Interview with Anthea Sharp (Author of "Feyland" Trilogy!) Plus GIVEAWAY!!

Hey Everyone!
I'm SO SO excited right now!!!

Why?

Because I got an interview with ANTHEA SHARP!!!

Who is Anthea Sharp? you may be asking?

Well, she is only the author of this TOTALLY AWESOME trilogy, called Feyland!!! I've reviewed all three of the books here on The Romance Bookie!

Here are the links to those:

Feyland: The Dark Realm
Feyland: The Bright Court
and Feyland: The Twilight Kingdom!

The Romance Bookie:  Would you please tell the readers a bit about your "Feyland" trilogy?

 

Anthea Sharp: Set in an imagined near future with immersive gaming technology, the Feyland trilogy is the story of two teens who discover that a new prototype computer game is actually a gateway to the dangerous Realm of Faerie – and the fey folk have plans for the mortal world. The hero, Tam, and heroine, Jennet, must overcome their differences and trust issues and learn to work together. Throughout the three books, their relationship undergoes some changes as they do battle in-game and deal with their own real life problems. The first book, The Dark Realm, is partially based off the ancient ballad of Tam Lin. The second book, The Bright Court, draws from old faerie lore, too, with the story of Childe Rowland. I love drawing on the myths and stories about the fey and incorporating them into an urban fantasy setting.

TRB:   How did you come up with the concept behind the trilogy?

 

AS: The books come from a blending of different worlds – my love of fantasy and playing computer games. The two mixed around in my head, and I came up with the question that kicked the whole trilogy off: What if a high-tech computer game was a gateway to the Realm of Faerie? Add in the inspiration from old ballads, and the series was born.

 

TRB: Are you a gamer?

 

AS: Can you tell?  ;)  I’ve always been interested in virtual worlds, whether it was escaping into a book, or playing an MMO. I particularly enjoy fantasy-based games, but have fun console gaming (mostly Wii and more recently, Xbox Kinect), and heck, even playing cards! And back in the old days, video arcade games, too.

  TRB: If you answered yes to #3, which game system do you prefer to use?  (Playstation, XBox, Wii, other?) What's your favorite game?

 

AS: I’m a PC gamer girl at heart. I played World of Warcraft for many years – and anyone who’s played WoW will see bits of that game in my inspiration for the game mechanics of Feyland. Taken a few steps further, of course, with the addition real, dangerous magic.

  TRB: Do you see the world heading into the tablet era, like everyone carries in "Feyland"?

 

AS: I do! I wrote The Dark Realm in 2010, and since then there has been a serious explosion of tablet use, which I think is only going to continue.

  TRB: Which do you prefer: hardcopies or ebooks? Why?

 

AS: I prefer my reference books, especially the ones with illustrations, in print. But more and more I’m reading for pleasure on a screen – either on my Kobo reader, or my computer. I buy a fair number of ebooks these days – partially because I have some friends independently publishing awesome stories, and also because there are great ebooks out there for very reasonable prices. And I don’t have to store them in my already-too-full bookshelves!

TRB:  Any advice for aspiring writers?

 

AS: Just write. Don’t worry about making your first draft ‘perfect’ – just finish the story. Then you can go back and work on it. It’s important to let the creative voice flow without that pesky internal editor getting in the way, and the more you write, the easier it gets. Mostly.  ;)

 

GIVEAWAY!!! 

Thanks so much for the interview, Mandy! I’d love to gift a free ebook version of The Dark Realm to everybody who leaves a comment! Yes, I’m trying to get everyone hooked on the trilogy, lol. Leave a comment about your favorite game, include your email and the format you’d prefer your ebook in, and let me know if I can add your name to my newsletter list (very infrequent and special perks for my readers.) Thanks!

Thank you Anthea!! You're awesome! And I can't wait to read more! :)

Happy Friday Everyone! :)

The Romance Bookie :)