Today I’d like to introduce Peter Mansebridge author of Feyworld

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

I always wanted to write a book since I was a little kid. Eragon came out when I was four years old and it was a big deal at the time because the author, Christopher Paolini, was only eighteen years old. One of my earliest clear memories is laying down on a beach chair and reading Eldest (the sequel) and getting cheeto dust all over the pages. Since I was just learning to read when the series was making waves it inspired me somewhat as a young student to want to write a book because if he could do it so young, why couldn’t I? I remember my first ‘attempt’ at writing a ‘book’ was unapologetically an Eragon ripoff. I was nine at the time and would write in pencil at recess. To me writing was like reading, because I often had no idea where the story was going, but I got to make it up by myself. And even today that’s the most exciting part.

Describe your desk / writing space.

My monitor is a 15 year old Dell that somehow still works and to the left of it is a webcam that barely looks over the small crowd of 3-D printed miniatures I designed and painted. Three of them are characters from my novel, Feyworld and two are D&D characters. I also have two origami tarantulas that I don’t remember how to fold anymore, air fresheners, a bunch of laser cut art I made in college and a magic the gathering deck that was so overpowered I now only use it as a weight to keep the headset cord out of my way. The right side of my desk harbors my mouse, a folder full of half-drawn maps, a teapot and a ton of napkins for when I inevitably make this whole thing even more of a mess.

Do you have a writing routine or do you write when inspired?

Whenever I feel like some writing needs to get done, I just brew a pot of tea and put on a playlist of music. This often happens in the middle of the night. That said, I think about my stories all the time when I am not writing so it’s less a matter of feeling inspired and more a matter of overcoming laziness or fatigue. 

What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?

I don’t mind answering this question, but to do so I would have to reveal some major spoilers for the book, which I would rather not do.

What inspired your book/series?

The answer to this might seem like it contains spoilers, but it’s so tangential, few will understand the connections even if they have read the book. I once had a Dungeons and Dragons character that was this archfey warlock who was cursed by his patron, a spiteful fey princess, to be ruled by a trio of dangerous split personalities due to a pact he made with her that he wouldn’t sleep with anyone else. And then broke. (he was chaotic evil). D&D has a feature warlocks can take that lets them have a magical familiar, which can be a fairy called a ‘Sprite’. And recently there had been this weird claymation TV commercial with Lebron James advertising a new kind of Cranberry flavored Sprite, which became a popular meme. So as a joke I named his familiar Cranberry. A Sprite named Cranberry. Geddit haha…  Anyway that one character managed to inspire an entire series of novels, though it should be noted that the resemblance died extremely quickly even though the names stayed the same.

Who is your favorite character from your book and would you get along?

Writing Cranberry was incredibly fun. She’s a small, energetic fairy that helps the main characters throughout much of their journey, and the first person Asher encounters upon entering Feyworld. Most scenes with her involve some kind of adorable histrionics. Overall she’s one of the most likeable characters in the book, and a lot of readers I’ve talked to felt the same way.

If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?

I genuinely hold the belief that modern technology has generally grown more powerful and dangerous than the magic in most stories was ever imagined to be. I’ve also made peace with the fact that I will never live in a world other than the one I do, so I try not to think about that. Also most of the fiction I consume is set in absolutely horrible places, since I like dark stories. For those reasons, I’d like to get out of the highly populated area I currently inhabit to somewhere stars are visible at night, if I can. I do plan on moving eventually, I just haven’t decided where.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

As it stands, I only have one book and a second one in the works, although I have plans for a second series already. In the beginning, Feyworld: Shards of the Solarie was just “Feyworld”, it didn’t get the subtitle until I realized it was going to be a series, and even then the second book (which isn’t finished yet) got its subtitle before I could come up with “Shards of the Solarie”, although readers of the first book will eventually see why that name fits.

What are you working on next?

Feyworld: Shards of the Solarie will have at least two sequels on the horizon, the names of which I’ve yet to announce. After that, I’ve already written the prologue to an unrelated series called Hollow Hearts about a group of people with reality-altering and mind reading powers that form a secret organization dedicated to preventing individuals with the same capabilities from wreaking havoc. 

What authors or books have influenced your writing?

I am a huge Warhammer 40k fan and so I loved Dan Abnett when I was a teenager. His talent for action is so great that in certain scenes you can practically count the seconds as they pass in certain scenes. My favorite one of his books, which I keep coming back to, is Know No Fear. Multiple people have also said that my book resembles Tad Williams, but I’ve only read one of his stories, it was after I started writing Feyworld, and honestly I think we have a lot of differences in our writing style. The similarity between Cranberry and Applecore, who is a character in The War of the Flowers is kind of undeniable though.

What is your favorite meal?

This answer is kinda boring I know, but strip steak is really good. And I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t my favorite. 

Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?

I literally consume like six large cups of tea every day, but I will not touch coffee. I haven’t found a kind of wine I like enough, and if reading this interview hasn’t revealed it yet, I lack class entirely. So my alcohol of choice is a vodka lemonade, and I would drink it more if it didn’t make my teeth hurt.

Describe yourself in three words.

Need more tea. Hnnngh.