In Conversation with Kristie Harris: Author of A Queen’s Glory
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Danikka: Hey there, welcome to the Snailed It podcast with Danikka and Erin, brought to you by Authors Own Publishing.
Erin: Hi everyone, welcome back to the Snailed It podcast with Danikka and Erin. Today we have a special guest. We have Kristie Harris, author of A Queen's Glory. Welcome Kristie.
Kristie: Hey.
Danikka: Kristie's a special guest because she is our second author to come through the Authors Own process, hence why this episode is coming in a bit closer than normal to our In Conversation episodes because we like to get our authors' books and their podcast episodes up quite close together. So I'm just excited. I'm especially excited to do Kristie's book because I've known Kristie and been working with Kristie quite a long time. So yeah, I was just so excited to bring A Queen's Glory.
Erin: When did you first read this book? Because I feel like you've been talking about it for years.
Danikka: So long, so long. It's been living rent free in my head. I viscerally remember reading one of the scenes. It was midnight. In true Danikka fashion, I was cramming reading the first read-through of the book before I had my first call with Kristie the next day. And I was just laying in bed and just reading it. And I was just like, oh my gosh, this is so cool. It was just very vivid. And yeah, it was just so… I think that was 2021.
Kristie: Yeah, I think so, yeah.
Danikka: Yeah, it was like, I think I'd not long known you, Erin. It was very close. We met earlier in the year and then I met Kristie later in the year. It was like, yeah. So just we did dev edits in prep for you to do a writing competition, I think.
Kristie: Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah.
Danikka: Yeah, so just been kind of following the journey since then and just keeping in touch and yeah. And I told you, because I'm doing the dev edits then and you've been pestering me.
Kristie: Yeah, I've been holding out.
Danikka: Yeah, so I guess this is where we kind of pass it over to Kristie and just kind of get you to tell everyone about your idea for A Queen's Glory. And actually, it didn't start out called A Queen's Glory either. So kind of tell us a bit about the idea for the book and how long you've been writing and just kind of like how it kind of… your journey to finding me, basically. How did that happen?
Kristie: Yeah, so I think originally, way back, must have been like maybe the start of high school or like the end of primary school, I think it was. I wrote a book and originally it was called Avalon and it was very much similar to Avatar The Last Airbender. And I think it was when I'd started getting really into watching that kind of stuff. So typical, 12 year old girl, you write about your friends and things like that. So it started off and like the four main characters were me and my three best friends. And they all had like elemental powers and things like that, because that's what I was sort of reading at the time too. I was really into reading Tamora Pierce and all of her kind of books that she writes and stuff. And then I think like I finished it and it was a pretty decent size book, I think as well. Very badly written. Very, very poorly written. No description at all. It was very basic.
And then I think I sat on that for a while and as I got older and stuff like that, I think it started developing a bit more and I started reading older books and things like that, obviously that had more mature themes. And then I think it wasn't until I went on maternity leave. So I had my bub in 2018 and that was the first time in my entire life that I didn't have to be at work. So I was like, you know what, I'm just going to write, like it'll give me something to do. I started university because I was like, you know, the only way I'm going to be an author is if I have a writing degree, because
Erin: Because that’s what we’re told.
Kristie: That's what for some reason we all seem to think. So I started rewriting it basically. So I pulled some themes and some certain chapters and things like that from it and rewrote them. And then it went from being these four girls to my main character being Ried, who's an 18-year-old bloke. And I guess the overall idea of it was still sort of there, but it went from being like a full-blown portal fantasy to its own realm, I suppose. And then, yeah, I managed to get it written within about maybe a year and a half, two years. Edited from what I was used to editing, like that kind of thing. So mostly just proofreading, I think. And then I was looking for an actual editor because I wanted to submit to a specific book writing contest. And I got put on to one editor and they said that they didn't do fantasy. And then they recommended Danikka. And I ended up with Danikka, which was great.
Danikka: Yeah. And I love fantasy, so I was happy. Yeah. And no, yeah, so then I loved it. And yeah, we did the dev edit and it was great.
Kristie: Unfortunately, it didn't do well with that one contest, but I resubmitted to a separate contest without actually changing any of the edits or anything we'd done, and they loved it. And that was the Arnie Daisy Utimora Award with Mugabala Books over in WA. So that was, was that 2023, Danikka?
Danikka: Yeah. Yeah, it was early 2023, I think.
Kristie: Yeah. And I got into the top three for that contest. Unfortunately, I didn't win that, but they highly recommended it and they were going to look at potentially publishing. But I think things just kind of fell off with like my contact with them and stuff like that. And I was really still holding out for Danikka.
Danikka: Yeah, I just had to get my act together. And then we had the retreat at the end of 2023. And then, yeah, that's when I was like, I'm starting up.
