Guess what! I joined a blog tour group! My first post will be featuring B. I. Woolet. A husband and wife team who authored the World of Arcus series.
1. Tell us about your series and
Arrows of Darkness.
Arrows of Darkness is the newly-released
second book the World of Arcas series. The series battles amid realms and
rulers who disagree with whether they should reunite an ancient pathway severed
long ago between Earth and Arcas. In The Hunter, the Bear, and
the Seventh Sister, Jackson is sent on a mission to insure peace by cutting the last
ties between the two worlds, but lines quickly get blurred between friend and
foe in this traveling adventure full of beasts and beauties. In Arrows of
Darkness, Jackson returns to Arcas to escape troubles at home, but the
peace he expects to find has been consumed by a violent new ruler that the teen
unknowingly helped bring to power.
2. You're a husband and wife
team. What made you decide to join forces and write together?
Though I (Ila) studied and taught English, I never ever considered
writing and publishing books. But Benji had this idea for a story brewing in
him, and he wasn’t going to give up until I at least wrote the first chapter
from his notes. I finally caved, but once I wrote the first chapter with him,
we never stopped. J
3. What was the hardest thing about co-authoring a book together?
Finding
the right rhythm of life is always a struggle. Like many authors today, we are
trying to balance writing time, family time, recharging time, job time, and
church/community time. We want don’t want to be overly consumed by any one
area, but all of these are important to us! We also have to compromise over
plot-lines to find a balance that we both are happy with.
4. What was the best thing?
While it’s often difficult for busy couples to find time to connect, writing
as a team gives us opportunities to enter another world where we can just
escape everything else and create together.
5. What makes your book stand out from the others in it's genre?
Though many tales have borrowed names from the stars, our connections intertwine
within almost every fiber of the World of Arcas. We studied both the mythology
the science behind the stars before we connected a character or place to them. Readers
can enjoy quite the scavenger hunt of deep space objects, nebulae, and wonders
in the world of astronomy if they want to while reading our books.
6. What's something you both enjoy together when you're not writing?
We love playing music and singing together (show tunes, gospel, jazz,
pop, oldies), taking walks through wooded trails, and playing games like
Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan.
7. Who designs your gorgeous covers?
Regina Wamba is the amazing artist who designs our covers. Though we
didn’t use live models on the World of Arcas books, she also does beautiful
work using custom photography, make-up, and costumes for cover designs. Check
out her other covers at www.maeidesing.com !
8. What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?
Though many people think of writing as a solo
sport, that definitely has not been our experience! Besides writing as a duo,
we also reached out to a close group of friends and family throughout the
process. Some helped us with editing; some just encouraged us to continue to
writing and would ask us frequently about our progress. It’s a powerful thing
to surround yourself with people who support you, challenge you, and encourage
you. Find those people in your life and hold on to them!
9. If you could double date with any couple, alive or dead, who would
it be?
We would love to have a double date with C.S. Lewis and his wife Joy.
He was an amazing writer of fantasy and theology, and Joy published a book of
poetry. We would love to hear their writing advice and learn more about their
experiences and passions.
10. What's next for B. I. Woolet?
Though we know
we have a least one more book to write in the World of Arcas, we aren’t
completely sure how long the series will go. We have book ideas outside of
fantasy, but we are definitely going to finish Jackson’s current escapades
before we tackle any new realms! Nevertheless, the star-studded world of Arcas
will probably always be beckoning us back for just one more adventure…
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