Indie Author Spotlight: Interview with Natasja Eby Part 3
Welcome back for the third portion of my interview with Canadian author Natasja Eby! If you haven't read part one, click here. If you need to read part two, click here. Otherwise, please continue scrolling to check out the conclusion. Let's get right to it...
Indie Author Spotlight: Interview with Natasja Eby - Part Three
Natasja: I do almost all of it! I make my own covers, albeit with a lot of input from trusted friends. I learned how to make an interior with help from a friend who did my very first cover and interior for me. I do all my marketing, too, although you can hire a VA or PA to help. The only thing I don't do is edit my manuscript. I mean, I self-edit at least twice, but then I have an editor do the final read-through. I would say self-published authors can get away with doing a lot on their own but if you don't have an eye for design, hire a cover designer or buy a cover. There are lots of premade ones for good prices out there. And absolutely at least get a proofreader to read over your final product. You could have the best grammar in the world, but you'll always miss something, trust me
Me: I'm glad you included those pointers for potential writers who're reading right now. One of the most daunting things when I first started writing was finding good, reliable sources for information. One of the things I love about the series we're getting ready to discuss is the beautiful covers which allow the reader some lee-way in imagining the setting and character details. I think it's safe to say The Onepian Chronicles was a little bit of a change for you, going from YA to NA (or simply adult) and from contemporary fiction to science fiction. Since I'm not a fan of technically detailed or analytical sci-fi, I was happy to find your series a nice fit for my virtual bookshelf. What made you choose to write in this genre instead of a different variant of fantasy?
Natasja: I'd say it's because I grew up watching a lot of sci-fi shows (ones that I still love to this day). I love the idea of traveling to other planets and living on a spaceship and meeting aliens. I was one of those kids that genuinely wanted to be an astronaut at one point. I also really like reading sci-fi, and I'm okay with the heavier stuff, but like you, I enjoy the lighter side of it more.
Me: When I read the first book in this series, Quest for Onepus, I enjoy the setting, characters, and plot! I thought the interaction between the characters was well-done. And while it seems similar to some other works of sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk that exist, it wasn't the same. I enjoyed that, as well. Was there a particular story or movie which inspired you to tackle this book in this particular way?
Natasja: There wasn't really one thing in particular. The idea first came to me about a man who travelled all alone and... Well, having read a good chunk of my books, you know I could never leave someone alone like that! I set the book about 300 years from our present day in which humans have colonized other planets. I wanted it to feel familar and yet otherworldly because that's exactly what it is. I wanted that realism that makes you feel like it could actually happen one day.
Me: I definitely got that feel, like it was a possibility. One of the things I like about your writing is how you make the effort to give each character a different personality. While this made it a little harder for me to get into The RR5, once I got into the story, I loved seeing how the main characters grew. Do you have a particular method you follow for creating characters who are truly unique from the others in a book or series?
Natasja: I'm not sure I can pin that to any one method. I think I mentioned this before but my books pretty much all start with characters and I like them to be diverse. The Ryson siblings were a lot of fun to work with because I got to watch them grow up and as they did, they each evolved with their own personalities. I wanted them to be as real as real-ife siblings, so they have their similarities and differences and each has a special bond with the others. Sometimes I pre-plan certain aspects of my characters -- for example, Larson is the strong, silent type and Tawni is a very bubbly and optimistic person and they even each other out. A lot of the time, my characters' personality traits come out all on their own. (You haven't read To Earth and Back, yet but Gruff is quite the character and there was nothing I could do about her.) Characters are my favourite part of writing and I like it when they take on a life of their own.
Me: As a librarian, you have a wide variety of source information at your fingertips every working day. And I've always encouraged other writers, as well as pushing myself, to take advantage of all the resources around me to find out info about the things I don't know. I usually ask people I know or people my husband or children know. I would imagine you do this, too, having read the front matter in The Last Prince of Onepus. Do you ever interview people you don't know who are in various jobs or circumstances which you aren't certain about, but want to include in your stories? And do you find it easy or difficult to consult with someone?
Natasja: I have reached out to a lot of people over the past couple of years because, apparently, I like writing about things I know nothing about. I've talked to boers, fencers, medical professionals, ice skaters, soccer players, makeup gurus, and consulted many scientific articles and journals. The challenge with writing futuristic sci-fi is that we don't truly know what the future will look like. So I can get away with a lot, but I still have to make things realistic. There were a few friends and people I had reached out to on social media who helped me iron out some details, especially in The Last Prince of Onepus, because I don't know how to be a spy now or in the future. I find it's not really difficult to find someone who's an expert on the thing you want to know. But as I always say, when in doubt, ask a librarian.
Me: I have to smile about that because it really is so true! I must confess to skipping book three to go straight for book four. I just couln't wait to read about those two main characters. And I absolutely loved it. The series of events interested me, as well as the way the conclusion came about. Also, the path the characters followed to catch the villain was different than what I expected. Was this the original process or did their method of catching the villain morph with time and revisions?
Natasja: I had always planned to have Annia go undercover and try to win the heart of the bad guy. She's perfect for the role! As for the ending...That took me a while to figure out, but I like how it went down. I'll admit that sometimes Annia and Harper made decisions that boggled my mind, but I just ran with it. They make a good team and managed to pull it off in the end.
Me: Yes, they did! Which book in this series is your favorite and why?
Natasja: My favourite book in the series is easily Summer on Semerde. He's just a cool guy and I loved writing his arc. I want to say my most troublesome character is the female MC from the eighth book, Into the Stars. This shouldn't be much of a spoiler because it's in the blurb, but her fiancé passed away about a year bfore she meets the male MC and while I was writing it, there were honestly times I wasn't sure if she'd ever come around to seeing him romantically. I can't say too much more about that, other than that my readers should know by now that I love a happy ending.
Me: I look forward to reading that one. Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about this series?
Natasja: Yes! There's actually a sub-series for The Onepian Chronicles called The Onepian Chronicles Stories. They're all novellas/short stories about side characters from the main series (because you know how much I love side characters). Two novellas are already out and they're called A Bride for Onepus and Nagasani Dreams. For anyone who really wants a taste of what my series is all about, they can get either one for free if they sign up for my group's newsletter, The Indie Wordsmiths Newsletter. Otherwise, they're both available on Amazon for $1.99 each.
Me: That's awesome! And I'll just quickly encourage readers to click that link if they think they might be interested. I believe they won't be disappointed.
If you'd like to know more about Natasja's work and what she's up to on her author journey, you can check out her website here. You could also follow her on Facebook. If you don't do Facebook (like me), you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram by searching for @natasjaeby. Why not follow her AuthorTube vlog, too?
Thanks so much for reading the third portion of my interview with Natasja Eby. I've done my best to link each book/series to its Goodreads page and Natasja's various online sites and pages for your convenience.
I hope you'll return next Wednesday when I'll share the final few questions and you can see which of her books are now on my favorites list. Until then...
***** Our weather has been nasty so I don't know if I'll be posting on Friday or not. Every 8 - 10 years, we get icy weather in Louisiana and it effectively shuts down everything, sometimes even the electricity. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We'd appreciate it! *****
***** Also to note, I was not paid to interview Natasja Eby. I'm simply trying to spread the word about good books by indie authors and help to market their hard work. *****
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