Author Interview with Fantasy Author, MC. Sheridan

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Eliza: Thank you so much for joining me today! First off, I hope you’re doing well and staying safe during this crazy time.

M.C. Sheridan: It’s my pleasure, Eliza. Thank you so much for this opportunity. These have definitely been trying times for us all and I’ve been missing my friends and family back home but I’m keeping safe and hoping to see them all soon. I hope you and yours are doing well also.

Eliza: My husband is also into D&D, so of course I know a little about it secondhand! Have any D&D or RPG characters, that you’ve created, ever made it into your books?

M.C. Sheridan: First of all, I love RPG games. Much like writing, they’re an incredible way to let your imagination run free. If you ever get the urge to play, I highly recommend them. Second, I’m so glad you asked that question. I’m beaming right now. The Adventures of Dauntless Grimm was inspired by an RPG campaign my awesome husband put together as a last-minute Christmas gift for me. It started off as a one-time session and I just fell so much in love with my character that I had to breathe life into her. I began writing short stories about her and my husband enjoyed them so much, he suggested I write a book, and a few years later, I’m a published writer with the second book almost ready for editing. Writing Dauntless has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and it’s all thanks to an amazing partner and a fun tabletop game.

Eliza: I noticed that you label your book, The Echo, as a New Adult book. What unique challenges are presented with that genre?

M.C. Sheridan: I’d say finding where it belonged was the most difficult part. I’m still a new writer so when starting out, I had to do quite a bit of research as to what genre my book fell under and New Adult wasn’t a term I was familiar with yet. I found that because of the main characters’ age and themes of the book, it walked this thin line between the Young Adult (main characters being age 14-17) and New Adult category (Age 17-mid twenties). Because my main characters are age 18 and older when the first book begins and (*teeny tiny spoiler alert) I knew the overall series would later take a darker tone with more adult content as the books progressed, I decided it definitely belonged under the New Adult genre.

Eliza: I love the setting in your book. How long did you spend worldbuilding?

M.C. Sheridan: Thank you so much. Oh gosh. Forever. About four years and counting. I’ve plotted almost every major happening for the series so far and I’m still world building in my head every day. Any time I get an idea I’m running to the nearest device or piece of paper to write it down. I even have one of those waterproof notepads in case I get an idea in the shower which happens A LOT. Worldbuilding has been some of the funnest parts of the ride for me and I get excited whenever I come up with new ideas for the story.

Eliza: I think most writers are a little more conscious about how we write female characters. What are your tips for writing a strong female character?

M.C. Sheridan: No matter who they are, I think all of my characters are both strong and weak at the same time. I’ve made them all flawed in some ways and excel in others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and I wanted my characters to make all kinds of mistakes, but learn from them and grow over time as well. I truly believe that strength is the ability to see where you can improve and also accept that we are not perfect but still love ourselves and others for it. If I were to give any tips on how to write any character, I’d say to write them how they want to be written. If you listen, they’ll tell you who they are and yell at you when you get them wrong.

Eliza: How long did it take you to write your book?

M.C. Sheridan: From the moment I decided to write it, I believe the first book took over a year before I was able to publish it. The Novella The Echo almost never existed. I started off writing my current book, The Ship, which was supposed to be the first in the series but it just didn’t feel right to start it the way that I did. I wanted to tell the story of Dauntless from the beginning so I put The Ship aside and began working on the prelude. Once it was finished, it felt right and I was ready to get back to what will be the first full-length novel of the Dauntless Grimm series.

Eliza: When did you decide that you wanted to self-publish?

M.C. Sheridan: Almost as soon as I decided to publish my work. I wanted to try self-publishing first so I could learn how to get started on my own before querying and I’ve enjoyed the experience. I’m still not sure if I want to go the traditional publishing route but like anything in life, I like to be open to all possibilities. 

Eliza: Do you have any tips for wanna-be indie authors that are afraid to publish their first book?

M.C. Sheridan: I’m a scaredy-cat. Everything scares me but I make sure to do all the things that scare me. If I didn’t, I know I’d end up doing nothing and just stay scared. If you want to publish your book and fear is the only thing holding you back, don’t let it stand in the way of doing what makes you happy. Do it. Even if it scares you, do it. You’ll be glad you did. 

Eliza: Do you have anything you’d like to promote? And please tell everyone where they can find you around the internet.

M.C. Sheridan: Yes, my first book The Echo A Prelude to the Adventures of Dauntless Grimm, is currently being edited for a re-release and soon after, the second book in the series, The Ship will be coming out beginning of the New Year. You can visit my website mcsheridan.com where you can sign up for my mailing list or find me by my Twitter handle @MCSheridan2 

Thank you so much again, Eliza. This was a lot of fun. Wishing you and all those reading, a very happy day. Stay safe, everyone. 

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A huuuuge thank you to M.C. Sheridan for this interview. I had tons of fun coming up with the questions for this one! If you love interviews like this one, sign up for my newsletter! I will send you an email to catch you up on the latest content and keep you informed when anything exciting is coming up. You also get a free book, which is pretty much awesome.