Author Interview with M. Gerrick

Today, I want to give a special welcome to blogger Misha Gerrick and her debut novel, The Vanished Knight!

I've known Misha almost since I started blogging. She been a great encouragement and I was eager to let everyone know about her and novel. So without further ado, here's my interview with Misha. (Be sure to read the book blurb and author bio, which follow the interview.)

1. Writers get lots of ideas for stories, but not all of them become books. How did this book start, i.e. why did you fall in love with these characters and this story?

Well, this book started with one character who walked into my head and demanded I write the story. Honestly, I told him to go away at first. I was planning to take a year-long break from writing. He kept coming back, showing me bits here and there until I fell in love with him (because come on, who wouldn’t?) and the story.

As for why I fell in love with them… they’re all strong, but have deep vulnerabilities and fears etc. that make them amazing people, each in his/her own way.

2. How did you come up with the title?

Double answer time! The War of Six Crowns is named for a war that occurs later on in the series. It’s between four countries, one of which has three kings. The other three countries have one king each.

Each of my book titles in this series will involve some aspect of the war or events leading up to it. The Vanished Knight deals with what happened after one country’s king orchestrates the kidnapping of another country’s sole heir.

3. What kind of research did you do for your novel? Anything weird or strange?

Mmm… off the top of my head: Castles, manor houses in Britain, medieval saddles. I also did some Western Martial arts in order to understand how real life sword fighting works. Not weird, but serious fun.

4. Where do you write?

Most of this book was drafted in coffee shops and restaurants while I was at University. These days, though, I retire to my room and write on my bed. My writing desk is home to seven orchids and two Cape Sundews. No space to write there…

5. How do you plan to celebrate the book’s release?

By buying three fancy notebooks so that I can write more stories. Already have them, in fact. Honestly, though, I buy a notebook (or six) for the smallest of excuses. I’ll inscribe these three with the publishing date, though.

6. Are you working on a sequel to your novel?

Sequel’s done and ready for Etopia Press to edit. The rough draft of Book Three is also finished, so only a rewrite and edits left for that. Books four and five will come after book two is out, I’m hoping.

7. Can you share one thing about yourself that might surprise us?

Let me think… Uhm… I’m actually a blonde, but I’ve never let it grow out for me to see what the shade looks like on me. 

Blurb:

Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.

But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Bio:

M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has basically created stories since before she could write. Many of those stories grew up with her and can be seen in her current projects.
She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain.

If you’d like to contact her, feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)com, Circle her on Google Plus or follow her on Twitter. If you'd like to see her writer-side (beware, it's pretty insane), please feel free to check out her blog.
Links:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads