Interview with Joni Parker, Author of 'Curse of the Sea' @ParkerJoni #fantasy #interview

Joni was born in Chicago, moved to Japan, and returned to live in Phoenix, Arizona. After joining the Navy, she lived in Lakehurst, New Jersey where she met her husband, a career sailor. They moved to Jacksonville, Florida, from there to Pensacola, Florida where Joni attended the university. Upon graduation, she returned to the Navy and was stationed in Naples, Italy. From there, the Navy sent her to live in a number of U.S. cities and even spent a year with the U.S. Army at their Command and General Staff College obtaining a Master of Military Arts and Sciences. Upon her retirement, she traveled the country in an RV with her husband until he passed away. She returned to the workforce living in Dallas until she discovered a passion for writing fantasy novels. She retired for a second time and now lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Website Address: http://www.joni-parker.com

Twitter Address: @ParkerJoni

Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniParker

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

The beginning actually starts in 2008 when I was first inspired to write. I had developed an interesting character by the name of Alex and she was part mortal, part Elf, and part Titan. My first seven books put her in interesting situations as she was growing up in the Elf World or Eledon. Then I asked myself—what if Alex goes to the mortal world (Earth)? How would she get there? Would she be able adjust? After all, she’s part mortal. What if she didn’t adjust? Would she understand it? Since I’d spent 22 years of my life in the Navy, the thought of a NATO exercise that involves ships from many different countries came to mind. And voila! The Curse of the Sea was born and evolved from a very rough draft to a finished book.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

I wouldn’t say the book was hard to write. After I came up with the premise, it came out of my brain easily—a little rough around the edges, but that’s what editing is for. The only tip I have for other writers is to let the story flow. As soon as you try to manipulate it, it will crash and burn and you’ll end up blocked. If necessary, stop writing and let your manuscript sit and cook for a while. Then open up those brain cells and let the story flow.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

My publisher is actually my editor, Teresa Kennedy of Village Green Press LLC, a small indie press. I found her in a roundabout way. I had another editor but I wasn’t satisfied with what she did even though she charged me a lot less. She gave me what I paid for. I found Teresa when she was working as an editor for Renni Brown at www.theeditorialdepartment.com. While there, she started working on my manuscript and then left to start her own company. I let her take my manuscript with her and we’ve been working together ever since.

Q: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m working on two more books to finish the series. The working title for the next book is The Edge of Death and the third is A Call from Home. I’m not sure if these titles will stick but they will be books 2 and 3 of the Admiralty Archives series.

Q: Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

In this book, I dabble with the problem of racism. Unfortunately, it’s part of our society and we have to deal with it. Along with it comes violence and hatred. Come on, people, we don’t need that in our lives. We need to work together to solve our problems.

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Curse of the Sea was a joy to write (and rewrite) and I hope readers enjoy it. I tried to make it as authentic as possible by doing a lot of research including a 10-day visit to the U.K. By the way, I once tried to set this book in the U.S. but it just didn’t work. It had to be in England. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy reading my book as much as I did writing it.

About the Book:

Title: Curse of the Sea, Book One of the Admiralty Archives
Author: Joni Parker
Publisher: Village Green Press LLC
Pages: 287
Genre: Urban Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

A NATO training exercise goes terribly wrong when five warships from different countries are mysteriously transported to Eledon, the Realm of the Elves. The warrior Lady Alexin is charged to escort the troops back home to London in the year 2031 with the aid of the Wizard Ecstasy and a magic shrinking potion. Yet, when the authorities question her story, Alex is detained and imprisoned under suspicion of terrorism. Caught in a web of politics, betrayal and bungling bureaucracy, the confusing world of the future will push her magical gifts to their limit, and her own future will hang in the balance, caught between “justice” and the place she calls home.