Author Interview: Azalea Forrest

Written By Alan Dell

Azalea Forrest is an indie fantasy author and freelance editor from Florida.

Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you write?

Hello! I’m Azalea Forrest and I write fantasy with themes surrounding hope, becoming a better person, and strong female characters.

What’s your favourite genre? Is it the same as the one you write in?

A blend of fantasy/adventure! And yes, especially my latest book: A Bitter Drink.

What do you do for inspiration?

Any time I happen upon an idea, I’ll write it down in my Ideas Document. That’ll help me work on a new character/story when I’m not sure what to work on next. But I also use Pinterest and browse around to see if anything sparks an idea. Visuals are extremely helpful for me!

How do you approach building your worlds?

Well, I typically start with a character and then build around them. Like for my current WIP, I had a specific theme I wanted to focus on (mental illness), and then I made the MC (Vivi), and then thought of the world (a mash of if industrial went back into medieval due to a cataclysmic event). Each point revolves around that character, and then I move to the next character, and build their world from that point on. Like, villages to cities to thinking of trade if it’s relevant. It’s a lot of asking questions, so sometimes worldbuilding templates can help when I’m unsure of what questions to ask myself. Each story, the worldbuilding has gotten more and more in-depth, so I’m constantly learning!

What comes first? Characters or plot?

It depends on the story! But for me it’s usually characters.

What was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?

This current WIP, dubbed Apothecary, has been incredibly difficult. It started with one idea, and I’ve got a full draft, but it needs heavy revisions, as I just wasn’t able to execute that idea in the way I thought it would go. It’s all a learning process, but that on top of the pandemic and everything else, it’s been exceedingly difficult to work on for any great length of time. Slowly but surely, I’ll get there, though!

What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about the writing process?

Ahah, well for my favorite…it’s probably drafting. Because I’ve already got my outline by that point, so it’s just go, go, go. For my least favorite, it might very well be outlining! Or revising. Revising is both a love/hate thing for me because I’m making it BETTER, and that’s an awesome feeling, but sometimes I don’t even want to look at my own writing. (It’s never as bad as I think it’s going to be, but it’s still an experience!)

Are you able to share any short snippets from the cutting room floor?

Sure!

Vivi used the boulder beside her to help her stand; though the grass was dry now, that didn’t mean she couldn’t slip. But the boulder felt strangely smooth, so she circled around it to get a better look.
“An ebenfihr…” She touched the smooth stone, her hand sliding down the surface until she reached the worn-out hollow in its center. Ebenfihr stones were believed to be tombstones from the days before the Collapse. The hole didn’t reach through to the other side: they were said to be a place of rest for the Maldusani spirits. Cemeteries were a custom of the past; if a human was buried, a tree would be planted over their corpse, or else they were cremated. That was how Tienmans did it, anyway. Vivi stared into the darkness of the hollow, wondering if she would glimpse a Maldi spirit.

What is your absolute favourite piece of your own writing? Could be a short scene, a bit of dialogue, a character or even the tiniest piece of worldbuilding.

Rowan from A Bitter Drink is my favorite character right now. He makes his own life incredibly complicated, and for little reason other than comfort and routine. He was very satisfying and enjoyable to write, even for all his quirks and headaches, and I’m sure he frustrates many readers—though I hope it’s a good frustration, haha! The whole cast sees it, even Rowan himself, but it’s hard to change who are you, or rather, how you present yourself, even in a crisis situation.

What are you promoting at the moment?

Because A Bitter Drink was released this past November, that is what I’m focusing on, but I still try to advertise all my work. A tiny synopsis for ABD:

Full of misadventure, A Bitter Drink tangles Rowan in the vines after catching a peer talking treason. He’s forced to team up with a vagabond, an elven spy, and a calming dwarf, but his heart isn’t in it. The plantman's a coward and he knows it. To change would be a bitter drink indeed.

If you’d like to be featured in an author interview, just contact me.

Alan Dell
Previous

Author Interview: James McLean