Erin: It's happening.
Danikka: We're doing beta testing or beta clients at the start of 2024, if you're still keen. And then, yeah, that's what we've been doing this year.
Kristie: I was like, sign me up.
Danikka: Oh, I can't believe it. It's just, yeah, it has been such a journey.
Kristie: Yeah. It's actually surprising that it's been almost four years now as well, which has just blown my mind. But it's been good. I've enjoyed it.
Danikka: Yeah. Actually, I kind of want to talk a little bit about the feedback that you got from that first competition, because it was just, I feel like, quite indicative of the kind of the atmosphere in publishing in Australia and a big reason why I think self-publishing is so important. You actually got told that if you wanted to get published in Australia, you shouldn't write fantasy. Am I quoting that right?
Kristie: Yeah. Yeah.
Erin: What?
Kristie: I won't say who it was. It was, you know, one of the big ones. Basically, the competition was submit an unedited, unpublished manuscript. And if you wanted, it was like a scholarship and all this stuff with it, where they'd assist you in publishing. And it was a brilliant thing. It's a great program. But yeah, the feedback I got, I don't think there was anything positive actually written in the feedback I got from them. Very short feedback, maybe like two paragraphs or something like that. But basically, it was just saying that in Australia, to be able to publish fantasy, it's not a thing like it's too competitive. And there's just not enough people that would like this. None of what they say, like audience, I suppose, that would buy it.
Erin: What?
Kristie: Which is obviously wrong, because there is, you know, millions of people in Australia that read fantasy. And then there was other things in there to like that, like, you know, that the names were too abstract and all this kind of stuff, which is really typical with fantasy novels, though. So I was like,
Erin: Yes, these sound like people who just don't read fantasy.
Kristie: Yeah.
Erin: That's so weird.
Kristie: Yeah. And I think it kind of, I don't know, like, I suppose it sort of disheartened me a little bit. But like Danikka kept saying, she's like, look, I struggled to edit it because I was so interested in reading it. So that kind of, do you know what I mean? It's just, yeah. Yeah.
Erin: Editor brain turned off and you were just reading.
Danikka: Yeah.
Kristie: And then it kind of, I suppose, when I submitted it to the one in 2023 with Mugabala Books, the feedback I got was completely different. It was, you know, that they loved it, it was a good pace, that they also enjoyed reading it rather than looking for like editing and things like that. Like the feedback I got from them was very similar to Danikka's. It was a lot more optimistic. I don't know. Yeah. So it was kind of just, I don't know, it was kind of hard, like being told no so blatantly. And it was, yeah, I don't know.
Erin: Well I'm not even like, no, here's what we think you could improve. Like just no, don't write fantasy.
Danikka: Yeah. So how dare you even consider fantasy as a genre that you could write? Like how dare you even?
Kristie: Yeah. I think as Danikka sort of explained to me when I went through it with her, because I just sent her the entire thing back, I was like, this is all I got, so I don't know what to do with it. The feedback Danikka gave me was really helpful though. It was basically like, you know, obviously the judges on the panel weren't fantasy readers. So what they were looking for wouldn't have been what I'd written anyway. And I think the books that won it, I think one of them was, it was a really good book actually. I read it. It was, I can't remember what it was called, but it was basically about a young person that grew up on the Sunshine Coast and it was about their story of queer on the Sunshine Coast. So it was kind of like, you know, coming of age and things like that. And I think at the time when I submitted, which was 20, I think I submitted that in 2021 or 2022. And I think at that time that was sort of the theme that a lot of people were reading and it was a very big topic and, you know, it was becoming more prominent. So I think them choosing that probably made more sense from a publisher's perspective, but yeah.
Erin: Sure. But I don't think they needed to say, don't write fantasy, you won't get published in this country. That feels a little, final
Danikka: But I think what they were saying is, it's quite true. Like there's not any, at the time of recording and like having an author that I work closely with having recently done a lot of querying to agents in Australia, there's not, there's like maybe one or two agents in Australia who represent authors who write fantasy. Majority of the time, if you write fantasy in Australia, you need to seek representation overseas. So it is actually true that publishers in Australia, if you've got approaching agents and publishers who are Australian based, they generally won't publish you in the Australian market. You'll need to first get published in the overseas market and then be imported in.
Kristie: Which is what I had to do with my kids book because I had a very similar thing. It was, unless you've got like a backing and you've got an agent and things like that. Like my kids book was really simple to get published. It was just that I had to look at, I think I went, I think they're in the UK, which is the publisher that I went through with them.
Danikka: Yeah, so that's something we should say as well. We should have said it at the start is you've also published a kid's book, which the title, I should have had it here in front of me.
