Interview with Adversarius Author Mel Chesley
What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? My name is Melissa Chesley. I go by Mel, though. I was born in Chicago, IL and now live in Homer, AK.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say? Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One is the title of my book. It’s about an ongoing war between two kingdoms, an arranged marriage where the bride has lost her memory and how a group of people try to get her back before it’s too late. (I think that’s more than 20 words, though, sorry!)
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? ‘Adversarius’ is part of a series, yes. So I have plans for another book, that will be book two, titled ‘Veritas’.
How long have you been writing? And who or what inspired you to write? I’ve been writing off and on since I was 19, but got serious about it when I hit my 30’s. I’ve always been inspired by other fantasy authors such as David Eddings, Melanie Rawn and the like. I didn’t read Tolkien until the first movies in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ series came out. But ever since, he’s been an inspiration to me.
Do you gift books to readers to do reviews? Absolutely. If I approach someone to do a review for me, the least I can do is provide the book.
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books? Well, this first book, the title ‘Adversarius’ means Adversary in Latin. That’s the basis of the book, we find out who the adversaries are. Veritas will be next, because some truths are about to be revealed and the third book will be titled ‘Bellum’, meaning War. This first cover design was sort of my idea. I’m half Scottish and Celtic knotwork is very well ingrained in me and I love it. So I thought it would be a fitting border and the empty throne is very significant to the story. One kingdom in this war has been left wide open, without an heir for the moment. The cover designer for this book was Dara England.
Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? Funny you should ask. Some of these characters are based off of people I know. They created a character for an online role playing game and I asked to use them in my book, so I know them pretty well. As for events, not so much. There are some things with my characters that I have experienced, but not much.
Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing? I’d say Tolkien, but like I said, he came about after the fact. So to pick just one, I’d have to say no, not really. It’s always been a dream of mine, to write. I don’t think my style matches any of the authors I read or have read. Some say I have a style similar to authors I have yet to read.
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback? Personally, I prefer paperback books. I like hardback, but they don’t give as well. Ebooks are okay, but just not the same.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once? Hmm… I’d have to say ‘Faerie Tale’ by Raymond E. Feist. I love that book and have read it like three times, I think. I love the Fae and the stories behind it and this book brought it into the real world. It’s a great book.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer? Not all books transfer well, I don’t think. If you’ve read any books before seeing the movies, you always lose something in translation. You make a connection to the characters you are reading and then to see them up on the screen is sort of heartbreaking. Not everyone sees those characters the same way you do. I do think all of the Lord of the Rings transferred well, but a lot of that has to do with Peter Jackson’s love of the stories and the respect he has for Tolkien certainly brought those books to life rather well.
What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it? (eBook, hardback or paperback) I’m currently reading a book called ‘The Infinity Bridge’ by Ross Kitson. I’m enjoying it! It’s a YA ebook and it’s a fun read.
Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn’t finish? There are lots of books I have tried to read and just couldn’t finish. However, at the risk of getting hate mail, I have to say I will never read ‘50 Shades of Grey’.
What do you think about book trailers? I think if they are done properly, they’re a great marketing tool.
What piece of advice would you give to a new writer? I would say, stick with your writing, no matter what. You’re going to get people who love it and those who hate it. But write for yourself and don’t try to please the masses, because you won’t please everyone. If you love writing, just do it!
Do you or would you ever use a pen name? M. L. Chesley is sort of a pen name for me. The ‘M’ stands for me, Melissa. The ‘L’ is for my husband, Larry, who helps me write a lot of my stuff, but won’t allow me to give him credit. So we agreed upon this pen name.
If your book was ever made into a move, what actor/actress would you like to see play the main character(s)? Oooh! I would love to see Kate Beckinsale play Kayta. I think Adrian Paul would make a great Black Rose and I’m sort of torn on who would play Nightshadow well.
Have you ever considered writing in a completely different genre? If so, what would it be and why. Yes I have. As a matter of fact, I have some story ideas for paranormal books. It’s still in the creating process, but I am hoping to get to those as soon as I finish this trilogy.
Do you think the current popularity of eBooks will last or do you believe it is just another passing trend? Yes, I think ebooks are here to stay. They’re becoming quite popular with our society. Everything is electronic and sometimes people have a very short attention span, so it’s super easy to get your hands on short stories through electronic publication.
Considering Traditional Publishing vs. Indie Publishing, do you think one has a clear advantage over the other? If so, please elaborate. I don’t think so, no. The only thing I see is the author has more control over their work if they go the indie route. But it seems to me, the author has to do most of the marketing themselves either way.
Would you ever consider co/authoring with one or more other authors? Heck yeah! I’d love to co-author a book.
Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what did you do about it? Yes, I get it once in awhile, but mostly when I am trying to figure out where to go with the story. I will walk away from it and do something else for a couple days, not thinking about the story at all and it will come to me out of the blue. Then I get right back to writing.
