Author Quiz: Marsha A. Moore author of the Enchanted Bookstore Legends series

Lost Volumes by Marsha A. Moore is the third book in the Enchanted Bookstore Legends series and is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Lost Volumes: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three by Marsha A. Moore
UK: Lost Volumes: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three by Marsha A. Moore

Lost Volumes, book three in the
Enchanted Bookstore Legends series.

Lost Volumes: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three by Marsha A. Moore

When Lyra McCauley learns residents of Dragonspeir’s Alliance are suffering with a deadly plague, she doesn’t heed the warnings of her fiancé, wizard Cullen Drake, to remain safe in her human world. After all, she’s the present Scribe—one of five strong women in her ancestry who possessed unique magic, each destined to protect the Alliance against the evil Black Dragon of the Dark Realm. With Cullen dependent upon Alliance power to maintain his immortality, the stakes are doubled for Lyra.

She leaves her college teaching and puts herself at risk for the community afflicted by black magic. To find a cure, she and Cullen travel into the vile, lawless underworld of Terza to strike a bargain with an expert. Their efforts further enrage the Black Dragon, vowing to decimate the Alliance and avenge the murder of his heir.

Lyra must secure the three lost volumes of the Book of Dragonspeir. Written by the three earliest Scribes, each book contains energy. Possession of the entire set will enable overthrow of the Dark Realm. Following clues into dangerous lands, Lyra and Cullen seek those volumes. His assistants, Kenzo the tiger owl and Noba the pseudodragon, prove invaluable aids. Only if they succeed, will the Alliance be safe and Lyra reach closer to the immortality she needs to live a life with Cullen.

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Author Quiz interviews Marsha A. Moore...

Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
I get a lot of positive and amazed comments about my imagination, usually, “Where do you get these ideas?” or “You are talented storyteller,” or “How do you drive with all these wild ideas in your head?” I honestly have no idea—it’s just me and how I think. I see odd stuff in nature, like portals and strange creatures. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember. It does make for some great tales though!

Where did the inspiration for your Enchanted Bookstore Legends series, Seeking a Scribe (book one), Heritage Avenged (book two), and Lost Volumes (book three), come from?
It’s basically a fantasy lover’s dream, being able to step into a favorite book as a character. I know my initial inspiration came after watching the recent Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie. From that, I wanted to work with parallel worlds and have a heroine who must save the fantasy world from danger.

I envisioned a series with the magical complexities of the Harry Potter world, but for grown-ups, with characters who faced more complicated life issues. I had strong opinions about choosing my heroine’s age. I wanted her to have experienced enough hard times to be able to truly appreciate true love, honor, courage, fairness, all that is good. In this way, she can truly commit to whatever obstacles lie in the path to happiness. She knows herself and is determined. As the series progresses, I admire her strength.

Why do you enjoy writing in your usual genre?
I like the complexity of fantasy, the feeling of being transported into another world. However, most fantasy books are written for young adults. In my reading, I longed to find more fantasies written for adults. The element of romance I include is far less about adding sex than about adding deeper connections between the hero and heroine, allowing them to be more three-dimensional and work with more complex issues.

I write epic fantasy with romantic elements and will likely do more in that subgenre. I enjoy reading magical realism, mythpunk, and mythic fiction—all subgenres that sit on the border between fantasy and literary fiction. I expect my writing will shift in that direction over time.

Is there a particular scene from your Enchanted Bookstore Legends which would translate well to canvas and provide a powerful inspiration for a dramatic or emotional piece of artwork?
There are so many scenes throughout the series which are rich in visuals—that’s my style. There is one in my recent release, Lost Volumes (book three), that comes to mind quickly. It is when my heroine gets her first glimpse of a wicked scorpent creature that inhabits the dark, underground tunnels of Terza. Here’s a short excerpt of that scene:

The oversized rat-beast only latched harder onto Lyra’s leg and snarled, pushing its weight against her. The metal of the cage dug into her back.

At the same time, the rattling sounded directly behind her. Held by the wicked rat, she felt something lightly trace her spine. A wave of nausea passed over her.

Unable to turn around, she looked at Cullen for a reaction.

Even in the low light, she noticed the color drain from his face. His arms dropped to his sides, no longer attacking the rat.

Suddenly, light flooded the area. A human-like male, neither Vizard nor Rotter, came into view, holding a torch high above his head. Tall and thin, but not skeletal like the Vizards, the skin of his face and hands was ashen-green and crisscrossed with wrinkles. He dressed in a dark tunic past his knees, his lower legs covered by rough leggings. A long gray ponytail hung from a small patch of hair growing only from the crown of his head. A gray strip of fabric spiraled the length and tied the hair together.

The man slowly stepped forward, lowered his flame, and slashed it in wide arcs. “Appel scorpio! Vanest parte et Terzadom.” His voice crackled with age, but the power of his words charged the air.

Wild rattles and hisses came from whatever stood behind Lyra. From the rapid movements of the torch light, it seemed to be attacking the man.

As if his spell affected more than the beast outside the cage, the rat-monster relaxed its haunches.

Cullen struck at its wide, humped back.

Lyra fought through her pain and cracked the broomstick over its skull. The wood splintered in half.

