Episode 297: How to Bring a Fantasy Series to a Close — Interview with E.J. Wenstrom

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing E.J. Wenstrom

E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. Her award-winning fantasy series Chronicles of the Third Realm War (City Owl Press) features a peculiar mashup of Greek mythology, Judeo-Christian folklore, and an extra dash of her own special brand of chaos.

The series includes Florida Writers Association’s 2016 Book of the Year Mud, Rain (which is the prequel), Tides, and—most recently—Sparks, which concludes the series.

In this episode E.J. and I discuss:

  • How an internship led E.J. to discover a love of writing
  • How research on monsters became the inspiration for finding Adem’s voice
  • Finding hope in the midst of a seemingly hopeless story
  • Setting up a satisfying series ending
  • How E.J. uses an “ugly draft” to facilitate writing a book a year
  • The benefits of publishing with a small press

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About E.J. Wenstrom

E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. Her award-winning fantasy series Chronicles of the Third Realm War (City Owl Press) features a peculiar mashup of Greek mythology, Judeo-Christian folklore, and an extra dash of her own special brand of chaos. It includes Florida Writers Association’s 2016 Book of the Year MUD (#1), RAIN (#0), TIDES (#2), and SPARKS (#3), which is releasing in spring 2020. Visit her website, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

Rain

In the Beginning, everything was perfect, but something in the middle realm of Terath has gone terribly wrong.

After Nia’s father dies from a mysterious illness that even the gods’ First Creatures cannot stop, she grows in isolation amidst the fear and suspicion from her village. So when an impulsive moment leads to a passionate romance with an angel, Nia will stop at nothing to keep them together, even defy direct orders from the gods themselves.

Meanwhile, the middle realm of Terath begins to show cracks. Both First Creatures and men grow angrier at the gods’ disinterest, and everything the gods put in Order begins to unravel. When Nia’s angel steals magic from one of the gods to enchant her parting gift, it causes a rift that triggers a downward spiral.

Mud

Trapped by his Maker’s command to protect a mysterious box, Adem is forced to kill anyone who tries to steal it. When a young boy chances upon Adem’s temple, he resists temptation, intriguing the golem. As the boy and his sister convince Adem to leave the refuge of his temple, the group lands in a web of trouble.

Now Adem will do whatever necessary to keep his new young charges safe, even if it means risking all to get rid of the box. Their saving grace comes in the form of an angel who offers to set Adem free of the box’s magic by granting his greatest desire—making him human.

But first, Adem must bring back the angel’s long-dead human love from the Underworld. In doing so, he will risk breaking the barrier between the realms, a cataclysm that could launch the Third Realm War. To set things right, he may be forced to give up the only thing he’s ever truly wanted…a chance at a soul of his own.

Tides

Rona didn’t ask to be brought back from the Underworld, and now that she is alive again, she’s angry enough to raise hell.

It’s a good thing too, because hell is coming for her. As the realm braces for another round of wars between the Gods and the demigods, Rona’s fate is entangled with the unlikely heroes responsible for bringing her back to life: a golem marked by the Gods and a man with the touch of destiny upon him. Together, they embark on a quest to stop the war before it begins. For if they can’t stop the demigods, the entire middle realm of Terath will be torn apart, and everyone in their way destroyed.

But the fate of the realm isn’t the only thing Rona has to worry about, because the past she killed herself to escape is about to catch up to her again.

Sparks

Jordan was raised to save his people from the war to come. All his life he trained to take down the rebel army of demigods foretold to tear the middle realm of Terath to pieces in their determination to destroy the Gods.

Now, the war is finally here. But everything that made Jordan special has been stripped away from him—his prophetic ability to hear the Gods in Their creation, his leadership over his people, even his faith.

As the rebels send a new threat to take down Jordan and the people of Haven—the most powerful wizard of all the ages—Jordan has never felt more lost.

So when the golem who served as Jordan’s only friend and childhood protector disappears, Jordan sets out to fix at least one thing in this dark, broken world—even if it means breaking into the Gods’ home and hunting Them down—and bring back a soul for Adem.

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Link to Episode 297

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