Author Interview with Australian Author Narelle King

Welcome to Author Services Australia, Narelle King, and welcome to our author interviews! If you could start by introducing yourself to everyone, let them know where you’re from and some of your interests and hobbies.

I’m Narelle King and I live and write on beautiful Gundungurra land in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. My debut novel, The Bonehead Resistance, is a contemporary fantasy novel set in New South Wales.

I adore the Australian bush, and love to escape into it whenever I can – trail running, bushwalking, hiking, mountain biking, canyoning or cross-country skiing. I also love baking and cake decorating.

What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve dreamt of being an author since I was in primary school, and I wrote stories and poems for my friends throughout high school. As an adult I never let go of the dream, but I kept waiting for the mythical time when I would “have time to write”. When my son was two years old I had an epiphany – I realised that this time was never going to come. So I started writing every day – for at least fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes is a very low bar, so it felt achievable for me. I wrote in playgrounds while watching (and frequently losing!) my son, on trains on the way to work, in the car while my son was at after school activities – wherever!

What is your preferred genre to write in?

Fantasy, because it’s my favourite genre to read. I read all styles of fiction and will occasionally read a non-fiction book if it’s recommended to me, but I love adult and young adult fantasy books the most.

I particularly love writing fantasy set in Australia. I read many fantasy books that are set in European or American settings, or invented worlds based on those settings, in which snow and ice and dark forests feature, but I love reading books set in environments that I relate to. The Bonehead Resistance evokes the feel of a New South Wales summer: the sticky, oppressive heat and smoke haze of Sydney; and the bone-dry, dusty heat of Dubbo. The Australian bush, which my lead characters escape into, is not a frightening place full of dangers, but a place where they feel safe.

What is your writing process?

Now that my son is older I get up early and write for a couple of hours before work every day. My cat Chocolate joins me and occasionally bites me if he doesn’t like what I’m writing. My son also often joins me and picks out any swear words with great delight!

A couple of times a week I go for a run after the writing session, which is when I often get my best ideas or identify plot holes.

I still sometimes have times when life feels out of control, and at those times I go back to just writing for fifteen minutes a day.

What is one thing you wish you knew now that you didn’t know when you started writing?

That I didn’t need to be terrified of social media! I thought social media was a terrible place full of trolls, but I’ve found a wonderful community of authors and readers on Instagram who support me and my writing.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Some of the authors I am most inspired by and whose books I have read and re-read are those who write strong, female protagonists, including Tamora Pierce, Kylie Chan, Kristi Charish, and Kristen Britain. I can’t stand books where the female character sits around waiting to be rescued. I know many women, and I can’t imagine any of them waiting for someone to come and save them!

I grew up reading Susan Cooper, Arthur Ransome, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Terry Pratchett, Katherine Kerr, and John Marsden; they will always be my favourites and continue to inspire my writing. More recent favourites include JK Rowling and Ben Aaronovitch.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on some rewrites for a sequel to the Bonehead Resistance. I can’t wait to share it – I’m very excited about how the characters develop in my new book, and readers will get to see a lot more of the Boneheads.

I’ve also started the first draft of the third book in the series. It’s very early stages and I’m wishing that past Narelle hadn’t opened up quite so many threads in the first two books that I have to find a way to resolve!

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

One of my favourite fantasy series is Tamora Pierce’s Immortals Quartet, in which the lead protagonist can speak with and understand animals and even shapeshift into an animal. I’d love that power! It would be amazing to know what animals are thinking and feeling. (Although I’m pretty sure my cat is just thinking, “feed me” most of the time!)

Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview, Narelle King! Please take a minute and check Narelle King out on the links below! If you would like to do an author interview, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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Author Name: Narelle King

Genre/s: Fantasy

Author Website: N/A

Social Media Links: Instagram.

Best Link to Where People Can Buy Your Book: Amazon, Booktopia, and Black Cockie Press.