Few dare venture into the Borwood Timberland—a vast forest steeped in sky-piercing trees, demon creatures, and legend.
Few, except Kor.
An ancient gift pulses in his veins. The blood of shifting kings and queens flows through him. But he has forgotten his past and his lineage. Oblivious to his power, blind to his gift, his nightmares hold him captive.
Now a tyrant wants him dead.
When a strange, amber-eyed girl braves the forest in search of a rare flower and encounters a borlan, Kor has a choice: run, or face the spined demon-beast to help her.
His decision sparks a chain of events that sends him to rot in the salt mines of Perabon and pits him against a ruthless mercenary. His path awakens his gift, recalls his past, and unveils a murderous intrigue.
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about authors, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author S.C. Monson whose book Badgerblood: Awakening thrilled me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love fantasy but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and S.C. Monson will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful S.C. Monson!
S.C. Monson graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, which is completely beside the point.
In her youth, she wrote several short stories, including one about the Big Bad Wolf, three little pigs, and an intervening Batman—and one long story she should have ended, but didn’t. Among her siblings, she is famous as the Earthquake-On-A-Stool Yahoo Girl. (It’s a hair-raising tale.)
Badgerblood: Awakening is her first self-published YA novel and the first of a series.
Due to her parents’ love of adventure, S.C. is an American born abroad in Germany and raised in places like Turkey and Italy.
She currently resides in a desert locale. When she’s not writing, music-dallying, or listening to audiobooks, she’s battling mutant ants and plotting escapades with her superhero husband.
Now, how wonderful does S.C. Monson sound?! S.C. Monson is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy S.C. Monson’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself.
I’m the second youngest of six children, with four brothers and one sister. Growing up I always felt the protection and love of my family and enjoyed being home with them. I’m also a lover of dogs, cats, cinnamon rolls, and the Christmas season.
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write it?
Badgerblood: Awakening is my first published work and the first in a YA Fantasy series with a light medieval feel and a tinge of magic. It’s a tale of growth and perseverance, full of action, peril, and a hint of romance. When a young outlaw risks his life for a mysterious girl in a monstrous forest, his path awakens legendary powers and unveils a murderous intrigue.
I’ve always loved clean, exciting fantasy both in books and movies, and Badgerblood was the start to my goal of creating quality fantasy that is both exciting and family-friendly. Something I would feel comfortable and thrilled reading myself.
On a more technical note, languages like Turkish inspired words like bitki (herbal tea) and arkadash (friend) in Badgerblood.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Interestingly enough, I didn’t fully hit my stride with writing Badgerblood until another dream seemed to close on me. So if your working toward your dreams and find one falling apart in your arms, stay alert and keep your heart soft. Where one door closes another is bound to open.
You might also try researching plot structure and outlines, even if you think you’re a pantser, not a plotter. I once thought I was more the pantser-type, but my opinions are changing as I look into some outlining and plot structure books. A good place to start is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I’ve also heard that Outlining Your Novel by K.M Weiland, Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, and Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card are helpful resources in this endeavor. So explore your options before you make a hard and fast pantser or plotter decision. You might find your a little of both.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
Immersing the reader in the story and creating well-developed characters. I also love humor, so incorporating it into my dialogue or scenes to create an enjoyable reading experience is important to me.
What is your writing process like?
Ha. So far? Messy. I started out writing Badgerblood: Awakening as a pantser. After several drafts, I stopped and brainstormed on paper to improve weak plot points and motivations and create some backstory that I felt was necessary to the story’s overall development.
For the second book, I created a rough outline for the beginning part, then started writing. After floundering in the book’s direction for a while, however, I took a break to research outlining and plot structure. Now, I’m working on a loose outline for book two that I hope will facilitate my writing process.
Though my story often changes as I write, I usually have a general idea about where the book and series is headed as a whole.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
My research tends to happen as I write. If I come across a scene involving something technical that I don’t know much about, I’ll check into it on Google. Or if I need inspiration for how a scene should go, I might look into similar, real-life circumstances in history to jog my mind. Brainstorming with my husband often helps too.
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
No set schedule, though I usually write during the weekdays. My concentration tends to hit its peak around mid- to late afternoon.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I enjoy reading and listening to audiobooks with my husband, especially on road trips and in the evenings. I love authors who write clean, Young Adult Fantasy and can engage me in an exciting, perilous adventure with magic and a little romance. Some of my favorite authors are Eoin Colfer, Diana Wynne Jones, Cornelia Funke, and Brandon Sanderson. I also really enjoy Jon Monson’s works, another Indie author.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
Book two in my Badgerblood series is currently in the works. It’s difficult to specify any release dates this early on, but I’d love to see it out within the next 2-3 years. Since I’m learning more about outlining and plot structure at the moment, I’m hopeful this will facilitate my writing process and bump up the release date sooner than anticipated.
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with S.C. Monson! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
