Erika beta read both Rizkaland Legends, is a brilliant editor, and just released her first novel last Saturday!
Erika Mathews
Christian/Historical Fantasy
The blog of a girl who's looking for God's plan for her life. In the mean-time, she's knitting books and writing scarves ... or something like that.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Q&A with Erika Mathews
I have Erika Mathews here today to answer any questions you might have about writing, her writing, her writing process, or any other questions you might have for her!
Erika beta read both Rizkaland Legends, is a brilliant editor, and just released her first novel last Saturday!
Erika beta read both Rizkaland Legends, is a brilliant editor, and just released her first novel last Saturday!
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Thanks, Kendra.
ReplyDeleteAsk away!
What is your favorite genre to write and read?
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent question! My favorite genre to read is old-fashioned Christian period literature - especially written in the 1800s or early 1900s. Think Elsie Dinsmore, Lamplighter Publishing, Anne of Green Gables, Five Little Peppers-type books. I've found a number of free Christian novels from the period, and I enjoy the quality use of the English language, the uplifting tone of the stories, and the deep Christian message.
DeleteMy favorite genre to write is actually Christian devotional writings and Christian poetry. When writing fiction, I tend to write Christian non-magical non-violent novels set in a fictional yet non-fantasy world. I do plan to experiment with Christian period historical fiction and Christian contemporary literature in the future.
Your fantasy novels sound a lot like mine. My fantasy can't quite qualify as non-violent, but it isn't excessively so. When world building, do you stick to close to a specific time period. My tendency is to stay within the medieval period, though I have played with others.
DeleteThe setting for my Truth from Taerna series (Promise's Prayer is Book 1) is based on the medieval period, with flavors from Biblical times and the 1800s mixed in. I enjoy the flexibility of world-building. And there may be slight violence in later books, but one of my goals with Promise's Prayer was to write an adventure story free of all violence, romance, and magic.
DeleteWhat waa your biggest challenge while publishing your novel?
ReplyDeleteOutside of the challenge of prioritizing the novel when I have family, work, and other commitments, I would say the biggest challenge stemmed from my perfectionist tendencies - specifically, in formatting the margins of my manuscript. It was tedious to research to figure out what exactly was right for my book and then to readjust time and again. Formatting for paperback was new ground for me. However, I'm happy with the final result!
DeleteHow did you know when your novel was ready for publication? I can't seem to keep from continually tweaking my writing, even after I've finished it, so how did you know when it was time to release it into the wild?:)
ReplyDeleteThis is something I've struggled with for many years! I've been writing since I was five years old, so I have a stack of unfinished stories and unedited manuscripts along with others that I edit repeatedly and never am satisfied with.
DeleteI am currently beginning the process of bringing some of my older writings to publication, but Promise's Prayer was written in 2014 for NaNoWriMo specifically for eventual publication. I was motivated to do a few initial rounds of editing before the June 2015 deadline for two free copies of my book. Still, I knew Promise's Prayer needed a lot more editing than I could give it so quickly. I edited it a time or two after that.
At the end of last year, I finally picked it back up again in earnest and read through it cover to cover, editing and making changes. I knew it was so close to publication-ready, but I just needed to make the final big push. I also made publishing a definite goal for this year - and a big part of that for me was setting a publishing date. Now I HAD to finish it before the deadline! I read it a few more times, listened to the computer read it to me (following along and editing), ordered a proof and edited it again, sent it to beta readers again, and kept making edits up through the very last possible day because I kept seeing sections that could be strengthened. (I believe I submitted the final Kindle file with only seconds left before the final deadline!)
However, once it was finished, it was a relief. Is Promise's Prayer "perfect"? Probably not. Is it perfect enough? I think so. It's true that we could keep editing forever and ever. There will always be things we could have changed or written differently. But I also had to learn about letting it go and not over-editing it. I'd paste it into an online analytic program and be overwhelmed at all the reports of my work - but ultimately, I don't want to write a "perfect" book that sounds like a computer spit it up. While I do want it grammatically perfect, as far as style goes, I as the author have the final say, and this is a book God gave me, written in my unique style. There can be danger in over-editing and actually weakening the story.
So - look at your manuscript objectively, decide how much needs to be done to bring it up to literary standards, set a launch date, edit away, but then release it.
How did I know it was time? For me, it had been over two years and I'd read through it enough times to be fairly confident in every paragraph, and my desire to have it published outweighed my desire to keep editing it eternally. Is it perfect? No. But did I pour my very best into it so that now it is shared with the world as it was designed to be? Yes. And that's enough. :)
Ooh, the cover of your novel is BEAUTIFUL, Erika! Who was your favorite character to write in Promise's Prayer?
ReplyDelete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
My favorite character to write was Carita, the girl on the cover and one of the two main characters. Her loyal devotion to Adon Olam challenged, encouraged, and inspired me, and I related to her fears and self-doubt.
DeleteIt seems like Promise's Prayer might be a tad similar to Prophet by R.J. Larson, which I loved. I might have to give it a try! :D
Delete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
I haven't read that book but have heard it recommended by other authors whose books I liked. :) Perhaps I shall try it one of these days and see if it's at all like my book. :)
DeleteYour book sounds intriguing! I'm especially interested by "Adon Olam." I love the Hebrew language, so I'm wondering how much of it you included in Promise's Prayer, such as with character names, places, and other allusions?
ReplyDeleteI also love the Hebrew language. "Adon" is Hebrew for "Lord, Master" and "Olam" is the beautiful word eternal in "His covenant love is eternal" (often translated "His mercy endures forever"), but the word also has even deeper, richer meaning including "beyond the horizon." Adon Olam is the Taernan people's name for God.
DeleteThat's the most direct connection to the Hebrew language, but other character and place names are inspired by Hebrew words or have Hebrew roots or meanings. The Hebrew influence is more subtle than direct, at least in this book. :)