Author Vivienne Mathews stops by and chats about publishing trends, her writing career and her book,
The Sons of Masguard and the Mosque Hill Fortune, Part One

 

 

AM: What inspired you to become a writer?

VM: - As long as I can remember, I've been making up stories. It started out as rhymes in toddler-hood, then short stories in grade school. By the time I hit high school, I couldn't be seen without a notebook. Pen to paper. It's always been a sick and desperate need for which I should probably be medicated.

When did you get serious about writing?

- Even though I've always been a storyteller, I didn't get serious about the work of writing until about four years ago when I pulled out the forgotten first draft of The Sons of Masguard. Prior to then, I'd been listening to the market, writing dark fantasy and supernatural fiction because I felt it was the only way to be relevant. I was feeding the novelist need, but I wasn't enjoying myself. It's difficult to throw yourself full tilt into something like that. Rediscovering this silly little adventure with its noble characters and outlandish ideas reminded me how much I loved losing myself into the world of juvenile fiction and letting my imagination run mad. I refocused my attention then and there, and I haven't looked back.

What is your viewpoint of the current trends going on in the publishing world?

- That is a GREAT question. It's definitely an exciting time to be a writer, isn't it? Everything's a bit of a gamble right now, because we have no idea what platforms are going to win out, in the end. I like to think that a balance can be found between the e-landscape and large publishing houses where availability, pricing, and quality are concerned. The major publishers can provide an assurance of quality that (sadly) self and indie publishers can't, but the bigger houses can't compete with indie prices. A compromise has to exist somewhere. I trust the market to find it eventually, but it's going to take a few years, I think.

How has that affected how you went about publishing?

- I've always leaned toward the indie side of things, so the new resources -- KDP, Smashwords, blog promotions -- did a lot to convince me that hanging onto my book rights was the proper course. For me, at least. It certainly isn't for everyone!

Synopsis:

The first installment in a new series from Vivienne Mathews, this anthropomorphic tale is sure to strike a chord with fans of “Redwall,” “Watership Down,” and “Warriors.” Centered on a rivalry between two otter captains and the ancient threat that brings them together, it is an adventure-fantasy on the open sea, described by the author as “’Wind in the Willows’ with pirates.”

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A haunting mist has settled on the harbor beneath Secora Tor. Tasked with unlocking its mysteries is the stoic otter Captain Marshall, an accomplished military figure and heir to the greatest explorer in the kingdom’s history. As he sifts through myth and reality, his dangerous journey grows ever more complicated when he learns that McKinley the Marauder – pirate, nemesis, and general miscreant – has ambitions that could put his mission at risk.

Now, accompanied by a gypsy mercenary, a dishonored knight, and a family of thieves – and tailed by the evil wolf Baron Von Ulric, who has ambitions of his own – their paths converge in an uneasy alliance, becoming a race against time as they travel to the legendary island of Mosque Hill, each of them hoping to reach an ancient artifact before it is too late. Each of them desperate to stay ahead of the secrets that they keep.

What will they lose along the way?

And where will they turn when they realize that nothing is as it seems?

Links:

eBook: www.amazon.com/Sons-Masguard-Mosque-Fortune-ebook/dp/B00CCID3ZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366179400&sr=8-1&

Hard Copy: http://www.amazon.com/Sons-Masguard-Mosque-Fortune-Volume/dp/1484120167/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366179400&sr=8-2

Twitter: @viviennemathews

Blog: http://viviennemathews.blogspot.com