We're gonna have a chat with author @Marie Stewart (Mari) around 4pm EST, about the Season Finale, and where the story goes from here! See you cats then!
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We're gonna have a chat with author @Marie Stewart (Mari) around 4pm EST, about the Season Finale, and where the story goes from here! See you cats then!
It's the UNHOMED Season Finale!
@Marie Stewart (Mari) , you have crafted an adventure that is thrilling, textured, and at many points, heartbreaking. With UNHOMED's first season available for readers to digest, it's time to hear from you!
**Some spoilers may appear**
Let's dive in!
1) The story opens with Alexa, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Margarov. Unlike most cushy stories of privilege, however, Alexa's is one rife with strife and mistreatment. How did you decide to subvert this typical messaging and what challenges have you had to overcome to see Alexa's home-life realized?
2) UNHOMED is a unique title choice, but it packs an immediate punch. Talk to us about the way this theme expresses itself in the novel.
3) The Crown Prince Ravnish Sule, or Ravi, is 'dragon-touched'. What comparisons can we draw between his experience with this, and Alexa's own trauma?
4) How do you feel you've grown as a writer throughout this process?
5) This is the first book in a series-- What can we expect for the future of our favorite MC's?
6) Outside of -- or perhaps tied to-- your role as an author, you're also an active voice for CPTSD. Would you be comfortable sharing your resources on this topic? We need links!
7) Speaking of links, where can we find you on social media?
8) A little birdie told us you'll be publishing articles in this Forum, can you give us some links and context?
9) What should we expect for the Season Two premiere?
10) Got any advice for the struggling authors out there?
Thanks very much for your participation and to every tuning in from home... look forward to Season Two this February!
Bwahahaha... I just found a video button.
Here I am skidding into place at 3:59.
AT least the poodle is happy. And we all know, that is all that matters around here. If you have any questions of your own - 'Chirp up' I'll do my best to answer.
So, I'll break things down question by question. That way if any spoilers turn up ... you can avert your eyes. Answer 1:
Deciding to subvert the normal was an easy decision for me. I prefer to turn tropes on their heads. My goal in writing is often to show the 'other side' of what is expected. I usually do it to push at the boundary of what the reader finds comfortable.
The expectation of seeing a picture perfect or at least functional family is that the inner workings are in harmony with the appearance. I wanted to peel back that facade and demonstrate that not everything is as it seems. Even in other stories where the main character might be outside the family structure, there is still a family capable of care. Here people have largely been left to fend for themselves.
Answer 2: Unhomed points to so many facets of the story. The word rather encapsulates the entire tale.From our initial view of Alexa to the final pages the story deals with the themes of 'What is home?' 'What does it mean to have a home?' Ravi is exiled, literally unhomed, yet he still has this capacity to find connections wherever he goes. In contrast, Alexa has a family, but the Keep where we find her is not a place of connection for her. There are various connections within the family, but mostly the people of the Keep operate towards their own goals with little concern for others. In the second half, the meaning of Unhomed is going to take a more personal turn for Alexa.
Answer 3: There is a key difference in that Ravi was an adult who experienced one event. He proved resilient enough to be able to move past the negative aspects - although he did for a time resort to numbing out the experience by alcohol.
Alexa's own trauma occurred during key formative years. This has influenced her inner landscape to a great degree. Both characters experience trauma, but the type of trauma, the timing of the trauma in their lives and the resources they have to deal with it, both inner and outer, result in vastly different impacts.
I love that you've tackled these different types of trauma and the wounds they leave. You can really see it in the way Alexa *thinks* about the world, about herself, and about her surroundings. Bravo!
@K.M. West Thank you so much. Working to reflect the scars left by trauma was a big part of bringing her to life.
Answer 4: I am much more committed to being a writer now. I've discovered that being a writer is who I am. I would go so far as to say it is my calling. I've discovered how much I have to learn and the prospect just invigorates me. On some days I might find it a little daunting, but I have never found my desire to write to lessen. I think after a great many false starts I have found my purpose.
Answer 5: Growth. In a word that is it. Alexa is going to find that growing into a role is not the same as defining yourself. Eventually she will need to deal with the fracturing of her core that is represented by her chorus. Ravi is also going to be on a cycle of learning about himself and what the meaning of service is to him. He is going to be forced to redefine himself and reexamine some of his core beliefs.
Answer 6: Educating people about Complex-PTSD is a part of what defines me these days. No one should have to wait 40 years for help. Let me look up some of my resources... <hold on> For anyone interested in learning more about this mental health condition or how trauma can shape the mind I would point them to: CPTSD Foundation (https://cptsdfoundation.org/) PsycologyToday (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us) The work on the topic is "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel Van Der Kolk Another voice from the professional side of things is Pete Walker is a psychotherapist who has worked with CPTSD for nearly 20 years. (http://www.pete-walker.com/) Last but not least I'll end with a couple of blogs that talk CPTSD and recovery. Beauty After Bruises (https://www.beautyafterbruises.org/what-is-cptsd) I write about my own recovery at Thinking Too Loud (www.ThinkingTooLoud.org).
Answer 7:
I have a very active Twitter presence @MStewart_Author where I talk writing, recovery, <ahem> politics, and life. It's a grab bag.
If you want to find me on Instagram - m.stewart.author
Again, this feed is a combination of talking writing and mental health. And, every now and then, I'll throw in a cat picture or something medieval.
Facebook: You'll find me at M.Stewart.Author. (https://www.facebook.com/M.Stewart.Author)
Finally, there's my website at mari-stewart.com where (maybe) anything is possible.
"Come for the shenanigans. Stay for the stories."
Answer 8: Yer wee birdie is correct! I'm still batting around ideas. We did a great get together around Halloween. Got all down in our spookiness. I'm thinking of telling more tales - I am from Southern Appalachia and I did have the honor to listen to Ray Hicks more than once. I have a couple of short posts up in our Author Corner. These two posts are about the National Novel Writing Month this year. It's always a blast to walk out of November with a new story. <https://www.episodicreading.com/forum/author-s-corner> Is there anything you all would like to hear about? Without guidance never know where I'll end up.
I have to admit. That's part of the fun.
Answer 9: Season two sees us rejoining Alexa as she is hauling Thanji down a mountainside. After that things proceed to go awry. Alexa makes some discoveries that unsettle everyone. Wedding plans get made by a most supreme source. Unexpected guests show up. In short, now that everything is just about to work out, it all goes to Hell.
Answer 10: For the starting writer - no matter your age - I would say this. Keep writing. There are going to be moments when you wonder "Why bother?" the days when your story is fighting you, the days when editing is making your eyes ache, the days filled with rejections, the day your computer dies - It is all going to happen. Keep writing. Your story. Your voice is unique. The world will try to put a label on you or your work. Don't let yourself be worried by what other people say, or how they describe your work. Keep writing.