Author Interview with T.L. Shreffler

Author Interviews

June 6, 2013

Author Interview with T.L. Shreffler

I’m happy to host an interview today with T.L. Shreffler, the author of “Sora’s Quest”, the first book in a young adult fantasy series. I asked the author some questions, and she was kind enough to reply to them!

1) When did you know you wanted to become an author?

Honestly, I’ve been writing for a long time (since I was 10) but I didn’t really want to be an author until I got into the last years of my Creative Writing degree. I was kinda in denial. I kept thinking, “I need to get a real job. I’ll just get my degree in something I love, then I’ll start applying for secretarial positions.” Well the secretary thing didn’t quite work out and it’s the happiest failure of my life. After losing my job at a grants office, I started publishing my books and I’ve been doing so ever since.

2) What inspired you to write “Sora’s Quest”?

I’ve always had a love of quests, epic adventures, strange magic and anti-heroes. I wanted to write a book where the “villain” turned out to be the hero, and Sora’s Quest was born out of that. It started off as a world for me to escape to, then I grew very attached to the whole thing and it turned into a monstrous story. I feel very lucky to be able to share that story with other people!

3) “Sora’s Quest” is part of a series. Can you tell us more about this series?

The Cat’s Eye Chronicles will total 5 books. Sora’s Quest is the first in the series, then Viper’s Creed (Book II). I will be releasing the third book, Volcrian’s Hunt in September. I had originally planned for it to be a trilogy but other characters kept popping up, waving their hands, wanting their own stories, so the plot grew bigger and bigger.

4) What was the most challenging part about writing “Sora’s Quest”?

Fleshing out the world! When I wrote the first draft, I was purely focused on characters and plot… but a few readers pointed out that they wanted more to the world. I’ve taken a lot of cultural anthropology classes (and almost majored in it), so I decided to go back and design a giant world of different races, a complex history and tons of little details about their cultures.

5) How long did it take you to write the book from start to finish?

Sora’s Quest took me about a year to write. Then I rewrote it, so 2 years.

6) What are your writing goals for 2013?

I want to release Volcrian’s Hunt and a companion short story, entitled Caprion’s Wings. I keep my writing goals very simple: finish the next book and release it as soon as possible. This can become difficult as I can’t sacrifice the quality of the writing just because I want something done fast.

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

Besides The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, I’ve also been inspired to write a series about dragons. It’s kind of a breath of fresh air. The first book is called The White and is perhaps one-third finished. I’m not sure if I’ll release it while still working on The Chronicles or wait for my first series to finish. There’s not enough time in a day!

Thanks for responding to my questions. You’re right – there’s not enough time in a day!

About Sora’s Quest

Title: Sora’s Quest

Author: Theresa Sheffler

Genre: Fantasy

Sora Fallcrest was born into Nobility. She had it all: money, maids, a fancy estate. But she never expected to be kidnapped.

Abducted from her manor, Sora is plunged into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore. She finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won’t let her go — not when her Cat’s Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power — or will the power wield her? (Winner of the SKOW 2006 Best Fantasy Award)

Author Bio

T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13606393-sora-s-quest

www.facebook.com/tlshreffler
www.tlshreffler.com
www.catseyechronicles.com

Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Soras-Quest-Cats-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B007V5XND8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366405666&sr=8-1&keywords=sora%27s+quest

Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/Soras-Quest-Cats-Eye-Chronicles/dp/0985166339/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1366405666&sr=8-1&keywords=sora%27s+quest

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soras-quest-t-l-shreffler/1110565586?ean=2940033233687