author interview – Writer's Edit

Few things get us more excited here at Writer's Edit than a brand-new book release... And the excitement only doubles when it's a Talem Press book from our very own Founding Editor, Helen Scheuerer! In 2017, Helen launched her bestselling debut novel, Heart of Mist, the first instalment in her young adult fantasy series. And in just a few weeks' time, readers will be able to continue the epic journey with the highly anticipated sequel: Reign of Mist! Book II in The Oremere Chronicles is set to raise the stakes, ramp up the action and delve deeper into the intriguing cast of characters we met in HoM. In case you missed it, here's the official synopsis and cover... The realm’s darkest secret is out. The cruelty of the capital and the power-hungry King Arden have scattered Bleak and her companions across the continents. On the run in a foreign land, Bleak finds herself tied to some unexpected strangers. When the answers she yearns for are finally within reach, she must face the hard truths of her past, and take her fate into her own hands before it’s too late. Meanwhile, secrets and magic unravel as a dark power corrupts the realm. Bleak’s friends are forced to decide where their loyalties lie, and who, if anyone, they can trust. But one thing is certain: war is coming, and they must all be ready when it does. Intriguing and action-packed, Reign of Mist is the second instalment in Helen Scheuerer’s epic YA fantasy series, The Oremere Chronicles. After seeing such success with Heart of Mist, it's been a bit of a whirlwind journey for Helen as an indie author. So let's dive into some exclusive insight into the challenges of writing a sequel, the indie editing and publishing process, and what's on the cards for Helen's future... What was it like writing the second book in your series? Was it easier or harder than writing Book I? Initially I found it very easy to slip back into the world and the characters I'd created, but the further I got into the story, the more difficult it became. In hindsight, I should have done a lot more planning of the overall series before starting. Because I hadn't plotted in-depth there were definitely a number of times while writing that I wanted to pull my hair out! What was your favourite thing about writing Reign of Mist? (A favourite scene, a plot or character breakthrough, an 'a-ha' moment?) Haha, my favourite thing was actually when I figured out the ending, so I can't say much about it for obvious reasons. But in a nutshell, the ending had been troubling me for some time, and I rewrote it numerous times with different things happening to work out what was best. It actually wasn't until quite late in the rewrites that my editor and I came up with a solution. It was incredibly satisfying finally solving that piece of the puzzle! What was your editorial approach to RoM? Since working with beta readers for Heart of Mist I haven't looked back. Having early beta readers has been an immense support and comfort to me while I write. It's so rewarding to be able to bounce ideas around with editors and writers you trust. Without my betas, my books wouldn't be what they are today. After I work with the beta readers (usually about two rounds of revision), I then hand the manuscript over to my editor, who does a copyedit. After that, it's onto proofing. It's a very lengthy editorial process, but it means the final product is that much more polished. What did you learn throughout the process of publishing HoM that helped you improve the process for RoM? That's a really hard question because I learnt so so much. Working with beta readers was definitely something I discovered that has now become a massive part of my writing and redrafting process. As for publishing, I worked with a street team to help spread the word about Heart of Mist, which I've done again with Reign of Mist. It's led to so many opportunities like blog tours and people creating incredible fan art of my characters. I also really learnt the value of forming a community on social media and sharing my writing process with readers. That sort of content is something my followers have really connected with over the last year or so. RoM sees some major turning points and changes for The Oremere Chronicles' cast of characters. Which character's journey was your favourite to write in this book? Ahhhh another hard question! What I love about Reign is that we see all of the characters change and grow from who they were in the first book. As for a favourite... It depends what day you ask me really, but right now I'm really liking where Swinton's character is going. It's been a long time coming but he's facing some major demons in RoM. ;) You wrote a series of prequel stories to accompany HoM. Have you continued this process with RoM? Yes, absolutely! I love writing and publishing the prequel stories in between books as it helps me feel a sense of accomplishment while working on a larger-scale project. It also gives my readers an Oremere fix while they wait for the next book to come out! There are currently SIX free prequel e-shorts available, which readers can get here. I'll be publishing three more in between Reign of Mist and Book III, so keep an eye out for those! Two books in, are you still happy with your choice to pursue the indie publishing path? 100%. I've never looked back from choosing the indie path. It's enabled me to do so much more than I thought possible. I'm a full-time author off the back of one book; I've had total creative control and control over my publication schedule. Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly hard work. I work harder for myself than I ever would for anyone else, but it's the most rewarding way for me. What are the next steps you're planning to take on your author journey? Well, I'm currently writing the third and final book in The Oremere Chronicles. I hope to have it done in the next two months because there'll be a lot of rewriting involved. Book III will be out mid next year... It's so surreal to think that'll be the conclusion to this series. I've already got two books planned for 2020, and then a rough idea for a new series in 2021. So there's a lot in the pipeline! *** Fans of Heart of Mist, there's not long to wait to find out what happens next with Bleak, Henri, Swinton and the gang! Reign of Mist will be released worldwide on 13th September, 2018, so mark the date in your diaries. In the meantime, if you haven't yet read Book I of The Oremere Chronicles, check it out on Amazon. And for more info on Helen, her books and prequel e-shorts, check out her website. Happy reading!