Hello hello! Today I'm sharing an interview with Erinn Harper, author of the Dreamwalker series. I read Erinn's debut, Stormbringer, earlier this year and loved it, so I was excited to learn more about her series, the inspiration for it, and what's coming up next! Read on for our conversation.
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Talli: This is excellent timing that we're doing this the same day you got your print proof of Stormbringer, because seeing that made me HYPED for HALFSLEEPER! But more on that in a minute! First I like to start with a short intro of yourself and your writing!
Erinn: Well, as you already know, I'm a queer author who focuses on queer fantasy (with sprinkles of other genres, I suppose). I tend to lean toward dark and gritty stories because that's my jam and it helps me untangle some of the messier thoughts inhabiting my brain. I've been writing for about fifteen years but have never published anything until this year...with my debut, Stormbringer, and HALFSLEEPER soon to follow!
Talli: Yes to all the queer fantasy!! And tbh the mashup of genres in Stormbringer was one of my favorite aspects of it! It's such a vibey book and I kinda love that it doesn't fit in just one genre. So that being said, where did the initial idea for your series come from? I've truly never read anything like it, so I'm curious to hear what inspired you!
Erinn: Maybe that's why I've had such a hard time finding comps! I have a lot of smaller inspirations, but the primary idea actually came from roleplay I did with a handful of other writers beginning around 2013, following the theme of a character (Nikkeah) corrupted by magic. I was always fascinated with the idea of dreams and dream worlds (e.g. the Fade from the Dragon Age series), and I wanted to integrate these two systems together into a unique world for Nikkeah alone. The story kind of took off from there.
Talli: OOH YES magic-based corruption arcs are SO GOOD. I have a WIP that deals with that too and it's such a fun (albeit morbid) narrative to write. That's such a unique inspiration tho! I'm impressed with how much you built from that one concept. How much has changed about the series since you started? Was the tournament always part of it or did that come in later?Erinn: YES! I'll be looking forward to that WIP, then... As for this story, gosh, a heck of a lot changed. When I first began developing it back in 2015, it was a high fantasy that emulated the roleplay universe I wrote in. Think your classic RPG. It took about 3 years before I realized this wasn't Nikkeah's story, so I changed it to an urban fantasy dreampunk vibe and finally felt things click into place. With it came the tournament and all the fun gritty moods that come with urban magic.
Talli: Oh wow!! I can't even imagine Stormbringer as a high fantasy, that's wild! It's neat how stories evolve like that tho. What made you decide to publish it, and what made you choose indie over trad pub?
Erinn: I've wanted to publish since I was a preteen writing my first "novels." The funny thing is, my younger self always dreamed of trad pub, of having an agent and interviews and book signings, but now that I'm older, I find indie much better suited to my needs and desires. I chose indie specifically for the control over my work, and I figured my ideas were a bit too niche to be marketable for trad pub, so it felt like the right path to take. I also simply plan to be a bit more prolific than what trad pub would allow (nothing wild, just roughly 2 books a year). I'm enjoying learning about the industry this way.
Talli: Ahh same here, publishing has been my dream since like forever. And I also started out thinking I'd only ever go trad pub, but going indie has been such a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I did! I'm totally with you about wanting to keep control over your work and your publishing schedule; it's kinda nice to be able to set our own deadlines and everything!
Erinn: Yep, agreed! The age of indie has opened the gates for all the stories I couldn't find when I was younger. So I'm happy to be part of that community!Talli: YES I love all the excellent indie books I've found since joining this community. So going back to your wonderful series,,,, HALFSLEEPER is out SOON and I can't wait, but what comes next?? How many books do you have planned for the Dreamwalker series?
Erinn: I actually have 5 planned for this one! I know that seems like a lot, especially for a debut, but Nikkeah's story has many layers, and I don't want to rush through those layers.
Talli: FIVE BOOKS YES PLEASE!! Do you have them all planned or do you wait to see where each book will take you before you plot the next?
Erinn: I have a general idea of where the story should be going, but I don't actually sit down and plan/outline until I'm preparing to draft...although there's not all that much left to plan considering I'll be drafting #4 for NaNoWriMo this year! I do like seeing where the story itself will go. Makes things more interesting…
Talli: Oh wow so you've got a good head start!! And yessss I like being surprised along the way too, which is why I hesitate to outline heavily. So #2 is out soon, #3 is drafted, #4 is coming up next, and #5 is on the horizon! Fantastic!
Erinn: Thank you so much, Talli! It is so fabulous of you to do this.
Talli: You're very welcome!!***
Stormbringer is a fantastic page-turner of a book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy threaded with mystery. And Erinn just released the paperback editions of it, which are simply STUNNING and I'm anxiously awaiting my copy in the mail. The sequel, HALFSLEEPER is out October 18 (WHICH IS REALLY SOON BTW), and Erinn says the paperbacks will be available sometime in December! She's got a ton of exciting things coming up, and you can keep up with all of them by following her on Twitter.
That's all for today! Thanks for reading, and I'll see y'all next week.
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