Author Interview with M.J. Fifield

Today M.J. Fifield, the author of Effigy, is visiting and sharing a few interesting stories with us...one includes a sword. Keep reading to be entertained!

Title: Effigy

Author: M.J. Fifield

Series: The Coileáin Chronicles Book 1

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 579 pages

Publisher: Favorite Spoon Publishing

Release Date: July 26^th 2014

BOOL LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

● Please tell us about your current release, M.J.

My current release also happens to be my debut release—EFFIGY, the story of a young queen named Haleine Coileáin, who finds herself battling evil forces in an attempt to save her people.

1. Is this book part of a series?

Effigy is the first book in a series, The Coileáin Chronicles. The entire series (six titles in all, should things go according to plan) will tell the story of three sisters and the roles each will play in an epic battle between good and evil. Haleine is the eldest sister.

2. If your book had a soundtrack, give us a list of a few songs that would be on it.

All of my WIPs have a soundtrack. It’s actually how I know I’m getting serious about a particular project. Some of Effigy’s key tracks include:

My Skin by Natalie Merchant (If Haleine Coileáin had a theme song, this would be it.)

Overcome by Live

Indifference by Pearl Jam

Do What You Have To Do by Sarah McLachlan

Have I mentioned that I’m a huge fan of 90’s music?

3. I LOVE 90's music! How did you come up with the names for your hero and heroine?

When I went to name my main character, I knew I wanted her name to start with an H. It’s weird, I know, and I don’t know why I was so determined to have that be the case, but that’s what happened. I went through several variation until I finally settled upon Haleine. (rhymes with Elaine)

4. My mom's name is Elaine. ;) What are a few things we would find in or on your desk?

On my desk you would find the following items: Slinky, a super-poseable Aragorn action figure (that’s what the package boasted), three pen holders chock full of various writing instruments, and a little pewter Pegasus who served as the inspiration for one of Effigy’s characters.

5. How old were you when you read your first romance book? What was it?

I believe I was 18 when I read my first real romance novel. It was Jude Deveraux’s Remembrance. My mother had checked it out of the library and left it out on the coffee table. I was looking for something to read and picked it up. I recall enjoying the story...but hating the ending.

6. I started reading Jude Deveraux at a young age also. What is the silliest thing you ever did while writing a story?

I consider myself to be a method writer, so that means I often end up physically acting out scenes. Once, while writing a sword fight, I accidentally killed a lamp and took a chunk out of my desk and the wall with my broadsword. This led my significant other to create the very strict “NO SWORDS AROUND ANY LIVING CREATURES” rule in the house.

7. I do that too! But not with swords. Have you ever experienced something unusual that influenced a story?

I fainted for the first time a couple of summers ago. That made me go back and rewrite a couple of scenes. The following summer, I cracked a rib at my day job. It made me realize just how badly rib injuries hurt. Rewrote some things, then, too.

8. Ouch! First-hand experience certainly helps us though. How long have you been writing?

Since I was very young. I was always writing little stories or poems. In middle school, there was a girl who lived over the river and through the woods from me, and we were each other’s first critique partners. Every morning on the school bus, we would exchange whatever we had written the night before. I started my first novel then, but never did anything with it. I didn’t get serious about writing until halfway through my college career.

9. Do you listen to music while you write?

Yes. I’ll listen to the aforementioned story-specific playlist, as well as a special playlist I call “Mood Music.” It’s mostly comprised of movie soundtracks and other instrumental music—nothing with lyrics. It always puts me in the mood to write.

10. Tell us about your writing process.

Just about everything starts off handwritten in a spiral notebook—or maybe a paper towel if I’m stuck at work. Scenes will generally start off with a few lines of dialogue off of which I build the rest of the scene, going back to layer in everything else. I’m also rather addicted to building storyboards on which I chart where the story’s been and where it’s going. Or might go. The characters very seldom follow my plans, but I’ve learned to go with it.

BIO:

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn’t writing, she’s on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures—mostly pets—in New Hampshire. Effigy is her first novel.

AUTHOR LINKS: 

Website / Blog

Thank you for entertaining us, M.J.! I enjoyed your interview.

Please leave a comment for M.J.!