Roz MacLaren

It’s always a pleasure to meet another indie author in Scotland. Kerry Law is frequently inspired by how beautiful our country is and uses Edinburgh for inspiration in one of her fantasy series. Kerry kindly agreed to be interviewed for my blog and will share top tips for indie authors, where her inspiration comes from and what she’s currently working on.

Can you share more about your background and what inspired you to become
a writer?
I was born and brought up in Scotland which is a magical country full of stories.
When I was younger my Dad shared his fantasy books with me and I devoured
them. I’d spend my weekends exploring other worlds and I was never without a
book.

I read so many books growing up that I think wanting to become a writer was my way
of ‘paying back’. I absolutely love starting a new book and being whisked away into
another world, and I want to give other people that joy too. For me books are the
perfect form of escapism and I love the idea that I could write something someone
else will read and through my words they’ll be taken off on an adventure.

How has your MA in Medieval History from the University of St Andrews
influenced the historical elements in your fantasy novels?
I think having a degree in history has given me a good basis upon which I’ve built my
fantasy worlds. I studied some Scottish history but mostly I enjoyed European and
Asian history. Learning about how different cultures grew and developed has been
useful for when I’ve come to creating my own fantasy world and imagining how it
would grow and change over time, especially how different technologies would
develop.

My Sparks series is pure fantasy based in a world I invented, but my newest book,
Swirls of Magic, is set in an alternate 18th century Edinburgh. I hadn’t done any
proper historical research since university so I really enjoyed getting back into it as I
learned about the real 18th century Edinburgh.

Living in the Scottish Borders, does the local landscape inspire the settings in
your books?
Definitely! I’ve always been drawn to wild landscapes – open mountains, deep
forests, hidden lochs – because even on a dull or rainy day they still look magical. I
spend a lot of my free time running and cycling in the hills near my house and I
always find myself imagining watchtowers on top of craggy outcrops or picturing
dragons swooping across the hillside, their scales shimmering against the heather. I
think being in nature is good for creativity and certainly if I’m struggling with an
awkward plot point or a character who’s not quite working right, I find that heading
out into the hills helps me think.

For readers unfamiliar with the Sparks Series, how would you describe it?
It’s a fast-paced, coming of age series with awesome female characters. In fact, 90%
of the characters are female. The themes of the series are of young women learning
to believe in themselves, discovering how strong they can be, and about the power
women have when they work together.

I think the Sparks Series shows you can be shy, different or an outsider and still be a
hero. The main character is a young woman learning to accept herself, to accept her
uniqueness. To realise that it’s a strength, not a weakness.
And there are lots of dragons!

Your series features strong female protagonists. What motivates you to write
such characters, and how do you develop them?
I grew up reading fantasy books in the 90s and often there weren’t any inspiring
female characters. It always seemed to be the boys who got to go off on adventures!

I often found the female characters to be one-dimensional – they were usually a
beautiful, delicate princess.

I wanted to write books where the female characters were not only front and centre,
but they were real people. And by that I mean they get stuff wrong, they make
mistakes and learn from them, they have grumpy moods, like eating food (often with
their fingers and not dainty cutlery!), sometimes they’re selfish and sometimes
they’re kind, and always after a fight, battle or hard day of dragon-riding, they’re dirty,
sweaty, have messy hair and are tired. Because that’s real! Being beautiful all the
time isn’t.

And I develop these awesome female characters by looking at the women and girls
in my life and taking inspiration from them. I “steal” traits from people on their good
days and bad ones and I think that makes for more realistic characters.

Can you discuss your process for world-building?
I always start with a character and then I build a world around them. I had an image
in my head of a girl and her dragon before I’d even thought what sort of world the
Sky Riders would live in!

I find the best way to build worlds is to brainstorm with a notebook and pencil.
There’s something about physically writing on paper that seems to make my ideas
flow more easily. I sit with a cup of tea, often in my favourite café, and scribble ideas.
Sometimes I draw wee diagrams of buildings or structures, and I always have a
badly drawn map with scribbles all over it.

I then transfer these notes to my Scrivner file (the writing software I use) so I can
easily reference my world while I’m writing.

Dragons play a significant role in your series. How did you develop their
characteristics and integrate them into your world?
In my Sparks series every Sky Rider is bonded for life to a dragon. This means that
the dragons often take on some of their Rider’s personality. This was my play on the
notion that ‘people are like their pets’!

