Today The Magic Book Corner is proud to present the lovely Kelly Blanchard. An amazing writer and author of the spellbinding science fiction and fantasy series Chronicles of Lorrek.

          

1. Hi Kelly. Welcome to our little Magic Book Corner. It is a real pleasure to have you here. To begin, could you please tell our readers here a little bit about yourself? 

My name is Kelly Blanchard. I am the author of the fantasy/scifi series, The Chronicles of Lorrek. I am from Texas but just recently moved to Florida. In the writing community online, I'm known as The Muse just because I share a lot of beautiful pictures that tend to inspire stories or be the exact image a writer may have in their mind of what their characters look like. It's pretty cool. I also try to try my best to help fellow writers because I am all about supporting the community and helping each other. 

2. Your series – Chronicles of Lorrek is a superb Science Fantasy. Will you tell us a little about it? 

Thank you! The Chronicles of Lorrek follows Sorcerer Prince Lorrek of Cuskelom as he seeks to clear his name from the terrible wrong people claim he has done. At the same time, war is on the verge of breaking out between kingdoms, and he is trying to protect those he cares about, but the problem is, he can't stop all bad things from happening, and he constantly gets blamed for everything bad that happens. People say he is this very bad person, and he is trying hard not to be that person, but at the same time, it would be so easy to become who they say he is, and that is a struggle he faces. 

3. How did it all start? From where did you get the idea for the series and how did it evolve into the epic journey it is now? 

Honestly, I don't remember how I got the idea for the whole series. There were so many different ideas that just collided and developed the series. I do know that the main inspiration for Lorrek came from watching the Thor movies. I loved Loki but he was the 'bad guy'. I remember asking myself, “What if he's actually a good guy just misunderstood?” And I ran with the idea. Of course, my series is different because it has nothing to do with Norse Mythology, but if you see any semblance of Loki in Lorrek, that's why. 

4. The series already has 6 published books. How many will there be in total and do you have any publishing dates in mind for the sequels? 

There are nine books total in the series. The entire series will be released later this year, and there are two more (MAYBE three) box sets that will be released too. After that, I have other series that are already written that take place in the same universe with some familiar characters. 

5. I have recently read Someday I'll be Redeemed and was impressed by the well thought-out and beautifully outlined fantasy world. From where did you draw your inspiration for it? 

I drew inspiration from everything—movies, real life questions I asked myself, research I've done when writing historical fiction, and so much more. I had once suffered from Writer's Block for years but I still wrote every day, just wasn't able to actually finish anything. I kept coming up with cool ideas and trying to write the stories, but the stories would fall flat on their faces, so I'd abandon them. With Chronicles of Lorrek, I've been able to recycle a lot of those old ideas and breathe new life into them so I can finally write about them. That is very exciting. 

6. You use an ingenious blend of magic and technology that gives the readers both magicking and teleporting for example. What's the inspiration behind it? 

I love sci-fi high tech, but I also love medieval fantasy magic, so blending the two made sense. A lot of times, I've read books or seen movies where someone from one setting like a medieval setting goes to a more futuristic setting and is awed by it (or the reverse is true as well), and I wanted to see what would happen if the two societies could live side-by-side one another without interfering too much with one another. It's quite interesting how it works. 

With the whole magicking and teleportation—yeah, it's basically the same thing but magicking is teleportation by means of magic, which only mages can do, and teleportation is by means of an external device such as a handblade, which only a few select people have. I have the two as different terms, so readers will know if it was done via magic or tech. 

7. Lorrek is not only the MC of your series, but also the center, the one around whom everything evolves. Will you tell us a bit about him? 

Lorrek is the youngest of the four Princes of Cuskelom, and he is the only one with magic. As such, his father, also a mage, had been very strict with him and had high expectations of him. Even though Lorrek is never set to inherit the throne, he is tasked with protecting the kingdom, and this is a burden that not everyone understands. They think just because he has magic, he is capable of anything, but they don't realize the weight he is under. In one way, he is very flamboyant and outspoken, but that is just a mask as he is actually quite reserved, quiet, and observant. He's a very complex character and so much fun to write! 

8. You set the pieces of Lorrek's story together the same way a masterful mosaicist completes a remarkable work of art. Brilliantly done. What's your secret? 

A very important part is for me to know the whole story and how it fits together before I begin writing. Sure, some things still surprise me, and I love that, but for the most part, Lorrek told me the story, and he liked the way I wrote it, so it was quite fun. 

9. What readership in particular is your series intended for? 

Anyone who loves a complicated story with realistic characters, great dialogue, vivid scenes, and surprising twists. I would say ages 14 and up. 

10. And what should a reader expect when picking up your books? 

People have compared my books to the Marvel movies—not because of superheroes but the character interaction and the cinemagraphic way its written. A lot of my books also have Bonus Scenes, which my readers have compared to Marvel's end-credit scenes. That's pretty cool. 

11. According to the reviewers, you do seem to have a penchant for putting your heroes through the wringer. Are you one of those writers that readers end up pleading with for the sake of their favorite heroes – to give them a break please!? :D (I personally did that for a few of the authors out there, including Robin Hobb.) 

Hahaha! Yes, my readers will reach out to me, screaming when bad things happen to their favorite characters. I love it. They are very grateful for my husband who is my brainstorming buddy and often saves characters from death—may not be able to save them from great harm, but at the least, they may not die. It's a lot of fun. Of course, I don't kill characters just to shock my readers. I always only do it just to further the plot. If I see a character has not purpose in the rest of the story and may just vanish, I might kill them off just to give them a proper ending. 

