Last week I shared my review of The Final Rider and this week I have the privilege of interviewing the author Elyzabeth Trickey! Trickey is an author and receptionist in Northern Illinois. Aside from reading and writing, Trickey enjoys video games, music, and alt fashion. A fun fact about her is that she had 8 years of classical voice training. In fact, it got her a scholarship in college though she studied anthropology!
Read the full interview below to learn more!
Q) How long have you been writing?
A) My very first story was written when I was 8. It was a silly little thing, but I feel like it really started a couple of years later when I started reading high fantasy and it made me daydream until my imagination spilled onto the page.
Q) Why do you write?
A) This may be a cliché answer, but I can’t imagine a life where I didn’t write. It makes me happy, and I can hardly stop thinking about the stories in my head.
Q) What are your favorite book tropes? What about least favorite?
A) I know it’s super overused, but I’ve always been a fan of the Chosen One trope. I’m also a sucker for enemies-to-lovers and forbidden magic plot devices. The only one I actually dislike is the love triangle.
Q) Describe yourself in three words.
A) Distracted, nutty, and romantic.
Q) What song would be your life’s theme song?
A) “Fortune” by Heather Dale
Q) Who is someone (real or fictional) that inspires you?
A) Even if I’ve never successfully completed one of his books, J R R Tolkien is very inspiring to me. He told the story he wanted to tell, expressed his sincere regrets about making orcs irredeemably evil later in life, and even if The Lord of the Rings is considered “cliché” now, it was the birthing place of some of the most famous fantasy tropes. He wrote a story about hope, friendship, and love that impacted thousands of people, even after his death. You can’t help but admire someone like that.
Q) Can you tell us what inspired The Final Rider?
A) Funny story! I was helping my mom move rocks out of the sheep pasture. We had to throw them over the fence, and I looked at her and mentioned how crazy it would be if one of these rocks split open to reveal a dragon. She understandably looked at me like I was nuts, but that’s when the seeds were planted!
Q) Can you tell readers about any of your current writing projects and/or plans for the sequel to The Final Rider?
A) The sequel to The Final Rider is in one of its late drafts now and only has two or three more rounds of edits left! The third book’s first draft is almost done. Aside from that, I have a couple more major projects I’m writing on and off, both with very different vibes from The Final Rider but they’re both still high fantasy!
Q) What goals do you have for your writing?
A) I’d like to get to a point where I can live off of writing so I can focus on it during everyday life.
Q) Can you tell us a little bit about your experience as an indie author?
A) It has its upsides and downsides. The downside is that you of course don’t get a publishing house’s advertising budget, so you rely on smaller ads on social media and Amazon, and on the help of influencers who are kind enough to feature your book. The upside is that you get to choose everything! I designed everything about the interior of my book, and even the hidden art on the hardcover. I got to choose my own cover artist and got to work with the amazing Christiana Leon, an Italian artist who truly made Hazel and Resgal come to life.
Q) What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
A) The best thing to do is to finish what you write. Finish that first draft, and don’t worry if it’s bad. When asked the same question, Sarah J Maas said to allow yourself to suck, and I agree. The feeling that your first draft needs to be perfect is what can hold you back the most, and it’s something I continue to struggle with. Just remember that everything can be fixed. Nothing is set in stone until you release it into the world. Also, don’t worry about people not liking what you write. There’ll always be people who won’t enjoy it for whatever reason but as long as you love it, someone else will as well.
Be sure to follow Trickey on Instagram here, and you can order your own copy of The Final Rider from Amazon here! Remember, you can also request a copy of the book at your local library.