Hello everyone! Today I am very excited to have another fantastic, Interviews With Authors! As part of The Raie'Chaelia Blog Tour, I have Melissa Douthit, author of The Raie'Chaelia here with us today. Melissa was kind enough to answer my questions on her book and what it is like being a self-published author. The Raie'Chaelia is a fantasy book set in the realm of Naeo' Gaea, that many unique creatures and races inhabit. Chalice is one everyday girl, who turns out to have an extraordinary destiny. You can read my full review of The Raie'Chaelia here.
Now in honor of The Raie'Chaelia Blog Tour, here is Interviews With Authors: A Talk With Melissa Douthit!
A Talk With Melissa Douthit
Author of The Raie’Chaelia
1) What inspired you to start writing The Raie’Chaelia?
This is actually in the preface to my novel:
On the morning of 21st of September, 2007, I sat down at my computer with a cup of coffee and clicked a familiar bookmark on my internet browser. The link took me to a website that I knew well. In doing so, I learned that one of my favorite authors had passed away. His name was James Oliver Rigney, Jr., also known as Robert Jordan. The website was www.dragonmount.com.
Ever since I was seventeen, I have been reading his epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. I remember buying the first book, The Eye of the World, from a local bookstore and rushing home to read it. I remember it like it was yesterday. To this day, after twenty-one years, I am still reading his series as it quickly draws to a conclusion in its final completion by Brandon Sanderson.
I never thought I could be a writer given that my talents lie in other areas, mostly in mathematics and science, but when I learned of Jordan’s passing, I decided to start writing a story that I had been tossing around in my head for a while. The ideas were there but the realization of those ideas into a book was a problem. I didn’t believe that I could do it. So, that morning, inspired by Jordan’s life story, I sat down and started typing. I soon found that by having read his books, as well as many others by other authors, the writing came naturally and the words flowed. The novel, The Raie’Chaelia, is the result of that day.
Now, three years later, my first novel has been published. It is a novel with both a storyline and a background theme. The ideas for the story were conceived out of a desire to write a fantasy that was different from any other I had read in the past. The entire story required a few years to fully develop, but I believe I have achieved my original intention – keeping it different. I am hoping that you, its reader, will feel that difference and love it.
Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy it.