Amber Carez

AM – Our Featured Author this week is fantasy fiction author Amber Carez (pronounced ‘caress’).  Amber is promoting the first book in her Pùqest series, “The Hunter”.  Thank you for joining us today Amber!

AC – Thank you Angie. It is a pleasure talking with you.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

AC – Well, having been born in the Pacific Northwest, I have a love for mountainous terrains but find myself fascinated by the Everglades and Cays (keys) of South Florida. I was often called ‘Weird’ by many in my high school and strangely enough, that did not bother me. I felt really out of sync with the other students. I found that I really loved English, Writing (surprise), and History classes and in college, the Anthropology and Cultural Psychology courses fascinated me.

AM – What drew you to writing fantasy?

AC – I have always felt different from other people. My dreams do not seem like what others describe theirs to be. Mine are more like visits to other places. Sometimes it is almost as if I am living the experience. I started reading at the age of three and when I found the fantasy genre I was captivated by the alternate realities that it opened up to me.

AM – Can you tell us more about the Efírmà, the setting for this wonderful series?

AC – Efírmà is a world similar to Earth in many basic aspects but with a much higher resonance of magical energies which are being discovered and used by those with a natural affinity. There are a number of continents and in addition to the humans; several other intelligent, sentient species exist. “The Hunter” is set on the continent of Lànjdá, one that has near ice cap conditions in the extreme north and tropical ones in the south.

AM – Can you tell us more about the book “The Hunter”?

AC – It is difficult to know how much to say before what I share becomes a spoiler. “The Hunter” is about discovery. The discovery of one’s self, one’s power, and one’s destiny as it unfolds in a repressive and foreign culture. Beware, some of the culture of Lànjdá would be considered politically incorrect in our paradigm. Also, there is a map of Lànjdá on my website which will help in visualizing the continent. “The Hunter” is set in the far Northeast.

AM – What inspired you to write this series?

AC – I sat down one day to write a short story of about five pages. I had no specific plan except the names of two main characters. From the start, the characters wrote the story. They simply took off as if they had been waiting for an outlet. At first, I wrote everything in first person and the voice changed dramatically depending upon which character was speaking. Upon reading over it, I realized that a more comprehensive viewpoint was needed and so edited everything into mostly third person while retaining the original flavor of the character.

AM – This was your first book release.  Where you nervous when it came out?  What kind of response are you receiving?

AC – Yes, I was very nervous, and excited! I have received mostly positive reviews averaging 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Unfortunately the single 1-star rating declined to say why they felt that way. Some of those that have taken the time to contact me have provided positive criticisms.

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

AC – Book 2 in the Pùqest series is written but editing is not yet complete. Each book is written to stand alone. I am strongly motivated to publish the first book I wrote next. It is also set in Lànjdá and provides a more intense storyline and fleshes out the culture of Nórland and Sèdaria more fully.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

AC – I would say that editing your manuscript is the most important (and probably the hardest) thing that must be done. I spent more time editing “The Hunter” than originally writing it. Having an objective (and unafraid) friend or colleague willing to critique and edit your work is extremely helpful.

AM – Where can we go to purchase “Pùqest Book1: The Hunter”?

AC – Bookstores, if they do not have it in stock they can order it. BarnesAndNoble.com, Amazon.com, other online booksellers. The easiest way to locate it is to search on my name ‘Amber Carez’ or ‘Puqest’. If you wish an autographed copy, please visit my website. The order page is http://www.ambercarez.com/books/p1_hunter.html.

AM – We appreciate your time today Amber.  Thank you for joining us!  We wish you the best of luck with “The Hunter” and the rest of the Pùqest books to follow.