What inspires you to write?
Inspiration comes from all around me. The original concept for The Last Lumenian book series came from a dream. However, the series development and the way the characters interact with their world was inspired by everyday life. I try to imagine what it would be like for my characters to interact with things that we use in the ‘real world’, knowing their world differs from ours. Imagining how my characters interact with magic and societal pressures plays a big role to influence my writing. Another thought process that inspires me is the concept of ‘what if’? What if opens the door to the unknown and the potential for where the story can lead. It opens up possibilities that may not have been considered in the beginning by eliminating traditional boundaries.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I dreamed of becoming a writer professionally around the age of ten, but I only started calling myself a writer when I began working on my first book, The Last Lumenian in 2013.
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?
Science Fiction / Fantasy has always had a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, Hollywood movies were largely forbidden under Soviet oppression. My dad rebelled in his own way by smuggling these movies in any way-not to sell them, but to show them to his children. These movies had a big impact on me: Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Dune, Back To Future, Goonies, Terminator, Rocky, and many more. Experiencing the magic in these stories showed me characters and worlds that I did not see in my daily life. It broadened my mindset and drove me to push the boundaries of my own storytelling. Science Fiction / Fantasy is a logical extension of that expanded storytelling.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
My creativity has grown in multiple ways over the past several years. Writing is my passion so I’ve always enjoyed sitting down and writing. However, I’ve learned about the importance of finding other ways to express creativity. Short breaks to engage other creative activities improves my storytelling craft, too. They allow me to train my brain to express creativity and to organize my thoughts, without the pressure of doing it while staring at the screen. For example, one of my creative outlets is putting together LEGO sets. When I work on these sets, it gives my mind the needed time to explore my thoughts and get my ideas in order.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Not knowing when your book is ready to publish can be difficult to accept. But once I embraced the journey and learned to enjoy the process, my focus shifted from the unknown to appreciating all the steps along the way. First, read as many books as you can, both inside and outside your core genre. Second, write every day. Writing prompts or having a diary can be very helpful to achieve this. Third, enjoy the process of writing! If writing your story is not fun for you, it won’t be fun for the readers to read it.
Can you share with readers a little bit about your latest book?
My latest book focuses on Glenna, Lilla’s best friend, and her journey with Ragnald within the Seven Galaxies. Coming December 2023! This is book 4 of The Last Lumenian series.
Glenna’s heart sinks just as her boots sink in the mud, when she sees how horrid planet Raghild is.
But there is no turning back now. She must forge onward to meet the despised charlatans, aka, mages—the only ones able to help her get rid of the corruption that’s killing her.
The sooner she finds the mages, the sooner she can rid herself of the deadly corruption, and of the pesky mage who somehow sneaked his way into her heart.
What made you decide to sit down and actually start writing this book?
I always had a passion for writing, but I hadn’t fully explored it because of the uncertainty of it all. Then an amazing idea came to me, in the middle of the night, when we were on a family vacation in Austria. I wrote it down, with the only illumination coming from my phone. It took a year before I mustered the courage to craft it into a story. After getting the first draft down, I realized I had so much more to learn and was excited to see where my writing journey would take me. I spent the next six years following up on that experience, learning the writing craft and polishing my story until it was ready to be published.
Tell us more about your main character. What inspired you to develop this character?
Lilla starts out as a reluctant hero, who is the last of her kind. In that sense, it follows the Chosen One narrative. However, her journey blends this narrative with elements of a fellowship. She is surrounded by friends who play pivotal roles in her development and the storyline. As the series progresses, there will be twists that will elevate the story from Lilla, the Chosen One, but I cannot tell you more as it would be a spoiler.
What is one great lesson you have learned as a writer?
I think one of the hardest lessons I learned when I started out writing the first book is patience. We all have a timetable in our head to be done with the next book or to reach a certain number of readers. But that timetable is often not realistic and can lead to frustration. Patience does not come naturally to me, but I learned to harness my excitement towards other pursuits like book promotion.
Tell us something unique about you.
A unique thing about me is my love for finding more ways to express my creativity. Apart from writing and LEGO sets, I enjoy working on miniature builds and crafts; like diamond bookmarks and notebooks. Exploring other creative outlets has broadened my appreciation for how vast creativity can be. It can inspire you in ways you wouldn’t have originally thought of if you didn’t experiment. I highly suggest for any creative person to delve into another creative task to see if it enhances their craft. It certainly has for me.
Want to learn more about S.G. Blaise?
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