With me today is Claudette Marco,
author of Satchel & Sword I: The
search for the Saluka Stone. Before we get to the interview, let's learn a little more about this exciting new book:
SATCHEL & SWORD I (The Search for the Saluka Stone)
by Claudette Marco
Synopsis:
In the land of time and
Queens, one young woman sought not greed, but justice!
Satchel & Sword I:
The Search for The Saluka Stone is part one of a Young Adult Epic Fantasy
trilogy chronicling the struggles and perseverance of Nevaline Scarcliff, a
15-year-old foot soldier living in the militarist, matriarchal territory of
Amazonia. The greedy Amazonian Queen forces her army to march north to fight
against Amazonia's rival territory: Hychester. They must march through the
bewitched Blackbern Forest in order to conceal their attack. There, Nevaline
and her best friend Cairine wield their Claymores in perilous battles against
mercenaries, thieving Harpies, giant, human-eating Pophagi, enemy soldiers, and
a group of malevolent sorcerers called the Sables. Nevaline also discovers her
true destiny: she must destroy Micdian, the God of Verahain (Purgatory), who
descended to earth to enslave all in the continent of Kordalis and the northern
islands of the Caátlach Ocean. She must retrieve the Saluka Stone and use it to
awaken him and destroy him. Will she recover the Saluka Stone? Will she claim
justice and destroy Micdian?
Want to read more? Kindle price $0.99/£0.77!! Amazon .com | Amazon .co.uk
Please help me welcome Claudette!
Cherie: Tell us about your
novel, Satchel & Sword I: The Search
for the Saluka Stone in your own words.
Claudette: The struggles of a teenaged girl in a time of societal
unrest and the will to never surrender hope for a better future… This is the
story Nevaline Scarcliff, a 15-year-old foot-soldier living in the militarist,
matriarchal territory of Amazonia. Her
mother died at childbirth and, at eight years old, her father disappears and
she is taken into the custody of the Amazonian government. She is placed into
the United Warriors Training Camp. After much anger and frustration, she
accepts her lot in life as a soldier, training arduously physically and with
the sword, her Amazonia-issued Claymore sword, because if she does not, it
means her death on the battlefield. But she accepts this because she has been
taught patience and shown love by her Mythics teacher Master Sjhong, whom she
also loves and admires as much as her own father.
The greedy Queen of Amazonia declares war on Hychester, a territory to
the distant north and orders her army to march through the bewitched Blackbern
Forest to conceal their attack. But, much to Nevaline’s surprise, her path
would veer away from the army.
Cherie: Sounds intriguing. Can
you tell us a little about your writing process?
Claudette: I have spent my whole life looking for a career that would
best fit my interests and abilities. When I found writing, it felt like two
gears clicking perfectly into each other. When I started, the story just flowed
out of me. I wrote close to 2000 words a day while working. What I enjoyed most
in life was writing the college research essay. So I kept those habits when
writing S&S like keeping a notebook for my notes about the story and
characters, researching aspects of the Scottish, Mexica, and Mongolian culture
which I include as details in the backdrop of the story, and I even drew a map
to give the readers a guide for the story.
Cherie: Where did you get the
idea for your novel?
Claudette: I was always fascinated by the idea of the Amazon, the
female-led government. What would it be like? Who would run it? How would it be
administered? Also, I wrote this book during a rough time in my life, and I
wanted others to feel empowered by this story, as much as it made me feel at
peace with myself and gave me confidence to actually be myself. So, I wanted
the message to be that the underdog has hope, one must never give up in their
dreams of getting out of a bad situation, or their dreams of achieving
something when the future looks like a never ending plateau. I was starting my
life from scratch, just finding the career I love doing, so I wanted my main
character to be someone just starting out their life as well, and what better
person than a teenager. Teenagers have already had schooling, a taste of what
life is going to be like when it comes to dealing with rules, improvisation, and
formulating goals for themselves. So everything fit.
Cherie: That’s a great message.
What was your favorite or most difficult chapter to write?
Claudette: My favorite and, also, most difficult parts to write were
not so much chapters but the characters. I spent a lot of time honing what they
were going to say, how they were going to react to situations. I needed them to
be true to their personality and upbringing, and their actions had to reflect
that. For example, Master Sjhong and Farjon are distinct characters that needed
an added touch which, I must say, was an exhilarating process for me. I loved
this.
Cherie: Can you share with us
something about you that we may not already know?
Claudette: I have spent much time trying careers that were not meant
for me and I kept trying to make them work because I was afraid of failing.
Failure has a pejorative meaning to it which leads people down wrong paths in
life, or, something which can be worse, keeps people from living to their full
potential. It did both for me, but I kept fighting back, and I learned not to
take failure as a strike against me in life. I learned what I can and cannot
do. Failure can actually lead to fulfillment, you just have to go for it.
Cherie: So true! What are you
working on now?
Claudette: Right now I am working on publishing this trilogy, the
second book will come out March 4th 2014, my 34th birthday,
and the third I have not decided yet when. I have started the next book which
is a Sci-fi adventure.
Cherie: Now that we know about
your book and you as a writer, I have some fun questions for you. Try to answer
in five words or less:
Favorite color? Red.
Secret crush? (It can be anyone
real or fictional.) Not really a secret, but
it always will be Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Do you believe in love at first
sight? Yes, but likes and dislikes must
click as well.
Have
you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone
feeling yourself? The first time I saw Stone Cold Steve Austin on television!
Who are you drawn to the good
guy or the bad guy? Both. I love exploring
both in my writing.
If you had all the money and
time in the world, where would your dream vacation be? Smoo Cave in northern Scotland.
Are you a morning person or an
evening person? A little of both.
Favorite author? Agatha Christie
Favorite movie or television
show? The Lord of the Rings/Xena: Warrior
Princess
Guilty pleasures that get you
through the writing/revising process? Never did get to enjoy myself fully in the
careers I tried. With writing, I get to indulge in my fulfillment.
Favorite place to write? In front of a
window with a view of plants, nature.
Who is your mentor (or hero)? My parents Jose and Virginia Marco, and various teachers
I have had in school like Sister Terese, Sister Christine Beach, my advisor in
high school Mr. Marcus Lewis, my advisor in college Prof. Michael Mcbride, and countless other
teachers.
What book are you the most
excited to read? I look forward to anything
fantasy/sci-fi. But I like re-reading books more than once like any of Agatha
Christie’s Hercule Poirot mysteries and Isaac Asimov. One book I really liked
was Hyperion by Dan Simmons.
Are there any types of books
you don’t read? I read a little bit of
everything, except erotica. The bulk of my interests are in fantasy, sci-fi,
and mysteries, but I also love reading horror, experimental, and even westerns
too.
Thanks so much for being here
today!
Author Bio:
Claudette Marco,
scrivener of poetry and short stories since she was a child, earned a B.A.
degree from Whittier College, soul budding in world wild. After many years of
toil, soul searching for relief, she finally reclaimed path towards labor
complete: writing. Home locates in Covina, CA.
Connect with Claudette
Instagram: @Telekorn | LinkedIn: Claudette Marco
Can't wait to see the rest of the trilogy! Such an interesting interview.
ReplyDeleteThanks =)
DeleteI'm looking forward to the rest of this one too.