My dragons are also very sensitive to emotions, so if their bonded Rider is angry,
happy, upset etc. then their dragon will be too. I enjoyed the extra dimension this
gave to interactions between characters. For example, if a Rider is feeling anxious
but trying to hide it, their dragon will be feeling anxious too but not hiding it, and thus
will give their Rider away.

The dragons do have traits of their own—typically the males can be more
aggressive—but I liked making them a mirror for their Rider’s emotions. It deepens
the bond between a girl and her dragon.

Can you walk us through your typical writing routine?
I’m an early bird and I’m always most creative in the morning. So most days I’ll be at
my laptop around 7am with a mug of tea. I like the quiet of first thing and find I can
get loads of words written by mid-morning.

I save my afternoons for the less glamorous side of writing, ie. marketing, finance,
and catching up on emails.

What challenges have you faced as an indie author, and how have you
overcome them?
I think there is still a stigma around being an indie author and I’ve come across
people who don’t believe I’m a “proper” author because I’m an indie. That can be tough to deal with because I know that I’ve worked really hard to get to where I’m at
and I’m passionate about what I do.

I’ve had to learn to take a mental step back and remember that I can’t please
everyone. There will always be people who don’t understand why I’m proud to be an
indie and that’s fine. And for other people I’ve found that when I talk to them about
my writing journey, or the ins and outs of the world of publishing, they can learn
something from me and are often more supportive afterwards.

How has reader feedback influenced your work, if at all?
My books wouldn’t be nearly so good without reader feedback! I have a lovely team
of beta readers who always read my first drafts, give me honest feedback, and I
couldn’t do without them. Sometimes I’ll know in my heart that a scene isn’t working
right, or that a character isn’t behaving the way they should, and my readers always
spot these things, call me out on them, and usually offer advice for how I can fix it.
Writing can be a very solitary profession so I find it really useful to bounce ideas off
readers or work out plot tangles together. I’ve even got a few ideas for new books
currently bubbling away at the back of my brain that came from a throwaway
comment from one of my readers.

Can you share any details about upcoming books or projects you’re working
on?
Yes, I’d love to! The first book in my latest trilogy just came out in Nov 2024. It’s
called Swirls of Magic and is book 1 in the Old Town Trilogy. It’s set in an alternate
18th century Edinburgh, full of magic, monsters and thieves. The main character, Isla,
is one of my favourite characters that I’ve ever created. She’s bold, brash and gets
herself into all sorts of trouble! She often says the wrong thing, but her heart’s in the
right place and she’d do anything for her family.

Currently I’m 75,000 words into the first draft of book 2 in the trilogy and I’m aiming
to have that one will be available in late spring 2025.

How do you approach marketing your books as an indie author?
Marketing has been a steep learning curve for me. It took me a while, with lots of trial
and error, to get a marketing plan that works for me.

My main focus for marketing my books is through Facebook ads. I find that they can
be really effective and drive lots of people to my Amazon page, which is great. But
what I’ve also discovered is that Facebook ads are a great way to interact with my
readers. Loads of people comment on my ads telling me that they’ve read and
enjoyed my books and that’s always lovely to hear. People also tag their friends in
the comments on my ads, recommending my books to them, and I always appreciate
that.

What advice would you give to aspiring indie authors, especially those writing
fantasy?
I would encourage any aspiring indie author to take the time to really hone their craft.

Go to writing workshops, do online courses, join a local writing group, read books
about writing craft and practice every day.

My first published book was actually the 4th book I wrote. I thought the first 3 were
great as I was writing them (they weren’t!) but I realise now that they were my way of
learning how to be a good writer.

I also think that to be a great writer you have to read loads. And not just in the genre
you write in. If you want to learn how to plot really well – read crime. If you want to
get good at world building – read fantasy and sci-fi. If you want to learn how to write
beautiful descriptions – read literary fiction. The more you read the more you
understand plots and what makes a great character, then the better you’ll become as
a writer the more successful you’ll be. And also you’ll enjoy writing more too.

How do you balance your writing career with other aspects of your life?
I’m extremely lucky because I get to write full time. It took me about 10 years to get
to that point, so I have loads of practice of squeezing writing in around a day job and
other commitments.

