An Interview with Constance Lopez
Tell us about yourself!
I was born and raised in Texas, and I’ve been reading since I was five. My first exposure to fantasy was my dad reading Lord of the Rings aloud to me and my siblings, as well as taking us to see the movies as soon as they came out. I’ve never looked back. I read in a lot of different genres, but the majority of my reading is fantasy, and it will always hold my love. I’m married with two small wildlings, and I love hiking and playing board games when I’m not immersed in reading or writing books.
What does NobleBright fantasy mean to you? Why is it important?
It means hope. It means there’s light amidst the dark. It means striving for goodness and doing what’s right even when it’s difficult. I think it’s incredibly important that we read stories full of characters who inspire us and show us examples of heroism, kindness, and strength, even if they aren’t perfect–because we aren’t perfect, and seeing those examples can help us in our own journeys.
How did you start writing?
I think I was thirteen or so? When it clicked for me that, hey… real people wrote the books I loved reading. Which meant I could write books too. So I did–for the next several years, I wrote. Now, this was all writing and no editing. I have several story starts and three first drafts of novels that I never intend to bring into the light of day(though I may reuse the basic ideas eventually).
When I went off to college, writing(and reading) got put aside. It wasn’t until the pregnancy of my second baby that I started reading again, and then writing again–short stories, at first, because I had it in my head that I’d like that better than novels… I have since accepted that most of my story ideas are novel-lengthed. Not all, but most. I have also learned how to edit, which I’m sure all my readers are very grateful for, because it makes the books waaaaaay better than they would be otherwise.
What are some of your favorite books/authors? Why?
I’ll limit myself to five, but let’s just be clear that it’s a terribly difficult limitation to hold myself to. These are all on my list because they’re excellent blends of amazing, complex characters, rich themes that stick with me long after I finish the book, and hope amid darkness. I don’t reread often, but these are all reread material.
-Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien – He not only prompted my lifelong love of fantasy(and elves!), but he is also the father of modern fantasy.
-everything by JA Andrews – I reread these a ton! I adore them for the quality writing, the fantastic characters, and the profound themes.
-original Mistborn trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson – Sanderson, behind Tolkien, is the king of worldbuilding. Especially magic systems.
-everything by Kate Stradling – The swoon! The prose! The characters! I read my first Stradling book last summer, and it prompted an entire binge of her books, every single one of which I loved.
-Kingfountain series, by Jeff Wheeler – As noblebright as they come, with a rich backdrop inspired by history, Wheeler’s stories are a simply a delight.
Please tell us about your world and your characters.
My current story world is the continent of Kasmia, which has seven countries on it. In Of Stormlarks and Silence, we spend most of our time in Revon, but the story follows Riona, rightful ruler of Makaria(Revon’s conquered neighbor), striving to regain her throne and free her country from Revon’s tyrannical king. The other main character is the tyrannical king’s son, Tristan, who only wants to do what’s best for his kingdom.
Do you have any works in progress? Tell us about them!
I do! I am currently in the waiting-to-get-feedback-from-alpha-readers stage for Of Chaos and Cadence, which is the next standalone in the Kasmian Chronicles. This one follows Liam, Tristan’s best friend, and the half elf Isa, as Isa struggles to control her magic so she doesn’t hurt any more people than she already has.
While that’s with alphas, I am drafting a Secret Project. I can’t say a ton about this yet, but it’s also set in Kasmia. Or, rather, the wild mountains to the east of Kasmia, where few dare to go…
And of course, I’m also brainstorming what story to write for Kasmian Chronicles book 3.
It’s very busy in my brain.
Where can we find you online?
You can check out my website: www.constancelopez.com, which has more info about my books, as well as maps, and a form to sign up for a free short story. I’m also on Instagram and Facebook as @constancelopezauthor.
An Interview with Selina Gonzalez
Tell us about yourself!
