Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I finished my first manuscript in 2014 (when I was 17). I’ve written around 10 manuscripts since then and around 1,000,000 words. Ashes of Aether is actually my first work that I’m publishing, however. I’ve tried for traditional publishing (where you query a literary agent to represent you) for a few years, but it really knocked my confidence, and I didn’t get any feedback with my rejection. It also stopped me from finishing any of my work, too.
Then I saw some indie authors in my genre, and I decided to write Ashes of Aether! Deciding to try out independent publishing also fixed my inability to finish my manuscripts!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
ASHES OF AETHER is the first in my brand new YA Fantasy series and will be perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Leigh Bardugo, and Holly Black! Those authors have really impacted on my writing style, but the particular setting of ASHES OF AETHER is heavily inspired by World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, and various other fantasy video games.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really enjoy listening to alpha waves while I write, and I also drink gin/coffee depending on the time of the day! I also find I work best at night, and I have to turn word onto full screen focus mode with a black background because having a blank white screen in front of me is so daunting. I also used to write every first draft longhand first, but now I reserve pen and paper for those really tricky scenes. Sometimes writing a paragraph or two on paper helps me to find my feet.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of my earliest inspirations are Lord of the Rings and Dragon Lance, as well Trudi Canavan’s books! For more recent work, I’m also a really big fan of Holly Black and Margaret Rogerson.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Book 2 of ASHES OF AETHER! The first draft is already written but I’m a massive perfectionist and like to rewrite all my books from scratch! I also plan to finish drafting a rewrite of my first manuscript ever from 2014, which I still very much love. The world building and plot needed a lot of reworking, but I’m much happier with this new version 7 years later!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really enjoying bookstagramming, and I’ve built up a bit of a platform on there. I read very heavily in the same genre that I write, so it made perfect sense for me to network with other likeminded readers. Many of my followers on there have been so incredibly supportive of my writing journey, and I’m so thankful for each and every one.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice is to always believe in yourself, and to write the book you want to read. Also that if you’re a perfectionist, you should try to manage that. Perfectionism is good at the editing stages and really unhelpful during first drafting. I tell myself that I can always redraft my manuscript, so that helps me to get to the end of the project!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I started bookstagramming, I found that it helped me to read a lot more, and by reading a lot more, I feel like my writing improved significantly. I know some of the greats like Stephen King recommend that you place as much importance on reading as much as writing, because reading other works fuels you with words. Also that the “road to hell is paved with adverbs” by Stephen King too. To be honest, I’d recommend picking up ON WRITING by him if you haven’t already!
Another is STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST. For a long time, I tried really hard to be original but originality is just mixing together existing ideas and presenting them in a different way. So if you feel like your ideas aren’t good enough and you’re trying too hard to be original, I’d recommend you pick up STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST.
Oh and finally, I also really liked ANATOMY OF PROSE, too. It helped me to think more deeply about what I was reading, and it has a lot of good advice!
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson! Fantastic world building and magic systems are what I love about fantasy, and at the time of writing this, I’m 1/4 of the way through the first book and I’m LOVING it so far because Sanderson does both of these so well.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a lot of books to write and a lot to read on my shelf. I really want to try for traditional publishing again one day, and I have some projects in mind that would be a perfect fit. I’m a massive fan of Chinese Xianxia/Wuxia dramas, and I do have a YA Fantasy in mind that would be set in a chinese inspired fantasy world. I’d also like to get into writing for the adult fantasy market one day, too.
Before then, I’d like to finish the rest of the books for ASHES OF AETHER, which will be at least four more. And then I’ll publish my rewrite of my first manuscript, because I think that would also be a good fit for independent publishing.
I also hope to hit my target of 50 books read this year (I’m currently on 35/50), which is quite small compared to some on bookstagram, but I work full time as a teacher and I also spend a lot of time writing and editing. Then I hope to read even more books next year!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take the Lord of the Rings with me, A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab, and the Folk of the Air by Holly Black. Also I’m totally allowed to count these trilogies as 1 book and have an omnibus version of them. If I’m allowed a fourth, then it would probably be Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson!
Author Websites and Profiles
Holly Rose Website
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