Erin: Andie’s Mermaid Tale
Kristie: Yes, thanks Erin
Danikka: And so how did you go? So you wrote that it's inspired by your daughter.
Kristie: Yeah. So my daughter, Andy wanted me to write her a story just because I always write and they're always asking me like, mum, what are you writing? Can you write something about me? Can I write a book with you? And it was actually my, my stepdaughter, who's my oldest. She was off school sick and I was just mucking around with her. I'm like, tell me a story. And she started like rattling off all these things about ballet and stuff like that. And I was like, I don't know anything about ballet. I can't write a ballet story. And then she was watching, I think she was watching H2O on TV actually.
Erin: I love a bit of H2O
Kristie: And she was just talking about mermaids and stuff. And then I started writing Andy's Mermaid Tale. And then tale is T-A-L-E. So it's a play on words because obviously she gets a tale, but it's a story. I thought I was very clever with that. But yeah, no, it's just a little cute little story about her and her sisters are at the beach and she goes on this magical journey to find the prettiest shell in the ocean. And she meets a couple of sea creatures on the way. So Mrs. Stingray and Mr. Octopus and Miss Clownfish and they're all their own little quirky characters as much as you can get personalities into such a short children's book. And I tried to make it a bit educational, like in real life, octopuses collect treasures and stuff like that. So they've usually got little hordes of different things that they find like seashells and things. So in the book, Mr. Octopus has a little treasure trove and Miss Clownfish lives in the sea anemone and things like that too. So, but yeah, and then I sent it off to Austin Macaulay Publishers in the UK, just on a complete whim. I think it took me like two hours to write the book. And then I think it was like six weeks later, they got back to me and said that they were interested in publishing. And then we kind of just went from there with it. I think the whole process though, from start to finish took about, that would have been the start of 2022 and it was released in October 2023. So it took a good, almost two years from start to finish. Came back with no edits though. So obviously my editing game's not bad.
Danikka: It is, it's such a sweet little story though. I like, like I love children's books for that. Like, because Rhi is like working in libraries and worked on the youth team and is in the youth section now where we've moved to Melbourne and like, they are always showing me all the beautiful picture books and I just think like, it's just gorgeous. And then whenever I go shopping with Erin, she always buys more kids books than she does.
Erin: I'm always buying more kids books than books for myself. Always.
Kristie: Yeah, it's really easy to do, especially because they're usually so much cheaper too.
Erin: Yeah, well and their covers are so fun. I'm always sucked in by a good cover.
Kristie: I am devastated that I didn't opt to have it in hardcover rather than just paperback though. But I don't want to delve too much, but it was more of a combined publication. So I forked out for the illustrator that they used and then they paid for the rest of it. So it was kind of like, they sent me like a package and if I would have went with the hardcover, it would have been like extra grand or so, for whatever reason. So at that time it was kind of, I'll just, you know, do the cheapest.
Erin: One day you can to do it in hardcover.
Danikka: Yeah, so a hybrid publishing deal. It'd be like the industry term for it.
Kristie: Yeah, which was good, but I don't know. Yeah, there's ups and downs to it all.
Danikka: Yeah, it was a slower process than what we're trying to do through Authors Own. Yeah, and you didn't get as many customisable options.
Kristie: No, yeah, it was very stock standard and it was very much one of those ones where it was like, if you've got edits, you know, like you get the first round, but then if there's anything that comes back after that, unless it's like a fault on their end, I would then have to pay for the changes and things like that too. It wasn't as cruisy as back and forth with how like it's been with Authors Own as well. Yeah, but I think part of that comes down to the fact that they're not in Australia and it's very hard to communicate with someone where, you know, when it's 11pm at night, it's 8am there.
So, you know, like I'm going to bed as they're getting up. So you're never getting real time emails back and forth. And sometimes it could take, you know, a week before you get an email back because they are such a big publishing house. And like, and I can appreciate that, you know, they've got hundreds and thousands of authors that they work with, but it was just, I don't know how to word it, like with Authors Own, obviously we know each other. So it's a lot, yeah, it's a lot easier. It's a lot more. I don't feel like another cog in the machine. Do you know what I mean?
Danikka: Like, yeah, yeah. I mean, that was why, that was why I called it Authors Own. And that was what we've kind of aimed for the whole time is like, we are aiming to be more, you know, bespoke, more, what would you call it?
Erin: Collaborative
Danikka: Boutique, but yeah, boutique collaborative. Yeah. It's supposed to be that more, you know, personalised experience because, you know, you put a lot of effort into your books, even if it is a short children's book, you know, not that we're, we are looking into doing, you know, younger age books.
Kristie: Yeah. I'm writing middle grade stuff, so.
Erin: We were only discussing that last week.
