Why I write what I write by Lillian Archer
A hearty thank you to John Hartness for hosting me on his blog. Now go buy one of his books:)
I am Lillian Archer, purveyor of fine historical fantasy books. I started my publishing career with an agent, went through the process of trying to sell a book to traditional press and small press, and ultimately decided to self-publish instead of pursuing the traditional route.
John requested this series of posts to discuss why an author writes what they write. That is a very personal question, and one I am happy to explore today.
I write because my day job is one where humanity and empathy are discouraged, where cost and dollar amounts are the only currency of worth, and where being a woman is a shiny, glittering glass ceiling few shatter.
I write to express my empathy, my compassion, my love of dreamers, and empowerment of marginalized persons. I write to remind myself that my day job is not sucking the humanity from my marrow bones. I write to entertain, and hope my words bring a wee bit of joy to someone else’s day.
My first novel, Prodigal Spell, is set in Colonial Britain and the Caribbean.
I like using historical backdrops for my writing, taking the accepted social norms and mores of the time period and exploring those strengths and weaknesses. My main character is a female witch trapped by the expectations of society and how she blows those social constructs out of the water. Literally. (I love writing scenes where things blow up, because that is always an opportunity for delightfully awful things to happen to characters. Don’t read my work if you don’t like explosions.) My current work in progress’ main character is a female spy during the Cold War.
My work is not an “-ism”, nor is it a moral commentary on historical events. I write to provide a different perspective, and hope that is an enjoyable experience for my readers. And, I write to express historically accurate pyrotechnic opportunities of the time period.
If you are interested in Prodigal Spell, or my work, here are the requisite links. I am also open to talking about traditional route vs self-publishing. Email, follow on twitter, or friend me on Facebook. I also share a group blog called The Million Words, and we chat about all sorts of writing topics over there. Come find me out in Internet Land!
Website and blog: https://www.lillianarcher.com
Twitter: @lilliansbooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006923387669
Email- lily@lillianarcher.com
Prodigal Spell is available in ebook, print and audiobook on Amazon.
Also available in ebook on the iTunes store if you search for Prodigal Spell. If you love kobo, here is your link:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/prodigal-spell
