Author, Erin Eldridge, is here with me to discuss the Valarsard Chronicles. Erin is a New Zealand author. She took up writing seriously two years ago and has now published 3 books, each one very different in style and content.
She's been a teacher all her working life, working in mainstream as well as in Special Needs, specifically with deaf children. She's worked all over New Zealand as well as in Africa.
Erin, what is your writing process, i.e. brainstorming, getting ideas, etc.
I find ideas can just come out of left field, or else those ideas have been percolating away in my head for some time. Ravening Heart of the Wolf grew out of a dream I had years ago, and just held on to. The sequel, The Wolf in Winter, flowered on the page. I just let the story evolve to see if I could do it. Days of Insult was a kind of mission, because I’m an avid historian and I wanted to pay tribute to the horrific sacrifice made by ordinary Russians in WW2. There are just no fiction books on the topic. I have a huge list of ideas for further books, including some autobiographical stories.
What is the MC of your newest novel like?
In my most recently published book, The Wolf in Winter, I guess I’d have to say I focused on Conor, who didn’t actually play a major role in the first book in the series, where I focused on Manon. The main character in both books is really Abigail, the mysterious little shapeshifter. She wields the magic, in a good way. Her other manifestations are the wolf and the eagle, which are powerful totems to the Valarsar.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love all the classics: Austen, the Brontes, Dickens. The Russians: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Solzhenitsyn. Big fan of American authors: Melville, Steinbeck, Hemingway. I enjoy Diana Gabaldon’s writing. I admire Irish writers like Wilde, Joyce, CS Lewis, Frank O’Connor, Sean O’Faolain. I’m part Irish and that’s where my love of writing comes from, I believe. I enjoy history: Antony Beevor, Max Hastings. My favourite writer of all time is Primo Levi.
What motivates you to get out of bed everyday?
The cat needs feeding, and if I don’t oblige, I get a right hook to the jaw from a hairy paw that bristles with lethal weaponry. No, seriously, the only thing making me linger in bed is the book I’m currently engrossed in. I get straight into writing as soon as I’m up. I’m very driven.
What do your fans mean to you?
Well, I hope I have some fans. To those who enjoy my books and give me lovely reviews, I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
What are your favorite works of fiction?
So many, but here are a few: Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick, If This is a Man, The Grapes of Wrath, The Old Man and the Sea.
Find out more about Erin Eldridge and her works at the links below:
https://www.amazon.com/Erin-Eldridge/e/B00MSKP12M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1527947228&sr=1-1
http://ravenswoodpublishing.com/bookpages/TheWolfInWinter.html
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