My name is Melanie, and I’m an indie author in my thirties. I live in Michigan with my sister and our two adorable shiba inu, Wesker and Wily! That by itself might be enough evidence that in addition to writing, I’m also a giant gaming nerd. I love all things horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, especially those with a historical bent, and ESPECIALLY stories from Japan. After studying Japanense language from junior high all through a bachelor’s of East Asian Language and Culture at Michigan State University, I worked for several years as a freelance manga translator, with many of those books still available for sale. Though I’m no longer applying those studies in a professional capacity, I’m always excited to bring those influences into my stories. I’ve been writing some twenty-five years, but only within the last few have I decided to get anything published.
Who influenced you most as a writer?
It may seem like an unconventional answer, but to be honest I would have to say Yasumi Matsuno is my greatest influence, the creator of the Ivalice series of Final Fantasy games. To my mind Matsuno’s mix of high fantasy and historical politics is second to none, and taught me that no matter how big the scope of a story may be, it’s the strength of unique and nuanced characters that drive it forward. Not to mention that later translations and localizations of his work reminded me all over again just how character voice and even very small word choices can make a huge difference to the meaning and tone of any narrative.
What are your favorite books and why?
A lot of my favorite books come from manga: Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki and Uzumaki by Junji Ito stand out as particular horror favorites, perfectly marrying excellent character work with over-the-top drama. When I was young I was also a huge fan of science fiction writer Robert Sawyer and his Far-seer trilogy, due to its super creative worldbuilding, and also because I was a dinosaur kid. More recently as I’ve renewed my love of samurai I’ve been especially inspired by Futaro Yamada’s The Kouga Ninja Scrolls with its dark fantasy elements, and Natsume Ono’s House of Five Leaves for its delicate and compelling characters.
I’ll also always hold dear to my heart Richard Adam’s Watership Down and Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel for their sense of adventure.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t trying to create stories of my own, but my first memory of writing them down was a piece of Jurassic Park fanfiction I wrote in the sixth grade, which to my young mind was brilliant enough to send to Michael Chrichton himself. He brushed me off with a postcard, of course, which only fueled my determination to become a hot shot writer myself.
Do you have any interesting writing quirks?
Nothing that rises to the description “quirk” I don’t think? I do most of my writing in Google docs so that I can sneak in a few sentences for whatever I’m working on as often as possible, and I always end up with two or three times the word count I expected going in. I’ve been told that when I’m writing dialogue I tend to hum along with the words, sometimes without realizing.
How did you become interested in the genre you write?
I’ve always had a love for historical and mythological settings, but my interest in feudal Japan specifically started in junior high, when I met and befriended three Japanese transfer students: Yukika, Ai, and Tomoko. They eagerly shared their manga and anime with me, teaching me useful phases (and, unsurprisingly, some off-color ones), though nothing captivated me more than the fighting samurai. I’ve held an interest ever since, even though it took many years for me to work up the conviction to write my own tale.
Tell me a bit about KAZUCHIYO: Battle for Two Bridges.
Battle for Two Bridges is the first of my intended KAZUCHIYO trilogy. It follows the story of protagonist Kazuchiyo, a young samurai who is taken captive by the enemy after much of his family is killed in battle. As he grows into a skilled warrior he meets two young men, one strong as an oni and one slippery as a fox. Together the three of them navigate battles and their relationships as they face a new war against a formidable enemy. It’s a story of drama, magic, politics, and romance, starring predominantly LGBT characters.
What was the inspiration behind KAZUCHIYO: Battle for Two Bridges?
To be exact, my original inspiration was, What about Yoshitsune and Benkei, but gay? This was about fifteen years ago, actually, and I still have my old Excel spreadsheets of names and crude Photoshop maps I did at the time. It was too big for me then, but in 2018 I decided to polish it up, add a ninja, and give it another try. Many of the characters and battles are inspired by history, with embellishments.
Do you have another writing project in mind or in the making?
Other than the next book in the KAZUCHIYO series, which is already underway, I’m authoring graphic novel series Bang! Bang! BOOM! with artist and friend Del Borovic, along with its prequel novel series. The story takes place in an alternate history version of prohibition era America that includes demonic and angelic magics, and the impact they have on normal humans. It’s both more playful and darker than KAZUCHIYO, but stays in the genre I love most, “period adventure romance.”
I’d also love to dip my toes deeper into horror in the future.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
My best advice, which I’m still working on following, is to trust yourself. Of the projects I’m working on now, one came together all at once very soon after inception, while the other sat on a shelf for decades before I wrote even a sentence. In both cases, I like to think they came to be at exactly the time needed to be, when I was ready for them. Everyone’s path and pace is different, as is every story’s, so it’s always best to trust your instinct and not force it.
No comments:
Post a Comment