Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Illuminated is the first of two books. It’s a YA coming-of-age contemporary fantasy with a lot of suspense. We follow Nikki, a sixteen-year-old teenager, as she deals with changing friendships and general teenage drama. On top of that, she thinks she’s at the beginning of a psychotic episode because she’s heard her grandmother suffered from a similar condition. Little does she know, it’s actually a supernatural power that allows her to feel people’s emotions, hear their thoughts, and understand their beliefs. But it goes further than that: she can also use them to alter all these things, control and manipulate people. Nikki didn’t think she’d use them in such a way, but when a dangerous siphoner threatens to drain her powers and essence—leaving nothing but an empty shell—she starts to get more desperate for answers. But how much control is too much? When will it start to change who you are?
Do you have a favorite character?
I love Nikki, the main character, especially the growth she goes through. Adolescence is a turbulent time where we’re looking for our identity, finding our place in the world. That’s hard enough as it is, especially when we’re faced with difficult situations and changing relationships. It can make us feel insecure and impressionable. Nikki, to me, embodies all those things. She makes mistakes—some rather big ones—but she learns from them and starts to see that her actions have consequences for everyone around her.
I also have a soft spot for Lorene; she was just a great character to write.
Briefly describe your journey in writing your first book. Have you joined any FB author groups to inspire and help you along the way?
It was a long journey, that’s for sure. I’d initially written a manuscript for an entirely different story with the help of a writing community online. However, after tinkering with that one for a long time, I felt I wasn’t where I needed to be as a writer to tell that story properly.
So, I started writing some short stories, and one of them evolved into Illuminated. It started out very different, but with the help of a writing coach I’d contacted, we slowly evolved it into the story it is now. She’s been incredibly helpful and invaluable as she didn’t just help me improve my story but become a better writer as well.
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book?
Well, I think what most authors hear these days is that a traditional publisher hardly doesn’t do any marketing for you; you have to do that yourself anyway.
In that sense, I figured it would be a lot more time-consuming to go through the whole query process when, generally, the advance for a new author isn’t that high. Aside from that, you have a lot more control over your book when you self-publish and a lot more freedom to try out different things when it comes to marketing as well.
Self-publishing has certainly been a great learning experience, and I’ll continue to go down that route. I might try traditional publishing one day, but it’s not a part of my plans just yet.
Do you regularly send out a newsletter? How are you recruiting new subscribers? Do you have a reader magnet?
I have a newsletter that I send out once a week. There, I like to give fun, slightly exaggerated stories of my life (with a bit of magic in them) to entertain my readers, give them updates on my process, and recommend new fantasy or sci-fi books.
I recruit them through my website, where I currently have a short story as a reader magnet. I’ve used other types of magnets in the past, such as a bookish bingo and reading challenge.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I like to do a combination of both. I do outline my story—I find it helps if I consciously think about my story and the kind of journey I want my characters to go through. It sort of kickstarts my imagination.
Then, I’ll often have moments during the day where certain scenes or parts of the stories play out inside my mind, and I write down those ideas until I have a functioning outline.
As I write, the outline often changes. I think it’s never a good idea to hold rigidly to an outline. Sometimes you just come up with better ideas as you write. That’s all part of the process and part of the fun!
What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?
Go for it! Don’t let fear and doubt hold you back. I know it can be scary to put a piece of yourself out there for others to judge, but we’ll never accomplish anything if we listen to our fears.
Aside from that, I found that learning is very important. Keep reading books, both for your craft and for becoming more familiar with your genre. Read articles online and follow courses to get yourself as prepared as can be for everything you need to do for publishing, promoting, and marketing your book.
If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask to help. I’ve found that many writers are extremely willing to help. There are many writing groups on Facebook, and all of them have kind-hearted writers who’ve been where you are.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I suppose saying reading would be a bit lame. It’s funny, I also still always say my passion is music, as I was very active with singing and playing the guitar. However, it’s been quite a while since I’ve touched my guitar or sung a song. But when it comes down to it, I’m still very passionate about music.
I think art is simply my passion, whether it’s creating or observing something someone else created. I’m also an avid gamer, especially games with amazing stories and world building like the Witcher, Zelda, or Skyrim. To me, games can be art as well.
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
Cats. I have a cat, so I have to pick it or risk his wrath. He’s a sweet, slightly obese fluff-ball we picked up from the shelter. I love dogs, but I just prefer cats a little bit more.
Chocolate. It’s not even a debate—chocolate, always.
Coffee. I think there’s no better match than writers and coffee. Although, it actually took me a long time to get used to the taste.
Text. I mean, it depends on the person, but I do have slight anxiety when it comes to talking to people over the phone. I honestly couldn’t tell you why, but it’s always been that way.
Day. There’s something soothing about the night as well, but I do prefer the day. Especially when the weather is nice, and the sun’s out. I’m also one of those people who dislike winter because the days are so short.
Some other fun facts: I collect funkos (when I have the money), hope to one day have a big collection of awesome swords (I now have one blade; they’re just really expensive), love to go horseback riding, and am currently trying to design the interior of our new home (somewhat successfully. I hope.).
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on the second and final book for the Illuminated duology. I’m already very excited about it. Hopefully, I’ll have it out in the spring or summer of 2023.
I’ve also been working on an outline for a new fantasy trilogy—this one will have dragons! I personally love dragons in stories, so I obviously had to write at least one book that features them. Can’t say for sure when it will be finished, but hopefully somewhere by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024.
Blurb:
In this coming-of-age YA contemporary fantasy, a teenage girl has her life turned upside down when her family is breaking apart, and she discovers her supernatural powers. There’s no time to deal with it, however, as she’s targeted by a dangerous power-siphoner.
Nikki Chase, a 16-year-old striver, feels like her life is falling apart around her. Her parents’ marriage seems in trouble, her best friend prefers to spend time with the popular girl, and she’s quite certain she’s on the verge of a psychosis. After all, normal people don’t see colors around people or hear voices, right?
When a volunteering assignment leads her to a mental hospital, Nikki is determined to figure out what’s going on with her—and if perhaps she belongs in that facility. What she discovers is nothing she expected: Lorene, a volunteer, tells Nikki she’s not crazy but, in fact, has the power to influence people’s thoughts and beliefs. However, someone has been sucking the power out of people just like her, leaving them behind as an empty shell. Desperate for help and someone to trust, Nikki teams up with Lorene to discover who is behind the siphoning. But can she stop them before she becomes a victim? And can she do so without becoming addicted to the power herself?
Fans of suspenseful contemporary fantasy will love this YA coming-of-age fantasy thriller book about coping with difficult emotions, navigating relationships with family and friends, and the addictive quality of power.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62849849-illuminated
Purchase:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XmrdPh
AUTHOR BIO:
Iris Marsh is a behavioral researcher turned writer. As such, she focuses on her character’s journeys as well as the plot. Her YA fantasy debut novel Illuminated is no exception: it’s both suspenseful and heavy on character development. Currently, she lives in the Netherlands with her partner and cat.
She would be overjoyed if you visited her website IrisMarsh.com and would love it if you followed her journey on Instagram.
Author links:
https://nl.pinterest.com/Iris_Marsh_author/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22915629.Iris_Marsh
https://www.instagram.com/irismarsh.author/
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the book tour! I really appreciate it :)
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