Today I have another Brain to Books Cyber Convention author
feature. Remember, this great event for authors and readers alike is happening
this weekend on
Goodreads through April 8th, 9th and 10th.
Be sure to check out
all the fun here:
Now on with the main event, our Brain
to Books author feature.
To kick off the convention weekend, I have an extra special guest, fantasy author Angela B. Chrysler who is the owner and founder of Brain to Books and our esteemed host for the Brain to Books Cyber Convention.
Interview with Angela B. Chrysler
Why don’t you begin by sharing a
little about yourself.
I am Angela B. Chrysler, owner and
founder of Brain to Books and author of three publications: the fantasy series,
Dolor and Shadow (Tales of the Drui Book
#1), a romance Anthology Amor Vincit
Omnia, and a psychological thriller styled memoir, Broken.
I raise my three children in New
York with my husband surrounded by gardens. On my off working hours, I embrace
my not-so-inner nerd and “geek out” with D&D, zombies, anime, Dr. Who, and
Star Trek. When I need my quiet time, I consult my cross-stitch, cats, and
gardens.
Could you tell us a bit about your books?
My latest book is Broken, which is a memoir that reads
more like a fiction novel while delving into the philosophy and psychology of a
trauma survivor. My most recent project is a sequel to my first book, Dolor and Shadow (Tales of the Drui Book #1).
The fantasy revolves around a flame throwing witch who has to team up with her
enemy to escape the gods who hunt her. On the run, she uncovers a blanket of
lies that hides her past and her enemy picks up a power on par with hers.
Of all the books you've written, do you
have a favourite?
Yes! This would have to be Fire and Lies (Tales of the Drui Book #2)
due to release 2016. The introductions are over so I can just fly through the
adventure without stopping to talk about back story or filler, which was a
challenge with Dolor and Shadow. I
had to give readers need-to-know information without boring them.
Why did you decide to write in the fantasy
genre?
This question is weird for me. I
didn’t wake up one day and consciously choose fantasy. When I began writing Tales of the Drui, I had no idea I was a
nerd. I had planned on writing a romance, but… I knew the story didn’t meet its
potential as a romance. When I was done with the first draft—when I realized I
had multiple elf-clans, giants, shape shifters, witches, gods and goddesses,
Dwarves, and magic—I still didn’t think of it as a fantasy.
It was my husband, a sci-fi/fantasy
reader, who told me it was fantasy. Once I realized that, I embraced what it
was and went all out. I like to think Fantasy found me. *laughing* I even used
Dungeons and Dragons as a starting point for Kallan and still didn’t recognize
fantasy.
What is the hardest part of writing fantasy
fiction?
The hardest part was and is maintaining
the level of imagery—which is expected of the genre—knowing a number of readers
are going to hate it. I adore the imagery, but something about me or my
writing—I really don’t know which—attracts readers who strongly dislike
imagery. So, either I REALLY over did it on the imagery in my books, or my
books keep finding the wrong sort of reader. *smile* I’m not sure yet, but am
curious who finds me along the way.
What do you enjoy most about writing in the fantasy genre?
The detail! Fantasy is a genre that
allows, welcomes, and encourages the deeper writing. I like a book that is slow
to reveal its secrets. You meet the characters and their problems, but such
things are only petty trifles in comparison to the real problem that lies
beneath. With fantasy, you can go all out. It also allows me the freedom to tap
into my areas of study such as history, weaponry, and linguistics.
You write in several genres. Do you have
a favourite?
The short answer on this is Fantasy
because I can truly go all out with Fantasy. But the more complex answer is, I
don’t write in multiple genres. I write “macabre.” Sometimes I write dark
romance, dark fantasy, dark memoir, dark humor. So, for me, I only ever write
macabre. My stories are all dirty, gritty, and honest. Children die, torture
happens, women are raped, death happens, and I don’t sugar coat anything. I’ve
survived some real horrors and know how to tap into that part of my life and
bring it out in my writing… no matter what genre I write.
Who is your intended readership?
My intended readers! This is a
question I savor. Joss Whedon fans! Nerds! Me! The kind of reader who wallows
in historical accuracy, riddles, deep reading, and good ol’ sexual tension
without it being the focal point… these are the readers I am looking for.
I love a long book that gives me a
good run with a character… like Les Miserable did. I love books where you know
there is something more that the author isn’t telling you, but in book #1, you
can only sense it. And you know it’s going to be big. I love ending a book and
having a plethora of questions left without answers. I’m still wanting to know
what it was Dudley saw in Book #5 when he saw the Dementor. I’m still waiting
for that answer. And I love it! Life doesn’t give you answers. There will
always be something you will want to know. I love seeing this in books I read. Expect
to see this in the books I write.
