R.M. Prioleau, the author of The Necromancer's Apprentice, was kind to accept my interview. If you want to find out more about the author and the book mentioned above, read the interview below! :)
Don't forget to leave a comment if you have the time to :D!
1. Hi R.M.! Thank you for accepting this interview! How about telling the readers some facts about you?
Don't forget to leave a comment if you have the time to :D!
1. Hi R.M.! Thank you for accepting this interview! How about telling the readers some facts about you?
R.M.: I’m a game developer by day and a dangerous writer by night :D
And when I’m not scheming devious plans for my next book, I enjoy cooking, reading, and the mountains!
2. What is your book “The Necromancer's Apprentice” about? Let the readers know some things about it.
R.M.: The Necromancer’s Apprentice is about a young girl named Jasmine Na’Darod, who lives with her family on a farm. Tragedy strikes her family and they are forced to leave their home. During their travels, another tragedy strikes, and Jasmine is left to die — that is, when an unknown stranger saves her and she must repay her debts by becoming his apprentice and learning the darker arts of magic. The main theme of the story reveals that things aren’t always what they seem.
Synopsis:
Jasmine Na'Darod lived a simple life with her parents and older sister on the family’s farm. She never strayed far from home until the ill-fated Blood Moon arose, basking the country of Caristan with a terrible, sickening drought.
When her mother falls ill, Jasmine and her family are forced to leave home in desperate search of a cure. During their journey, a series of tragic events will change Jasmine's life forever.
With her former life shrouded and forgotten, Jasmine embraces a new path granted by an unlikely stranger, who, ironically, practices the Art of death and undeath.
As Jasmine is drawn to this enigma of a man, she soon realizes there is more to him than what she initially perceived — his true motives are beyond anything she could ever imagine…
Deeply compelling and morbidly intriguing, The Necromancer's Apprentice is a beautifully-narrated gothic fantasy with memorable characters.
*A novella by R.M. Prioleau
3. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
R.M.: The Necromancer’s Apprentice was written in October during an annual, month-long competition called Gothic Novel Writing Month (GothNoWriMo), which is synonymous to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which occurs annually in November. I’ve never written a story in the gothic genre, and I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to write something dark, yet still keep the fantasy flavor that I always enjoy.
4. The cover of the book looks amazing and I think that it fits the story! How did it become your choice?
R.M.: Thank you! The cover was done by Sarah Ellerton, also known for her comic book works Phoenix Requiem and Gossamyr. I was so grateful to be able to connect with her and have her design the covers of my books. I absolutely love her work, and so many others do, too! For The Necromancer’s Apprentice, I laid out the cover and Sarah worked her magic. My vision for this cover was a girl sitting in a swamp in a gothic-style dress. It was simple, but told the entire story in a mysterious way.
5. Which is your favourite character from your book?
R.M.: It would have to be Daggax’iylion! He is mysterious, witty, and smart. I had a lot of fun writing him in the story.
6. Which authors do you consider to have been your inspiration?
R.M.: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the authors of the Dragonlance books. They were the ones who inspired me to get serious about writing and publishing. They were also the ones who sparked my interest in the fantasy genre.
7. Where do you usually write your works? Any place that you love the most?
R.M.: I write anywhere and everywhere, whenever the time allows. I do enjoy writing in the atmosphere of a coffee shop. It’s very cozy and definitely sparks my creativity.
8. What country would you like your books to be popular in?
R.M.: I would like my books to be popular everywhere!
9. What do you think about Romania, the country I live in? Would you like to visit it one day?
R.M.: I think Romania is a very beautiful, mountainous country that is rich in history and culture. I would love to get away and visit some of the mountains there as a holiday or writing retreat. I would also love to visit some of the castles there. It would make for great inspiration for some of my future fantasy (and gothic) stories. I also have a few friends I play online games with who live in Romania, and they are awesome to hang out with! :)
10. As an ending, you can say anything that comes to your mind to the readers. Thank you for answering all of these questions!
R.M.: I would like to encourage readers to please support (and continue to support) indie authors. There are many wonderful gems out there that are waiting to be discovered.