Meet Abrielle! This is a funny and frank interview so I hope you enjoy!
Abrielle holds a third degree black belt in Taekwondo, has
five younger siblings and harbors a crazy fear of driving on the freeway.
She spends so much time pretending to be a ninja that she now makes a living at
it, travelling the country teaching martial arts to kids and self-defense for
women.
She is a
rogue and nonconformist.
She thinks
she can sing, but don’t let the assumption fool you.
Abrielle
writes about kick-butt women that take no prisoners and don’t take no for an
answer.
Website: abriellesarahfuerst.com
Facebook: facebook.com/
1. Tell us how you came to be an
Author with Soul Mate Publishing.
Like
most things I do, it was very nontraditional. A friend who read my book
mentioned it to a mutual friend of my amazing editor, Stella, who requested J I still remember that phone call, and I
still remember the next hour I spent running laps around the living room.
2. What do you enjoy most about being
a SMP Author?
I love being part of such an amazing group
of supportive people! My debut, Lady Shadow, comes out this November, (This was written in Sept) so
everything about the process is completely new to me. And everyone at Soul Mate
has been so wonderful and helpful, with such amazing insight and advice to
share! It’s very inspiring. I’m honored to be part of it!
3. What have your experiences been
like working toward being published?
Step 1: I wrote a 200,000 word epic that
read like a fantasy odyssey, then sent my first ever query to the most famous
agent I knew at the time.
Step 2: Learned that rejections are best
handled with chocolate and friends who love you anyway.
Step 3: Followed the blogs of different
agents, and entered tons of their writing contests. I received some invaluable advice
from agents who took the time to give me their honest opinions.
Step 4: Actually worked up the courage to
share my books with the friend, who ultimately helped introduce me to SMP.
4. What would you have done
differently?
Been a little more daring;) My best
writing came out when I stopped trying to write eloquently for publication. At
some point I realized that my protagonist had no filter at all, and that was
just awesome.
I also would have shared my work earlier.
I started my first novel-length book when I was younger than ten, and spent so
many years making it “perfect” that the original story was actually lost. I
think one day I’ll rewrite that story as it was when I started:)
5. How has your book been marketed?
I debut in November, so I’ve been learning
a lot about social media. I’ve also made quite a spectacle of myself the
old-fashioned way, and will happily pitch to any neighbor or stranger who gives
me the chance;)
Seriously. People avoid me at airports.
But here’s my crazy idea. I’ve been traveling
the country teaching martial arts, and self-defense classes for women. So now
I’m planning…a nation-wide book signing and self-defense tour for when I come
out in print! I don’t think it’s been done before, so I’m really excited for
it.
6. Any advice on how to better market
a book?
I’m
still rather new at it, but honestly what’s helped me most is honest and
personal relations. Get involved with your readers, or future readers, and let
them get to know you as a person, more just a name on paper. Travel. Meet
people. Share stories. Ask them to spread the word along venues you wouldn’t
have on your own. I’d love to hear your input, too!
7. Last question; If you could travel anywhere
in the world, where would you go, when would it be, and what would you be
wearing?
This
question is awesome because it’s pretty much the story of my life. Because I
flew out of Ft.
Lauderdale
Because
of the six weeks I spent in Missouri
City
Because
I decided, after checking my suitcase at Midway
Airport last summer, that I didn’t
actually want to leave Chicago
If I get to choose…I would go right now.
And I would wear something borrowed from my sister, because everyone knows the
best outfits are the ones the people you took them from don’t want you
wearing.
That said, Kyoto
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LADY SHADOW
Here is a little
secret. Assassins do exist. They’re right here, in the kingdoms.
And the one they’re
looking for? The mercenary who betrayed them?
She lives.
Betrayal is a death sentence—and Umbra makes a living at it.
When she was nine years old, Umbra was trained to be a
mercenary. They are silent shadows with faces of men: ruthless combat masters,
and Umbra was the best among them. Trained to swear fealty to assassins no one
else believes in, sworn to die by her own hand before she dares betray them,
Umbra becomes the spearhead of the assassins’ revolution: a hidden war to claim
the kingdoms.
But what if she was wrong? What if she misjudged them?
So she changes sides, falling overnight from the deadliest
assassin to the woman at the top of their most-wanted list. To the woman who,
singlehandedly, is preventing the assassins from attaining the position she
once killed to help them claim.
Now Umbra must confront the machinations of her past, from
the old assassin masters who taught her everything, to the assassin heir and
the man she would have married. But one aspect of her life might be too sharp
to overcome. One betrayal runs too deeply to be reckoned with.
Because you don't cross the Kai Assassins and walk away
unscathed.
Sometimes, you don't walk away.
I’ll give you the whole story.
I had spent three weeks upon a
thrice-damned ship. Don’t ask me why I did it; for now we’ll say only that it
was necessary. Don’t ask me why I chose a ship when I’m afraid of drowning.
I rode a fisher vessel to the
nearest village with a port. Hid out a whole day, knowing how damn close I was
to being captured. I bought passage on seven ships under seven different
names—and then I slipped away on one of the few vessels that I hadn’t paid for.
You could say that I’m wanted.
I go by Aryin now. I am a
necromancer. I am of the most skilled of those within my trade, and I am
fleeing for my life within my enemy country, to escape a decree from mine that
will kill me if I am found alive.
Though secretly sometimes, though none must ever know
it, I am still Navyra of Yoshai.
