Author of The Besieged Unicorn Army of Ryk
It’s launch day for Fantasy author Erika Leigh Agnew, and she has made time to talk to us about her new release, The Besieged Unicorn Army of Ryk. Join me as we celebrate her new release and chat about her books.
Helen: Congratulations on your new release, and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today, your release day! Tell us a little about your new release.
Erika: My current book is The Besieged Unicorn Army of Ryk which is scheduled to release on Amazon July 14, 2023. It is the prequel to Dragonsown, a Young Adult Fantasy I published in 2020. The premise is primarily about a territory conflict between dragons and unicorns but when unforeseen danger threatens them both, they find they need to join forces to survive.
Helen: What an interesting premise, the thought of two magical creatures, unicorns and Dragons at odds is so intriguing. What can you tell us about your thoughts behind your cover?
Erika: The prequel’s cover evolved from the first book. My plan is to keep the dragon but change who it faces with each new story. I can’t draw but sketched out an awful stick figure draft and gave it to a designer who saw my vision under the flaws.
Helen: The cover is beautiful, I love the dragon bearing down on the unicorns, I hope they are nice dragons!! Tell us why you chose this title.
Erika: I am aware the title is a mouthful and I put a lot of thought into different variations but kept coming back to this. Nothing else fit so I just went with it. This is truly the most besieged unicorn army ever and I needed a title to capture that.
Helen: You have set the prequel one thousand years before your first book, what made you write this particular book?
Erika: I actually started writing the sequel first. I was 7,000 words in when the idea for a unicorn army popped into my head and wouldn’t go away. I was obsessed with unicorns as a kid and the thought of writing about them was very appealing. I went with my instinct and put the sequel on the back burner.
Helen: If your main charcter had to tell us why we should read your book, what would he say?
Erika: Because the story is about him, of course! Ember is a rare black unicorn and the First Captain of the Unicorn Army. He is adored by his herd who love him regardless of his actions, right or wrong. Ember even manages to charm my female dragons and he avoids getting eaten on many occasions. He will experience much personal growth in this story.
Helen: He does sound adorable. I look forward to meeting him some day soon! Changing topics to how you write, which element of the writing process do you find the most challenging?
Erika: Finding the time to write and then edit my work. I have a full-time career, a part-time job, and help manage a horse farm. It amazes me I was able to write and publish this prequel in only 2 years.
Helen: I have no idea how you find time to write! You must be a night owl or an early riser! Whilst writing, which writing tool do kep to hand at all times?
Erika: Thesaurus- I just keep it open because I refer to it constantly.
Helen: Congratulations once again on your new release. Just to finish, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Erika: Learn some techniques before writing your book. I wrote my first book, self-published it, then realized I needed to implement some writing techniques. I pulled it down, did a full edit and republished. So basically, I had to write a book to learn how to write a book. Kind of backwards so don’t do what I did. It wasted a lot of time. Read up on ‘Show, don’t tell’, how to show action through dialogue and using key elements of plot development- emphasis on conflict and suspense.
Helen: Great advice! For anyone publishing, you want to have your best work out there, so make sure you engage a good editor. Once your book is out, people will critique it, you want to ensure you have the best version possible. Thankyou, Erika, I wish you all the best with your latest release.
About the Author
Erika Leigh Agnew is the Indie Author of Dragonsown, a Young Adult Adventure Fantasy Series. She has completed the prequel, The Besieged Unicorn Army of Ryk, publishing in July 2023. Erika appreciates follows on Amazon & GoodReads!
She writes a blog and updates her website regularly:
Subscribers to her email list receive a Dragonsown: Surface “Added Scene”.
Erika grew up in Toronto, ON. She is passionate about the environment and wildlife conservation. She loves to scuba dive, spend time in nature and ride horses.
Thank you for reading!
https://linktr.ee/ErikaLeighAgnew
Facebook: Erika Leigh Agnew
Pinterest: agnewerika
Purchase Book one, The Besieged Army of Ryk via Amazon
Grab your copy for 99c until July 17th, 2023.
Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook
Link to book on Amazon US: eBook
As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Helen Garraway 