GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Ink Well: YA urban fantasy author Alyssa Roat + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Ink Well: YA urban fantasy author Alyssa Roat + giveaway


Everyone’s writing process is different. Some outline. Some build mood boards and playlists and maps before even beginning.

I word vomit on a page and see what happens.

Now, don’t get me wrong. When I write with my coauthor, we spend about an hour talking on the phone, outlining the basics of what happens in each chapter and divvying up who writes what. For our chat fiction books, we divvy it up by character, and for our romances, we split each chapter in two by POV, and I write from the point of view of one love interest while she writes from the point of view of the other. We plan out our characters, their traits, their backstories, their motivations and how they’ll change and grow throughout the story.

But by myself? Oh boy.

My current release, Mordizan, is the second book in The Wraithwood Trilogy, a YA contemporary fantasy series. When I started writing the first book, Wraithwood, I thought I would write a cute, whimsical book for kids about a magical mansion. Just a short book, a little break from more complicated projects.

I ended up with a YA trilogy with high stakes battles, espionage, morally gray antagonists, and Arthurian legend.

I start with a general idea—like that magical mansion—and some characters —what about a mysterious uncle named Merlin and his protagonist niece who unwittingly comes to live at the mansion for the summer —and begin writing.

By about halfway through the first draft of book one, I knew I had a trilogy on my hands. By three-quarters through, I knew how the trilogy would end. Characters appeared and introduced themselves to me. Often, I knew as little of what would happen next as a reader would. I was just along for the ride, just as shocked at plot twists as anyone else would be.

It’s a chaotic way to write, and it requires plenty of editing to make sure the story is cohesive and properly employs foreshadowing, but boy is it fun. I just write what’s next, what I think will be fun, and go from there.

And along the way, I find my themes. I learn what issues I’m processing through writing, I confront moral dilemmas, and I watch my characters grow.

As an editor and former literary agent, it’s my duty to tell you not to do this. I must tell you to start with a marketable idea and workshop from there. That this is an inefficient and unwise way to write.

But as an artist? I encourage you to chase whatever works for you, and enjoy it.

Mordizan (The Wraithwood Trilogy, #2)
by Alyssa Roat
Publication date: March 15th 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
The bane of Mordred, the son of Mordizan, and a millennia-old prophecy—together they may provide what Brinnie needs to defeat the world of magic’s greatest threat.

More than a year has passed since Brinnie left Wraithwood, never expecting to see it again. But when Mordred captures her sister, she is thrust back into the world of magic. She flees to Wraithwood, where she learns of a prophecy located in the dark wizard capital of Mordizan that reveals the identity of “Mordred’s bane,” something that could destroy Mordred for good.

Brinnie agrees to a rendezvous with Mordred to exchange herself for her sister, going undercover at Mordizan as a spy to find the prophecy and Mordred’s bane. There, she weaves a complicated web of secrets, lies, and tenuous friendships. She makes an unexpected ally in Marcus Vorath, son of the Master of Mordizan, who fears the implications of Mordred’s growing power. But in Mordizan, friends and foes may be one and the same.

In the midst of court intrigue, battle, ominous new depths to her power, and searching for Mordred’s bane, Brinnie struggles to draw the lines. How far is she willing to go to destroy Mordred? And how much of herself is she willing to give up along the way?


About the Author:
Alyssa Roat grew up in Tucson, Arizona, but her heart is in Great Britain. She has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an agent, editor, writer, and publicist. With 250+ bylines and 9+ books under contract in genres ranging from YA chat fiction to fantasy to sweet adult romance, you could say she dabbles in a bit of everything. Her name is a pun, which means you can learn more about her at www.alyssawrote.com or on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as @alyssawrote.

Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (US only)
Signed copies of books 1 & 2 in the Wraithwood Trilogy
The grand prize giveaway - ends Mar 24th:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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