Now that I can dedicate myself solely to writing I’ve found that having a routine is
almost even more important than it was before. When you have all day to write the
temptation to procrastinate can be strong. And then because I’ve not met my word
count during the day, writing bleeds into evenings and weekends, just like it used to
when I had a day job!

What I’ve found very useful is to work the same hours as my husband. That way my
writing career is kept roughly between 8am and 5pm, leaving me plenty of free time
to recharge. And I’m a firm believer in making sure I have a little time every day to do
something for me—a run, or walk, or yoga—because when I give my brain a rest it
works better when I open up my laptop the next morning.

In what ways do you engage with your readers, both online and offline?
I’ve met almost all of my readers online and they’re a lovely bunch of people. I use
both Facebook and Instagram to share snippets of my writing life and that’s been a
lovely way to get to know my readers. It always makes my day when someone
leaves me a lovely comment or sends me a nice message.

I also have a monthly newsletter which readers can sign up for on my website. In this
I share more detailed writing updates, giving people a real behind-the-scenes look at
my books and my inspiration, along with giving readers exclusive first look at things
like new covers, or maps for my books. Everyone on my mailing list also has access
to 2 free novellas.

I really enjoy when readers reply to my emails and I’ve had some great
conversations with them about my work and other fantasy books we love.

What themes do you explore in your books, and why are they important to
you?
I write YA so the themes in my books are around friendship, first love, family, identity
and self-discovery.

For me these themes are important because they seem to resonate with so many
readers, and not just young adults. People of all ages read and enjoy coming of age
stories.

I think this is because being a teenager is not only a stage we all go through in life,
it’s one that we remember vividly. Our teenage years are when we begin to work out
who we are as people. Often the things we enjoy then will help shape what we like
as adults.

Your teenage years are when you have to start making scary adult decisions but
they’re also a time of first loves and of trying desperately to either fit in or reject the
‘norms’ and stand out. Often it’s when you’re finding your tribe—the people who like
what you like and that you feel comfortable around. I think the trials and tribulations from our own years spent coming of age are baked into us and that’s why we enjoy
coming of age stories. And for me as a writer, that’s also why I love exploring these
themes in my books.

Where do you see your writing career in the next five years?
Hopefully I’ll still be writing and loving what I’m doing. I’d love for more people to
have read and enjoyed my books—having a wider readership is definitely a goal for
me.

Writing-wise, I have the second two books in my Old Town Trilogy to finish. Then I
think I’d like to write a duology and then maybe another series.
That’ll probably keep me going for the next five years!

I first came across Joy E. Held because we were both published by the very lovely Fire and Ice YA. Joy very kindly agreed to be interviewed for my blog. Read on as we chat about her novel, The Mermaid Riot, and Joy’s brand-new venture, My WriteDay.

Your novel intertwines a historical setting with the fantastical element of mermaids. How did you balance these two genres to create a cohesive world?

One of the things that I like about reading and writing historical fiction is the ready-made setting and timeline that comes with real life history and events. That is true where The Mermaid Riot is concerned because the inspiration for the story comes from an actual situation that happened in Charleston, South Carolina after the U.S. Civil War. It involved a rumor about a mermaid at a time in history when a select culture believed in mermaids as important water spirits. They took the rumor to heart and created a situation that required law enforcements help in clearing up. This is all reported in newspaper reports of the event in local papers in Charleston and elsewhere, which I have researched and seen in digital records of The Library of Congress. I took actual events and fabricated a story of fantasy around the truth of the situation.

Serena and Tobi’s friendship is central to the story. How did you approach writing their dynamic, and were they inspired by real-life relationships?

I wanted a team of young people to be captivated by the premise of the rumor but also
have a sense of rationality about the situation. Serena and Tobi’s friendship is integral to the plot because they each represent a different perspective on whether or not mermaids are real, and they each try to convince the other to see things through their eyes. That is until they see some things with their own eyes that don’t align with their beliefs about mermaids. They have conflicting beliefs but the same goal and have to deal with the interpersonal challenges as well as the social ones that they encounter.

The Ainsley River and the Robinson Phosphate Mine Company play significant roles in the story. Why did you choose South Carolina, and what role does the historical context play in shaping the narrative?

