This week, I get to share this interview with Israeli author, Anat Eliraz.
I met Anat through a Facebook writing group, and over time have come to value her insights and friendship as a fellow author.
•Anat, would you please tell my readers more about yourself?
My author name is my real name. I am a mother of four; a physiotherapist who works with preterm babies and children. I live in Israel, but spent some years of my childhood abroad where my love for fantasy began. I trained in Aikido and Jujitsu and love hiking and reading. I hate cooking…
•A working mother of four who hates cooking. I imagine a LOT of Mama’s can relate.
Your debut novel, Jewels of Smoky Quartz, is a Portal Fantasy, which in your words, is about “an emergency room nurse, who practices martial arts, finds herself in a fantasy world, where she needs to use her wit and skills to survive and find her way.”
•Anat, please tell me what inspired this story?
One evening I started wondering how much we truly have a free will. Not on a religious basis, but even the influence of our upbringing on our decisions and beliefs.
•Please tell me more about this internal question. How did this question play out in Jewels of Smoky Quartz? Was the answer to this question one you knew the answer to, or found within the writing?
In our not so far history, left-handed children were considered cursed, devil spawned. They were forced to change dominance. In my story, brown-eyed people are believed to bring bad luck.
Today, most people will vote for a political figure their parents vote for, because that is the influence of the environment. These are more understood matters, but think how deep and wide the influence can be on a person.
In the book, the reader receives an answer, but it doesn’t solve a problem, it just gets you thinking about what free will actually means.
•Is the main character, or one of the main characters, inspired by someone you know in real life?
I think most of my characters have some hint of real people (to different extents). The main character especially and the second MC is actually based on a merge of characters I played in RPG’s (role-playing games).
•Very interesting! RPG’s seem to be very common among writers, particularly fantasy writers. Is there one RPG you favor over others?
I used to play AD&D (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons). I prefer the worlds built with medieval technology similarities and less futuristic ones.
•Martial arts being one of the MC’s skills, are you also skilled in martial arts?
Yes. I gave practiced Aikido for a few years and also Jujitsu. I am not as trained as I made my main character, but I did have a 6th dan (black belt), who read my book, tell me that he could visualize the movements and I made the descriptions quite authentic. One of the best reviews I could get!
•Wow! Aikido and Jujitsu are incredible sports. I admit, I don’t know much about them beyond the bit I’ve seen in videos, but the strength of mind and body to train in these are incredible! So, getting that kind of review is so cool!
Have we seen the last of these main characters? Or this world?
Jewels of Smoky Quartz can be read as a standalone. The story does come to an end. But I left an opening for more, because I had an idea I want to continue with these characters.
•Who do you hope will read your book?
Adults that enjoy fantasy and don’t specifically care for sophisticated magical systems. Readers that enjoy an active read (who enjoy finding clues woven into the story, word games etc). I had medical staffs and martial arts partitioners enjoy the book, even though fantasy isn’t their favorite genre, just because of related things I put in the story.
•What is one thing you wish to express to readers who might enjoy your book?
The book is an easy read. It’s NOT a doorstopper (400+ pages) and many said it was a great weekend read. It has a mix of medical information and martial arts descriptions in a fantasy setting. The MC is female and far from being a superhero. She makes mistakes and doesn’t win every fight, which makes her much more believable. There are word games and clues strewn throughout the story and the reader can pick them out or check back on themselves once more information is revealed.
•That’s great! If your book were set somewhere on earth, what area would most closely resemble the settings of the book?
It doesn’t need a very special setting. Some parts are at hilly, grassy areas and some are on a mountain trail.
City and indoor scenes can be done almost anywhere, especially with the computer graphics available today.
•Would you willingly travel to the world in Jewels of Smoky Quartz? Why or why not?
I guess not.
It’s a harsh world where power and strength rule. Not a very fun place to live in. Of course, not all is bad, but I do have brown eyes… (you’ll need to read the book to understand!)
•If your book were made into a Netflix series, who would you choose to play the main characters? Why?
