Expect the Unexpected this Holiday Season...

We’re now full throttle into the holiday season, and I’d thought I’d share an interview I did with my Canadian publisher, Lacey Bakker, who owns Pandamonium Publishing House, and just celebrated their 10^th Anniversary this past October. Woohoo! Congratulations to Lacey, and all the authors and staff for this amazing accomplishment! This interview was originally done live on Instagram, so below is the transcript. Enjoy…

1) When you started writing Lost and Found, did you immediately know you were going to write a series or did that happen later in your process?

You know, I thought I might be writing a series with the same group of characters, but the original idea took a turn for the better. I wrote Blackflies and Blueberries first, which was inspired by my experience as a tutor for the Muskoka Literacy Council, and a real-life psychometrist who my daughter personally knew. I was going to play off this series (think like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys). Then, I got a job at the local animal shelter, and everything came together. This was the book that needed to go first in the series, needed to be told, and comes from my heart.

2)  Why did you choose to set multiple stories in the same town, and what makes Fairy Falls special as a backdrop for your stories?

This town is really the attraction of the series, and the glue that connects all the stories. Fairy Falls seems to bring out the latent or dormant psychic abilities in the relocated teen characters of each book. There’s a reason for that, which I explain more in the third installment, Sticks & Stones. Let’s just say that the Druids who founded Fairy Falls in the 1800s had something to do with harnessing the power that lies underneath this quiet tourist town.

My intention for this series is to pass the baton to a new generation who are more plugged in or in tuned with their intuitive and psychic abilities. It’s kind of like ripping the veil away from what’s been there all along.

3)  Animals play a huge role in your first book. How do you capture their personalities so vividly, and are any based on pets or experiences from your own life?

Actually, I based all the animal characters in Lost & Found from my job as an animal care attendant, and searched for any small quirks in their personalities to create the unique furry characters you see in my book. While tending to the animals at the shelter, I found myself wondering what they’d say? How would they act and sound? What did they really think of humans? So, chasing down the animal voices frolicking in my head, I wrote their story.

4)  If you suddenly had a psychic power from one of your characters for a day, which one would
you pick and what would you do first?

Oh, that’s easy! I’d love to communicate with animals like Meagan does. I know it’s an attainable skill if you study under someone who teaches this ability. Maybe one day, I may take the course and see what materializes.

As for what I’d do first? Be of service to a local animal shelter. I’d read as many of the animals’ energies as I could. I’d try to bring some comfort, healing or peace to them, and find out how they came to arrive at the shelter. I’ve seen so many stressed out or fearful animals, it may help to walk in their paws, and see how I can help them adjust to a situation they did not ask for.

5)  Your books feature such distinct characters. Do you start with the story first or the characters, and how do you bring them to life on the page?

Both, actually. The seed idea comes from either an experience – like the animal shelter or being a tutor for literacy – and then the characters arrive, ready to go, and let their story be told. I used to live in cottage country, so I had the perfect backdrop and experiences for the series. I do have a rough idea of the story, and where it’s going, but it is a process, and sometimes those characters can take over and run the show.

Bringing characters to life is actually easy for me. However, put them in with other characters, and you need to make each voice unique and believable. So, I give my characters’ flaws, challenges, and adversities in their day to day lives. These are the traits readers need to connect with, feel their pain, and relate to, or you’ve lost the point of telling a story.

6)  Do you have any unique habits, rituals, or quirky tricks to get into the “zone” when writing your books?

A dram of scotch. Just kidding. I used to light a stick of incense before I sat down to write, but my hubby complained of the smell. LOL! I still do it when I can, and sage my room once a week when I’m in the writing mode. Call me eccentric or call me a witch. Either way, I’m good with that. Calling in any angelic or esoteric help works for me too.

7)  What’s the strangest or most random source of inspiration that ever sparked a scene, character, or book idea?

A dream gave me the idea for the first young adult series I created which I called The Last Timekeepers. However, for Lost & Found, it was a cat we had named Shadow who set the stage for the lunging scene in the book. Trust me, when you need to use welding gloves to transfer a cat from a dirty cage to a clean one, your anxiety level goes ballistic. Another scene that comes to mind is getting revenge on my son’s then-girlfriend by, let’s just say, getting baptized by a murder of crows. It was so satisfying to write!

In Blackflies & Blueberries, the strange dome-like house that the main character’s great aunt lives in, is a source of inspiration because it was a real cottage on the lake where we used to live. Life imitates art, right?    

8)  If someone is curious about starting a series or writing their first novel, what’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you?

That the whole writing process is a journey, not a destination. Cliché, but true. Whether you’re writing a series or a trilogy or a stand-alone novel, be in it for the long haul. Book series could take you well over two decades or more. Trilogies, maybe one decade or more. Even that stand-alone novel could take you years to write, depending on the genre and research needed to fill its pages. Check in with yourself every so often by revamping your writing plans, getting real about what kind of writer you want to be, and how to show up in the world. Remember that slow and steady progress assures success, and to be your authentic self. Always.

If these books piqued your interest or you know of a reader in your life who’d love to dive into this series, and discover Fairy Falls for themselves, please check out the links provided. Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost & Found, Book One Buy Links:

PANDAMONIUM PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies & Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

PANDAMONIUM PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. Cheers, and thanks for reading my blog! You can connect with me, learn about my books, grab some free downloads for a short story, writing tips, or fun family recipes at my website: www.sharonledwith.com