Ambril's Tale Blog Tour: Author Interview with Wendy Walter

Hello, everyone! I have the pleasure to be part of Wendy Walter's Blog Tour! Today, I have author Wendy Walter herself to talk about her debut novel, Ambril's Tale: Return of the Dulliath. Read on and stick around to win some awesome prizes!

Without further ado, here's my interview with Wendy!

Describe Ambril's Tale in five words.

A funny, adventurous, heartwarming, fantasy mystery!

Where did you get the inspiration in writing Ambril's Tale?

When I moved from bright, smiley California to the snowy hills of Utah at the age of ten, I didn’t fit in right away, and felt like an alien for the longest time. The move forced me to see how different and yet the same we all are. I’ve thought about it ever since. When it began to annoy me, a few years back, I decided to sit down and see if Ambril could help me with them.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

When I discovered that writing a big-world story is not something they teach you in English. It’s something you must develop on your own. For the longest time I simply groped around, lost in the wilderness. Luckily I stumbled upon my writer’s voice before losing all hope. Then my characters came to life and began helping me with my scenes. And finally, I figured out how to lay a trail of breadcrumbs, and plotted my way to the end. Phew! 

What books have most influenced your life most? 

Emma, Jane Austen 

Dark Lord of Derkholm, Dianna Wynne Jones

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle

The Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling

Did you learn anything from writing Ambril's Tale and what was it?

I learned how tough it was to stare down your flaws at eight in the morning.

Every character and event in my book has bits and pieces of me in it, including my flaws. They are impossible to avoid when you are writing a scene. You have to get down in the muck with them and wrestle. Sometimes it’s very painful, but in the end, I believe, struggling with them has made me a better person. Though I have learned not to look them in the eye early in the morning!

Can you tell a little about yourself?

I love to make stuff up. I decided to study architecture in school because of this, but found that architecture was really about making stuff work in too little time, and with too little money. When the practicalities of interior architecture got me down, I went shopping for a new career. I tried on a lot of things, such as art teaching and web design. All the while, I wrote.

When nothing seemed to quite fit, I decided to take a run at writing a fantasy world, rather than designing and drawing in this one. I still love to draw and design, but the thing that defines me are my industrial strength day dreams. When I finally figured out how to craft Ambril’s world with them, I cheered. At long last, I had found something which lets me make stuff up, non-stop. I’m in heaven!

Giveaway Info

At each blog stop on her tour, Wendy is giving away a prize, a copy of one of her books (paperback or e-book). You can also enter her 12-12-12 Grand Prize Giveaway of a sterling silver pendant of the Tree of Life, and an End-of-Tour Grand Prize Giveaway of a hand-painted gnome, hand-painted by Wendy herself! There will also be some surprise giveaways along the way! Stay tuned!

1) To win a book: leave a comment on this blog post about what you like about fantasy mysteries to be entered to win a copy of Ambril's Tale: The Return of the Dullaith in paperback or e-book format. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends five days after the post goes live.

2) To win one of the Grand Prizes: Click the link to go to Wendy's website and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. A winner will be selected on Dec. 12th for the 12-12-12 for the sterling silver pendant of the Tree of Life. Here's Wendy's site: http://wendydwalter.com/blog-tour/.

What are you guys waiting for? Enter the giveaway and don't forget to visit other stops of this awesome blog tour!

About The Author: Wendy D. Walter

Writing was an early passion for Wendy. As a kid, she wrote lots of stories, but being shy, they usually ended up under the mattress. When she finally set out to tell Ambril’s Tale, she decided not to write a story but a world, full with her own marvelous illustrations. She considers The Return of the Dullaith as just the curly tip of the fairy boot. Wendy lives near San Francisco with her husband, daughters, cat and border collie. More information about Wendy's book and art, check her site: http://wendydwalter.com.