Hey Everyone!!
Please welcome Nathalie Romer, who is here with us, today. Nathalie, will you please tell us about yourself and how many books you've written?
Nathalie: Hi, my name is Nathalie and I'm an English-speaking author who lives in Sweden with her partner Anders. I've been writing since November 2014 and decided to try my hand at writing after writing a 1,400-word story that later has become one of the chapters of Book One of my book series called The Wolf Riders of Keldarra. I have written ten books to date but I decided to work on improving my craft so I'm in the process of re-releasing all my existing books while I'm also writing new books. Currently, I have the re-release out of Book One of the aforementioned book, I'm rewriting Books Two and Three, as well as working on the first draft of Book 4. My writing journey was stalling once, but then I received encouragement from author and friend Orna Ross, who got me back on track with the wisest words I've heard ever in this industry: "The more you write the better you get at it." (Psst, they are true, so never ever give up on your dream of writing). I'll add the advice my father gave in addition: "Always write for yourself and not to prove something to others." These two pieces of advice have helped me learn something important about myself: NEVER give up!
Me: That's definitely an important lesson for any author. :-) What's the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Nathalie: If I may I'll tell a bit about the two books out now, as well as my story in the anthology I participated. I'll start with Hidden which came about when I spotted an interesting writing project where authors all publish books with the same title but they choose the theme, genre, trope etc. of the book. I decided to tackle a topic close to my heart with my book. The book is about two friends who are having a heart to heart day of reconnecting after a time apart. In doing so they discover each has personal issues they're dealing with. The parts in the book about depression and anxiety are directly a reflection of my own life and how I felt going through days and weeks of living with it. Oftentimes it's almost taboo to discuss that you have a mental health issue but this book demonstrates (I hope) that it's okay to talk about it. My second book currently out is the first book in The Wolf Riders of Keldarra called Tainted Truth. The name was rebranded from the original title (The Stone of Truth) to better reflect the theme of the story. The book series is epic fantasy but it doesn't have magic in it. Instead, I gave the citizens of Keldarra several abilities. The first ability is to see past events or future events (and not as predictions) and those with this skill are trained in the Order of Truth. Also, I made it a physical ability instead of a mental one. The second ability that exists relates to the title of the series: there are people with the skill to call a wolf to themselves and bond mentally with the animal and ride them. They are the Wolf Riders, but their skill wasn't theirs in the first place, and they're the bag guys in this world. Readers can start to read what links the Order of Truth to the Wolf Riders and as the 9-book series progresses they'll find out why the world is as it is... (As Doctor River Song would say: "Spoilers!") My story Chase The Dream was published in the anthology Rags to Riches: Cinderella Love Stories which has several interesting stories of the classic Cinderella story in it with a whole different spin to it.
Me: Sounds like you have a prolific imagination. ;-) What are you working on now?
Nathalie: Right now, I'm finalizing Book Four of The Wolf Riders of Keldarra, and then I'm working on another anthology story.
Me: Cool! What authors, or books, have influenced you?
Nathalie: I grew up reading Isaac Asimov and Tolkien, and literally devoured the contents of the adult section of my local library as a kid. I started on a "diet" of ten books a day which I read in an evening (don't ask me how I did it but somehow I did), then the next day would return the books and go for more. After a time the librarians knew the sort of books I loved, so had a "first refusal" pile of books waiting for me to see before I'd borrow my new stack of books. After a time they gave me an adult library card because I read so much. I think that the influence of all the authors I read was locked in my mind and waiting to be "let out." The other influence on me is from playing World of Warcraft which has a wealth of lore behind the game (I was into the lore long before I played the game). I decided that the game gave me permission to come up with my own "big world" that is Keldarra.
Me: Classic stories are a great way to feed an imagination. What are you reading now?
Nathalie: I've recently started to read The Settlers by Jason Gurley. So far, a rather compelling story. I'll likely finish most of it during the summer as I'm too busy with my writing right now.
Me: Ha! I think that's something most authors can relate to. For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Nathalie: Don't assume that this is going to be a familiar story because it contains a lot of layers. Nothing is ever as it seems, and everyone has a purpose. And...skip a page at your peril because you might miss a clue that helps you solve the mysteries as a reader. I know readers are smart people and like Marrida says: "There are never any coincidences."
Me: Sounds intriguing! :-) What's your favorite part of being an author?
Nathalie: Being able to put on paper my imagination. I love writing (look at the length of these interview questions as proof). I have a huge stack of story ideas I work on all the time so each story is delivered in an as compelling way possible (one of the other reasons I wanted to re-release my existing books - I decided they weren't as compelling as they should be).
Me: I agree, the creation process is definitely fulfilling. Do you have a day job as well?
Nathalie: Being an author is my day job. I have chronic back pain so commuting to a job every day would leave me in pain, and that would leave me less capable to sit for writing sprints.
Me: Sorry to hear about your health issues, but it's good you're still able to write. What would you say are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Nathalie: The hardest part is that it can be hard to figure out every nuance of what it means to be an author. Like I said in a recent tweet, writing is so much more than just writing. It's about the research, plotting, planning, editing, revising, re-reading, etc. The easiest part about being an author for me at least is the enjoyment it can bring. If you love what you do as a job it's always easier or easiest.
Me: Amen! What genre do you place your book in?
Nathalie: The Wolf Riders of Keldarra is an epic fantasy with an eclectic assortment of tropes and influences from other genres. It's a story about war and conflict, it's a love story, it has a mythical feel to it (mostly the timespan that it covers as a backstory), it's an adventure, it's a mystery, and there are even parts in it that make Marrida and Alagur Keldarra's version of sleuths. Life would be boring if everything was the same, so I apply this to my writing as well.
Me: So true! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Nathalie: That my last name has an Umlaut in it, i.e. an "O" with two dots. And no, I'm not German. I was born in the Netherlands and lived for slightly more than the first decade of my life in Amsterdam. But I can be found without the dots too... :-)
Me: Awesome! And so these fine folks can do just that, are there any links you'd like me to post?
Nathalie:
Official website: http://www.nathaliemlromer.com
Official Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/nathaliemlromer (it also functions as my newsletter page!)
Official Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nmlromer
Instagram (for cover images): http://www.instagram.com/nathaliemlromer
A full list of all my social media links and other assorted information and links can be found in Notes on my Facebook Author Page.
Me: Wonderful! Thank you so much for stopping by today, Nathalie, and thank you also to the rest of you who joined us. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)
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