Q. Does this book have a longer blurb/synopsis anywhere?
A.Yes it does and here it is!
’Alice Thorne: teenager, former slave, mage. Current status: dead, but not for long.’
’Within the port city of Ostrano, nothing is as it seems, with mages, sorcerers, and others all working for the mafia and gangs of the city. Each fraction intent on obliterating the opposition, with only the Guild intent on brokering peace. Yet with the reemergence of the Unfettered, will this peace last? Or will it crumble down around them all?’
Q. What can I do to help?
A. Read. Read as much or as little as you like, and share your experience.
Did a certain section put you at the edge of your seat? Did a character make you crave more of them? Or did something feel out of place or flow poorly. These are all things I want to know, to better myself and to better the experience for - you - my readers. As in the end, this is as much for me as it is you.
Q. I want to help more, what can I do? Is there anything I can do?
A.I currently have two Beta readers - who receive all work before I upload it - but I am sure I will expand on this once I get into the swing of it. I will most likely post details here for how to apply when this happens.
Q. Where’d the inspiration come from?
A. One day at secondary school my friend handed me their beaten up first edition copy of Skulduggery Pleasant: Sceptre Of The Ancients (As it’s known outside the UK). Before this book, I’d never been a fan of English (the lessons) or writing, I’d read a lot due to my parents but I’d never thought about writing. After it, well... I was in love, the world was so interesting and the characters had so much character that I just wanted more of it. So, I began to write, and over the years that has developed into this, a world of light, a word of dark, a world of magic. Where people fight, people die. A world in which anyone can be a strong, powerful and confident being, with complex motives and a moral compass about as grey as it gets.
Q. How far along is this work? When can I expect to see a whole book?
A.Most if not all the uploads at this point in time (April 2017) are all first and second drafts, with all the relevant details, without all the polish. In regards to a full book? I have no idea, but a complete insular first draft of the story should be done by the end of 2017. I currently have the first quarter/fifth of the story drafted out roughly, but it needs a lot of work before I can say I’ve got a complete story.
Q. When was the latest update?
A. The last update was on 16/04/2017 - Fallen Angel (First Draft).
- The previous update was on 13/04/2017 - From Death To Destiny (First Draft).
Q. Wait! Haven’t I seen this somewhere before?
A.Quite possibly. I originally started this on another website before moving to Inkshares, where it originally existed as just Underworld Fantasy, but after a long, long conversation I decided to restart. I was redoing a lot of the storyboarding past the first few chapters again, allowing it to flow better and make more sense and starting a new entry for it just felt right.
Original Underworld Fantasy can be found here: https://www.inkshares.com/books/underworld-fantasy
Q. How harsh/critical should I be?
A.As harsh and critical as possible, all of it helps me improve and I know I have a long way to go.
Q. I’ve tried to explain an issue and it hasn’t been resolved.
A.In all honesty, there will be three reasons for this:
Firstly, I can on occasions sometimes be stubborn, and won’t be able to see an issue without staring at it for a good while.
Secondly, I’m a busy person. As much as I’d like to sit here all day and write, I do unfortunately have a job, which requires my dedication and time more than I’d sometimes like. So on occasions, I might just not be around to see the issue/comment/advice.
Thirdly, but not lastly, I might not agree. Now, we’re all different and that can mean we don’t always see eye to eye. While I promise to never dismiss any advice/critique offhand, I can’t promise I won’t like the suggestion. This is nothing personal - technically - but just another fact of life and says nothing against your ability as a reviewer/critic, so don’t feel bad about it.