Charleston and South Carolina were chosen for me (even though I renamed the city) as I used the actual events reported in the local newspapers about the mermaid incident. I
challenged the historical timeline of the Reconstruction era in the south as the states
worked for many years to overcome the economic devastation caused by The U. S. Civil
War. In my research, I discovered that phosphate rocks used to produce fertilizer, which
farmers needed to regrow crops, were discovered in Charleston area and helped revitalize the economy. It came with hazards and problems which I will treat more broadly in the next book in the duology.

The mermaid in your story symbolizes mystery and survival. What inspired you to use
mermaids as a focal point for this tale?

Besides the true story behind the rumor about a mermaid being captured, I wrote the
mermaid Mari-Morgan to be young and conflicted much the same way Serena and Tobi
are in their world. Things are changing fast at the time, and their way of life is threatened in some respects on land and underwater. I definitely played on their youthful energies and ideals in the survival sense.

The title, The Mermaid Riot, is intriguing. What’s the significance behind the word ‘riot’ in the context of the book?

When I first caught the tweet online about this story, it was referenced as “the mermaid
riot.” The image of rioting mermaids captivated my imagination, but that isn’t what the
actual event is about at all. I discovered this through my research. Some refer to it as “the mermaid incident” to reflect a gentler approach to the story. However, local legends latched onto the term riot over incident and ran with it. Here are a couple of interesting links (here and here).

You’re not just a writer but also a yoga teacher and book coach. Do these practices
influence your writing process or the themes you explore?
The practices of yoga and book coaching definitely play into everything I do. I’m on a journey like everyone else, and I sometimes stumble and fall like a normal person. My 40+ years of yoga has taught me to be kind to myself and others when I stumble while working to be better at whatever I’m doing. My work as a book coach influences my writing process by reminding me that we all start a story with an idea followed by a dream which is either followed by hard work or not. I’m talking about the consequences of choices. As a book coach, I am constantly asking my clients a lot of questions because I believe that questions are a great source of understanding
and learning. When a client is tasked with answering questions, they feel more empowered as creators, and I believe that is the kind of learning that sticks and that can be repeated. They aren’t challenges but more like nailing down true inner and outer desires for their writing much the same way their characters must do the same things.

How do you decide which age group or genre is the right fit for the stories you want to
tell?

I’m more like dust in the wind when it comes to this sort of thing. I get ideas, tons of
ideas, and follow the ones that won’t let me go. However, many times I can identify a
particular need within a genre or age group coupled with an idea I have and put the two together. For example, the political environment of people listening to and believing only one side of a story concerns me. Without being particularly overt about it, this singular belief concept without the willingness to listen to another perspective plays a big part in the relationship of the characters throughout The Mermaid Riot. As another example, I created My WriteDay subscription and gift boxes for children, teens, and adults because I saw a need to make reading and writing a pleasurable experience for others like it is for me.

What motivated you to start My WriteDay, and how has it helped you or other writers grow?

I am a college creative writing instructor for an online MFA program and have been a
higher education professor for 21 years. I have taught hundreds of freshmen who come to me with negative histories around reading and writing. My WriteDay is part of my work to change that at an early age. I take stories and bring them to life with the contents of a gift box that I hope is inspirational and enjoyable. It’s my favorite passion right now as it is a brand-new venture for me.

What does a typical writing day look like for you, and how do you balance writing with your other commitments?

I’m always writing a story in my head and can’t sleep for working out plot lines. It’s
always been that way. I’m a one-woman business with several outlets for my energy. I
like it that way. Balancing it all is a matter of making a lot of checklists and enlisting help from family and friends. My mentor from graduate school is my primary editor and is available when I have a question or need another pair of eyes on a manuscript. I have a great husband who believes in all of my works and does his best to support me. My grown children are very loving and accommodating to my sometimes erratic schedule, and they are also very helpful when I can’t get something done from picking up groceries to listening to my plot problems and brainstorming ideas with me. Honestly, my actual writing time is sporadic, but once the story falls into the right slots in my brain, I type until it’s out. I am a serious plotter though. Gave up pantsing except for when a surprising plot twist presents itself during the writing.

Your career includes roles in education, coaching, and publishing. How has your
experience in these fields shaped the way you approach storytelling?

All of my training and experiences remind me never to stop learning and moving. When I am not curious any longer, that will signal that the last story has been written.