 Emilie Knight is a constant writer, and author of her debut Era of Undying. After years of reading fantasy and horror she combines them together into her own dark fantasy writing. Using her BA in Classical Civilizations and fascination in Ancient Greek mythology she blends it well into her fiction. Other then reading in her spare time she plays video games quite often. Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Hello, first of, just to get it off my chest, I am very shy. I’m an introvert who lives in a basement duplex apartment with two cats. It’s a good life though, it’s a cozy place with an awesome reading corner, and it’s super easy to clean. I am into all things fantasy and horror related, and love taking walks on nice days. What do you like to do when you're not writing? Other then reading, I also play video games. Some of my favourites are Skyrim, Witcher 3, the Sims, even Stardew Valley. I also watch Youtube, and Netflix to pass the time. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Fantasy. I found the fantasy genre in high school, shortly after I “discovered” horror too actually. I picked up Eragon by Christopher Paolini and fell in love with magic, dragons, and intense worldbuilding. I grew up with Harry Potter but I was too young to see the art behind the craft then. The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?. When most people think of horror they think of gore and easy jump scares. Clowns or demons bursting from behind the corner with a loud bang in the music to make you jump. Those are the cheap scares. We need more slowly build stories around people and their minds, really get inside the characters head and understand why they are scared, so we then feel scared for them. We need more physiological terror, rather than simple gory horror. A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years? I’m not really sure, it’s been mainly small monsters, like dolls or single ghosts and demons. But I think, horror coming from more people just being scary people will grow. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? Harry Potter by J K Rowling, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and the Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence (that one opened grimdark for me, and proved you can combine horror and fantasy.) What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? Mark Lawrence, he deserves a bigger audience. Also Christina Henry, her dark blends of classic fairy tales are wonderful. How would you describe your writing style? Fast paced. I write in short sprints, so that helps me get to the point when it comes to descriptions or plot points. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? One reviewer compared my debut novel, Era of Undying, to the Odyssey and Beowulf. I was immensely flattered because I love those ancient classic stories, as well as anything related to Greek Mythology. Those elements still come through in my current novels too. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Physical descriptions sometimes, I just was to get on with the story so I tend to forget them until the editing phase. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Heavy romance or erotica. There is a romance in my current novel, Dagger and Scythe, but it’s not a heavy handed or steamy romance. It’s about those two getting used to their new relationship, working together, and taking down a god. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? A little of both, I pick names from words in Ancient Greek based on the meaning of them, and if they fit the characters traits. I make a list of traits, and then pick the best sounding translation. Well, that’s the case for most of them. Dagger and Scythe are named after the weapons they fight with. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I’ve gotten better as grounding my descriptions (even physical appearances), and getting to the point. My characters are a lot more dynamic too, more defined in a way. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? A well developed imagination (also a pen and paper just in case your computer breaks down). What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Take your time, there’s no rush to get the book out. The story itself needs to take its time to develop while you write it, so enjoy the ride. Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? By interacting with people on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also have an Amazon Author profile, Goodreads, and Bookbub accounts. Contacting reviewers in general too, it’s intimidating but necessary and really not that scary. To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favorite child, and who is your least favorite to write for and why? Scythe is probably my favourite so far, she’s bold and ruthless, but insecure at times, especially involving her personal life. I don’t have a least favourite but the hardest is Pen, from Era of Undying. She’s elusive and secretive, even to me sometimes. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? At the moment it is my current one, Dagger and Scythe. It’s fun, it’s ruthless, and I loved these two characters ever since I thought them up almost a decade ago. And are there any that you would like to forget about? I would never forget about Era of Undying, but it does need to be tweaked a bit. I’m still proud of it being by first novel, but it needs one more round of edits I think. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? Dagger and Scythe, they are the gothic and fantasy combination I want to continue on with. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? It’s morose but one that really sticks in my head from Dagger and Scythe is “silence hung over them like a patient noose.” It’s so quiet and intimidating. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? My last book, Era of Undying, was also a blast to write, but I finished it too quickly. I love Pen, the Blood Warrior, as a character and person. And I can’t wait to explore more of her story. I’m currently working on something different, though. It’s called Fractured Memories, and is more of a physiological thriller (I hope anyway.) It’s about a noblewoman, Frona, getting revenge on people who attacked her in an alley by going straight to the king, and another woman, Varga, who works as a prostitute turned assassin in the poorer end of the city. Their stories intertwine, and chaos ensues. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Cheap jump scares, that I talked about before, but also found footage movies. I just get annoyed when the camera is watching the feet of the person run away rather than focus on the actual scare. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? The last great book was probably Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (the last in the Broken Empire series). It may have been for the third time, but I still love the final story for Jorg Ancrath. The last one the disappointed me, was a while ago. It was Alice by Christina Henry. I know I mentioned her before and one of my favourites, and she is, but in her dark Alice book the ending was a bit anti climactic. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? I’m not sure, but it would probably about the craft of storytelling in general. I love talking about the art behind the stories. To find out more and to follow Emilie on social media check out the links below Social Media Links Goodreads Website https://www.emilieknight.com/ Amazon Author Page https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile Dagger and Scythe: The Ichorian Epics Book 2 by Emilie Knight   Comments are closed.
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