Greetings, everyone!!!! Today, I get to interview the lovely Kellyn Roth about her story, Adae. This is my second Snow White interview, and I am having so much fun getting to talk with these authors.
Everybody, please welcome Kellyn Roth! (cue whistles and clapping and cheering)
Me:
Hi, Kellyn! Welcome!
Can you tell me a little bit about your Snow White story?
Kellyn:
My novella is about a young queen, Adae, who doesn't really seem to
fit in. She's convinced her younger sister would make a much better ruler than
she, but tradition binds her to the throne. Her fairy godmother gifts her a
magic looking glass on her coronation day, and the mirror, Carmelli, becomes
her only friend. After Carmelli warns her of an assassination attempt, Adae
must flee to the forest to hide from her more powerful sister.
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Necessary parts of the writing process:
This is Aubrey a couple months ago, when I was writing.
She insisted on sitting in my lap (she's still a puppy)
and then crawled all over the keyboard. ;)
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Me:
How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Kellyn:
Well, honestly, it was heavily inspired by the Disney movie
Maleficent with a touch of Mirror, Mirror - both fairytale retellings. The
original idea was that the Evil Queen wasn't really so evil as much as
misunderstood ... and from there it blossomed out!
Me:
Hey, great stories inspire other great stories!
How did you hear about the Rooglewood contest? What made you decide to enter? Are you glad you did?
Kellyn:
Well, I'd known about it for a couple years - I'd heard of the
contest first when someone mentioned it on NaNoWriMo, I believe. And this year,
I got invited to the Facebook group by a friend ... and it just looked like so
much fun! I'm definitely glad I entered and finished a novella. It's my first
(completed) fantasy work, so I'm really excited!
Me:
That is exciting!!! I have
to say that one of the helpful things about these contests is that they make me
FINISH a story. Congratulations on
completing a fantasy work!!! That is a huge accomplishment, and I'm so happy
for you!
What was the hardest part of writing this story?
Kellyn:
The hardest part was probably figuring out the ending. I had a
fairly good start and middle ... but how to resolve all the different threads
was quite confusing! At last, I did, after a lot of brainstorming. 😉
Me:
What advice would you give a writer who is struggling to
find/create a good ending for his/her story?
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| Kellyn's dog: Riley |
Kellyn:
It's important to leave the reader with a feeling of satisfaction
... but you also need to find that "Wow!" ending. It needs to be what
the reader was longing for all along, and it needs to leave them with a desire
for more. It's a tricky balance. The way I see it, there are two major things
to worry about in the ending - climax and resolution. In the case of Adae, I
had the resolution, but not the climax. The climax needed to be some final
battle between the protagonist and antagonist. To finish Adae, I had to
reassess who was the protagonist, who was the antagonist, and what their
conflict was. My best advice is step back and try looking at the problem from a
different angle ... and ask for advice! I've found that just explaining my
problem to another writer is a huge help!
Me:
Good advice!
Can you share a snippet from your story?
Kellyn:
How about this?
Adae paced up and down the length of her chamber. Twenty steps along the exotic rug between her bed and the door. It was wider the other way, but she wanted to face the door at least half of the time, and she doubled that by walking slowly towards the door and quickly away from it.“You know, vostra altezza, the bambino won’t arrive any faster for your pacing,” drolled Carmelli. He was propped up on her vanity at the north wall, easily able to view her walking back and forth. “Anyway, isn’t it the padre who’s supposed to wear down the carpets?”Adae scowled at him. “I’m so nervous. I read a book in which a woman felt obliged to kill the reigning Monarca to make way for her child.”Carmelli moaned. “I’ve told you time and time again, vostra altezza - books don’t necessarily reflect real life!”“But it’s possible, isn’t it?”“Is your sister capable of killing you?”“I don’t think so …” Adae said slowly. “But you never know.”“You don’t trust anyone, do you?” Carmelli said dryly.Adae sighed. “In some ways, I do, I suppose. My mind tells me that my sister would never hurt me. But something inside me won’t let me rest. I can’t stop thinking about it. And doesn’t the future seem to indicate …?” She couldn’t say it.“Your demise? Oh, not necessarily. Though that is a possibility. As for me, I’m a little excited to say the least. I can give you advice to prevent your death and, in the meantime, I get to witness an emozionante story.”Adae fake-scowled. “Selfish.”“Nonsense. I can’t hold a book - and I never liked novels, anyway - so I’ve got to look for entertainment elsewhere.”Adae had nothing to say in response to this, so she kept silent. The sun rested on the horizon when a light rap sounded at the door.
Me:
That’s perfect! I want to
keep reading, though!!!!!
Kellyn:
Aw, thank you!
Me:
Who was your favorite character to write?
Kellyn:
Definitely Carmelli. That mirror had so much sass, and though he's
definitely had a tough life, he still seems pretty happy. In his own sarcastic
way, that is ...
Me:
Haha, that’s awesome.
Now that we are all intrigued by your story, how about you tell us
a little bit about yourself!
Kellyn:
The story is more interesting. 😉
But really…
Me:
Haha! You sound like Anne of Green Gables: “If I could only tell
you what I IMAGINE about myself…”
Kellyn:
Haha, totally! I could
definitely make up a more fascinating life of myself… 😉
Kellyn:
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| Kellyn and her brother |
I'm a Christian & Historical fiction (and I guess now Fantasy?)
author from North-Eastern Oregon. Other than writing, I enjoy blogging and
graphics design. I'm a country girl who loves border collies, cats, cows, and
horses!
Me:
Border Collies are the best!!!!!
Excellent answers, my dear!
Kellyn:
Thanks! 😉
AND YES: border collies are definitely the best! I have two of my
own, and they're my best buddies. 😉
Me:
Thank you so much for joining us today! Come back again, Kellyn!
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| Aubrey |
Guys, you can keep up with Kellyn on her blog at https://kellynroth.wordpress.com and be sure to check out her website at https://kellynrothauthor.com
Share some love in the comments for Kellyn. And if you have questions for her, I’ll make
sure the comments get passed along to her!
Thank you again, everyone!!!
Kell, I didn't know you had entered the contest! Okay, I definitely want to read this.
ReplyDeleteI am loving these interviews, Esther! I will have to send you my questions for you soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's so cool hearing about what inspires other people.
Kellyn, that snippet is so good! I really like Carmelli!
Thanks so much for posting this ... I really had fun with the interview! :D
ReplyDelete