Interview with an Author: Wendy L. Anderson

I’m here today with the incredible and talented Wendy L. Anderson. Wendy is the author of an epic five book series; Kingdom of Jior, and two standalone novels; Ulrik and A Cut Twice As Deep.

Thank you so much for joining me today Wendy. After reading your novels, I absolutely can not wait to read more of your work. I’m just going to jump right in as I’m very excited to hear your answers. So first off and I think I ask everybody I meet this question…

Who is your favourite author?

My favorite author is Robert E. Howard. I love the Conan the Barbarian series. It is what got me interested in fantasy!

How about your favourite book?

My favorite book has to be Beowulf!

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was 10 years old. I started writing poetry and short stories. It wasn’t until my later years after my boys were grown that I started writing more and had the idea that I could write a book.

That’s interesting. It appears that most authors start writing poetry first, and start from a young age.

How did you come up with the covers for your books? I love them!

I have all my covers professionally created by Vila Designs. I try to pick my favorite elements or my favorite character out of the book to create the design. I want them to scream fantasy and entice people to want to read them.

Well, I think you have certainly succeeded there. I have got to say though that my favourite cover out of all of yours boos has got to be Ulrik. It’s just absolutely stunning.

How did you come up with the names of the Ny-Failen? I keep asking my partner if we can call our future children awesome names like these but he’s at a hard No at the moment. I’ll find a way.

*Laughs* I love that! Lily is my favorite name. I came up with the name “Lost Morning” one morning after I’d laid in bed trying to think up a name for his character and I thought “well, that was a lost morning” and it was easy from there.

Oh wow, I absolutely love that!

I put two names that went together to name my Ny-Failen because they are of a different race and needed something really cool and profound. Lorn was always “forlorn” in my mind and I just plucked “Forlorn Icefall” out of the air. It worked and then I had fun creating the rest. I actually created characters because I came up with some cool ones like Rain Song and Ashen Arrow.

I made up the name “Ny-Failen” by going to Google translator and trying different languages that meant “the fallen.” I typically do not get much past Icelandic and Gaelic, so I put words together and come up with something that sounds good. That is how I came up with all the Ny-Failen langue.

That’s amazing how you just came up with character names like that. I absolutely love the name Lyra Song and Storm Rider too. Let’s hope I can talk my partner into it.

Speaking about the characters...which of the characters from any of your books do you relate to the most and why?

I am Dierdre from A Cut Twice as Deep. Though I did not marry a Viking warlord, I dreamt the opening paragraph of the book and made up the story from there. I think I am also a lot like Queen Lily, nurturing and motherly.

Aw, so you are definitely a gentle soul then. I think out of all the characters, I connected with Silver Thorn the most. I know that I can look after myself and be by myself, but when finding my true love, I then realise I don’t want to be myself. I am also a huge animal lover and I’m always taking rescue animals home.

So, you said that you had a dream and that’s how you came up with the story of A Cut Twice As Deep. Tell us more?

I had a reoccurring dream when I was a child of the opening paragraph of the book. I was both Dierdre and Liana. I also dreamt of the scene where their father announces that they are being given away in marriage and would be split up. The story just flowed out of those dreams and I love what it became.

Wow! That’s pretty incredible. A Cut Twice As Deep was the first book of yours that I read and it was absolutely phenomenal. To think that it came to you in a dream, wow!

How did you come up with the story for Ulrik?

This one is tougher to answer. I had the concept of being stranded on another planet where there were no other people. I quickly realized that the story would have no where to go if I didn’t make up the other people and the iron age problem came up by just sitting down and writing.

Ulrik was again, such an incredible book and I thought the whole concept was really clever.

How did you come up with the incredible story for the Kingdom of Jior Series?

I created Prince Lorn years ago when I was 18. I had written a fragment of the story and came up with the concept then. When I decided to sit down and write a book, I had the basis for the story and then went from there. The idea for the Ny-Failen and the whole race came later as I was writing book two. It took off and became the whole series and I realized I wanted to write the stories of all the characters.

