To celebrate 13 weeks of winter, Hàlön Chronicles is conducting one interview a week for 13 weeks. We’re also partnering with other sites and artists to bring a fuller, richer experience to our readers.
Join us on the hashtag #13Winterviews, or check out this season’s articles:
Welcome to the Season | Winterviews Partners | 2019 Blog Hop | Book Pairings | Winterviews & Solstice Eve
This week on Winterviews we travel into a gothic world of fantasy and romance as we say hello to Megan Van Dyke.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Just a small-town girl, living in a lonely world… Just kidding. Though I did marry a city boy. I’ve always been passionate about art and creativity, though my professional life has been very analytical and fact based. With a major in Information Systems from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide), I joined a major consulting firm and worked my way from the ground up into the Senior Manager position. There’s nothing that gets my blood pumping like rocking a suit and heels while leading a meeting with senior executives at large corporations. However, I’ve recently had to make some big changes in my life. After following my husband across the country, I transitioned to spending much of my work-life travelling or working remotely. It worked… until I found out that I was pregnant. It’s a huge blessing, and something that I’ve always wanted; however, it forced me to re-evaluate my goals, the travel, and the amount of stress I placed upon myself. As a result, I’ve been transitioning away from my high-powered job into being a stay at home mom. A huge change, but at least it allows more time for writing and focusing on family. Hopefully one day soon I can add ‘published author’ to my resume and pursue that full time (in addition to raising the little one when he arrives in March).
What types of books do you write, and why?
I write fantasy romance aimed at adults and new adults. It’s the perfect blend of two things that I adore in novels: sweeping stories with magic and adventure, as well as swoon worthy romance that breaks my heart before piecing it back together again.
Much of this is inspired by my journey as a reader. I never liked the books they made us read in school—contemporaries, dry historicals, and children’s books that I found entirely too childish. In fact, I convinced myself that I didn’t like reading until one day in middle school I stumbled upon on the Dragonriders of Pern series. I devoured those books (yes, in middle school). They were my first introduction to fantasy, and they hooked me hard. In high school I started to read some of my mother’s romance novels (mostly historical or paranormal) and found that I loved the romance, but still craved a fantasy adventure as well. At first, I struggled to find books that satisfied both cravings, until I stumbled into the world of shoujo manga. There I discovered the whimsical magic and fantastic adventures I loved, rife with romantic tension and swoon worthy heroes. Many of those stories still have a strong influence on my writing today, including Basara, Anatolia Story, Fushigi Yugi, Ayashi no Ceres, and Nana (a contemporary, but one that changed my life when I first read it as an early 20-something moving off to the city for the first time, just like the MCs).
What were your early influences, and how does this manifest in your work today?
I’ve been in love with video games for as long as I can remember, especially RPG and adventure games. The stories woven in series like Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda invaded my heart at an early age and have never left. These games still influence my approach to character and story development, as well as world building. Even the atmosphere can be a significant influence on my work. Each of my works to date has been written while listening to music from the Final Fantasy series. I even have a few songs that I’ve attached to certain characters and scenes in my own work.
Are there aspects of the craft that excite you more than others?
Oddly enough, I love rewriting and editing. The first draft is always a slog. Trying to transform the images and feelings in my head onto paper is never easy. But once the basics are there, I love going back and tweaking scenes, moving pieces around, upping the stakes, pulling out character motivations, heightening emotion. It’s so much fun. I genuinely look forward to the moment I can dive in and really start bringing the bare bones of the novel to life.
What books or websites are your go-to places while editing?
While editing? Not so many, but there are many resources that have influenced my journey and development as a writer.
One of my earliest flaws was the use of filter words. OMG. Until I knew what they were, I didn’t realize how much I overused them. Now I can’t avoid seeing them, even when I’m just reading for fun. Understanding filter words and scouring my manuscripts for them really helped improve the overall flow and quality of my writing. Google filter words and you can find quite a few lists out there.
The craft book Story Genius was a huge help as well. It really brought to light the different between external and internal plot/conflict and how to bring that internal conflict to the forefront to really make a novel shine. It’s changed the way I approach plotting out and editing my novels for the better, challenging me to focus in on the character’s internal struggle rather than the external plot points. While I highly recommend this book, I’m glad I’d written a few manuscripts without it first, as that allowed me to truly appreciate this craft book’s advice and relate it to my own work.
Tell us about your writing space.
My writing space is anywhere and everywhere. Airplanes, hotels, the couch in my living room, my home office. You name it, I’ve likely written there. The only thing I need is my laptop. Music certainly helps me focus and channel the energy of a scene though—particularly if I’m writing one with a lot of emotion or tense moments.
Tell us about your current WIP.
My latest complete manuscript is titled Blood Song, a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast with influences and imagery from The Phantom of the Opera. It follows our heroine Ceridwen as she struggles to overcome personal trauma and save the hero by proving that music is the strongest form of magic.
Music is a powerful force, and something that’s near and dear to my heart after studying and performing it for many years while in school. This novel allowed me to share that love and demonstrate the impact it can have to heal and transform lives. In addition, each of the key characters in this novel struggles with loss. I loved exploring that and the different ways it impacted each of them, as well as how that history influences their actions and decisions throughout the story.
At first, Ceridwen is put off by Drystan’s unkempt appearance and harsh demeanor. Not to mention the secrets he keeps or the odd ailment that plagues him at times. But as she grows closer to the man who keeps everyone else at a distance and he reignites her passion for music, her feelings for Drystan transform from fearful indifference to love. It’s the perfect arrangement until Ceridwen learns his secret—he’s the monster haunting their city, the one who committed the murders.
Ceridwen yearns to flee the horrible truth, but turning her back on the man she loves proves just as hard, especially when Ceridwen learns that Drystan’s ailment is the result of his struggle to overcome the dark magic threatening to overwhelm their country. The truth leaves Ceridwen with a choice: return to the quiet, lonely life she lived before or risk her own life and use her music to help Drystan control his monstrous side and halt the encroaching darkness.
