Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #2 (2 of 3)

A new showcase with @OnyxOndine, author of this book belongs to Melody

1 What inspired the idea of your story?

Well I practice witchcraft and I have a bit of an obsession with Norse mythology. I don't think you can see too many Norse influences in my book, but for the longest time I really wanted to write something about Hel. I wasn't sure how for the longest time though, I started writing with the idea of this book being split into three parts from the perspective of three different women. Unfortunately, as I was writing it, I found myself falling more and more in love with Melody's story, and less and less in love with the other two. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I spent about five years just writing, rewriting, completely changing story elements and polishing my concept and now I'm here! On my second draft!

2 What is something you struggled constructing with your story?

Mostly Melody's relationship with her daughter. I don't have kids, nor do I want them within the next three decades at least, so I spent a lot of time wondering how I would feel if I knew I could never see my child again. I ended up comparing Valerie to my cat a lot.

3 What did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I love writing Melody alone. That moment after something horrible happened and everything's quiet and everyone's left. All she can do is think. Maybe even try to process things. However, more often than not she just thinks. I have a diary, and I often crave that moment of having gone through another day and just sitting down and dumping all of the things you can't stop thinking about on a piece of paper. A lot of the time when I write Melody experiencing these moments, it just feels familiar. Even if I'm writing about something I'll (hopefully) never experience.

4 What's the overall response of your story from your readers?

They seem to like it! I have gotten a pretty positive response overall and I love it. I love when other writers correct me or give me some critique the most though. It's so nice when people take time out of their day to read someone else work, let alone give criticism! It just gives me the warm and fuzzies.

5 Is your story a stand alone novel or part of a series?

It's actually the first part in an anthology series!

The next book I have in mind has a similar tone, but it takes place in the eighties, and it's very much inspired by the movie Jennifer's body. I get the feeling it's gonna be very fun to write, and even more fun to read.

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

I'm not quite sure what my message is yet. Probably because it's not quite done. But I would hope that anyone reading my story can find something they relate to, and just have a good time.

7 What advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?

Just fall in love with it a little. It's not gonna be the best story to have ever been written, but it will be your story, so write it for you. If you like dragons, put in a bunch of dragons. If you like romance, but in a bunch of romance! Do whatever it takes to make it as coherent as possible while still having as much of you and the things you love in it, and then never stop writing, even if it takes you half a decade.

8 Does your main character share any similarities with yourself?

Too many. Pretty much all of my characters are just self inserts of one specific part of my personality. They say write what you know, so I do.

9 What is something about your story you believe would draw readers in?

I think it's incredibly unique. I'm a firm believer that not having a lot of tropes in a story doesn't make it good, and that uniqueness is only beneficial if it comes with good writing, but as I've developed my writing skills, I've gotten a lot more confident, and I've never really seen a story like this before and I don't think I'm the only one. I think, if anything, that's one reason to give it a read.

10 Do you have any future projects?

Yes! As a matter of fact, I have about four books planned for the anthology series, and then two that are stand alone books. I have a bunch of google docs with prompts and chapter excerpts and outline ideas, but they are definitely on the back burner right now. I'd like to at least finish one before I start the other fifty-eight. One step at a time, you know?