Twenty and some years ago, on the continent of Pentallia, the Proper kingdoms waged war on the Illumini ones, destroying their monarchies and ruining their lands. Illumination - magic- was to no longer be tolerated. Now, an underground Illumini movement sweeps across Pentallia as discontent and discord fracture relationships between the Proper rulers. With their families and kingdoms in danger, and a new threat converging on Pentallia from over the sea to the west, a group of young people will have to forge their own paths and claim their destinies while war gears up around them. With traitors in their midst, who will they trust?
I hope that hooked you as much as it did to me the first time I read it. Here you have the exciting blurb from book 1 in the Traitor's War Series: Destiny, written by none other than L.M. Ransom. If you've been following me for a while, you know I have read other books by Ransom and have devoured them like a kid with chocolate. Her fantastical tales, world building, and adventure never disappoint. She has a fan for life.
One day I gathered the courage to ask Ransom for an interview, and to my immense surprise, she agreed *cue fangirl screaming*. Check out my exciting interview for writing advice, geeking out about fandoms, and blah.
Hello, Linda! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. I think readers of The Dark Pilgrim and The Kelpie’s Kiss would absolutely love your writing. I was a fan of your Flying Ponies series and now your Traitor’s War series has captured my attention. I’m excited to pick your brain about your characters, your writing process, and more.
Can you tell my readers a little bit about yourself? When did you decide (or know) you wanted to be a writer?
Hi! My name is Linda. I’m married, with two teenagers, two dogs, and two horses. We live in Shelby, a small town on the west side of Michigan, near Lake Michigan. We like to take our Jeeps out on the local trails in the summertime. I work at the local library, where I catalog new items and help curate different collections as well as write up new books. I have some favorite fandoms: Star Wars, Firefly, Doctor Who (Doctor Eleven specifically), superheroes, and Pacific Rim are a few.
I first started writing around the age of ten, and that’s really when I thought I wanted to be an author when I grew up. A friend and I used to write stories in high school; we’d pass our notebooks in-between classes. My senior year I entered a writing competition and won my age division.
But I didn’t get serious about writing until about 2005, and that’s when I started working on what would become Destiny, the first book in the Traitors War series.
JM Cliff: Let me just start off by saying that the eleventh doctor is also a personal favorite! I love hearing about your progression as a writer. I did something similar in high school, writing back and forth with a friend who is now my co-author for the Flight of the Lionheart series. It is a really neat way to generate ideas, feed off of another’s writing, and grow as a writer yourself. I think it is so important for anyone who feels like they have to write a novel now to be an author. You clearly went through periods with little writing, I assume when your kids were young. And I think it is important to note that as long as the desire is there, your stories will come out in their own time.
What does your drafting process look like? Do you have a daily writing schedule, weekly word count goals, etc? How do you create your characters, research settings and other elements of your stories?
Each of my books usually takes at least two drafts and a lot of self-editing before it goes to my editor. Lift, the first book in the Flying Ponies trilogy, was only one draft, but it also took a lot more editing. Destiny took 7-8 drafts before I finally figured out what story I wanted to tell, and who it needed to be about. The second draft usually comes faster than the first one does, because I know what needs to be better and where the focus needs to be.
I try to write a little every day during the week. I don’t worry about word counts; I’m more about chapters. I like getting a couple chapters a day done if possible. Weekends I don’t usually write much, unless I’m at the end of a novel, and then I try to write every day/night until it’s done.
Creating characters is one of my favorite things about writing. Sometimes I have the names first, and need to find a visual representation; sometimes it’s the other way around. It depends on the story, I think. I find images of my characters using Pinterest, and I have a board for every story. Having a character’s image in front of me while writing about them really helps.
As for research, I had to do more for the Flying Ponies trilogy because the carousel horses are from Coney Island, in New York City, a place where I’d never been at the time I started writing Lift, the first book. I did a lot of web searches, and read a lot of blogs and articles about how Coney Island was back in the early 1900s on up through the 1920s. I borrowed books about the Island. I also researched the different types of carousel horses and the men who carved and painted them, and bought some books about it. My setting for most of the three novels is Michigan, and I was already familiar with that.
For Destiny, I didn’t need to do a lot of research because it takes place in a world of my own creating. I did look into different types of repeating weapons and clothing; I wanted this series, though it's fantasy, to seem a bit realistic. I found images of the places in Destiny on Pinterest, as well as clothes, jewelry, knickknacks, and anything else that would help me see Pentallia (the continent Destiny takes place on) and Imperium (the world of the Traitors War) fully in my mind’s eye. My Traitors War board on Pinterest has several different sections, ranging from kingdoms to couples (no spoilers) to quotes and ships (for future buccaneering stories).
How do you respond when you’re faced with the ever terrifying ‘writer’s block’?
When this happens I usually take some of my characters and place them in a different time period or even a different story. I’m a big believer in the characters telling the story, and the writer following along behind and writing down what’s happening. This almost always works for me. When it doesn’t, I leave that story alone for a bit and go work on another writing project. I also do this in-between books of a series.
JM Cliff: That is such a unique idea. I will definitely be stealing this trick the next time my words aren’t flowing. Now I can’t help but picturing Lisette as a high school student set in a Midwest farm town!
Who is your favorite character in Destiny (book 1 of the Traitor’s War series), and why?
