Sarah: I'm very excited to introduce Melanie Abed, or @MoonZephyr, author of ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT. I have so enjoyed getting to know Mel, and I think you will too. Super exciting news as you will see at the end of this interview: Anni Moon will be published and available to buy October 2014! So I thought an appropriate Youtube song for this story would be "Bring Da Funk Back" (you'll get it when you read the story).
Today's interview will be conducted by Farah, author of AURORA FIREDRAKE: THE AVALONIA CHRONICLES.
Farah: How would you describe ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT to someone who hasn't read it yet?
Melanie: ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT is a modern day fantasy, action-adventure, with a dash of mystery, for readers aged 10 to 100. It’s a story about friendship, and two girls who will do whatever it takes to save the other.
Additionally, ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT is a book about diversity. I intentionally created a world that had few borders with lots of racially diverse characters, defined by their personalities rather than the color of their skin or gender.
Farah: How long have you been working on the story?
Melanie: I’ve been working on Anni Moon’s story for well over ten years. Anni Moon has been floating around in my head long before I started writing about her. Growing up, I always wanted to read a story about a tough, spunky girl who was brave in the face of adventure, very much like a female Indiana Jones.
Farah: How did you come up with your story idea?
Melanie: The basic concept of Anni entering into a fantastical world was where I originally started. The idea of Elements and Elementals grew organically from there.
Farah: How did you come up with the title?
Melanie: From the very beginning, the title has been ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTALS, it was only until I started to think in terms of a series that the title evolved into ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT.
Farah: Who is your favorite character(s) and why?
Melanie:In a cast of twenty characters, I have so many favorites, and all for different reasons. It’s impossible for me to pick, but ask me again in a few years.
Farah: What is the most challenging part of writing your story?
Melanie: The most challenging part of writing is balancing what the reader needs to know while striving to create an engaging plot that pushes the story forward.
Farah: What part of researching your story was most interesting to you?
Melanie: What part of researching your story was most personally interesting to you? Although I researched different Elemental lore, I found myself compelled to stay away from all traditional concepts in order to create something unique. However, I’m sure that a lot of my research has seeped in subconsciously and informed some of my world building.
Farah: Who designed your cover?
Melanie: My brilliantly talented husband, Hisham Abed, is my illustrator, cover designer and all around go to style guru. Although, Hisham is a published illustrator, he is a full time director in Television and Film.
Farah: Is this a standalone book or part of a series? If it is a series, how many books do you project having in the series?
Melanie: ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT is the first book in a planned series of at least six full-length novels.
Farah: What books/authors have influenced your the most?
Melanie: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, J.R.R. Tolkien, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, and J.K. Rowling and let’s not forget Star Wars!
Farah: What advice do you have for other authors?
Melanie: The only advice I would give writers is to write, and perhaps to read a few how to write books, which hopefully will save years of grief.
Farah: Give us three interesting or unusual facts about yourself.
Melanie:
Just three?
1) In my youth I was a bit of a dare devil interested in highly dangerous sports: skydiving, scuba diving and a black belt in martial arts.
2) Either this is a curse or a blessing, but I have near Sherlockian analytical skills, and most likely why I pursued a career in psychology.
3) I have a pollinator garden where I raise Monarch butterflies, over 50 hatched this year alone.
Farah: Why did you choose to publish on Wattpad?
Melanie: A friend emailed me an article about Wattpad in early 2014, and without any preconceived ideas I thought I would try it out.
Farah: What has your Wattpad experience been like?
Melanie: Overall, my experience on Wattpad has been an excellent and wonderful one. The immediacy of interactions with readers and other writers is an astounding aspect of the site. I feel fortunate that I gave it a chance when I did, in fact, I wish I had found Wattpad sooner.
Farah: Any special Wattpad achievements you would like to share?
Melanie: ANNI MOON consistently ranks well and has broken the top 20 for Adventure. About two weeks ago, Wattpad asked me to Feature ANNI MOON. Not only was I utterly delighted, I was very surprised and honored to be asked. Since only 1/3 of my story is currently up on Wattpad, we haven't decided on an exact Feature date, however, we are looking at the end of August. Once I know the date I'll make an ELOFFICIAL announcement. (Sarah's note: Congrats Mel! Yay!!! Since Mel's feature, she has regularly ranked in the top 5-10 for her categories!)
Farah: Do you have a website or social media presence? How can we find you outside of Wattpad?
Melanie: My website, Melanieabed.com will be up and running this August 2014. I’m also on Twitter at @Melanie_Abed. ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT will be available on Amazon October 2014.
Thanks so much ladies! If you would like to check out ANNI MOON & THE ELEMENTAL ARTIFACT or follow Melanie, click on the dedication link above.
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Meet the Wattpad Class of 2014
SonstigesWe are a group of twelve authors that met on Wattpad in 2014. We have bonded as we've supported each other in our stories, PMing each other, and stalking each other's message boards to give congrats when milestones are reached or to just to hang out...