12. Your books have the readers switching sides, yelling at the characters, and even wanting to hurl the book at the wall at times. How is it that you chose this approach? To make readers FEEL! 

I don't try to make the readers feel. I focus on making the characters feel because I know that the readers will feel the characters' emotions and therefore react. I have no control over how the readers will respond to anything, but if they do give me such a response, it pleases me greatly!

13. What do you personally enjoy most as writing process goes? Designing the world, outlining the plot, or creating the characters? 

I love it all—except for editing and proofreading, especially when I have to read the book over and over and over again to make sure it's clean. That gets a bit tedious, but the actual writing process, I love it all! 

14. As characters go, do you have a favourite among the characters of your series? Apart from Lorrek that is? And why?

I love writing Vixen because she's just so awesome. Verddra is fun too because she's always a hundred steps ahead of everyone else, and that's very interesting to write. 

15. Will you tell us a bit more about them please?

Vixen is an assassin from the Five Houses. They are renowned in the world for their ability to kill. There are five families that form the Five Houses, and Vixen comes from the strongest of the Houses, House Rodden. She is hot-tempered, very skilled with fighting, and she has a tendency of stabbing people if she’s annoyed by them. 

Verddra is a very sorceress who had actually trained Lorrek. She is very ambitious. She doesn’t care who is in her way. She will get what she wants, and she is very good at planning ahead. My readers have a love-hate relationship with her because sometimes she’s bad, and other times she’s good. Let’s just say she keeps everyone in their toes.

16. Your first book seems to send more than one message for people to think about. ‘Love and lust... that is not all there is to life. There is more. There is loyalty, courage, right and wrong, strengths and weaknesses, lessons to learn and promises to keep.’ – to quote just one. Should readers expect this type of food for thought in each of your books? 

I like to put food for thought in the stories, but the readers don't have to pick it up if they don't want to. That's not the point of the book. It merely shows the characters' growth, and brings the readers along for it. Maybe it'll make them think too. If so, that's great. If not, that's okay. 

I do like to also show characters having totally different beliefs but showing they can set those beliefs aside and still work well together for the common good. That's something that tends to have been forgotten today, so I think it's important to show. As I said though, the readers may take from the books what they will. I don't like books that try to preach a message, so I like to stay away from that in my own work. 

17. Your writing style also has a powerful cinematic perspective. One that brings to mind the fantasy movies you watch on the big screen. What inspired it? 

I am very visual. I have the hardest time finding books I like to read because a lot of times I can't envision the story in my mind at all. It's so frustrating. I know it can be done better, which is why I write the way that I do. My imagination is very cinematic, so it's no surprise that my writing comes across like that, and I'm glad that you see it! 

18. What's next for Kelly Blanchard the writer? 

The rest of the books and box sets of the Chronicles of Lorrek will be released, and then the next series, The Ceralian Gambit, will come out. That is a five-book series that takes place about forty years before the Chronicles of Lorrek. I actually co-wrote it with my husband. It was a lot of fun. After that, I have a trilogy called the Assassin Pirate that takes places two years after The Ceralian Gambit, and then my husband and I are currently writing another series that takes place a year after the events of the Chronicles of Lorrek. I have about four or five more series currently planned to write (all of which takes place in my same story universe), but each time I begin writing a new series, I always come up with a idea for a new series, so I have a lot of writing to do! 

19. Which bring me to my next question. Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

I'm both. I plan the beginning, the important middle parts, and the ending, and then I just wing it. Keeps the fun in it! 

20. On a little more personal note, did you face any obstacles in your writing career and if yes, how did you deal with them? 

There are obstacles. For instance, we just relocated from Texas to Florida, and getting situated in a place can take a lot of adjusting. I'm still trying to straighten out my schedule so I can get back to regular writing. As for how I deal with things, I just keep in mind where I want to go with my career and I take it one step at a time, one day at a time. It gets better. 

21. And lastly, do you have any advice for other aspiring or upcoming writers or perhaps a message to our readers? 

I always tell upcoming writers there are no rules for writing other than the grammar and spelling rules. What works for one person may not work for you. If someone says you have to do it this way but you find it just doesn't suit you or your writing style, that's okay—you don't have to do it that way. Find what works for you. Take your time to develop your style and understand why you write the way that you do. Become confident in it, and nothing will be able to move you. 

Thank you so much for being here Kelly! It was a pleasure having you here, in our little Magic Book Corner.  

Thank you so much for having me! This was a lot of fun.   

About the Author: Kelly Blanchard

Known as the Muse in the writing community, Kelly Blanchard was born in Texas but lives in Florida with her husband, who is often the one who tries to saves characters lives by convincing Kelly not to kill them. How successful he is--that's up for debate. 

Although stories have always been a major part of her life, Kelly only began writing seriously when she was twelve. She forced on honing her skills and finding her writing style. Later, she attended a community college, studying English. As she earned her degree, she worked as a tutor and a teaching assistant, learning teaching techniques along the way. These days, she uses those techniques as she mentors aspiring writers and encourages them along their way. 

Kelly is a huge fantasy fan but also loves science fiction. She has created a massive universe with several series already written and many more planned to write--all in the same universe with familiar characters, and everything is connected. She enjoys the challenge of seeing what exactly happens when you pit medieval magic against high technology, and she seeks to fully explore the shades of gray in all her characters--good and bad. It's quite an adventure for sure.

You can find Kelly here:

Website: www.kellannetta.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kellannetta 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kellannetta  

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AuthorKellyBlanchard

Join her Facebook group here: www.facebook.com/groups/MusesRealm 

Her entire series can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0881YRYS6