SPFBO Author Interview - Eryn McConnell
What inspired you to write your SPFBO entry? Is there a particular story, personal experience, or idea that sparked this book?
The Sunset Sovereign started as a dream, really, but it was one element of it, including an Analyst, a prisoner, and a girl who was training to be an Advocate. There were no dragons, and I thought it was going to be entirely dystopian. I wrote part of it then stalled, as it wasn't complete. I stumbled over the name, The Sunset Sovereign, somewhere on my travels, and that linked me to the dragons, and the Sovereigns were live in my head.
How would you describe your writing process? How did it evolve during the creation of this book?
I mostly pants. I write, I dream, I write some more. But, that doesn't make for a good novel, so I had to do some planning mid-way to upskill myself and actually finish the damn thing. I was lucky as I got to work with a fantastic writing coach who helped me with the process and to go back to structure it some.
What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
I am a poet by trade, so writing fiction was very tough for me. It doesn't flow in the same way, it doesn't come from the same part of the brain, maybe, so it was a big adjustment. But I kept going, and I think I am better at it, finally! I still prefer to write poetry.
Who are your biggest literary influences and how have they impacted your writing style?
I studied Playwriting at University and at the time, my biggest influences were Chekhov and Ibsen. I can see those elements in my own fiction, still, as I write in scenes, using dialogue more than exposition.
How do you approach world-building in your fantasy novel? What elements do you think are essential for a compelling fantasy setting?
Well I shall fall back on another splendid writing person and quote them: Fantasy, like fairy tales, still must be believable. I paraphrase the good Professor but I hope he will forgive me. A world can have anything you like, but it needs to be believable. Give me backstory, or just a hint of it. Give me a sense of how old the world is, and how the people there live. If you give me magic, show me how it works.
If you could give a piece of advice to the main character in your book at the start of their journey, what would it be?
If I gave advice to Isobel she would probably not listen anyway! Or she would but she would overthink it. Isobel is a young character in The Sunset Sovereign, and she is unsure of her own place. I would advise her that while everyone else in the Capital seems to be settled and sure of their role, they have their own role and not hers. That she is part of the Sunset quarter and as such must embrace endings, speak for others, and own her own truths. That she does not have to be perfect. That she should have faith in who she is.
As a self-published author, how do you navigate marketing and promoting your work?
It's a necessary evil for trad and for self-published authors. I've had some poetry and some short fiction published the traditional way: I still had to knock on doors and wave it around so people knew it was there. It's a skill that is not a demeaning one, regardless of our feelings about it, and marketing is something we should all understand.
What made you decide to participate in the SPFBO competition? How do you think this experience will benefit you as an author?
Honestly, I thought it would just be a good craic. I am under no illusions about getting too far, as I know the standard of the entries is SO damn high. But I wanted to be part of a collective, to help lift other authors up and cheer them on.
If you were to win SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
Oh if I were to win? Ha! Well I suspect it will put pressure on me to write Book 2 of the Sovereigns faster, or even Book 3, considering the timescale of the competition. It would give me a personal boost, certainly.
What's next for you after SPFBO? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Lots.
I am a multi-genre author because I, like Isobel, don't listen to advice, so I swap genres far too often.
I am currently writing Book 2 of the Sovereigns series, which will eventually be a tetralogy, and that's The Sunrise Sovereign. I'm writing a Gothic inspired horror about a sentient, feral bookshop, which is almost finished, and I am about to polish and release a series of four dystopian Sci-Fi novellas set in Woestynn, a desert prison planet.
Next year I have plans to write a series of interconnected rather light-hearted cosy sci-fi novels, which include robots that like to spruce up towns, a group of elderly intergalactic librarians, and a B&B set at the edge of the universe.
I also have drafted three steampunk novellas, about sentient iron horses, an automated fair and an enchanted orchard of mechanical bronze trees. So that's my writing for 2024 sorted!
