Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

A showcase with @Dalyaalsammari, author of Hail

1 what inspired the idea of your story?

What inspired the idea of my story was faeries. I've always loved fantasy and books about faeries. When I got the idea for Hail, I wanted the story to be about an emotional but strong girl that discovers a magical world. I wanted most of the characters to be strong but also have a soft side. But the main idea surrounding faeries is that they are magical creatures that are tricksters, they even can't lie but have a way with twisting words. So I wanted Hail to have a past of making trouble, that's why she goes to a boarding school for troubled teens.

 2 what was something you struggled with for your story ? 

I struggled to make the character's backgrounds, they had to do something terrible to go to the boarding school. But as I went through and edited the first chapter, I added that Hail felt isolated and trapped. So that was a little bit of background knowledge on why she did the things she did. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say in chapter 10 of Hail I wrote about how Edan got her scar. 

3 what has been the overall response to your story from your readers? 

My reader's response to Hail is excellent! I got comments like 'I can't wait for the next chapter' and 'This is really good.' Trust me, my cliffhangers are brutal. I'm also a part of a book club  @TheFaeFolk. How it works is you get assigned to a person, then you have to read at least 3 chapters of their book, for every chapter you read you have to comment a 5 line comment about what you liked and what you think they could do better. It's beneficial, and I recommended you try doing that with someone.

4 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I enjoyed writing about the scene where (spoiler sort of) Hail punches Drake in the face. Reading over that chapter makes me laugh every time. I also enjoyed writing chapter 10 of Hail because of the brutal cliffhanger I put in there. I'm evil. But I also enjoyed writing chapter 10 because of all the raw emotion, and because of something else. Yes, I'm very evil.

 5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series? 

I want Hail to become a series, but it's hard to see how much I'm going to write. I have many ideas, and with so many ideas, it will probably become a series. But only time will tell. 

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

I want them to feel satisfied with the book. I also want them to emphasize with the characters and feel what the characters are feeling. (Not agony or anything that makes them hurt physically).

 7 what's a piece of advice you would provide to another writer, when it comes to focusing on their story? 

My metal advice would be to work hard, do your best, and believe in yourself. Trust me, those are critical things in making a good story. My writing advice would be to check your work. I can't stress enough about grammar and spelling mistakes! My spelling and grammar are not the best, so I have to use Grammarly. Even if you do have excellent spelling and grammar, you should still double-check. You never know what you could find. 

8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself? 

Hail is like my emotional, playful side. Hail is a passionate person, I'm a passionate person. Hail is determined to help the people she cares for, I do that too. Overall, Hail is like me in so many different ways. She's just a lovable person that tends to bottle up her emotions until they blow up, and she gets super emotional. She's very strong-willed and curious, that's what I love most about her.

9 what's something you believe would draw in new readers? 

I think the plot of the story is something that draws in readers. Fantasy is such an imaginative genre, you could do so much with it. Fantasy has always been my favorite, you can make anything up, and it does not have to be real, I just love that I don't have to stick to any standards. I also love how the plot of the whole faeries and a girl just fits right in making way for each other, it's a perfect combo. My favorite part of the plot is all the mystery surrounding Hail and her connection to the faerie world. Hail's plot has so much going on, but it still works out.

10 do you have any future projects?

I have a new book called 'The Dark Void.' The genre is paranormal, and Melany Hell (the main character) is like the other side of me. If you like books with demons and angel, and paranormal type books, then I'm sure you will love 'The Dark Void.' I would really appreciate it if you could check it out and check out 'Hail.'