Thinking like a fangirl: Interview

Hello, hello!

Remember this awesome book that everyone should read?!

I've been in conversation with the awesome S. McPherson asking a lot of questions and getting a lot of answers!

And here it's the result!

Click 'read more' to know all about this universe and this amazing author!

Here's a quick blurb about S. McPherson:

''S. McPherson is a young British expat living in Dubai and working as a kindergarten teacher. When she is not at work immersed in a world of imagination and fantasy created by the children, she is immersed in her own worlds of imagination and fantasy at home, dreaming up tales and writing them down. 'At Water’s Edge' is S. McPherson’s debut novel and the first in the epic fantasy saga, 'The Water Rushes'.

Book 2, 'Caught in the Ripples' is OUT NOW!!''

To start a few question so that our readers can get to know you better!

Give the first answer that comes to your mind!

Cats or dogs? Cats (eeek!! I absolutely love them both but cats came to mind first)

Favourite Colour? Blue

Day or Night? Night

Favourite book genre? Fantasy

Favourite all time Trilogy and/or saga? Harry Potter

Favourite author? Sarah J Maas (& of course J.K. Rowling)

Now to the real questions!

What got you into writing?

From a very young age, I considered myself a poet. ‘Roses are red, violets are blue’ had nothing on me; in my five year old opinion. As I grew, I was drawn into film and the idea of script-writing; something I still wouldn’t mind trying one day. I wrote a lot of scripts, some about other universes, an all-girl pop band and such but alas my seven to thirteen year old self, never made any leap with these. Then I moved on to songs; and that’s when I realised that my main love is the love of story-telling and I don’t mind what format it comes in. Through a painting, a dance, a novel, a play, a song; just tell me stories! And my love of stories led to my love to create stories and my favourite form of expression was with words; thus I write.

Where did you get inspiration for At Water's Edge? From both the characters and world.

I got the opening scene in my head and wrote it down, years before I started working on the series. The opening scene left me with questions as to why certain things were happening and who the girl was. I think over the years my subconscious started concocting answers until I finally had a fully formed idea.

How long did it take you to write the first book? And the second one?

At Water’s Edge took me about eight months to write but it had been simmering in my subconscious for a looong time before I began to write it. And I started brainstorming Caught in the Ripples four months before I released At Water’s Edge and then it took about six months after that for Caught in the Ripples to be complete.

Do you have a writing routine?

I like to try and write first thing in the morning but with work that doesn’t always work so I put together a schedule for each day and I make sure that I write at least 1000 words a day.

What's the most weird or amazing thing a fan has ever said to you?

Haha nothing too weird yet. The most amazing things were when readers compared the books to some of my favourites like Mortal Instruments and Red Queen.

What kind of struggles have you gone through to get your book published and/or make it reach your target audience?

I think reaching the target audience is one of the hardest feats of the whole process. It is very difficult to connect with people you have never met and who know nothing about you. I am so incredibly thankful for social media as it opens a gateway that didn’t always exist. Then it comes down to taking the time to truly get to know your target audience, and put yourself in their shoes. I always ask myself, what would I want an author to say to me or how would I want that author to try and get my attention. It’s definitely a challenge but so wonderful when you do connect with like-minded readers.

Do you think it was worth it?

Absolutely!! Every agonising second is also a mad rush of excitement and is like dreaming with your eyes open.

What's the proudest moment you've had as a writer?

My proudest moments were when I held the first copy of At Water’s Edge in my hands and earlier this year when At Water’s Edge made it to top 5 in Epic Fantasy on Amazon.

Are you happy with how your book is being received?

Very happy. The reviews have been positive and the few that have been less positive have offered some great feedback and helped me to grow and evolve with the next book 😊

Any funny moment you passes because of having decided to pursue a writing career, that you'd like to share with us?

One funny experience was when I was making my book trailer. I decided to get a voice over artist to read the lines and so had many auditions. Most of the actresses were great but a few were very over the top and exaggerated everything they said which was so fun to listen to.

Any advice for young writers?

I could go on and on with tips for writers but my three main points are:

· Get a good idea- Find something that inspires you and build on it. Throw in a mixture of characters, a series of events and one main issue to be resolved. Test part of it with your target audience and see what they think.

· Write and rewrite within an inch of your life. Rewrite until you’re pulling your hair out and are tempted to throw your laptop out the window.

· Don’t give up- sounds cliché but is so true. You’ll never get anywhere if you allow distractions or bumps in the road to steer you off track. Stay focussed on what you are aiming for and keep going until you get there.

A few questions about the book itself:

First thing that really caught my attention was the gethamot and the arrow that changes colours, what's it made of? the arrow I mean. I don't know why, but I find it fascinating.

Haha you will discover the answer to that in Caught in the Ripples 😉 lol but the colour stays the same. The direction changes to guide the people to the portal.

I love the name Dezaray, is there a special reason why you choose that name? Any of the names for that matter

It’s funny that you ask that about Dezaray. There is actually a reason I chose that name for her. Based on her life at the beginning of the book, I often joked with myself that her name would be Dezaray as it sounds like disarray: confusion, panic and so on. And as I continued to write Dezaray, I began to see things differently, exploring the alternatives like having self-confidence, believing in yourself and going for what you want. And that was when her last name; Storm, was born.

Do you have a ship name for Dezaray and Milo?

Oo, fun question. I haven’t thought of one but I think I like to sound of Milray haha #Milray

I love the way you created the spell, are they inspired in any language or was it all your inspiration?

The spells all come from my imagination. I actually wrote a small sheet of spells and popular phrases that they use in their world. It was lots of fun to create.

Will we discover more about the other parallel universes? Maybe even visit another one?

Yes! And I am so excited for people to explore it with me. Caught in the Ripples gives a closer look into Coldivor, the parallel universe and book 3, Swept Away (releasing this summer) takes readers through Coldivor and beyond :D

Thank you so much for the book and for being so kind as to answer all my silly questions! Is there anything you would like to say our readers?