It’s my privilege to introduce you to my friend (and editor!) Leah Cutter, author of The Changeling Troll, the first novel in a new adult urban fantasy series.
Welcome, Leah! Tell us about yourself 😀
Where do you live and what is your writing space like?
That’s complicated. I have a house on Capitol Hill in Seattle: think funky, comfortable, urban. My husband owns a farm out in Ravensdale: 6.5 acres of woodlands. I spend time at both properties. I have three desks between the two properties. Plus, I write on the couch, sitting on chairs, sitting outside on the deck, at the Starbucks in town… I know some people advocate always writing at the same time everyday, and in the same location. That will never work for me. Variety helps me produce more.
Why do you write?
I always change this question to: why do you publish? I write because I have no choice. I publish, and share my work, because I’m a tour guide at heart. Come, let me show you, dear reader, the strange and wonderful places I’ve been to, either physically or just in my head.
When did you start writing?
My first journal from when I was eight years old states that, “When I grow up, I want to be a writer.” I don’t remember a time when I didn’t tell stories.
What genre(s) do you write?
Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, literary, horror.
Tell us about the book you have in this bundle. How did it come to be?
I was at CampCon (group of writers who get together for a weekend every summer and camp and write) and the novel I’d planned to write wasn’t going well. I went on a hike with my husband and we talked about what I was really interested in, what did I want to write instead. “The Changeling Troll” turned out to be the result.
The sequel, “The Princess Troll” is already available.
The final book in the trilogy, “The Fairy Bridge Troll” is currently scheduled to be published in October. (The book is written and is at the copyeditor at this time.)
What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?
Have fun. If you’re not having fun, you’ll burn out as a writer.
Are you a planner, or do you write into the dark? Do you write fast or slow?
I write mostly into the dark. And I write fast. I’m always trying to hit “flow state” as soon as I sit down, training myself that when I sit down with my writing computer, it’s time to write. Period. I’m up to about 2000 words per hour at this point, and am working toward pushing that up to 2500.
Tell us about your most recent book.
“The Harps of the Six Kingdoms” – a dark epic fantasy that was a long time in coming. I started the initial trilogy in 2008, however, the books were broken. I would have had to rewrite everything from scratch. Instead, I decided to scrap those books and start again, in the same world, 1000 years later.
What are you currently working on?
Short fiction for the next month or so. Too much going on to focus on a novel. I’ll be picking up “Bloodied Ice”, the last of the Cassie stories, later in the fall.
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Thanks, Leah. It’s always fabulous to spend time with you!
Information about the Faery Tales Bundle is available at BundleRabbit.