That’s a hard question! Most of these characters have lived in my head for sixteen years, and I’ve gotten to know them really well. If I can only choose one, I would choose Lisette. She has evolved over the years from a shy, quiet princess afraid of her shadow to a princess who tries her best to be brave and do what’s right, even if it’s painful or difficult.
JM Cliff: Lisette is pretty amazing. I love who she is and who she is becoming on her journey. She embraces change even when it is painful or scary. If only we all could be more like Lisette! Declan completely captured my attention throughout Destiny. I cannot wait to see where your characters go. And how their lives intersect with one another.
Are you traditionally published or indie? I’d love your thoughts on both. How did you find your publisher?
I’m an indie author, but also kind of a hybrid. I have a professional editor I work with, and a publishing company, Wicked Whale, out of Cape Cod. The owner of Wicked Whale, Kate Conway (also a young adult author under the pen name K. R. Conway), puts my books together for me, including finding the perfect cover art. I will actually have my own cover artist for the rest of the Traitors War books. I do pay Kate for this service, which is more like indie publishing than traditional, so all the profits from my books go just to me. It works really well - I have control over my books, and I also have a publishing company name and logo on my novels.
Interestingly, I did send Destiny (different title and storyline at that time) to a traditional agent back in 2016, where it was rejected but with some helpful comments on editing. Around that same time, I read a book titled Undertow, and it was by an author named K. R. Conway. After reading it, I went on Goodreads and fangirled to the author over her book, and we really hit it off. She said if I ever had a book I wanted to publish I should talk to her. I sent her Lift in 2017, and she accepted it as a Wicked Whale book. The rest is history :-)
I think being traditionally published definitely has its pros, too. It might take longer to accomplish getting a book out on the market, as most of the time you need to have an agent, and that can take a while to find the right one. One con of being traditionally published is not having full control over your book. The New York publishing world is a constantly shifting landscape as well, and many companies have folded or been bought out by others. I think this can adversely affect writers, especially if they aren’t big names.
The things I like most about being an indie are the control I have over my books, and over my career. I can take things as quickly or slowly as I want, and I don’t need permission from an agent, editor or publisher about decisions regarding my books.
JM Cliff: What a fabulous set up you have. And what a great reminder that authors are real people too! Who knows, maybe the next time you fangirl over an author you love, you'll develop a unique friendship. I don’t think I’ve read any Conway books yet, but I aim to change that ASAP. I agree with you about how the publishing world is changing, and so rapidly at that. I foresee more people going the indie route or making their own hybrid model as time goes on if purely for the control aspect in these ever shifting times. And authors banding together to help each other with formatting, cover design, editing services, and other aspects of the publishing process is hugely helpful and a really cool way to get the job done.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to begin writing a book?
I think the best advice I can give is to start with a project you’re in love with - the storyline, the characters, the settings. If you don’t love your story, it will be hard for others to do it, too. I fell in love with my characters in both of my series, and that led to finding the right storyline for them. Give yourself room to write as many drafts as you need. Your story only grows stronger with each one. And don’t compare yourself or your story to others. Each writer has a different path to take, and only YOU can tell your story the way it needs to be told.
JM Cliff: What great advice. It is so easy to compare yourselves to other authors on social media and see their word counts, how quickly they’re churning out books, etc. and get discouraged. Each story needs its own time and each author is unique. So giving yourself and your story the time it needs is a very individual thing. I totally fall in love with my characters and they stay with me in the back of my mind even when I’m working on other projects. You’ve clearly given your characters the space they need to come into their own. And I think that is one of the reasons why I love reading your work so much. Character driven stories are the ones I find myself coming back to again and again!
I’d really like to know what you’re currently reading (I’m always looking to add to my TBR pile. And what snacks, drinks, music are your absolute must have while writing or editing.
I’m currently reading Realm Breaker, by Victoria Aveyard. It’s my first novel by her, and I love her ability to world build. Her characters are pretty interesting, too. Next on my list is a debut novel, World Diver, by Haylie Hanson. After that, I’ve got about 30 books either on my shelves or stored in my Kindle to choose from :-) I mostly read fantasy, and the occasional science fiction. I’ve been reading some juvenile literature, too; my most recent is A Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker.
I love Mountain Dew (it’s horrible for me, I know), and I drink a lot of coffee. I love flavored coffee :-) I drink tea in the winter, especially at night. As for snacks, I like bananas quite a bit, and Reese Peanut Butter cups. I don’t usually eat while I’m writing, though I must have something (coffee mostly) to drink. Same for edits :-)
JM Cliff: Yum! Those are all good snack choices. One day I want to have a writing retreat at a tiny cabin in the mountains and invite some of my author friends to just eat, write, and create together! I’m going to have to look into those books and add them to my list!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Writing a book can seem like an insurmountable task, but it’s fun (most of the time), and I enjoy getting to know all my characters and watching their lives unfold over the course of a novel. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (all under L. M. Ransom). I love talking about writing and books, so if you have any further questions or want to know more about my books or writing process, feel free to give me a follow and message me.
Thank you for having me!
Round of applause for LM Ransom for taking the time to share a little bit about her life as an author. I know I learned a lot about her publishing process as well as her storytelling. Keep up the good work, the world needs more of your books!
Head on over and have a chat with LM Ransom on Instagram here. She posts about her Jeeping adventures, books she's reading, and her adorable pets! Stick around and you just might get a glimpse of her phenomenal characters and what makes them tick.
If you'd like to explore the Flying Ponies series, you can find them available for purchase here
If you want to dive into her newest series, The Traitor's War, click here