Danikka: We were just discussing that last week. So yeah, so like, because that is an area that self-publishing has, you know, not really been able to break into because it is, you know, you're not marketing directly to your readers with middle grade when you're self-publishing. So it's harder again, but yeah, we're exploring that, but yeah, whether you're writing a short children's book or you're writing a massive 150,000 word fantasy book that you've spent years writing, your book is important to you and it has meaning and there's all of those things. So, you know, you don't deserve to feel like you're a cog in the machine. So yeah, that's 100% behind what we're trying to do. Yeah. I'm glad that the process hasn't felt like that. Definitely. And like, you know, the process that you've gone through in this early stage won't necessarily replicate exactly to the future packages because we do need to look at like what's sustainable, but like we are always wanting to make sure it feels personalised and everyone's getting full value for everything.
But I guess like that segues quite nicely to your package has been a little bit different to Damien's in that we didn't do the dev edit again because we did it earlier. So how have you found the process so far? Like I have been kind of like we are playing catch up a lot in full transparency because like as we said in Damien's episode, I had to move interstate. I've been quite ill and there's been like a lot of things that we've kind of realised through the process in Damien's that I've been trying to fix for yours. And so that's pushed back things quite a lot. And so I guess like how has all that been? Not to put you on the spot, but like, yeah, I don't know.
Kristie: Terrible. It's honestly like the amount of stuff like I've had happen this year, like the miscarriages and everything else that's been going on. It's not just from your end. Like it's just been a year, I think, honestly. 2024 has just been a thing. I don't know what else to call it. But no, the whole process, like start to finish, obviously, yeah, we didn't have to do the massive dev edits. But in saying that, like, you'd know by looking at my edits, the amount that I've changed as well. And I feel like I've grown a lot as a writer. I don't know if that's just because I've gotten back into reading so many more books because I have a little bit of spare time in my chaotic life. And it's kind of like even these ones that we're just going through, like I'm pretty sure I changed almost an entire chapter with these most recent edits that we've done.
Danikka: Yeah, I was actually saying to Erin before we started the podcast, I was like, I feel like we probably should have done another dev edit. Like, I think I was a bit too confident coming into it. But that's all right. Like, that's why we call it a beta process.
Kristie: Yeah, I think it's just like the little tips and stuff that you leave for it. Like, I think most recently, last night when I was going through one, you put a little comment and it's not like the section was bad, but you were like, I think I can challenge you to write this better. And I was like, yeah, probably. So I went through and rewrote it. Yeah, but that's what I want. Like, you know, I don't want someone that's going to, for lack of better words, you know, blow smoke. Like I want someone that can tell me like, hey, I think I know you can do better with this or hey, this sounds kind of bad. How about we twist it and do it this way? Or, you know, like that's the whole point, I suppose, of having someone that is editing my book.
But as for like the entire process start to finish, like, yeah, it's been longer than we originally assumed it would be. But at the same time, like, I've not felt pressured. Like, it's been like a more of a relaxed approach to it. So I know when I'm doing my edits, I'm not rushing to just go in and approve everything. Like, I'm actually able to read through and, you know, there's sometimes even things in there that I'm like, oh, well, I was trying to convey this, obviously, that hasn't come through. So how do I then reword it to, you know, make something more portrayed? Like the priest in the most recent scene that we were editing, I had a certain vision of in my head how he was acting and things like that. But even when I reread it, I was like, oh, that did not come across how that was. Oh, no wonder she was confused when she was reading it. You know, so the pace of it, it's still quicker than traditional publishing, way quicker. And like I said, I didn't even have to edit with my kid's book. That was purely just however long they took to do all of their processes.
So, yeah, no, I think I think the pace is good. And the transparency, though, like when you say to me, hey, look, I've just been real crook and we haven't got on top of it. Like, that's fine. I would rather you tell me that then. I don't know. Oh, yeah, no, I'm doing it. I just haven't actually done it. You know what I mean? The honesty and stuff's just so much cruisier.
Danikka: I think that's the important thing. Like that's something I've noticed, even just like having started Authors Own and like making it a company. I think I said it to you because you've been starting up your business with Tails and Trinkets and doing the book boxes and things. And so we've been able to kind of like bounce business stuff as well as book stuff through this process. And I was advised at the start of Authors Own to make it a company. And with Australia, you've got your GST and all that kind of stuff. And I've just had like quite a few just like nightmare interactions with just like other business people who are in the business of helping businesses like that.
That's like their whole, that's why the industry exists, is like they're there to like translate the things that businesses need to do to comply with Australian law and help us be compliant. And they are just non-responsive. And it's not just like a one-off interaction with businesses like this. It's like multiple people from start to finish, like just really bad interactions. And I'm like, how do these people make money? How have they been in business for as long as they've been in business? Because it's just impossible to communicate with them. And so I've just been like always, that is the opposite of what I want to be. Like, that's just, yeah. Even if it's, you know, maybe too honest sometimes. I would rather be too honest
Erin: Than gatekeeping information.
