This week’s Indie Author Spotlight is Kenya Winn with his debut: The Reidanian Wars. Like many independent authors, Kenya felt that a lot of work in the world tended to be similar and wanted something different. Not finding that, he decided to write his own. This mantra all of us readers have repeated so often in our minds, but so few of us take the initiative to change that.
Author’s Name
Kenya Winn
Book Title
The Reidanian Wars
Book Genre:
Epic Fantasy
What’s the audience for this book?
YA
Where can I get this book?
You can get this book on Amazon.com
What inspired you to write your latest book?
I didn’t know of many fantasy authors as a kid, I knew the big names and that was it. And soon all the things I read started becoming repetitive. I wanted to write something different, something I would enjoy. That and I really wanted to write about cool magic and creatures.
How do you think your book stands out in its genre?
I could tell you that it’s the magic system, the characters, the storyline, the tropes, the structure. But the reality is that there are so many writers in the world; it’s bound to overlap into someone else’s interpretation. I think what’s unique is my voice, the way I’ve told my story.
Can you share a memorable moment or challenge you faced while writing your book?
A challenge I faced was the middle, I had the beginning and the end, but the bridge between them frustrated me and even caused me to leave it for 6 months.
The most memorable moment was when I gave it to my Beta reader, and she literally gave me a smack on the shoulder for something I did to a character (no spoilers
) and continued to vent and speculate what might happen next. The fact that she got so worked up about a character I’d written, so invested in a world I made, was just amazing.
What do you hope readers take away from your book?
My biggest goal with my writing is always to evoke emotion. I hope to provide a world my readers can escape to, and I hope to make them laugh or cry or something. I hope they find themselves in my characters and feel at home.
Who are your biggest literary influences, and how have they shaped your writing?
My biggest influences are Patrick Rothfuss (who’s Kingkiller Chronicles inspired my narrative voice), Neil Gaiman (who’s many works, including Norse Mythology and Coraline, influenced my expansion of my literary skills in exploring different ways of approaching magic and character-building), and Ursula le Guin (who’s Wizard of Earthsea sparked my love for magic and fantasy)
What is your approach to world-building in your narratives?
To be honest I don’t really have an approach per se. I have the basics set out in my head of the world, and I flesh it out as I write, as and when I feel it’s needed. I’m a real panster in that regard.
How do you balance writing with other responsibilities in your life?
When I started writing, it was in between classes, whenever I got a burst of inspiration in the middle of the night, but otherwise it would stay untouched for weeks. In the last year I sat down and set time aside everyday, even if it was just half an hour, to write. It’s hard sometimes, because life doesn’t stop just because you want to write. But with support and encouragement from my community, I managed to balance writing with my other responsibilities and found my love for my writing even more.
What has been your experience with self-publishing, and what advice would you offer to aspiring indie authors?
This is my first book, my debut. I’m publishing it on Amazon and it was so much easier than I had built it up to be. I’ve so far had an amazing experience with self-publishing. My advice would be to leave the overthinking for the novel. There is such a big writing community willing to help and back you up along your journey. My other advice is realize that it takes time. Everyone wants their book to be an instant hit. The reality is that for most it doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself and know that it doesn’t generally reflect on your writing; it just needs to find its audience.
Can you describe a character from your book that you feel particularly connected to?
I feel most connected to my MC Lazarus. I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the last three years as I’ve written this book and he’s developed a lot from when I started writing. He goes through a lot in the book, and the book is centered around him so I’ve come to know him more deeply than my other characters. He is a character I’ve dissected over and over again and so I feel connected to him in particular.
What are your future writing projects, and how do they build upon your previous work?
‘The Reidanian Wars‘ falls part of the ‘Reidanian Wars‘ trilogy, of which the next two books explore life as it evolves in Reidania, and eventually beyond. I’m really excited for the next two books.
I write other genres and have other projects in progress that I’ll be publishing along the course of the next few years.
What is your book’s blurb?
Reidania has never known true peace. The Great Division tore the land apart. Decades after, Lazarus’ family is confronted with the past; remnants of the mostly forgotten history creeping back up to claim the land. But, as history goes, the Kingdom of Man is skilled in twisting history to serve its cause, and Lazarus finds himself front and centre of one of the greatest wars Reidania will ever see. And he’s taken it upon himself to stop it.