Did you know the ending for the Kingdom of Jior Series before you finished it? Have you thought about writing an alternative ending for readers to devour on your website?

No, I did not know the ending which is why the book turned out so great. I didn’t really want to write the ending, but thought that five books was pushing it for a fantasy series. I have begun a prequel and am working on a spin off series, so you have not seen the last of the Ny-Failen (pun intended).

As to an alternative ending…I haven’t, but that gives me food for thought!

Ha! Good pun! I personally don’t think five books is pushing it for a fantasy series. I think you should just continue forever to be honest! If you ever do write an alternative ending, I’d like to be the first to know please haha. I do absolutely love the ending though and I agree it should have ended that way. On to the next question before I get all teary again.

If Netflix decided (which they should) to transform the Jior series in to a tv series (because movie’s will not do these books justice), who would you cast and for which role?

Oh that is easy CHARLIE HUNNAM is Prince Lorn and I love, love, love, Amanda Seyfried for Lily and maybe Clara Delevigne for Lyra Song. That would be my ultimate fantasy to have my books made into movies or a TV series!

These are really good choices. Let’s hope it happens!

In your latest newsletter, you did a cover reveal for your latest novel – Rapunzel’s Tower. I’ll be doing a separate post on this but I just want to tell you now that I cannot wait to read it. Are you working on any other novel(s)? Can you tell us more about them or are your lips sealed?

I have started a prequel to Of Demon Kind. I think people would like to know about Lorn’s Ny-Failen mother and about his father which is mentioned throughout the books.

I have other projects in the works such as a dragon tale and I even wrote a Regency Era romance which will more than likely never be published. I have a couple other fragments I work on off and on, but I don’t have as much time for them right now.

The book I am working on and am most excited about, is book one in the spin off series to the Kingdom of Jior series. I have outlines for three books so far and hope to write them all. It is favorite project so far.

Well Wendy, they all sound like amazing projects. I love books with dragons, the Eragon books spring to mind. As for your Regency Era romance, I really hope you do decide to publish these as again, I love this genre. As for the spin off series to the Kingdom of Jior series, YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!! I can not wait!!!

And for the final question, do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years I hope to be retired and writing full time. I imagine my new series would be either finished or finishing. I’d be writing something new and exciting.

I really hope that this happens for you. Best of luck with everything you do. I just want to thank you for asking me to review your books, they are some of the best stories I have ever read. It’s also been lovely to meet you and I hope to continue to review your books in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for reading everybody. If you are wanting to get your hands on any of these amazing books by Wendy L. Anderson then here are the links…

If you buy from the UK:

Ulrik on Kindle for £2.18 – Ulrik eBook : Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Ulrik on Paperback for £9.24 – Ulrik: Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644562529: Books

A Cut Twice as Deep on Kindle for £0.77p – A Cut Twice as Deep eBook : Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

A Cut Twice as Deep on Paperback for £12.52 – A Cut Twice as Deep: Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644561959: Books

Of Demon Kind (Book 1 of the Kingdom Of Jior Series) on Kindle for £0.77p – Of Demon Kind: Book One in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 1) eBook : Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Of Demon Kind (Book 1 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Audiobook for £0.00 with membership or £16 – Of Demon Kind: Book One in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series) (Audio Download): Wendy L. Anderson, Adriel Brandt, Wendy L Anderson: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Of Demon Kind (Book 1 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Paperback for £13.11 – Of Demon Kind: Book One in the Kingdom of Jior Series: 1 (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series): Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644560549: Books

Redemption of the Fallen (Book 2 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Kindle for £2.29 – Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 2) eBook : Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Redemption of the Fallen (Book 2 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Paperback for £12.21 – Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series): Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644561799: Books

Heirs of Jior (Book 3 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Kindle for £2.20 – Heirs of Jior: Book Three in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 3) eBook : Anderson, Wendy L. : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Heirs of Jior (Book 3 of the Kingdom of Jior Series) on Paperback for £11.74 – Heirs of Jior: Book Three in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series): Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644562550: Books