Fantasy Author Belle Manuel
Fantasy author Belle Manuel is my guest for today’s post. This is my first ever Finding the Magic Blog Interview! I’m branching out to different types of media with the “Finding the Magic” theme of discovering magical books and their authors. This week’s guest is young adult fantasy and new adult fantasy author, Belle Manuel.
About Fantasy Author Belle Manuel
- How many books have you published?
- As of this interview, five—with many more to come!
- Why do you write?
- Because I have all these stories in my head.
- Why do you write in your specific genre?
- Fantasy and sci-fi are just more fun to me. Reality is boring; give me exciting adventure with impossible magic and creatures.
- Why did you start writing? Was there a specific experience that spurred you to write?
- Writing was a natural outlet for me. I struggle with depression and don’t take meds for my ADHD, so writing is my cathartic process where my brain can run crazy and do whatever it wants.
- What do you love most about writing and being an author?
- Expressing my ideas through stories that could one day motivate people.
Fantasy Author Belle Manuel’s Books
- Tell me about your books and series.
- My completed trilogy, the Twisted Fates, is a Hades and Persephone retelling—YA. And my currently ongoing series, the Soul Stealer Saga, is an NA dark fantasy about an assassin coming into her own in a world of tangled destinies.
- Who is your favorite character in one of your books?
- Arayna Gamon, the lead of my Soul Stealer Saga, easily. I put a lot of myself into her and love that people are enjoying her.
- What inspired you to write?
- Loving books, honestly.
- How do you write? Plot out or wing it?
- I am a hybrid, a plantser. I always have my loose plot, the knowledge of where I want my cast by the end of each book, but the dots along the way are always open for change and get written in randomly. I build in my Easter eggs meticulously, though, and am patiently awaiting the day readers pick up on some of them!
- Who are your favorite authors? What genres do you read?
- I love Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, and Brigid Kemmerer.
- I primarily read science-fiction and fantasy.
- What do you want readers to experience or take away from your books?
- That everyone has a place and purpose, even if it’s hard for us to see sometimes.
- Do you have/make writing goals.
- I make attainable writing goals to stay on track, but I really don’t hold myself too strictly to a ‘writing schedule’. I feel that forcing creativity is the fastest way to kill it.
- What else do you want readers to know about you? What questions do you want me to ask?
I’m a bookworm, I sew, I crochet. I’m a collector of hobbies, I suppose. I also run a bookish Etsy shop, Belle’s Book Corner, where
- Where can we find you? List all the places you’d like people to be able to find you online.
More About Fantasy Author Belle Manuel
Raised in the Deep South, Belle is a Sci-Fi and Fantasy author that revels in creating new worlds. She recently moved cross country to be closer to the publishing world and is an editor for independently published writers. The Twisted Fates trilogy came to an end with A King So Darkened in 2022. But worry not, there are more stories to be told in the Firenian world!
June 2022, Of Shadows and Ruin, the second book in the Soul Stealer Saga, was released! Follow social media to stay up to date on the latest news!
Find all of Belle’s links here: https://linktr.ee/BelleManuel
Love finding new books and authors like Belle? Want to learn the story behind the stories? Like to geek out about magical worlds and characters? Finding the Magic Podcast is on all the major podcast channels. You can find the links here or go directly to the Podcast on Anchor or Spotify.
Happy Reading!
Tricia
Tricia Copeland believes in finding magic. She thinks magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, discovering a new passion, a beautiful sunset, or a book that transports us to another world. An avid runner and Georgia native, Tricia now lives with her family and four-legged friends in Colorado. Find all her titles from contemporary romance and fantasy, to dystopian fiction at www.triciacopeland.com.