how do you know if someone will enjoy the nook, if you have the right balance of humour/description etc?
    thank you soo much, I am soo excited!!
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
  2. Records of the Ohanzee says:
    
    December 13, 2015 at 4:50 pm
    
    This is going to be a long post! Here are my answers ^_^
    
    1)what was your inspiration for the book?
    It’s hard for me to stay what the inspiration for my book was, since the story has been rolling around in my head for almost as long as I can remember. I used to do a lot of driving between my college and home, it was during that time period that I remember seeing the first scenes for the story in my head. Ironically, those first scenes are of characters that won’t be introduced until the third story arc! But, if you’re paying close attention, there are already references to them in the first book.
    For certain though, there are songs, quotes, and places that bring to my mind scenes–both ones I’ve written and ones yet to be written. (I’ve made posts about them here: https://recordsoftheohanzee.com/2015/09/04/that-song-reminds-me-of/, here: https://www.pinterest.com/recordsoftheoha/quotes-that-have-inspired-my-writing/, and here: https://recordsoftheohanzee.com/2015/12/09/beware-of-the-spirit-that-guards-the-book-in-the-cave/ )
    
    2)how did you develop certain characters, and did you base some on real-life people?
    It’s a little bit of both. Some characters, like Nerissa, are entirely imaginary. I knew her role in the story before I knew her personality, so her character was formed by working backward and figuring out what kind of person she was to react to the events of the story in the way that she did. In the process, I had to keep in mind that no one is perfect, so I had to be mindful that, even though she was meant to be the heroin of the story, she also had flaws too. And so she became a character who is meant to be strong, smart, level-headed, and passionate, but also a bit devious, vain, stubborn, and reluctant to let go of the freedom she had as a child.
    Some other characters are loosely based on people I know. While they weren’t modeled entirely off of them, bits and pieces of their character traits came from friends and family. I’m very fortunate to have many interesting and admirable (and sometimes downright zany!) people in my life. For instance, Pan’s sense of humor and mischief was inspired by a friend who made me smile every day (and sometimes laugh so hard I cried) when I worked with him.
    
    3)who is your favourite character and why, please decribe personality aswell:)
    Oh, how I wish I could say who my favorite character is, but it would reveal spoilers about the story. Actually, I can’t even say my second favorite because that would reveal spoilers too. I guess that means that I most love the characters who initially appear to be one way, but, perhaps, the motivation for their actions has been misunderstood. I love each one of my characters for all different reasons though—even Casimer.
    
    4)what advice would you give to people like me, who want to write a book too?
    My advice would be to keep writing, no matter how long it takes to tell your story. It takes time to get your story onto paper in the same way that you see it in your head. Read as many books as you can get your hands, on so you can be exposed to all different styles of writing and storytelling. And instead of being discouraged by criticism, take it into consideration and try to use it to improve—you can often learn more from someone’s critical analysis of your work than you can from compliments.
    
    5)what do you think of my blog?
    I think your blog is great! Your variety of posts is interesting and you always have a positive and upbeat perspective. ^_^
    6)how long did it take you to write the books?
    
    It took me 10 years to plan out the plot for all three story arcs and write Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror. It took me 3.5 months to write Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix. I’m getting faster each time! ^_-
    
    7)what do you love best about blogging?
    I like having the ability to interact with book lovers from all over the world, and being exposed to a wide variety of opinions and perspectives.
    
    8)are you planning to write another book?
    Of course! I’m writing Records of the Ohanzee book 3 right now and have plans for 9 more books to follow it. I’ve got a lot of writing to do.
    
    9) what are your favourite books, and why, and who are they by?
    It’s tough to pick favorites! I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre and I tend to read series over one-shot books. I like to get invested in plots and characters so the longer the series, the better. I’m a big fan of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, and I’ve read each of those books multiple times. For single books, two of my favorites are Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo.
    I also like mysteries and cozy mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie and Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen.
    For YA books, a few more recent ones that I’ve enjoyed are The Winner’s Curse Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, the Malediction Trilogy by Danielle L. Jensen, and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
    
    10)your personality now in contrast to when you were a child?
    Haha, I’m afraid that I haven’t changed a great deal compared to when I was a kid. I’ve become more confident and mature, but for the most part I feel like I’m an adult on the outside and a kid on the inside. I still love video games, squealing over cute things, hoarding anything (and everything) sparkly, and sleeping in every chance I get. Hubby and I went to a hockey game last night and couldn’t decide which color cotton candy I wanted—so I got both. XD As an adult, you have to be responsible, but you can’t forget to have fun whenever you can.
    
    11) why do you be an author?
    I’ve always loved reading, but never even considered writing. Then Nerissa’s story came to me, and it unfolded in more and more detail in my mind. I thought that this was normal and that every person daydreamed in the same way. I don’t even remember how it came up in conversation, but one day I mentioned something about the story and the characters involved to my mom. She was the one who told me that the average person does not have an unfolding saga rolling through their imagination. She was also the one who suggested that I should use the ideas to write a book. So I write, not because I enjoy writing itself, but because I have a story to tell.
    
    12)how do you know if someone will enjoy the book, if you have the right balance of humour/description etc?
    This is a hard question to answer. When I’m writing, I focus on telling the story with all of the events and details that are necessary to the plot. I think about how to describe things in terms of what I would find interesting to read. I’ll let the chapters sit for a couple of weeks before going back and revising to make sure it actually makes sense and reads the way that I want it to. Then, I have friends and family who read the manuscript and give their opinions. I count on them to be honest about what they like and don’t like and that really helps me to weed out any bits that are confusing or boring.
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
  3. mahjabeen says:
    
    December 14, 2015 at 6:50 am
    
    WOWEEE!!thanks so much for the answers, I am so happy!! And your comments about my blog were so nice:) thanks:D
    Xxx
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
Matt On Accident says:

December 11, 2015 at 10:19 pm

Sumo! 😍

LikeLiked by 1 person