Danikka: Than gatekeeping, exactly. Yeah. So it's like, I just, I'm glad that that's good. I'm glad that people are appreciating that. And it's not just you that said that, like other people have said that to me. So that's good.
Kristie: Yeah. I think that's why, because I got told the same thing with Tails and Trinkets and with obviously like my Harris Proof Creative that I have as well. Everyone's like, why don't you just have a company? And I'm like, eh, I don't really want to pay GST because I'm not going to earn anywhere near that amount at this early stage. So I don't need to stress about it. And obviously most of what I do, like Tails and Trinkets, for example, I might have other featured authors on my website, but at the moment that's more just free advertising for them. They're not paying me anything. I'm not really getting anything from them. It was more after working with Authors Own and everyone on the team with Authors Own too, it was more what can I sort of do to also assist indie authors? Like what would I want someone to help me do? And like with book boxes, I love book boxes. I've never bought one because they're always way too expensive or they're sold out.
Erin: Or they’re sold out, they’re always sold out.
Kristie: Or you've got to buy them from overseas. And then, you know, you get hit with all the shipping costs and everything. And I was like, I have a print company, so I may as well make use of that. What would I lack in a book box? So, I mean, I've still got a lot to flesh out with that. I've got Damien and Madeline on my website at the moment as featured authors. And I've been caught up kind of like in talks with them about like how I don't want to just purchase their book. That's the end of it. And then I make all the money off of everything else. I want to have it to be more collaborative and, you know, like I don't just want to kind of use authors. Like a lot of the bigger book boxes seem to just purchase from the wholesaler, like say Ingram Sparks, and then they do whatever they want with the books. And it's like I kind of feel wrong doing that. Like I know I've spoken to like Madeline and she's like, no, no, we just use it as free advertising. So, a lot of authors are quite happy just to have their book in the book box. And I was like, yeah, but if I'm then also using your book and its themes and everything to make products to sell, like how do I make that benefit you? Because it's your work. And I wouldn't want as an author, someone to do that with my stuff.
Danikka: Yeah, well, it's like people owning the merch products of the movies and things like that. It's like that kind of rights connection. It's like if you're taking quotes and things from the book to put them in your book boxes, like technically that's still the author's work.
Kristie: Exactly right. Yeah. So, I mean, so I've got a lot to flesh out with that. But yeah, it's probably another reason why I'm like, oh, I'm just going to stay as a sole trader until I work it all out and then I'll go from there. So, who knows?
Erin: Have you got merch and things planned for A Queen's Glory?
Kristie: I do. I've got tote bags, bookmarks, which I'm still playing around with. I want to do a couple of different things. So, I've got some, I had Lucy, who I found on Fiverr. She did up some artwork for me for Isadora and Ried. So, the two sort of main characters. I love it. It's very, it's not really anime, but it's kind of like not.
Erin: Oh, is that that one? I think I saw that. Did you post that
Kristie: On my Instagram? Yeah.
Erin: Yes. Yeah.
Kristie: So, I think on the Instagram, she's, I'm probably going to get her name wrong on there. It's like underscore Mike Kwasowski underscore or something like that. But on Fiverr, she's Rat Bagel. Okay. So, I was, yeah, I was really happy that I found her actually. And I was lucky enough to be like one of her first commission pieces too. So, she did great work with it though, honestly. I think I really love Isadora. I think she's probably my favourite character in the whole book. So, I was really stoked with how her imagery and everything came out for her. And she just captured like her whole essence, I suppose, in the artwork. So, I'm going to do some bookmarks using those artworks, but then I've pulled some like quotes and stuff. And I've been playing around with like foil transfers and glitter and things like that to try and make them a bit more, I don't know, nicer rather than, I don't just want them to be like just paper bookmarks. I was trying to make them a bit more, you know, fantasy kind of thing.
So, I've got a couple of different ones. So, at the moment, I think I've got 10 pre-orders left available on my website for paperbacks. And anyone that orders a paperback through Tails & Trinkets will get like a little, so they'll get most likely a tote bag. And then it'll probably be like some bookmarks and stickers and a little, like, you know, just some little free goodies in there. They're all A Queen's Glory themed. But yeah, lots of stuff in the works.
Erin: How are you feeling about the release being so close after so long? Like it's been sitting in your head for so long.
Kristie: Good. Excited. Really excited. Obviously, like, you're always going to be excited about a book coming out. Obviously, always anxious because whenever anyone asks me about my book, I'm like, oh yeah, it's got witches and magic.
