Introductions
From sudden idea to six-part fantasy series: author Shelby Oval on what it takes
An idea for a novel can strike at any time, in any place. For award-winning fantasy author
Shelby Oval, it was in Slovenia, in the middle of a particularly strenuous hike.
"Write that down," her partner said when she told him the idea. "It's actually good."
The novel it became,
Out of Embers and Shadows, is the first of six in her Shadowfire series—a series that now includes a prequel set five hundred years before the events of the first book.
Soon after she started writing, Shelby realized it would be easier to use a computer rather than write everything by hand, as she had done in graduate school. Fully understanding she was a latecomer to the twenty-first century, she switched to Microsoft Word.
That didn't go so well. "Unfortunately, my laptop hated me and decided to die," she says, "taking with it over 20,000 words that I could not recover."
It was a learning experience, and now she has words of wisdom for the many writers who rely on computers every day: "Be crazy about saving your drafts, because you never know when technology will eat it and refuse to spit it out."
Noted!
Here's Shelby to talk a little about her life and work:
How did your major in English lead you to where you are today?
Originally, I was meant to be a scientist—environmental physicist to be exact—but one too many blows to the head had the math part of my brain rotting away like wood on an old dock. So I turned my passion for facts and clear-cut answers to the only other subject that could possibly make sense: English. I majored in English with a minor in gender studies (sociology) and found that while I did not have the answers to why the curtains were blue in
Madame Bovary, I did in fact like to read and could do so very well and with increasing speed. What I found I loved even more than reading was telling stories and helping others tell stories, thusly I became a middle school teacher. Middle school is the best age as they are not always sticky, and ask delightfully left-field questions!
What inspired your very first novel?Out of Embers and Shadows was conceived during a brutal hike in Slovenia. As I usually do, I was rambling to my partner as we climbed, and he stopped after a particularly random idea had sprung from my mouth. "Write that down. It's actually good," he instructed. So there I was, on the side of a mountain, scribbling an idea down in the margins of
Song of Achilles. From there I have written four of the six books for the series, as well as a prequel set five hundred years before the events of
OES. You can find the first three published books of the Shadowfire series on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and the first two on Audible. The Emperor's Assassin is on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited (and there may be an audiobook on the way!)
I would like to finish as many books as possible in order to quell the storm of voices in my head.
What's a mistake you made early in your writing career that you'd like to help others avoid?When I first started writing, I decided to step into the twenty-first century and use my laptop—Microsoft Word—instead of handwriting everything first like I did with my graduate school theses. Unfortunately, my laptop hated me and decided to die, taking with it over 20,000 words that I could not recover. I cried. I threw up. I screamed. I quite literally went through every cycle of grief. Do not do what I did. Constantly save, upload, and draft. Send it to your e-mail account every couple of days (or every day after you finish up). Be crazy about saving your drafts, because you never know when technology will eat it and refuse to spit it out.
Also, I took a course—and I won't name it because that feels rude—that charged me an absurd amount of money to "teach me to be a self-published author." I was diligent. I took notes, attended every class, had a mentor and everything. I learned close to nothing. They did not help me learn about Amazon or how to market myself.
What are some of your goals in the short term?While I am out of the classroom, I would like to finish as many books as possible in order to quell the storm of voices in my head. Hopefully people will like my stories enough to want to keep reading them and I will be allowed to continue pouring my soul onto the page even when I do reenter the classroom. On a more realistic note, I would love to finish the Shadowfire series within the next two years as well as write the sequel to
The Emperor's Assassin, before moving onto my other fantasy series and some standalone, out-of-genre books.
How about your daily writing goals?I am very strict with myself and set both timers and goals for my writing each day. No matter what I am doing, or where I am, I require myself to at least touch my manuscript once a day. That may mean simply adding an idea to the bottom of the page or writing a whole chapter—I just have to do
something. A normal day for me is spent entirely hunched over the computer either editing or writing, with intermittent breaks to eat and stretch the legs. If this is something you do too, may I suggest either a good massage therapist or a really good desk chair!
Shelby Oval is an award-winning, self-published fantasy writer with a passion for crafting captivating stories. Shelby has two master's degrees, one in English and one in education, and her day job is teaching middle schoolers how cool reading and writing is. She loves to travel and finds inspiration whenever she is being dragged on a hiking trip, running through fields, or exploring castle ruins. Her debut novel,
Out of Embers and Shadows, is the first book in the thrilling Shadowfire series with the next two installments already published. The Shadowfire series features a strong female protagonist, found family dynamics, betrayal, and the power of female friendships.
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