Usually I do author spotlights for my reader friends on Saturday, but I had a tight deadline and wasn’t quite able to pull it all together in time, so I’m featuring author Madisyn Carlin on a Wednesday!
And, actually, this works well because today is the release day for Madisyn’s latest book Shattered Reflection. Her books have been compared to Morgan Busse, Jaye L. Knight, and Melanie Dickerson, and I would venture to say we are going to see a lot of Madisyn in the coming months and years. An up-and-coming author, she has a heart for the Lord and for placing excellent reading material into the hands of her Christian fantasy fans. She offers a God-glorifying alternative to some of the creepy secular speculative fiction we see so often.
If you haven’t yet read her books, I would highly recommend them. She gears her writing toward the New Adult market, but anyone over 16+ would enjoy them. An extra plug here…the ebook download is temporarily on sale for 99 cents (will be $3.99), and the paperback for $11.99 (will be $16.99)
And now, without further ado, here’s Madisyn Carlin!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Madisyn Carlin is a Christian, homeschool graduate, blogger, voracious bookdragon, and author. When not spending time with her family or trekking through the mountains, she weaves tales of redemption, faith, and action.
Editorial, graphic design, cover design, and website design services offered at Mountain Peak Edits & Design.
Want to connect? https://linktr.ee/madisyncarlin
ABOUT THE BOOK
Genre: Christian Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retelling
Can hope be found for four shattered souls?
Princess Nordica Icerri’s crown will be purchased with blood—her blood. Now the sole heir to the throne, she is determined to be the queen the Snowlands deserve, but that comes with a price: a numbed heart and soul. Only when she meets kidnapped physician Loren Alocer does Nordica allow herself to hope she can become queen without completely losing herself. But not everyone wants what’s best for the Snowlands, and Nordica’s upcoming rule is compromised at every turn. Can the criminal physician—and his faith—thaw Nordica’s heart, or is she destined to be the heartless queen she is being forced to become?
War shattered not only Breac Finson’s heart, but his faith as well. Tired of fighting, Breac only wants to be left alone, but his efforts are for naught when a friend calls in a favor. He soon finds himself in an unexpected alliance with Layree Alocer, a woman determined to find her wrongfully-kidnapped brother at all costs. Can a broken soldier help right a wrong—and find his faith again in the process?
Sides must be chosen and loyalties will be tested as a new war approaches. Can broken lives be mended in time to help save the Snowlands, or is evil already too deeply embedded?
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Thank you for joining me today, Madisyn. How did you get your start in writing?
Thank you for having me!
I got my start in writing through my mom. In homeschool, a lot of focus was put on literature and writing, and she challenged me to write a novel in a year for one of my classes. I got to it and ended up creating a trilogy of sorts with books wwaaayyyy over 100,000 words long. They’re in dire need of rewrites and won’t see the light of day until I possess the fortitude to tackle such a colossal undertaking.
Why fantasy? What are you hoping to accomplish with this genre?
I don’t know why I selected fantasy. It just happened. Literally. I sat down to begin my novel in a year with only a character name in mind. The rest just came, and with it, the love of writing Christian fantasy was cultivated. Fantasy wasn’t even the genre I read most of as a child or teen—that belongs to historical romance and adventure.
There weren’t a lot of Christian fiction books to read when I was growing up. While my books are New Adult (although they can be read by YA), I want to offer readers more alternatives to the secular books filling the bookcases of most libraries and bookstores. I want to give readers clean, Christian fantasy they can read without worrying about profanity, indecent romance, or other scenes Christians shouldn’t read. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and we need to be careful what we view—and that includes reading.
How do you select the names of your characters?
I select names using one of three methods: 1) the name just comes to me (and I have to ensure I don’t have another character with the same name); 2) I know what the character looks like, but I have to search for a name that fits them; and 3) the name requires a specific meaning, so I must narrow my search to find the name that works. Sometimes it feels like it takes me longer to name a character than it does to write a full-length novel.
If you could tell your younger writing self one thing, what would it be?
To ignore the what-ifs and the urge to compare my writing/plot/style with others. Those can be detrimental to the desire to write, especially if we think our work is lacking in comparison. You have your own writing voice, your own ideas, and your own ways of incorporating those. It will take you time to hone that style, but it will happen. Have patience, keep writing, and refuse to compare your work to others’.
How did you come to be a writer? Was this something that you always knew you were destined to be or did you arrive at this point via another path?
I officially became a writer after finishing the novel in a year and deciding I couldn’t stop there and I had to write more. This was not something I always aspired to do; in fact, I fought it for the longest time. Apparently, though, my much-younger self wanted to some day write, because I found a little illustrated story about ducks going to school.
I couldn’t read the penmanship (or lack thereof), but I was entertained by the ducks in shirts with feet facing the wrong way and wings (with feathery-type fingers) usually in the air in consternation.
What’s next?
I am currently working on two series: The Shattered Lands and The Redwyn Chronicles. Book Two in TSL is about 6,000 words in and Book 1.5 in TRC is about 30,000 in and is looking like it’s going to require another major rewrite.
Thank you for joining me, Madisyn!
Penny Zeller 