Today my blog guest is the author Stefanie Santone, who is here to tell us about her new book Tangled Magic.
Welcome, Stefanie! What prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?
I've been telling stories to myself for as long as I can remember. The first thing I ever sat down to write was an awful, awful Star Wars rip-off. I remember writing some of it on a yellow pad of paper, coming up with some character names, and then getting embarrassed and shoving it in my closet. At some point I'm pretty sure my younger self wanted to burn it, but I have settled with it being long, long gone.
As for what prompted me? I'm not sure I'll ever know. When I say I woke up at 13 and wanted to be a writer, it's not a joke - that's exactly how it happened.
Can you summarise your latest work in just a few words?
Supernatural detectives and shenanigans with a lot of danger. And gods.
What was the inspiration for this book?
One day it was pretty chaotic at the bookstore I worked at, and the phone kept ringing. It was a frustrating day, and after a while I had the urge to answer the phone and be funny and possibly inappropriate. I don't know where "Goddesses, Inc." came from, which is the detective agency in my book, but I do know that it went from me doing it to a character, and eventually the idea became: Goddesses, Inc. And the receptionist does not want to help.
Did you do any research for the book?
More than I planned! To start with I was researching everything from Viking-era ships and clothing to Norse mythology. Then I also had to learn more about my home state of Arizona, which allowed me to discover a lot more than I ever knew possible about my home. Hopefully more of those discoveries will make it into future books!
How do you decide on the names for your characters?
It depends on the character. Some of them I have fun with because, well, maybe the family they're in is kinda nuts and the names are slightly punny. When I was picking Charlie's name I had their introductory scene written in such a way that their name had to be masculine, even if they might not end up being. It doesn't make sense now, and a lot has changed since that first scene of theirs. Now, Charlie is Charlie, for better or worse!
Other names were more or less picked for me when this began to come together with the Norse gods and goddesses.
Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write?
A little of both. I always have an outline. My outline for my next book is almost 10K words! But I never tie myself to it because sometimes things come out while you're writing that you don't expect. I have to allow myself that freedom to explore what can just come out of writing without restrictions.
Now the book is published and "out there", how do you feel?
More or less? Relieved! Ecstatic! Hopeful! But also still terrified.
Is there a message for the reader?
I wrote with mental health in mind, and it's a theme in the book. That not everyone is what they seem. There are also other things; I think it's impossible to write a story and not weave messages and themes throughout, but what those are is often an interpretation of the reader. It doesn't matter what I say; they'll find their own meaning in it.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Never. Stop. Writing.
Also, your work will never be perfect; you'll never deliver a perfect product to your audience. Whether it's a typo, or a character quirk you wish you had added, nothing is perfect - and if you expect it to be, you will never publish. Let go of that and write without hesitation.
What can we expect from you in the future?
More books, and hopefully more series, are to come! I've been writing most of my life, and I don't plan on stopping now.
More about Tangled Magic:
What could possibly be worse than death? After all, Ragnarök has already happened.
Wild pixies in churches and bargaining with my soul probably weren't what my parents pictured when I told them about my new job. And that was just Day One!
Here I am at Goddesses, Inc. - a perfectly normal PI agency. Except it's run by literal goddesses.
That's right - I'm a (reborn) goddess. Pretty sure, anyway. Maybe?
And these wild cases are my responsibility. Unfortunately, there's something causing those fae pest control issues and the overflow just got deadly. Something is drowning swimmers days after they've left Oak Creek. Can Goddesses, Inc. get to the bottom of the mysteries before more people, or even a probably goddess, die?
More about Stefanie:
Stefanie Santone woke up at the age of 13 and decided to be a writer. For some reason, she thought a Literature BA looked less pretentious on paper than a Creative Writing one (which she got at Arizona State, so did she really need to worry?). She puts it to good use at her home in Mesa, Arizona, where she spends much of her time (not) writing. When her editor isn't whipping her into top form, one can find her reading, journaling, or playing Dungeons & Dragons while sipping coffee day or night.
books2read.com/tangledmagicwww.smashwords.com/books/view/
Huge thanks to Bittersweet Book Tours for the opportunity to take part in this event.
