Water Princess, Fire Prince: Author Interview

Hello, everyone! I hope everyone had fun at the Facebook party the other day- I, unfortunately, couldn't join in, since I don't have Facebook. Anyway, this is my final appearance on the Water Princess, Fire Prince blog tour- though it'll continue for the next two days on other blogs. Today, I get to interview Kendra, which was super fun. But first, of course, a little about the book and author . . . because, you know, you haven't seen it enough times in the last few days.

About Water Princess, Fire Prince:
When the Lady Dragon does come,

Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.

All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

What is to come will change their lives forever.

Available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Water-Princess-Prince-Rizkaland-Legends-ebook/dp/B00YTQBTDI/ 

Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24022364-water-princess-fire-prince

 Part 1’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/water-princess-chapter-1.html  

Part 2’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/fire-prince-chapter-1.html

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About the Author:

Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways.  She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings.  Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog,knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.

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And now, what you've been waiting for: the actual interview!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, like your hobbies, how you got into writing, your favorite books (besides your own), or just anything else you’d like to share?

Greetings and salutations! I’m Kendra E. Ardnek, lover of palindromes, eldest of four, homeschooled my whole life, maker of the best spaghetti and popcorn in the world. I started writing because my mom told me that was what people did with the stories in their heads, and my favorite books are C. S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. I also knit and crochet when I get into the mood.

What was the best part of writing Water Princess, Fire Prince? The hardest part?

The best part of writing Water Princess, Fire Prince was watching it come together.  Seeing the characters come to life with so much wit and emotion, seeing the plot unfold as personalities clashed and wars were fought, and seeing the world itself rise from the nethersphere of my brain. It was so pretty.

The hardest part though? When I had writer’s block and I’d just ignore it for a few months or years. Yeah. It’s been a seven-year project for a reason. I mean, I loved the characters, and world, and it was ALWAYS on my mind, but there were a few points when writing the first draft that I’d hit a brick wall and just not know how to move on.

What’s your favorite scene in the book?

Oh. This question again. You do realize this book was huge, with nearly fifty chapters? Lots of scenes?

But I guess, if you’re going to make me choose, today I’ll go with Clara and Andrew’s first kiss. That was a fun scene to write both times.

It's a fun scene to read too. Now, on your blog, you’ve mentioned that Water Princess, Fire Prince was greatly inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. Are there other books, movies, or such that influenced it as well?

It’s more the series itself that was inspired by Narnia, as in, they might not exist if I hadn’t decided to write a better movie for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

However, some other books and such that influenced Rizkaland include Oz, Middle Earth, Doctor Who, a unfinished book I found in my mom’s computer documents one day, The Blood of Kings Trilogy by Jill Williamson, The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins, and perhaps a bit from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Oh, and Magic School Bus.

Wow, that's quite the list! Do you get writer’s block often? If or when you did, how did you deal with it?

Writer’s block is the reason this book wasn’t out a few years ago. Um, dealing with it … my methods usually involve ignoring the problem and hoping inspiration will come to me. In the meantime, I work on other books, take long walks, wash the dishes, realize that my room is in SERIOUS need of being cleaned (which … it is), read a book, play a computer game (I’m slightly addicted to old-style RPG’s and Hidden Object Adventures), try to reinvent the wheel …

Eventually, guilt or inspiration will drive me back to the story, but it sometimes takes a while.

If you could spend one day with one of your characters in one location in your book, which character and which location would you choose?

Ooh, it’s a tough call between exploring the secret passageways in the Upper Klarand’s castle with Jakob, because I didn’t get to explore them enough in the book, or just relaxing in Lower Klarand’s royal library with the Fire Prince, because Rizkaland science is awesome.

Those both sound like awesome people and places to visit. Mind if I join you? Just kidding. Anyway, do you snack while you’re writing? If so, what are some of your favorite writing foods?

Not often. Sometimes I have popcorn, and I usually have water at hand, but I don’t like to have food to distract me while I write.

If you were called to Klarand like the Ten or Clara and Andrew were, how would you feel about it? Also, what do you think your gift would be?

I … have been called to Rizkaland. I go there all the time, as it is my duty to translate Rizkaland’s Legends so that we of earth might understand that, and in order to do that, I must understand Rizkaland.

I’m known as the Translator, or the Arista, to those who know of me there.

Having been one of your beta readers, I know that Clara and Andrew are a super cute couple. Was their relationship easy to write? What were some of the challenges?

They were fairly easy to write, as their personalities bounced off each other excellently. I did have some issues with Clara’s breaking point in the relationship, as it refused to get written in the first draft. However, the biggest challenge was setting them back to square one in the second draft. After seeing how adorable they were together, it was literally painful to have them squabbling again.

Do you have any advice for other writers out there?

Study the craft, but don’t spend so much time studying that you forget to write. Perfect writing can only be achieved through lots of imperfect writing. And don’t be afraid to share your work, but also be willing to take critical advice when it is given.

And edits aren’t the end of the world. In fact, they’re what makes the world go ‘round.

Awesome! Thanks for the interview, Kendra!

 

I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did! As always, don't forget to stop by the rest of the blogs on the tour to check out their posts! Also, today is the last day for free books- get them while you can!

 Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Tour Schedule:

August 31st
Here: Introductory Post
Interviews:
Overactive Imagination - Jakob
Flights from the Aerie - Me
Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings - Me
Reviews:
Shire Reviews
Scattered Journal Pages
A Heart Redeemed

September 1st
Here: Book 2 Title Reveal
Blogs Also Revealing:
Flights from Aerie
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke
Lianne Taimenlore
Dolls, Books, and Things that Matter
Writing in the Light
Jaye L. Knight
writinganyone
Written Rest
Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE
Interviews:
Dreams and Dragons - Laura
The Rambling Rose - Jasmine
Other:
Book Crazy Lady - review and interview

September 2nd
Here: Books and Such that have Influenced WPFP
Interviews:
Scattered Journal Pages - Clara
Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE - Me
Writing in the Light - Me
Reviews:
Anything, Everything
writinganyone
Written Rest

September 3rd
My Blog: Ships I Ship Because of this Book
Interviews:
Flights from the Aerie - Andrew
Written Rest - Kiona
Lianne Taimenlore - me
Reviews:
A Writer's Heart
Dreams and Dragons
Other:
Kedurah's Korner - Review and Interview
Facebook Party!!! (RSPV Now!)

September 4th
Here: The Initiation
Interviews:
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke - Amber
The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls - Jill Anna
A Heart Redeemed - Me
Jaye L. Knight - Me
Reviews:
Dolls, Books, and Things That Matter
Sutori no Hana
Overactive Imagination - Group review with the Blogger's Younger sisters!

September 5th
Here: Looking Back - A Writing Journey
Interviews:
Dolls, Books, and Things that Matter - Abraham
Dreams and Dragons - Me
writinganyone - Me
Reviews:
Lianne Taimenlore
Flights from Aerie - Dual Review with the Blogger's Younger Brother!
Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings.

September 7th
Tour Wrap-Up at My Blog!

Free Books!

31^st-4^th:

Sew, It’s a Quest: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G3ZFKG

Do You Take This Quest? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CFDHFT4/

31^st ONLY:

My Kingdom for a Quest: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RN7T004

1^st – 5^th:

The Ankulen: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZAXWYM/

CinderEddy: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZNW2TO

Saffron’s Big Plan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HYS9W2/