Digital Book Nook recently caught up with Sarah Chayer, author of “Incandescent: Magic Unknown.” We are excited to share this insightful interview with our readers today.
When did you first discover that you enjoy writing and wanted to become a published author?
I must have only been 10 years old when I started writing short stories in my free time. I loved creating characters and getting lost in the worlds I made on the page as would almost always include some supernatural/fantasy elements into my stories. It wasn’t long after I discovered my passion that I wrote the first draft of what would eventually become my first novel, “Incandescent: Magic Unknown,” and I dreamed of publishing it.
What is your favorite and the most challenging aspect of writing?
My favorite aspect of writing is creating characters. I sometimes pull inspiration from people in my life, but the characters are completely their own, fleshed out, unique personalities that I love constructing. I get to know these fictional people on such a deep, intimate level that they become real to me.
The most challenging part of writing for me is definitely my perfectionism. I never stop looking for ways to make things better, as is evident by the fact that it took me nearly 20 years, at least 3 complete re-writes, and countless revisions to finally get “Incandescent: Magic Unknown” published.
Tell us about your latest release.
Kris is a teenage girl who discovers she’s part of a race of powerful beings with a variety of magical abilities – the Witcans. Witcans are feared by the Government who have established the National Witcan Detention Agency (NWDA) who are responsible for hunting, arresting and, in many cases, killing Witcans as they believe them to be a threat to the population. This is largely due to a subgroup of Witcan supremacy extremists – a dangerous cult. While learning about her own unique magical abilities, Kris crosses paths with these organizations and together with the help of a mysterious stranger named Kurt and a group of newly formed friends, looks to find a sought-after, ancient and powerful Witcan ring before the cult can use it for their own violent means and to stop them.
As mentioned before, I wrote the very first draft of this story when I was around ten or eleven years old but it has changed and evolved so much since. On the surface, “Incandescent: Magic Unknown” is about magic in the modern world and societal prejudices against it, but for me, the core of it is about building deep, long-lasting relationships – both romantic and platonic – while coping with grief, with strong themes of what it means to be family running throughout.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
I chose “Incandescent” as the series title as light plays a major role in the story, both literally in the way the universe’s magic works, but also thematically as characters learn to overcome their own darkness. I decided to title this first book “Magic Unknown” as much of the story revolves around Kris discovering her powers.
What do you hope readers are able to get from reading your story?
I hope that readers grow to love these characters and invest in them as much as I have. They may be fictional, but they are deliberately flawed and far from perfect, which I believe makes each of them relatable to anyone in today’s world. As this series continues, I can’t wait to show more of them and dive deeper into what makes them all tick.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld’s “Twitches” series was definitely a huge influence and a great deal of inspiration back when I first started writing at a young age. In more recent years, I have enjoyed Pittacus Lore’s “Lorien Legacies” books.
Do you have any advice for writers looking to get published?
The best advice I received was to always bet on myself. I am by no means a confident person, and putting yourself out there, especially with something as personal as your art, can be terrifying. But I was fortunate to have an incredible amount of support from family, friends, and even one of my musical idols pushing me to believe in myself to achieve my dream, and even investing financially to help me fund the associated editing/publishing costs (do your research to prepare for how much the process is going to cost you financially, and in regards to your time and energy).
About the Author
Sarah Chayer has spent nearly twenty years writing and rewriting her first novel, Incandescent: Magic Unknown. Her other works-in-progress include future young-adult, urban fantasy books for the Incandescent series, as well as a second, separate series.
She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree for Communication emphasis in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and has won awards for her work in fiction, poetry, and English.
Follow Sarah: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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