I hardly see t.v. shows and movies…so I don’t know most actors’ names…
I actually think I would be happy to open the parts for new, not yet famous actors, that meet the body criteria and looks. The MC should be a woman who has been practicing martial arts at least for a few years, to make it all the more authentic.
•I understand – it can be painfully obvious when an actor has no experience in a sport they try to portray being an expert in for a role.
If your book had a playlist (iTunes/Spotify/etc) what are some songs that would be included on that playlist?
The main song would be ‘Warrior’ by Beth Crowley. I feel like it was written about my book!
•I went to listen to that song. Yeah – spot on!
Since you released Jewels of Smoky Quartz, you entered the annual SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-off), the 7th, I think?
Yes, the book entered SPFBO7. It wasn’t a semi finalist, but it did pass the DNF (did not finish) line of my bloggers. So they read the whole book and wrote a full review.
•Did the blog-off open any doors for you as a writer?
Sadly, no…
I did get to meet some great people through the contest, and join some interesting writers’ groups, but the book didn’t quite make it to the spotlight.
•Did the blog-off offer you insights into any aspects of your writing, or publishing, that help you write current projects?
I don’t know if the blog-off itself gave me insights, or if it got me to interact with new people who did.
I guess I just enjoyed the experience of the contest.
•Are you working on anything now? If so, please tell us about it!
I have about 60 pages of scenes written of the sequel.
I have around 5 chapters written in another fantasy- paranormal story taking place on earth during WW2.
But my main project now is co-authoring with an American writer- Allen V. Cheesman! We’re writing a sci-fi series and the first draft of book one is already done!
It is called Phazed Worlds- A New Beginning.
•OOH! Sci-fi! That is such a fun genre. Though, I imagine it can be challenging as well.
Now, about you as an author. How did you get into writing in the first place?
I wrote from an early age. Poems and many unfinished stories. Still have many of them. Much of my writing was based on D&D adventures we played and my poems were written from life experiences.
•I am fascinated to learn that D&D is enjoyed so much worldwide! It’s clear it weighs heavily as inspiration for your writing. How long have you been playing? Do you play with a local group? Or are you part of an online group?
I started playing when I was 8. I played until I was about 22. Remember- no smartphones and internet back then.
Then ‘life got in the way’- university, marriage, kids, work… I got back to some playing online about a year ago, but we had to stop. I do hope to find a new group that can fit my timetable and interests.
•How long have you been writing?
If I don’t consider my childhood writing then the idea for my book started in December of 2018. I actually finished the first draft by Spring of 2019, but didn’t try publishing it until COVID broke out.
•Covid, and the accompanying shut-downs worldwide, seems to have been a catalyst for a lot of aspiring authors to take the plunge into publishing their books. Why do you think that is?
People found themselves with unexpected free time. Forbidden to socialize. So some just looked for things to do with that time and started writing.
I personally worked during COVID (medical staff), so I didn’t write much then. But I had my publishing journey during it.
•Share a moment of inspiration that affected something you have written, even if it is not in your book.
I feared writing the climax scene of the book. It’s a conversation between the protagonist and antagonist and all the loose ends needed to tie up/ get answered.
When I did sit down and write it, I wrote it all in one go and nothing in it underwent changes during editing!
Another thing was that my characters didn’t have names in the beginning and at some point I gave them what was supposed to be temporary names, but they built themselves so well into the layout of the story, that I ended up leaving them.
•Ah, yes. Wrapping up loose ends and tying all the subplots and plot into a neat ending is daunting sometimes. Writing it all in one go seems to have worked out fabulously for you!
It’s interesting that your main characters’ temporary names sort of grew into the characters. I imagine in a way they became familiar to you then, almost as though they were alive?
I kind of mentally lived my characters. I wanted to have their reactions, expressions and actions as believable as possible.
•As indie writers, we rely on many tools (books, apps, programs, etc) to write and prepare to publish. What is the most useful tool you use when writing or preparing to launch your book? Why is it so valuable to you?