Erin: So tell us, what happens in your book? I don't know. I remember nothing.
Kristie: I now just send them the blurb that Jessie wrote. I'm like, this is what happens. I mean, I'm kind of glad that it's not like, it's so tricky because like, I love reading smut. I love reading the, like, you know, that kind of stuff in the fairy, like, you know, in fantasy novels and things. Mine's got like hints of romance and things like that in there, but it's not really heavy on it And it's honestly probably because we started it out when I started writing it. I wrote it when I was younger. You know originally I think when we did the first edits we were aiming for it to be young adult purely because that was the comp I'd entered it was a Writing for young adult and children's books
So now as we're going through we are kind of changing some of the wording and making it a bit more Adult rather than young adult.
Erin: Yeah
Kristie: And I mean like with the edits we're going through We haven't quite gotten up to the scenes yet where there is romance and things like that in there So I think I have half a mind to up it a little bit I still don't want it to be full not not with the first book like the further books along. Yeah, it will have Yeah, so there'll be five in the series, okay, yeah, so whatever you call that
Erin: So you've got time.
Kristie: Yeah, exactly
Erin: You’ve got time to build it.
Kristie: Yeah, and honestly like Ried is so innocent like in the first book He's so shy and he has no idea what girls are and you know, like
Danikka: He’s been living with just boys his whole life
Kristie: Yeah, exactly, so I didn't want him to just be instantly like knowing what he was doing and into these relationships with girls and things. It just doesn't fit So no, and even when I write the scenes like the other girls might be very experienced and he's kind of just like doesn't even realise they're flirting with him because he's just like oh, yeah, okay Well, you know, I would have done it this way or whatever. They're talking about. But yeah, so I think with the release coming up I think I don't know. I'm always anxious that family are gonna read the stuff I've written to and I'm like just do not talk to me about anything you read in said book But thankfully like there's obviously like I don't think there's any sex scenes or anything like that in there so I'm not so stressed about that kind of stuff. Yeah.
Danikka: Oh, I mean only an overheard one Yeah, yeah
Kristie: So it's very it would be what would you call it like closed or I suppose rather yeah But yeah, which I mean, I know a lot of people are probably gonna be like Oh, I don't want to read it if that's not in it, but
Erin: Like yes, there's lots of people who were like I want this this smutty fantasy But I feel like I've seen lots of people recently who are like, no, I want the fantasy that like yeah that doesn’t
Kristie: But I think I focused more on I'm hoping I focused more on world-building and character development.
Erin: Yeah About like your relationships between your characters without having them like this which are as important as yeah
I was going to say that was what frustrated me about Fourth Wing was that I felt like that the really cool world that she had developed was sacrificed for the smut. Yeah So like I loved the smut don't get me wrong, but like why did we have why couldn't we have both?
Erin: Both, yeah
Danikka: You know what I mean? So like I think what you're doing is good is you're writing more books and building the characters up to that point so yeah we might get that in like book three or four when they're older and you know cuz they're only 18 at this point there and then you know, if they don't need to be into that stuff. Yeah, you know they might be in today's world but like even then I don't think you know, I wasn't at 18 that you know, some people are some people aren’t.
Kristie: And I think that's kind of when I read books like especially some of the ones that I've been listening to lately on audible I get really frustrated when the character just like there was one that I recently read right and she was a human she was a mortal all this stuff and then all of a sudden she's the queen of the realm and I'm like–
Erin: What?
Kristie: Right. And and the people that usually become quick Kings and Queens are chosen because they like the strongest in the realm, so they've got the most power. So all of a sudden and there was no hints at anything throughout the thing that she wasn't anything but mortal and then all of a sudden it was her mom's been drugging her this whole time to keep her powers at bay and, and it just went I don't like she didn't have to learn her power. It was just like oh, I'm the queen now I have all this magic and she had full control over it. I'm like, no you would have killed like five people by accident. I think with mine. I tried to really focus on like what I like to read and that's more realist even though it's fantasy and it's not realistic but more realistic characters like yeah
Erin: Yeah, well because when you think about it, yes, obviously magic is not real but you would assume that if someone had been being drugged their whole life to suppress said magic then when it started shooting out of them, it's like friggin Superman. He didn't learn to master all of his stuff at once, did he?
Kristie: Exactly. And you know, like I tried to obviously make it as realistic as possible so even with like, you know some of the characters and things like that a few of the things I suppose are sort of taken from almost like life experiences that I've had or that I know friends have had and things like that too just to kind of help add to it I think I don't know.
Erin: Yeah, I think I did Realistic and relatable characters, you know fantasy setting.
