Today I have Maer Wilson over for a chat. She’s found publication with Crescent Moon Press for her new novel, Relics, the first book in The Thalukan Chronicles.

Q. Where did the inspiration for your book come from?

Thank you so very much for having me on today, Chris.

This book actually grew out of the main characters, Thulu and La Fi.

I used to play World of Warcraft and made up the names Thulu and La Fi as nicknames for some friends whose names were similar.

Before I could tell them, the characters started clamouring in my head that these were their names.

I had a really good idea who they were pretty fast, so decided to see what came of it.

Q. Is this a stand-alone book or part of a series?

Relics is Book 1 of The Thulukan Chronicles.

Q. Can you talk about your experience of getting your book published?

I did the almost obligatory stint of trying to get an agent, but as I learned more about the publishing industry and saw how things were going, I quickly realised that traditional publishing wasn’t for me.

Years between contract and publication just wasn’t going to cut it.

So, I chose several small presses, with Crescent Moon Press being my first choice.

When I got that first email from them asking for my full manuscript, I was thrilled.

When the contract offer came in a few weeks later, I was over the moon.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me and I’m very lucky I found them.

Q. Did you have your own personal ’darkest hour’ in the process of getting your novels written and published (for example, a moment you thought it would never happen), and how did you get through it to achieve success?

Surprisingly enough, there was a time just a few weeks before my contract offer.

I’d become convinced my book was awful.

I’d already chosen my small presses and had been working on my rewriting my query again when this happened.

So, I sent several queries to my top picks all at once, figuring to get all my rejections over with quickly.

Within two hours I had the first request for the full manuscript in, which was from Crescent Moon.

A few days later I received my second request. I figured maybe my book didn’t suck after all. 🙂

Q. Which character other than your MC is your favourite? Why?

Hmmm…I vacillate between Jones and Reo because I adore them both.

So today, I’ll pick Jones.

I love how enigmatic he is and can’t wait to see what else he’s going to bring to the series.

He has so many layers that aren’t discovered yet in Relics, but I think he is my most fascinating.

He’s also my biggest challenge to write since he’s over 8000 years old.

Q. Who are your favourite authors?

George R. R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, Anne McCaffrey, Isaac Asimov, to name only a very few.

Q. Can you share a bit about your next project?

I’m working on Book 2 of The Thulukan Chronicles, Portals.

I have one more read-through and revision to do before submission.

Q. What advice would you give to a budding writer about developing their craft, the business of writing, and the career of a writer?

To develop their craft, they need to read as much as they can, especially in their genre.

They also need to write as much as they can. The two go hand in hand, I think.

On the business of writing, they need to take their time and thoroughly polish the manuscript.

I think too often the excitement of actually finishing gets the better of some folks and they send off a manuscript that should have had more beta readers and more revising.

As for their career, once someone decides they are serious about writing they need to establish their presence online.

They should start a website or blog, build up their social media and join writing groups.

And they should always be polite and remember to keep their PR face on at all times.

That’s a lesson I brought with me from my years onstage, but I think it applies to authors as well.

Chris, thanks once again for having me over.

About Maer: After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while. Turns out she’s a writer. She’s always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. She has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard. When she’s not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. She lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her two dogs, a chihuahua and a poodle. You can visit her website at maerwilson.com. You can find Relics on Amazon.

You might also like Maer’s previous guest post: Maer Wilson – Methods to My Madness.