Valkyrie’s Judgement: WA Spotlight
Hi'ya!
Valkyrie’s Judgement is flat-out-uber one of the best stories I read on wattpad in 2012! And today I’m happy to say that author Michelle Louring (@ResoundingEcho) is here with the ever-headstrong Aeliss to dicuss the making of this awesome fantasy/action epic. So let’s dig in!
Author Bio:
Michelle Louring is the author of fantasy fiction, most notably the Angel’s Voice Series.
The first book in the series, Resounding Echo, is available at every major ebook retailer and as paperback on Amazon.
On top of that, she’s also an author at Wattpad where her works include Valkyrie’s Judgement.
Outside of the life of a writer, she’s living with her two Samoyed dogs, her cat and her Burrowing Owl who is a little too fond on landing on her keyboard while she tries to write.
Synopsis:
Aeliss grew up as a noble, far from the reaches of the criminal underworld.
Never had she thought that she would end up as an assassin’s apprentice, and later become the assassin known as the Valkyrie. A valkyrie, the female warrior who judged who should die on the battlefield. In this case the battlefield of the criminal world.
But can a valkyrie fall in love with a human? Especially a human who’s judgment already have been passed?
Author Interview:
1. Describe your book in only 10 words – go!
A fast-paced fantasy peppered with an assassin or two. Ten…
2. So how did it all begin, man? What was the inspiration for your story?
Man? I take offense by that…
Just kidding, my friends have started to call me ‘Bro’ lately. Is it strange to be flattered by that…?
To answer your question, Valkyrie’s Judgement was the result of the storm of new story ideas that erupt in your head when you’re supposed to be working on something else(In this case it was when I was about halfway through Resounding Echo).
Unlike most of the other ideas, this one actually turned into something with potential and as such it was saved from the fate of being abandoned after the first couple of chapters, which is what happens to most of the random ideas that pop up in the mind of a writer.
I think one of the major inspirations for doing an assassin story came from reading The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks back then. There’s just something fascinating about exploring the mind of people for whom killing is employment.
3. And what can you tell us about the creation process – plotting, setting, and characters? How did that all come together?
Aeliss, like many of my other characters, has been stewing in my mind for years. In most fiction stories, the people who choose the path of an assassin come from poor and horrible lives. I found the idea of a character that went from the luxurious life of a noblewoman to an outlaw way more fascinating, and that was how Aeliss was born.
To be perfectly honest, there was hardly much planning prior to starting Valkyrie’s Judgement. I threw myself into the story with only the raw character of Aeliss, and ended up building a world around her. As soon as I created a world that could foster a person like her, creating other characters that would fit into that world seemed fairly easy.
4. What part did you enjoy writing/editing the most: the beginning, the middle or the end - and why?
Definitely the part where Aeliss is introduced to the life of an assassin. The place where you truly get to know your characters is where you have to write them in setting that is brand new and unfamiliar to them. Aeliss has to deal with the transition between a sheltered noble and a detached killer. I always enjoy the parts focusing on character development.
5. What would you say is the main theme of the story?
The challenges of being divided between two worlds as well as the struggles with accepting that not everything is black and white. Aeliss has to come to terms with her new life as a cold-hearted murderer and she has to embrace everything she has been told was wrong.
Character Interview:
1. So tell us a bit about yourselves guys?
Aeliss: *Sigh* Why exactly am I doing this?
Alright, alright… I’m Aeliss Wryngarde, daughter of the Wryngarde household and now an apprentice of the assassin Vo’ray Shaw.
2. So dude, who are you really?
Aeliss: Call me ‘dude’ one more time, and you’ll go home without a tongue. And who in their right mind asks an assassin something like that?
3. How you holding up with the progression of events in your story?
Aeliss: Which part? The one where my grandfather tries to marry me off like I’m some piece of cattle he can sell to the highest bidder? Or the part where I end up under the tutelage of a killer? I would say all of it is just dandy… I really enjoy all the times I get beaten up as well!
Trivia:
1. Most of Aeliss back story actually used to belong to Selissa, the main character of my book Resounding Echo. Selissa’s back story was heavily modified to fit with the setting of Resounding Echo, leaving Aeliss with the parts that didn’t fit.
2. The author believes that the character with the highest moral in Valkyrie’s Judgement is Aeliss’ master, the hardened assassin Vo’ray Shaw.
3. Aeliss and Selissa are the heroines of Michelle Louring’s main work and she often wonders who would win in a fight between them. Who do you put your money on?
You can read my real-time thoughts as I read it in my Valkyrie’s Judgement: WA Review/Preview here:
Or skip it or whatever and just read the full story for yourself here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/243495-valkyrie’s-judgment then let me know what you think in the comments!
If you enjoy this story as much as I did, be excellent and comment,vote,share or like it to support the author @ResoundingEcho
Valkyrie’s Judgement: WA Spotlight was brought to you by Matt Xell: Writer’s Advocate – powered by wattpad.
cheers and thanks for readin’
Matt
http://www.wattpad.com/user/mattxell
https://www.facebook.com/mattxell?ref=tn_tnmn
https://www.facebook.com/TheWritersAdvocateAssociates
https://plus.google.com/u/0/118375892329304825847/posts
https://twitter.com/#!/mattxell