Author Interview with Clare Davidson

April 26, 2013

Author Interview with Clare Davidson

I’m hosting an interview with the author of YA fantasy novel “Trinity” today, Clare Davidson. Thanks for answering my interview questions, Clare!

1) What inspired you to write Trinity?

Anime. Yes, really! I’m a sucker for fantasy based anime. I discovered a series by Clamp, called Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and fell in love with it. It’s about a young man who would do anything to save the girl he loves, even though she can’t remember who it is. I loved the fierce intensity of his desire to protect her. From that, the concept of the Guardians in Trinity were born.

2) How long did it take you to write Trinity?

If you include the original version of the novel (which was a very different story), two years including all the time spent editing.

3) What was the most challenging part about writing Trinity?

Can I pick two parts? The beginning and the end. I tried three different openings before I was finally happy and completely rewrote the ending more than once as well. I think the beginning and end are the hardest to write, because they’re the sections that have the most lasting impression on a reader. If the opening isn’t strong enough, people might not bother finishing the book. If the ending isn’t strong, they’re unlikely to read your next book. I’m not saying the middle isn’t just as important, it is, but I don’t feel the same pressure when I’m writing them. Middles are more fun to write!

4) What is your editing process like?

After finishing a book, a set it aside for a while. Then I’ll do a full read through and make notes on what did and didn’t work. After that, I’ll go through and do line edits. I used to do those the old fashioned way, printing the whole book out with wide margins and double spaced and attack it with a variety of different coloured pens. For Trinity, I used a different coloured pen for each character! Now I do the line edits on Scrivener, which is much kinder on trees! After I’ve done a line edit, I like to send it to some readers for a critique, then I’ll use their feedback to do another pass. After that, it’s time to work with an editor. I went over Trinity twice more with my editor, Ruth. In short, my editing process takes a lot longer than the actual writing!

5) What are your writing goals for 2013?

It’s scary how fast 2013 is flying by! My goals for the rest of the year are:
To finish editing and release Reaper’s Rhythm;
To finish the first draft of Trinity’s prequel and begin editing it;
To finish the first draft of the follow up to Reaper’s Rhythm;
To start writing a mid-grade book I’m been planning. I’m very excited about it!
That’s a whole lot of goals to achieve and we’re already a quarter of the way through the year. You can ask me at the end of the year how many of those goals I’ve achieved.

6) Are you working on something right now? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I’m editing Reaper’s Rhythm, which is a young adult urban fantasy. Here’s a mini blurb for it:

Devastated and unable to accept her sister’s sudden death, Kim sets out to prove it was murder. Hampered by an unnatural hole in her memory, she is met at every turn by the unexplainable. The only person who seems to know anything is a dark-eyed stranger who would rather vanish than talk.

Thanks for inviting me over for a chat!

Thanks for answering my questions, Clare.

About Trinity

Title: Trinity

Author: Clare Davidson

Genre: YA Fantasy

‘Trinity’, released July 2012, is Clare Davidson’s debut novel. It is an epic fantasy, targeted at young adult readers, with strong crossover appeal into the adult market.

Kiana longs to walk through a forest and feel grass between her toes. But she is the living embodiment of a goddess and has enemies who wish to murder her. Her death will curse the whole of Gettryne. Locked away for protection, she dreams of freedom.

Her wish comes true in the worst possible way, when her home and defenders are destroyed.

Along with an inexperienced guard and a hunted outcast, Kiana flees the ravages of battle to search for a solution to the madness that has gripped Gettryne for a thousand years. Pursued by the vicious and unrelenting Wolves, their journey will take them far beyond their limits, to a secret that will shake the world.

Author Bio

Clare Davidson is a character driven fantasy writer, teacher and mother, from the UK. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter and a cranky grey cat, called Ash. Clare juggles family life with writing, teaching and a variety of fibre craft hobbies.