1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE SPRING MAIDEN, Book One of The Cartographer’s War
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Instead of wiling away on Mount Olympus, our favorite Greek gods play residents of Faerie and powerful mages strutting about the higher echelons of proper society.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I really wanted to put these characters somewhere they haven’t had a chance to be in before. I’m mutually obsessed with fairies and Greek mythology, so why not put them together?
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Probably. A lot of Penny’s personality traits are different than mine and I’ve found the phrase “opposites attract” to not only be applicable to romance but friendship as well.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Determined, loyal, and adventurous. Penny is a girl that’s not afraid to kick butt and take names.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
How to write a book? Ha ha! This book is the second novel I’ve ever finished, and I learned that sometimes you have to take risks and force yourself to take leaps of faith over chasms you never thought you could span on your own two feet.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I would never finish a draft if I edited as I go. I have an entire wall of my office space dedicated to the outline of my story and I leave myself post-it notes on there for revisions as I draft. When I’ve completed a draft, I will refer to those notes during my editing process.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Many bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Peanut M&M’s have passed my desk.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a tiny corner of my bedroom dedicated to all things book. I live in a small house with my young family, so I had to carve out a space for myself to write. My desk just fits my giant laser printer, my laptop, and my water bottle. My space also has the one bookshelf in the house that is completely filled—two books deep and stacked from top to bottom—with books written by my friends and some of my favorite authors.
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are so many that I really do admire, but one that has dramatically influenced my life is Jeff Wheeler. I found his books at a very critical stage of my life, and he has become one of my dearest friends,
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Oh, so many! Books have been such a huge part of my life for so long. There have been so many times where a book has made an impact on me in an important season of my life.I guess I can say I remember distinctly the first book that I stayed up into the night reading. You know the one that makes your mom come in and threaten to take your book light? It was “The Fairy Rebel” by Lynne Reid Banks. I think I was eight or nine and that book was one of the first stories to really make fall in love with reading.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
That’s an insane story, but I can give the gist. It all happened over a single weekend. I had just finished my first draft of the last book in this series. For all of 2022, I had queried to try to get The Spring Maiden picked up by an agent. After dozens and dozens of queries, I had decided I didn’t want my book to have to go through what I was watching so many others go through. So, my husband and I had made the decision to go indie, but I told him we couldn’t do anything until I had finished the series. Not one week after I wrote “The End,” I was in communication with Oliver-Heber Books. I began talking with them Saturday and had a publishing contract in my inbox on Monday. It was such a whirlwind I think it took me two full months for me to actually process all of it.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I am a full fantasy geek. Give me fairies, dragons, and/or magic swords and I am all over it.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Either the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, or the Disney live-action Chronicles of Narnia adaptations. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I just bleed books at this point.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn. The crisp leaves, the hot chocolate, the sweaters.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Simply being with my family is the ideal birthday for me. I’m not a huge birthday person, so any excuse I have to play with my kids and make memories, I take it.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The most recent publication I loved was Brandon Sanderson’s “Tress of the Emerald Sea”. The story’s narrator had me chuckling the entire book.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
The edible kind. Seriously, I will pretty much eat anything, especially when I’m in good company.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read. Or write. I’m one of those people that really wouldn’t know what to do with free time if it was given to me.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Magic, mayhem, and a whole lot more books! The Cartographer’s War is only the beginning, and I have many, MANY more stories to tell.
The Cartographer’s War #1
A bewitching debut from a strong new voice in fantasy. The Spring Maiden is everything. Book one in The Cartographer's War gives us a fierce, relatable heroine, forbidden love, and a noble quest to root for.
Powerful plant mage and heir-apparent to the Duchy of Eleusion, Penny Barclay lives each day under two strict rules: Don't shame the family's magical heritage, and don't allow any man to turn her head.
While she knows her mother's restrictive rules come from a place of love, Penny doesn't always agree on how they should be followed-particularly with a rebellion threatening their way of life.
The rebels' goal? For all magic wielders to be enslaved under those who have not received such a gift from the Goddess.
When whispers of a rebellion reach Penny's ear, she knows she must do whatever it takes to uproot the rebels from her lands. And this is her chance to prove to her mother she can take on more than her mother believes she can. But Penny can't possibly uncover the sinister plot on her own-not without her mother finding out and locking her away for the rest of her life.
When Lou, a handsome spy sent by the Crown to investigate the rebellion, arrives with the expertise she needs to accomplish her goals, Penny demands she be included in his mission to help Lou uncover the leader of the rebellion... even if it costs her everything, including the freedom she's longed for.
Young Adult | Fantasy | Coming of Age [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: October 3, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781648394393 / ]
Allison Anderson lives her best life as a wife, a mom, a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and a fantasy writer. As a life long fantasy nerd, she finds it natural to create stories of her own and you can often find her jotting down new story ideas or talking about dragons. She’s spent most of her life across the southwestern United States.
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