Kristie: Oh exactly Yeah, I think it makes it more enjoyable to read too because it makes it a lot easier for you to put yourself as the character I'm actually really excited to to see what kind of what people think of Reid there's not a lot of books these days that have male main characters unless they're like, you know a romance partner or, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Whereas he is like the sole focus of the book and book two. Obviously, you've got all these different arcs that are happening throughout the book like it follows three or four different, like it different chapters kind of follow three or four different storylines, I suppose, but they're all okay Fine, but he him and Isadora are probably the main two
Erin: Mm-hmm.
Danikka: I feel like not in the romantic e-genre not written by women
Kristie: Anyway, yeah, which is weird because like I said when I originally started it it was myself and my face for the characters on which two of them are still like they'll come in and book three
Erin: Okay
Kristie: And it's still very heavily centred on those two which was myself and only one of the three friends that I still speak to actually. Sorry, the other ones are just gone. But no, so It's very much I don't know like I guess the overall plot is the same so, you know you've got your evil villain and all that kind of stuff but yeah, the actual like dynamics of the characters and the magic law and things like that have altered a fair bit, which I had to tone it right down because originally I think it was just before I started off the Danikka I'd written an entire witch language I Was gonna have it all in there like every time they cast spells it was gonna be in this other language and all this stuff. And then I think the more and more I thought about it the more I was like, I think this is gonna…
Erin: Is that too much? Oh my god that would have been amazing though!
Danikka: There’s hints of the language.
Kristie: There’s bits in there. It went from, every time they were casting a spell they were you know it was like a couple of paragraphs of this other language or like things like that or like when they go up into the Trattara range which is where all the soulless live which are like the half breeds a lot of them still speak in the ancient which language but I've changed it so that they might be one or two words and then they start speaking in like English basically for the rest of it but yeah, I Blended Greek and I think it was Latin and a bit of my Wawa geri language So I like three languages and I was trying to like take bits and pieces Yeah to make it sound like it's own thing. But yeah, I didn't want to just like say I don't know water like it was Yeah
Erin: You were like, that’s boring, who wants to say water!
Kristie: But down to the point where like I had even like is and the had their own language I was I was like, oh it’s getting a bit much.
Danikka: You were trying to Tolkein that.
Kristie: That’s the path I was going down, that’s how I ended up with five books instead of four because book one I separated into book one and two, otherwise, it would have been like a thousand words for a book and I was like pushing the readability. So we ended up with two so yeah,
Erin: And is the rest of the series written, outlined?
Kristie: Yeah, I know what the endings of each books are.
Erin: You know what the endings of each book are?
Kristie: I've written the last two chapters of each book and then yeah, I don't know why I always write the ending, like even this book I wrote the ending first and then obviously I had to split it so the ending of this book is technically the middle of where they go. Yeah, so book one and two heavily focused on Reid and Isadora still. And then books, was it three four and five happened about I want to say like 30 to 40 years after the first two books.
Erin: Ooh, okay
Kristie: So it's it it's it's a one realm book, but there's portal fantasy aspects in there, so there's abilities that people find or like I don't know how to word it without telling the whole story. There's things that they find that allow them to like travel between worlds and things like that. So so like book three for example, and this is probably a little bit of a spoiler. But book three will start in a world where there's no magic.
Erin: Ooh Okay,
Kristie: And then it kind of transfers back in and I think book four starts like that too actually so yeah there's so there's a lot planned. I have all the titles and everything picked out except for book five I haven't worked out book fires title yet. But yeah so like it was like this one like originally like I said, it was Avalon and then when I sent it to Danikka for editing I think it was like A God's Choice or something and all the feedback I got was that sounds very Christiany or it sounds very like Holy and it's like it doesn't sound right. Yeah, I think Danikka actually came up with the name for it, so props to her for the title.
Danikka: which is very unlike me. I'm usually terrible at titles
Erin: titles are hard
Kristie: And then I think I think book two was also Danikka's, naming to be honest because I think really yeah, I don't know if I should say what book two title is or not
Erin: No, don't say it, keep people in the dark
Danikka: leave them in suspense.
