Friday, December 16, 2011

Interview with author Anthea Sharp

Feyland: The Dark RealmI'm excited to introduce to you, the author of Feyland: The Dark Realm, Anthea Sharp! Thanks Ms. Sharp for coming on my blog! I'm going to be asking her a few questions and at the end of this post there will be a picture & blurb for her book Feyland! Here is my review for it.

Contact her at:
Facebook ~ Website ~ Goodreads

"Thanks, Lulu, for having me as your guest at the Bookworm is Here! This week my YA urban fantasy Feyland: The Dark Realm goes on sale, and I’m excited to be here to share some of the story behind the book."

We're glad to find out more! Thanks for coming aboard the blog and answering some questions!

Q:

What was your inspiration for Feyland? How did you come up with the story?

A:

Feyland blends high-tech computer gaming with the Realm of Faerie. While I don’t have actual experience with the faeries, I am a gamer girl. From the early days of Zork to World of Warcraft, I’ve spent time enjoying fantasy-based computer worlds. A couple years ago, I started thinking about the similarities between the experience of gaming and the tales of mortals who are transported to fairyland.

Both are fantastical experiences, full of magic and danger. Time is distorted, with mere minutes translating to hours passing in the outside world. Despite its dangers, mortals are fascinated by the lure of the magical realm, and pine for it—sometimes desperately—when back in the real world.

What if, in a near-future world, computer games immersed the player even more completely? And what if, somehow, a game became a portal to someplace even more fantastical—the Realm of Faerie? Those were the musings that planted the seed of Feyland in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more fun I had imagining the story, and all the troubles my characters would face, both in-game and out.

Q:

Very interesting thoughts! Did writing Feyland present any specific challenges for you?

A:

I had a great, fairly easy time writing the book. The editing is the part that always gets me.  J  The biggest challenge I had with the book, though, was making the decision to publish it myself. Although I’m traditionally published in historical romance (under the pen name Anthea Lawson), I had a heck of a time getting an agent to take on this project. I got a number of full reads on the manuscript, with very positive comments… but no offers of representation. Publishing is going through enormous changes right now, and a lot of agents and editors are being extremely conservative about the kinds of projects they take on. My young-adult-urban-fantasy-faeries-futuristic-gaming novel doesn’t slot nicely into a specific subgenre.

After the manuscript spent a year going on lots of dates but never ‘making the connection’ I decided to self-publish Feyland in both e-book and print format. Kimberly Killion designed an awesome cover for me, I used outside editorial and copyediting services, and I’m incredibly pleased with the results. I hope readers are, too!

Q:

I sure am!! Your story is amazing :) Are there any more stories brewing for you? Anything we can look forward to?

A:

I’m hard at work on the sequel, titled Feyland: The Bright Court, and I’m shooting for a spring 2012 release date. After that… well, there’s a third book brewing in my brain already.

Q:

Ahh I can't wait to read it! For fun, are you a night owl or early bird?

A:
SUCH a night owl. Luckily, so is the rest of my family—which can make for some rough mornings, but at least nobody is intolerably chipper at the crack of dawn.


"I’d be delighted to answer any questions people leave in the comments, and thanks again to Lulu for inviting me to guest post!
To celebrate the launch of Feyland: The Dark Realm, the e-book version is currently available at Amazon and B&N for only .99 cents through December 18th. Pick up a copy, and enjoy~
www.antheasharp.com – YA fantasy
www.anthealawson.com  – Historical Romance"


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And I do recommend you give this book a try! I happened to really enjoy it :) Here is the cover and blurb!

Feyland: The Dark RealmWHEN A GAME…

Feyland is the most immersive computer game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But she doesn’t suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch — or that she’ll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries.

TURNS REAL…

Tam Linn is the perfect hero — in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich-girl Jennet prying into his secrets, insisting he’s the only one who can help her.

WINNING IS EVERYTHING…

Together, Jennet and Tam enter the Dark Realm of Feyland, only to discover that the entire human world is in danger. Pushed to the limit of their abilities, they must defeat the Dark Queen… before it’s too late.


I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about the author! Thanks for reading! 




2 comments:

  1. I haven't heard of the book, but the book sounds interesting. Great interview! It's fun to get to know more about the book and the author. Thank you for sharing it!

    Sam
    Books For All Seasons

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like a book I'd enjoy:) Thanks for the interview!

    ReplyDelete

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