My whole publishing process was so strange that I really can’t give any useful information on this. Also publishing an international book in a non-English speaking country was somewhat challenging.
What I had done, and it helped me greatly, was a crowd funding. It both helped pay for a large part of the publishing process (editing, cover…) and worked as an advertising tool.
It was a lot of work. Don’t think you’ll write something down and people will come and donate their money. I did a great deal of ‘homework’ before launching it and a lot of work as it was happening, in order to get the word around. But for me, it paid off.
•Oh! Crowd-funding. Like Patreon? Can you tell me more about this process? Why did you decide to go that route? (I honestly know so very little about how this is supposed to be helpful to beginning writers who have no fan base, so any light you can shine on this process would be fantastic – to me, and to other writers who may read this.)
Less like Patreon and more like a Kickstarter. I did a crowd funding because I didn’t have the money to pay for the publishing process. It was an ‘all or nothing’ option. Either I raise the sum or I don’t get anything, but also don’t pay anything. I figured the only thing I might lose is the time I put into it. And I put in a lot of time. I researched it before, chose a platform to work with, listened to people who advised on how to run it, built the landing page, etc…
I managed to build large interest groups and get them to support, so it was successful.
I’ll be happy to explain more if anyone is interested.
•Have you ever stumbled on advice or a tip that you found to be useful in your writing journey?
I want to give a tip which is not for the actual writing. Even if someone is an indie author, you will still need to spend money and the two most important things to put your money into are- editing (real, professional editing) and cover art (because many books are judged by their covers, before a reader will go forth and read the blurb).
•Yes. This was a hard lesson for me to learn and caused me to have to backtrack on my first publications. For me, this was a lot about humility as well. I had to admit that while my cover art was pretty; it was not marketable. And I had to admit that I really stink at self-editing. PLUS, investing money when on a super limited income is a very hard pill to swallow, but as I continue to write, and have no intention of stopping, I hope all this investment will someday be recovered.
•If you could give a shout-out to any fellow writers, now’s your chance. Give us their name, and a book by them that you read and enjoyed.
David Green- The Devil Walks In Blood
Nathan Tudor- The Empire’s Lion
E. L. Haines- Stranger Back Home
Daan Katz- Night’s Reign
And you!
•Hmm… Thank you! I see I am in excellent company. ::wink::
If you were stranded on a remote island, what are three things you would hope to have with you?
My family, enough food and means to grow more and a device to make sure no one ever finds us!!!
The world is a crazy place, it’s getting more and more radical from year to year, so time away from it seems blessed!
•Sadly, I understand what you mean.
Beyond writing, what do you prefer to do when you have time off work?
Spend time with my family, hike, practice martial arts, read.
Sometimes, if I happen to have the opportunity, I would go sit in a coffee shop with a nice cup and maybe a cookie and read.
•All sounds quite lovely!
Do you have a favorite author? Who and why?
I read in two languages and a variety of genres- So I will just talk about the fantasy genre here.
Before I gave the spotlight to indie authors (which is all I am reading in the last 3 years), my favorite author was Charles De Lint. I love his writing. It’s not fast-paced, but he weaves amazing tales. My favorite book is Someplace to be Flying. It’s an urban fantasy, mixed with Native American mythology. It just got under my skin (in a good way)!
•I am not familiar with him or his books, but anything with Native American mythology worked in makes it an instant add to my to-be-read list.
Favorite quote?
Out of my mind, back in 5 minutes!
•oof! Um… I can relate to that all too well recently. It is funny and tragic both at once.
That wraps up this interview. Thank you, Anat, for taking time out of your busy life allowing me to share more about you, your book, and your life. As much as I enjoyed Jewels of Smoky Quartz, I look forward to everything new you publish in the future.
Readers:
Please take time to check out Anat’s book, and connect with her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/anat.eliraz.7
If you enjoyed this interview, please let me know by leaving a comment below, or by sharing the link to this post on your favorite social media site.
Next Friday, I hope you come back to meet Kearsie Murphy, the author of the new YA novel, Parasomnia.