Kristie: Yeah, I think it was one of the options we were running through like some of the words we were playing around with for this book and then Danikka was like I think you should go with like something like A Queen's Glory because it heavily focuses on Isadora more than Reid. Like it's her story not with she's
Danikka: She's the catalyst for this book this first book. Like even though we follow Reid probably equally. Yeah, it's Isadora's actions are what kicks off Reid’s destiny as well, so yeah, yeah
Kristie: But yeah, like and then I've done heaps of side quests on the way to like I've written like I think I did one up that'll go in the back of the thing, which is a bit of a I guess bonus chapter, I suppose in a way but even when I was writing like all of Isadora's scenes I've written heaps of backstory for the witches and Isadora just as I was trying to map it out in my head myself like. What would have happened to make this happen in this current book? So like I've got heaps a bit of it in the book like there's a bit of you know, like the flashback kind of scenes and things like that for lack of better term. But then I've probably got like I think like this book is just completely full of just backstory for the witches mostly like Isadora's upbringing and her relationship with her mother and her sisters and
Erin: That stuff, you need to know that
Krisitie: Yeah, well I did a whole witch tree too, like my ADHD just sent me spiraling. Yeah, like you know like firstborn witches get the name like get the family name and then the second borns get their father's name and things like that. So, you know like even though there's twins in the book one of them is a Wraith and the other one is a Zayn. So,
Erin: Uh-huh
Kristie: You know like so the firstborn of the twins even got the witch covens last name whereas whereas the other one got the father's name or like the Or a standard name that they give to the witches
Erin: I mean, talk about the heir and the spare, jeez lousie
Kristie: just I think I just love the whole witch culture
Danikka: If anything it really comes through in the book too.
Kristie: Yeah. Yeah, I think honestly if the series was to do well enough I would even if it doesn't to be honest I'll probably look at writing like a you know when you get like the one book spinoffs and it's like,
Erin: yes
Kristie: You know like a side story of the stories or something like that. That's purely just like maybe it'll be like Graciella and Odessa which are the two older witches in that you know.
Erin: like prequels
Kristie: Yeah, yeah, and I'd love to expand on the Eternals or the gods and goddesses as well I love their backstory. Like I really want to write like a romance story between like Casson and Zadea. Or something like that. So I don't know there's lots lots to happen
Erin: Yeah, that sound amazing
Kristie: I'll just keep rambling on otherwise
Danikka: The cool thing is that we've ended up timing it perfectly that this podcast episode comes out the same day as book
Erin and Krsitie: oh really?
Danikka: Yes, so if you guys are listening to this episode and you've loved hearing about like Isadora and the witches and just like how clueless Reid is then you should definitely head and grab the book. You can either purchase it directly through Kristie's website. I believe yeah or through Amazon
Kristie: I'll be doing Paperbacks directly from Tails and Trinkets, which will all come signed. I've got all the links on Tales and Trinkets as well So if you go to my author page on Tails and Trinkets, I've got links for the ebook You can buy the paperback from me, but there's also a link to the Amazon paperback and Goodreads as well I've got the link on there to the Goodreads page. Just if anyone's interested
Danikka: Fantastic. And yeah, if you do buy Kristie's book the best thing you can do for indie authors to help them reach more readers is to leave a review on both Amazon and Goodreads and Storygraph is growing in popularity and wherever you buy it as well If you shop on Kobo reviews on Kobo are great as well Barnes & Noble all those places Yeah, it's super super helpful. Thank you so much for coming on to Kristie. I Loving these podcasts.
Erin: Yeah
Danikka: It's just it's just good to like touch base because I feel like we just like live in our little bubbles while we're doing All our things it's just good to come on and do it and then get back to work.
Kristie: it's good It was really exciting. I was um looking forward to it. Actually, I've been nervous, but I've been looking forward to it
Danikka: Yeah, I forget until you're messaging me this morning like how do I get on again that like not everyone does a podcast every Yeah, same as me
Erin: Not everyone just sits and shouts for an hour and a half first thing on a Monday morning
Danikka: Yeah But yeah, so everyone head and get Kristie's book today if you're listening to the podcast
Erin: Today, now!
Danikka: And yeah, if if you are listening to the podcast post November, then you can definitely go get Kristie's book. But thank you as always and Erin and I will talk to you in the next episode
Krisitie: Thanks.
Erin: Bye
Thank you for listening to The Snailed It Podcast with Danikka and Erin brought to you by Authors Own Publishing The Home of Indie Publishing. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast and follow us on instagram at all the same publishing Music brought to you by Mikhail with more details in the show notes
Episode Description
This week Danikka and Erin are joined by author Kristie Harris, who’s new book is being released TODAY. A Queen’s Glory is a sweeping, new-adult fantasy that follows a witch's curse, a Queen bent on world domination, and a boy chosen by a god to save them all.
A Queen’s Glory is available online at https://www.talesandtrinkets.com.au/a-queens-glory and https://amzn.asia/d/5tBI7aS
Brought to you by: Authors Own Publishing, Danikka Taylor, and Erin Thomson.
Danikka’s Details:
Website: www.authorsownpublishing.com
Instagram: @danikkataylor or @authorsownpublishing
Erin’s Details:
Website: www.erinthomsonauthor.com
Instagram: @authorerinthomson
Kristie’s Details:
Website: https://www.talesandtrinkets.com.au/
Instagram: @kmharris.author
Intro & Outro Music by Mikel & GameChops. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the views of Authors Own Publishing. Thanks for Listening!