Where can readers follow you? Lots of places!
Your blog details? www.caledonialass.blogspot.com
Your web site? www.mlchesley.webs.com
Your facebook page? www.facebook.com/mel_chesley or www.facebook.com/MLChesley
Your Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6645211.M_L_Chesley
Your Twitter details? @MLChesley
Thank you Mel for taking time out from your busy schedule to share with us today. It hasbeen a real pleasure having you here on my blog. I hope you will visit again in thefuture.
Thank you, it was fun!
Blurb:
Two kingdoms, two goals.
The king of Relavia is determined to wipe out his warring neighbors in Paridzule, a worthy adversary for over five hundred years. News of an arranged marriage between his son and the daughter of his lifelong enemy has fueled the temper of Relavia’s tyrannical king. What he doesn’t realize is the true measure of his son’s honor and how far he is willing to go to gain peace.
Author Bio:
M. L. Chesley is an Alaska based author, online blogger and MMORPG junkie. She has been writing fantasy for several years. Between writing, work and family she barely has time for much gaming, but some days, raids take precedence over all. If you would like to learn more about her world, created in this book, go to www.mlchesley.webs.com. You can also follow her blog at www.caledonialass.blogspot.com.
Purchase Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Adversarius-Shadow-Rose-ebook/dp/B00AJA967O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357087212&sr=8-1&keywords=adversarius+shadow+of+the+rose
Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/262445
Excerpt : Kayta sat up, sweat drenched her skin and she clutched at the sheet that covered her. She couldn’t breathe, her throat constricted. After a moment, she gasped, filling her lungs with air, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked around frantically, trying to get her bearings.
“Easy now,” someone moved to sit beside her and held her gently by the shoulders.
“Wh-where am I?” she whispered.
“Shh, do nae speak. Try tae be quiet,” the voice was low, the accent odd to her ears. Kayta pulled up the sheet to her chin and looked around. Beds lined the walls on either side, and lanterns were lit and turned low. In the dim light, she could see the face of the person who sat beside her, trying to soothe her.
“Who are you?” she whispered again. The man chuckled, his long black hair hung loose around his shoulders. There were bruises on his face, a greenish tinge indicating that they were healing as well as a few cuts.
“I’m Farrehn,” he told her. He turned his head to make sure they were not disturbing anyone, and his eyes caught the lamplight. The red of his eyes indicated his race.
Adversarius Review
By: Carol Marrs Phipps
For 500 years the kingdoms of Paridzule and Relavia have been enemies. When it looks as if a marriage between their progeny might unite the kingdoms and end the centuries old hatred and rivalry the king of Relavia is infuriated. He devises a plan intended not only to stop the marriage of his son, Alabassin to Princess Kayta Ni’adzul, but also to seize control of Paridzule at last.
Before long the beloved king and queen of Paridzule are unexpectedly killed in a horrible ‘accident’. And on top of that Kayta and Hedric Ni’adzul, two of the three heirs to the throne of Paridzule, are lost at sea when the ship they are on is attacked by pyrates.
Things are definitely going King Li’endrin’s way at last and it appears he may soon conquer the weakened kingdom of Paridzule with very little resistance.
However, a priest of Fizan, Goddess of Justice, an assassin and four warriors from Haldera have another plan after they are charged with a dangerous task by the goddess herself. A task which could upset Li’endrin’s nefarious plans and give Paridzule a fighting chance to survive…If only they are successful.
Adversarius is a totally engrossing fantasy tale that has just enough rollicking adventure and intrigue with a bit of romance to keep you turning those pages will into the night. The cliffhanger ending will leave you longing for the immediate release of book two of the trilogy.
Thank you all for joining us today for ML Chesley’s Adversarius Blog Tour. One lucky commentor will win an eBook copy of Adversarius. Winner will be announced on this blog on Tuesday, 1/15/13, so do check back to see if you have won. The winner should then email us at car01am@yahoo.com with their contact info so we can send them their ebook.
As we were eating breakfast, I remember them saying that I’d likely not remember a bit of the day when I got older, in spite of how very important it was to be four years old. What was I to do?
After breakfast I went outside and played amongst the snapdragons for a while. Suddenly I knew. I would perform a ritual that I would remember forever, or at least for as long as I would be able to. I ran to the rusty round bin we used for chicken feed and climbed half way up the ladder which was leaning against it. I paused, listening to the purple martins and the meadowlarks. Then I waved my leg in the air off the side of the ladder four deliberate times, one for each of my years. 
I do remember a much earlier sunny day. Perhaps I was two. I had my black and white teddy bear, wandering amongst honey bees tending the red clover, along the ditch of the South Road, a half mile away from the house.
Mom heard a loon cry at the pond and thought it was me, so when the old black ’40 Ford which pinched the holy shit out of my finger suddenly stopped across the ditch, she boiled out in her apron with a face like a hornet and swept me off my feet with a hug.
