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| Susan Leigh Noble, Author THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA THE ELEMENTAL Trilogy |
Susan Leigh Noble
likes stories with “magic, dragons and sword fights” all included in
her recent release THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA as well as her original trilogy THE ELEMENTAL. Reviewers tout her “memorable characters” and “solid story.” For the
sake of credibility, Noble develops the details of her various worlds,
characters, and magic before she even starts writing. She considers
believability critical to her stories.
When she’s not
writing, Noble enjoys spending time with her children and helping out at their
school. She currently lives with her husband, two children, and three cats in
Texas.
Q: Your previous
books include a fantasy trilogy featuring a girl who could start fire with a
thought and a fourth book with a telepathic cat. How did you conceive of your new novel, THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA, a story about a girl looking for her own parents meeting up with
those either searching for or trying to prevent discovery of the heir to
Alexandria? What draws you into writing fantasy stories?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I have always loved fantasy stories with magic, dragons and sword fights so
those have been in both this story and my original trilogy – THE ELEMENTAL. The
plot for THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA started with just a few scenes revolving around
a girl with red hair that was destined to fulfill a prophecy. I had jotted down
those scenes in between writing SUMMONED and QUIETUS (Books 1 and 2 of my
trilogy) but didn’t develop those scenes into an actual novel until after I
finished my trilogy. A lot has changed from those first basic scenes though
most of them – or at least a version of them – did end up in the final book.
Q: Who would enjoy
reading THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA? Do you target youthful readers? Or is it
relevant to all of us?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I think THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA could be enjoyed by anyone who likes adventure
or fantasy novels. This story has more dark scenes than my trilogy which was
quite tame (though more death and destruction happened in the third
installment.) I know some readers consider THE ELEMENTAL trilogy as a young
adult book because the heroine was 18 but that market was not my intention when
I wrote it. And the same applies
to THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA.
Q: I applaud the
creativity of your stories and the fantasy genre in general. How important is
credibility to telling your stories? What makes THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA and your
other stories believable?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I think credibility in any story is important. The reader has to believe what
is happening whether the story takes place here on Earth or on some other made
up world. I spend quite a bit of time building my worlds, developing character
histories and of course the system of magic before I even begin writing my
novels. I believe as a writer, it helps to know all these details even if they
don’t make it into the actual book. These small details can add quite a bit of
credibility to both your story and your characters.
Q: Are there any cats
in THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA? I know you like cats!
Susan Leigh Noble:
I do love cats but there aren’t any in this book. I like wolves a lot too so I
included one as a protector of my main character, Alista.
Q: What pulls your
readers into your fantasy world? The characters? Suspense? Action? Romance?
Back story? How important is back story to telling your story?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I like to think it is the characters that people will like and relate to in my
novels. But I do try to include some good fight scenes and there usually is
some romance thrown in there too.
Backstory is always important to telling a story. I spend
quite a bit of time building histories for my characters – at least the main
ones. A lot of that backstory may not make it into the novel but I think it
helps write well-rounded characters.
Q: What makes us care
about your protagonist, Alista? Is she a perfect heroine?
Susan Leigh Noble:
Alista is far from the perfect heroine. She is more of the reluctant heroine.
She doesn’t want anything to do with being tested as the heir to Alexandria but
she is thrust into this adventure because she curses someone in front of the
King’s court. This is a type of magic not been seen before so they immediately
assume she could be the heir. As she travels, her magic grows and she spends a
lot of time trying to conceal it.
Q: What are the
characteristics of an effective villain? Are there villains in THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA?
Susan Leigh Noble:
To have a good villain you have to know WHY they are the way they are. No one
is born evil. Something had to have triggered their behavior which for them
might seem quite “normal.” As for this book, the Order of the Black Dragon, a
secret society set on preventing the return of the Alexandria line, is the
antagonist. One of the members, Keres, ends up having a personal vendetta with
another of the main characters and I guess becomes the true “villain” of the
story.
Q: Do you write for
entertainment only? Or do you also intend to deliver a message?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I write purely for entertainment. I always try and write a story that I would
like to read.
Q: What’s next?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I have a few ideas. Since I love dragons, I am currently working on the plot
details for a story focusing on a dragon as one of two main characters. Then I
have also had some fans ask for another story involving Lina and Val from my
THE ELEMENTAL trilogy so I am considering another trilogy that would take place
about 10 years after my original story.
Q: Tell us about
Susan Leigh Noble. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Susan Leigh Noble:
I am an author (obviously) as well as a blogger and a mother. Most of my time
is taken up with writing or volunteering at my kids’ school. I am the treasurer
for the school parent-teacher association as well as handle the bookkeeping for
my husband’s law office. If I do get any spare time, I do love to read.
However, I find reading while writing is often too much of a distraction so my
downtime often turns to watching TV after the kids are in bed.
About Susan Leigh
Noble
Susan Noble has
always loved dragons and magic so it is no wonder that she became an author of
fantasy novels. As a cat lover, she also had to throw in a telepathic cat to
the mix in her THE ELEMENTAL trilogy. Her latest book, THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA, was released in January 2015.
When she isn't writing, Susan is an active volunteer in her neighborhood and at her children's schools. She lives with her husband, two children, three cats and a Cocker Spaniel in Texas.
About THE HEIR TO ALEXANDRIA
Believed the
descendants of the Gods themselves,
The Alexandria
line ensured peace,
Until they were
brutally murdered.
But rumor
spread a maid escaped with the youngest daughter.
Now as the world rushes toward a period of
unrest, the nations’ Kings continue their 200-year-long-search for the Heir to
Alexandria – the one person who can bring peace and stability through divine
power.
Alista has her own search – for the parents
who abandoned her as a baby years ago. When her only lead proves to be a dead
end, she heads to the capital with a reluctant escort. Grayson is just
following his aunt’s order, but he would rather be on one of his solitary
scouting missions for the Landra Guard. However, when Alista unintentionally
curses a guard in front of the King’s court, everything changes for both of
them.
Now forced to travel to Covington for
testing, danger lurks at every turn as a secret society strives to prevent the
return of the Alexandria line. Are Alista’s visions of the future enough to
save herself and those traveling with her?
Links
Twitter-@SusanLeighNoble
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