The metallic clanking sound reached the area just outside the cage and stopped. “Resto servat toos magia paro Mrinx,” the voice of an old woman called out.

The sapphire apex of Cullen’s staff sent out a shower of sparks, as did the gems of both of their Alliance rings. Acting in unison, he and Lyra shot beams of blue and gold light across the rat’s neck.

The head severed from its body, but the teeth remained locked onto Lyra’s leg. Oppositely, the body went limp, freeing her from the manacle-like hold of the foreclaws.

Despite the sharp pain in her leg, Lyra managed to twist slightly to see what had happened behind her.

In the direction of the streetlamp, a dragon-size beast slid away. The stinging, hook-shaped telson of a giant scorpion curved high into the air above a snake’s tail turned up with a rattler. The torso of the monster crawled with eight pairs of jointed appendages, while its front end slithered in the shape of the head and neck of a snake.

Lyra’s mouth dropped open, realizing the danger that had been at her back, touching her spine.

Are any of your characters based on yourself and if so to what degree, and do you find it easier or more difficult to write characters based on yourself?
Reality always forms the framework of how my characters interact in my stories. Actually, since this is a five-part series and I’m currently writing book four of five, the more I look at this story, the more of myself I see. My heroine, Lyra, is very much connected to me. Even in the first chapter of the first book, the childhood memories brought to her mind by Cullen’s magical tea are actually all mine. How Lyra interacts with her Aunt Jean has been a way for me to work through my own issues with my mother’s failing health. Some scenes intentionally connect to my own experiences, like those, and others surprise me much later when I’m polishing my draft to send to my editor. I shake my head and hope no one other than my crit partners can identify the similarities.

I did have a difficult time finding what internal conflict my heroine needed to deal with in the third book, Lost Volumes. I actually had to live it, pass through a difficult experience in my own life with the recent passing of my mother, in order to see what the character needed to do. That was a real moment of discovery for me, since I’d been too close to the forest to see the trees, so-to-speak.

How do you see the publishing industry changing over the next few years?
I think agents will become limited in their usefulness as gatekeepers who lead authors into publishing houses. Many are already looking to modify their traditional roles. I also think publishing houses will need to change their tactics if they want the best writers. They will need to assertively look for authors rather than waiting for agents to deliver the cream-of-the-crop to their doors.

What are some of your favourite quotes from reviews that you've received?

Seeking a Scribe, book one in the
Enchanted Bookstore Legends series.

"5 stars...This book is full of enchantment and magic…The Black Dragon is one scary character! I kept thinking to myself "Don't go in there!" during one of the scenes. The atmosphere that Marsha Moore has created, both dark and light, is very perceptible and palpable. I could easily "see" this story playing out in my head. I don't know why, but it was like an animated movie in there! Go figure! I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series…”
~Lynn Worton about Seeking a Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend One

“I have to admit to being a sucker for Dragon books. I love dragons and magic. I love that the animals (dragons, unicorns, owl, etc) are fully realized individual entities in this book. A romance with adventure, a quest, a unicorn, dragons, and a happy ending is just what I needed today.
Marsha Moore has created a unique, fascinating world that I would love to visit… okay maybe after all the fighting is done, but visit nonetheless. The character, human and otherwise, have individual personality trait with their own idiosyncrasy. It was fun to see them interact and develop as the story progressed.”
~Mindy at Books, Books, Books about Heritage Avenged: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Two

"After reading the first two books of this series, I couldn't wait for the next. It didn't disappoint. Lyra goes to a few different worlds to find the lost volumes of Dragonspier. Each world is as magical and mystical as the last. I dropped completely out of the real world and got lost in Lyra's. I recommend you do too. I'm looking forward to Lyra's next adventure in book four."
~LoriDR about Lost Volumes: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Three

Do you opt for Digital Rights Management on your ebooks and would you recommend it to other authors?
I don’t opt for Digital Rights Management on my ebooks because it only limits readers from being able to transfer the book files from one reading device to another, PC to Kindle, or converting a Kindle format to a Nook format. Book pirates are most often tech-savvy and can easily strip off the DRM.

What other book would you regard it the biggest compliment to have your own work compared to and why?
Several readers have compared my Enchanted Bookstore Legends to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. They cite similarities in the way the magical portals between worlds operate and the presence of some very engaging talking animals in each. I’m certainly happy about those comparisons. I sought to develop a complex plot with many subplots, clues, and misclues, which won’t be realized until the last few books—much like the complexities in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. A few readers of the first book in the series, Seeking a Scribe, picked up that there were layers of storylines and expected those to take a while to unravel. I was definitely pleased to hear that!

Who do you see as your target audience?
Since the hero and heroine are in their mid-thirties, I would expect my readers to be age thirty to sixty and probably more females than males since there is a romance element in addition to the main theme of fantasy.

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Thanks for your comments, Marsha, and good luck with your writing.

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Discover more about Marsha's writing and her Enchanted Bookstore Legends series at her website and blog:
Website: www.marshaamoore.com
Blog: marshaamoore.blogspot.co.uk

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Follow Marsha A.Moore on facebook and twitter:
Facebook: Marsha A Moore Author Page
Twitter: @MarshaAMoore

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