My most outspoken fans are Norse and
Viking enthusiasts, nerds, Whovians, Trekkies, psychologists, and historians.
Readers who strongly dislike my
writing are romance readers, light readers, or books that are simply fun to
read and don’t require much thought. The reader who reads to unwind over a
simple sweet story and wants it tied up in the end with no complications… these
readers do not enjoy my books.
Are there particular challenges in
writing for your core readership?
My hardest challenge is
guesstimating what my readers want and being sure I give it to them. Readers
are a very quiet kind of people *gentle smile* As a result, I have to rely on
only what I like and trust that there are others out there who like what I
like.
The challenge I have is I like a lot
of different things. Many times, what two things I like contrast each other.
Like ballet dancing and zombie slaying. Yep! That’s me! Everything I write is
so serious and deep… and so insanely nerdy! My genres span a wide range. From
psychology and philosophy to Zombies From Space vs. Vampires. (that’s a real
thing I’m writing. You can read it on my site). So I attract a lot of
psychologists to my site. But then they walk into a site possibly expecting
serious (I hope not) and instead find a fantasy realm where zombie brains cover
the floor while I battle Bergen for ownership over my blog.
Or I have nerd lovers coming to the
site to catch up on my D&D fan-fiction and they run into Unbreaking Me, the
online therapy journal I’m writing as a sequel to Broken.
So my greatest challenge? Keeping my
dedicated readers and patient fans happy on both spectrums, and doing my best
to help them find what they need.
What’s your next project? Any upcoming
book secrets you care to reveal?
I am working on Fire and Lies (Tales of the Drui Book #2), which is really Part #2
of Dolor and Shadow and picks up
right where Kallan and Rune left off. They’ve made it through Midgard and enter
Alfheim where the stakes are higher than ever. The Fae goddess becomes more
unpredictable. Kallan’s advisor becomes more desperate to keep Kallan away from
the Fae goddess.
As much as Dolor and Shadow is like
watching seven strings being woven together, Fire and Lies is like watching those strings all pulled taut,
knowing they will break… but not knowing which ones will go first. In Fire and Lies, you get to see the first
line snap and the devastation that follows.
The book cover reveal is scheduled
for 8 April 2016.
Learn
more at…
Dolor and Shadow
As the elven city burns, Princess Kallan is taken to Alfheim while a great power begins to awaken within her. Desperate to keep the child hidden, her abilities are suppressed and her memory erased. But the gods have powers as well, and it is only a matter of time before they find the child again.
When Kallan, the elven witch, Queen of Lorlenalin, fails to save her dying father, she inherits her father’s war and vows revenge on the one man she believes is responsible: Rune, King of Gunir. But the gods are relentless, and when a twist of fate puts Kallan into the protection of the man she has sworn to kill, Rune obtains a power he does not understand.
From Alfheim, to Jotunheim, and then lost in the world of Men, these two must form an alliance to make their way home, and try to solve the lies of the past and of the Shadow that hunts them all.
Broken
And Death it calls as the stone crow breaks. Streaks of blood malform its face. Death becomes its withered eyes and the shadows whisper, “Lies.”
When a young journalist, William D. Shaw, seeks out Elizabeth, an acclaimed author, in hopes to write her biography, the recluse grants him twenty-four hours to hear her story. What unfolds are events that teeter on the edge of macabre and a psychological thriller.
While toggling the lines of insanity, Elizabeth examines her past filled with neglect, rape, abuse, torture, and pedophilia. The more Elizabeth delves into her psyche, the more William witnesses the multiple mental conditions Elizabeth developed to cope with a life without love, comfort, protection, trust, physical human contact, affection, therapy, or medication.
With the use of existentialism, I wrote Broken in an attempt to philosophical determine what I had become and why. Instead, I found the awareness I needed to seek help. Broken is the road map I took to arrive at “Awareness” and seek medical attention.
Angela B. Chrysler is a writer, logician, philosopher, and die-hard nerd who studies theology, historical linguistics, music composition, and medieval European history in New York with a dry sense of humor and an unusual sense of sarcasm. She lives in a garden with her family and cats.
While writing, Ms. Chrysler fuzzies her cats and survives on coffee, Guinness, and the writings of Edgar Allan Poe who strongly influences her style to this day. When she is not writing, she enables her addictions to all things nerdy, and reads everything she can get her hands on no matter the genre. Occasionally, she finds time to garden, mother her three children, and debate with her life-long friend who she eventually married.
I'd like to thank Angela B. Chrysler for stopping by today, and be sure to check out her virtual booth at the convention this weekend.