Hello! I’m Selina R. Gonzalez, author of medieval-inspired fantasy—usually romantic, but I’ve written some shorter works that aren’t romance-focused. I was born and raised in Colorado, so mountains and pine trees are in my blood…and in most of my books. I’m a history lover and studied history with a focus on medieval Europe at a community college, at Colorado State University, and during a semester at the University of Oxford in England, which is why my fantasy has a medieval flavor at the core of the worldbuilding. Although my books are not Christian-market, my faith and related beliefs about hope, redemption, justice, love, and that you matter and have value influences everything I write.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I did, for my last name—I like my first name too much (despite going through a phase as a small child where I was mad at my parents for not naming me Jasmine. Guess my favorite childhood Disney Princess). Once upon a time (in high school) I was worried about eventually getting married and changing my name and then “Gonzalez” would be a pseudonym, anyway, so I considered doing something more “fun” and “fantasy” for my last name like Knight. *laughs* While I’m unworried about that possibility now, for a while I considered a pseudonym last name to disguise my mixed ethnicity. My dad is half Puerto Rican, but I’m not very connected to those roots and don’t speak Spanish, and at a time when #OwnVoices was just becoming big and since I am not writing Latin American-inspired books, I was worried about the assumptions people might make about me based on my last name and felt guilty about how alienated I was from that side of my heritage. But eventually I decided the last thing I wanted to do was hide my Puerto Rican ancestry as if it was shameful or embarrassing, so I use my real name, and it’s a choice I’m proud I made.
What is the first book that made you cry?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak! I read it in high school and was so choked up I couldn’t speak to explain to my parents why I was crying. That seemed to unlock something in my brain. I went from never crying while reading books or watching movies or TV shows to occasional getting a little choked up or fully crying while reading and frequently crying while watching movies and shows. The Book Thief and how it helped me connect deeper with my emotions are a huge part of why I believe that fiction is so important for building empathy and emotional depth.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Oh, no. Things Past Selina wanted to be include a figure skater (I barely even skated, I just loved watching it), a ballerina (at least I did take some dance classes so that made some sense), a singer (doesn’t every young teen believe they’re the next great singer? lol), an actress (I think I just wanted to be rich and famous, to be honest, lol), a geologist (probably the most practical one, but was abandoned when I realized how much math was involved and that most actual geologist jobs were less exciting than just looking at cool rocks and land formations), and a history professor (until I became horribly disillusioned with the American higher education system). Now I want to be an author half because I enjoy it and half because I haven’t figured out anything else to do.
What are some of your favorite books/authors? Why?
Give me a character I relate to, a great group of found family, the best guy friendships, capture my imagination with the worldbuilding, or make me fall in love or otherwise feel something, and I’ll probably love a book. Some combination of those factors are why I love Caraval by Stephanie Garber, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, books by C.M. Banschbach, the Elven Alliance series by Tara Grayce, Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, and The Shard of Elan series by Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
Do you Google yourself?
Absolutely, but not often and kind of for the opposite of vanity reasons. Usually it’s to check no pirated copies of my books show up on the first few pages of Google search results, and if they do, send the host sites DMCA take-down notices and report copyright infringement to Google so the search results get removed. Piracy is super painful after pouring years and thousands of dollars into learning to write, writing, editing, and publishing a book, and makes it more difficult to make money and thus keep writing—and piracy could put me in breach of contract for my books in Kindle Unlimited (which requires the ebooks not be distributed anywhere other than Amazon) which could potentially result in losing my ability to put my books in KU or even my Amazon publishing account being deleted and my books removed from Amazon.
Do you have any works in progress? Tell us about them!
I’m currently working on Miraveld #3 (title pending). The third book in The Miraveld Chronicles will focus on Gareth, many readers’ favorite protective brother from A Thieving Curse, and is inspired by a combination of two versions of the same tale: The Golden Bird (Brothers Grimm) and a Russian tale, Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf. Some of my favorite aspects include Gareth learning that life is less black-and-white than he’d like it to be, a snarky and philosophical talking fox named Leo, the sword-wielding female knight love interest, and the sympathetic villain.
I’m also working on a secret project that I can’t share much about yet for secret reasons, but it’s also a fairy tale retelling and I’m excited to share more about it with fans next year!
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Eight that are published, plus five before those that will never be published. My favorites are Staff of Nightfall (The Mercenary and the Mage book 2) because it was a heart book that I put a lot of myself into and that helped me through a rough time of transition in my life and A Lonely Dance (The Miraveld Chronicles book 2) because, again, it became very much a heart book that I poured into so much of my own struggles, pain, fears, hopes, and truths I was attempting to drill into my own heart at the time. A Lonely Dance also includes my favorite plot twist I’ve ever written. Dance might win out if I was pressed to pick one because it’s definitely the stronger of the two, as I’d learned and grown as a writer since Staff.
