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During the month of the Windy Moon, Elaine Corvidae opened her eyes in this world for the first time. In that same year, astronaut Stuart Roosa boarded Apollo 14 with a canister of tree seeds and took them to the moon and back. Today moon trees are scattered all over the United States. This, I believe, fits well with Ms. Corvidae’s birth year, since she is a great lover of nature and wildlife.
As a child, when told to go outside and play, she would roam around the yard and make up stories in her head. These stories followed her into adulthood where she wrote them down and became, in my opinion, one of the best authors of her generation.
On Writing, in Ms. Corvidae’s Words:
What or who inspires you to write?
Everything. Walks in the woods, art, trips to the mall—there is nothing that can’t spark inspiration if you’re open to receive it.
Why did you begin writing?
I’ve been making up stories as long as I can remember. When I was a small child, I wasn’t always satisfied with having a book I liked end, so I would make up my own additional adventures for the characters. I realized when I was eight that I wanted to actually write down stories and share them with other people; although, I didn’t get to the “writing down” part until I was in high school. I think that my childish logic was along the lines of, “I enjoy having these authors share their stories with me in books; therefore, other people will enjoy having me share my stories.”
As I grew older, I also realized that writing would be a way of establishing a personal connection with people that I’ll never even meet. A way of saying, “This is what I think. This is what I feel—what about you?” When a book is read, it becomes a collaboration between the author and the reader; no two readers ever experience a story the exact same way because everyone has their own unique experiences that color their perception.
What author inspires you?
C. J. Cherryh because she has been writing since the 1970’s and yet, somehow her books continue to get better and better. That’s what I want—to be able to look back on my earlier work with tolerance, but be able to point at my latest novel and truthfully say this is the best thing I have ever written.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
The most rewarding thing, the thing that would keep me writing even if I never published another book, is that it forces me to continuously learn more about the human condition. I will never be a sixteen-year-old boy living on the streets; I will never be a Bronze Age warrior woman from a nomadic culture; I will never be a wolf that can transform into a man. So if I want to write from these perspectives, I have to do research, to learn everything that I can to create a picture of what it might be like, and then do my best to imagine how this person would think, and how he or she would react. I learn, and hopefully grow, with every book. And I get to meet some really cool characters along the way.
The most rewarding thing about being published is the connection I mentioned before. Sometimes it can be really hard, typing away alone in my office, with no idea if anything I’m writing will make sense to anyone but me. So each piece of reader mail means the world to me. I have every letter a fan has ever written, printed out and put in a binder. They’re what keep me going when I inevitably start to wonder if a book is worth the effort.
Have you experienced writer’s block? And if so, how did you cure it?
Usually, if I get stalled on a project, it’s because I’m doing something wrong. Trying a different take on the scene in question generally fixes things. I’m afraid that usually means adding a bit of mayhem to the plot—generally if I’m stuck, it means I’m bored with the way things are going, and need to liven the scene up.
Ms. Corvidae sees the mystery in an ordinary box. She collects all types—wooden ones, cardboard covered with cloth, metal, anything that is a box. What could be lurking inside those boxes? Perhaps that’s why she continuously writes fascinating tales, putting the extraordinary into the ordinary.
The Ghost Eater
Once upon a time, ghost eaters protected their clan by eating the souls of their enemies. They cannot die. They do not feel and are treated like strangers by their own families. The beast inside that kills is also the beast that can heal a mortally wounded ghost eater. Such is the fate of Tamaugua.
A devourer is on the loose, eating the souls of everyone and everything in its path. Struggling with feelings no ghost eater is supposed to have, Tamaugua finds himself traveling with a crazy woman, a mute, and an outlaw, becoming a part of people who accept him as he is. Together this uncharacteristic clan must overcome their differences and work together to save the world from certain destruction by a creature growing in strength by the hour.
The Ghost Eater grabbed me from the first sentence. Ms. Corvidae’s imagination runs deep with fascinating aspects, which blend together to make a read unlike any other. Tormented heroes and heroines reach out and squeeze your heart – each character unique, and you even find yourself liking the unlikable characters. Believe me, this is tough to do for a reader like me, but Ms. Corvidae does it every time.
Coming soon to an e-book store near you:
In Nocturne, a former king’s mistress is shipped off to marry a nobleman she’s never met. On the way, she encounters a masked highwayman, known only as Nocturne, who challenges her to stop living a selfish life and open her eyes to the world around her. Their fates become more entangled after her marriage, and she ultimately has to choose between blissful ignorance and standing up for what is right.
To learn where you can buy all of Elaine Corvidae’s fantastic novels, visit her Web site at onecrow.net. As an extra bonus, you can download, Exile’s Burn, a free sci-fi fantasy novel updated with a new chapter once a month.
Not only is Ms. Corvidae a talented author, she’s also a talented artist who sketches her characters to help inspire her muse. You can view some of her artwork at http://corbie.deviantart.com.