Where can we find you online?
I’m typically most active on Instagram at @NightTooIsBeautiful (where you’ll often find me being random or sharing pics of my family’s dogs in my stories), but I’m also on Facebook at Selina R. Gonzalez, Author. And because social media is crazy with algorithms no one understands and the ever-looming threat of being hacked or having your account deleted, you can also keep in touch with me via my email newsletter. Sign up at SelinaRGonzalez.com/Newsletter-Subscription and you also get access to bonus shorts and deleted scenes and a free ebook copy of The Dragon Prince’s Heart, which retells the beginning of A Thieving Curse from Alexander’s perspective.
An Interview with H. S. J. Williams
Tell us about yourself!
Hello Fair Ones, thank you for having me! I’m H.S.J. Williams, but you can call me Hannah. I am an indie author/artist with a love for the beautiful, noble, and fantastic. Stories have been my soul food from a very young age, and I love devouring them in all forms from books, comics, movies, shows, and video games. I live in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by forests and fields that inspire the worlds I create. To support my writing, I also work as a florist assistant!
What does NobleBright fantasy mean to you? Why is it important?
As I mentioned above, I really consider stories to be soul food, and I believe they leave an impact on our spirits. I want to take in stories that inspire me to be a better person, to see the world in a better light. All in all, I want to be encouraged. In a world that increasingly celebrates darkness and represents confusion, I want to leave a bit of light and hope for the reader to guide them in their own life.
Please tell us about your books and your characters.
I have three books out currently! The first is a stand-alone novella, Fairest Son, which is a gender-swap retelling of Snow White in fae courts. It has some allegorical themes, though this was not intended from the start, and surprised me halfway through. I usually don’t finish side projects aside from my series, but it was important and special to finish, because I wanted to have my first foray into indie publishing be on a small stand-alone book. That way I could hopefully get rookie mistakes out of the way before publishing a major novel. (This is a strategy I recommend, though of course I made plenty of other mistakes afterwards.)
My main book series, Kings of Aselvia is in the world of Orim filled with humans, elves, mammalian dragons, and my own fantastical races. The first book is Moonscript in which a very motley crew attempts to rescue a tortured elven prince who is having none of it. And yes, it can be read as a stand-alone, but rest assured many more novels with the same characters are on the way.
I also have some closely connected side series planned, the first of which Crowns of Aselvia has started with a novella featuring the backstory of a fan favorite character from Coren. It’s called Crown of Sand & Sea, and it can be read on its own, but it will contain major spoilers for Moonscript, so I recommend reading them in order.
What are some of your favorite books/authors? Why?
It should come as no surprise that Tolkien solidified my love for the fantasy genre. I devoured everything I could find from him as a teen, along with other geniuses of an older time such as Lewis and MacDonald.
As for more modern series that still carry depth of prose, wonderful meaning, and great characters, I would pick Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, The Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, and The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.
Do you have any works in progress? Tell us about them!
Yes! I am nearly done with the draft of Book 2 in Kings of Aselvia. It is called Collusion, and it takes place a whole seven years after Moonscript. But since we are dealing in a world of elves and humans, a long passage of time for one character might have felt rather short for another character. Without giving too much away for it or the first book, I can say it deals with an elven king setting out into an unfamiliar world of spies, killers, and politicians as he searches for someone dear to him.
What does literary success look like to you?
To me, writing is more than a business, more than a paycheck. It is an extension of my imagination, beliefs, and hard work to be shared with others. I don’t expect everyone to love it nor am I devastated when a review isn’t positive. What matters to me is when it does resonate with someone. Hearing that someone felt seen, encouraged, and strengthened by a story shared with them is the greatest success I can think of for an author.
What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Patience! And give yourself grace to grow. By all means, write while creativity is young and time is present, look for opportunities, and challenge yourself. But also, don’t make big decisions in haste or prematurity. If the goal of publishing is to share stories with others, then work carefully on your craft. Don’t be discouraged by how many times it takes or if you have to let some ideas go. It’s an ever changing journey, and you don’t have to rush to the reward…there will be plenty to enjoy along the way.
Where can we find you online?
Thanks for asking! You can check out my site and subscribe to my newsletter at https://www.hsjwilliams.com/
As for social media, I’m most active on Instagram, but I do have a Facebook as well.