Madilynn Dale

 Interview with Madilynn Dale

Author of

The Ember Series, and more

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

My current work in progress is the second book in the Ember series. My working title is called Blue Flames. Black Flames, the first book in the series, dropped in January. The books follow Ember as she discovers her true form and that she’s heir to the throne of Hell. She finds love, experiences loss, and has a grand adventure all to balance out hell and claim her place in the realms.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

This idea came from a dream I had that slowly developed into more. I love creating strong female characters and Ember’s story came to me as I was binge watching Lucifer on Netflix.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes, I write really in a mix. I write paranormal, fantasy, erotica, romance, adventure, coming of age, and dark fantasy. I like to say that I write outside of the box.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

My stories are fast paced and cinematic. I love to engage the readers imagination as if the story were playing out in front of their eyes.

 Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

I feel like a lot of my personality slips into my characters with the way they think through thing or in some of the expressions they have. I’ve had readers point out more of me in various ones that I didn’t realize. For example, one pointed out that Ember’s sass is a lot of me.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I’m an avid reader myself and enjoy various genres. I do find myself leaning toward fantasy romance, shifter romance, Fae type books, or similar though. I’m also very outdoorsy, have rescue pets, love horses, grew up in the country, and enjoy a good glass of wine or cup of coffee.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

There are so many authors I could recommend. Several that I have read as of late include Joe Compton’s book series The Duality of Truth, Harriet Everend and her horror novels, specifically her most recent release, The Summoning, J. T. Moriarty’s series The Full Life of a Robot, Joshua Pantalleresco’s Alice Pandemic series, and really there are so many more. I try to read more Indie published books than traditionally published books and these books are amazing and addictive.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I recommend both my series starters, Releasing Her Power Within, Fae Shifters 1, and Black Flames, Ember 1. They feature strong female characters with empowering story lines that takes readers into a world of magic and danger as well as romance.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

Honestly, the Pandemic itself. It forced me to accept the inner me. I had to deal with my shadow self, step out into an uncomfortable place, break off negative relationships, and embrace my creativity. The start of the Pandemic started it all for me and it’s been a journey ever since. I’m learning every day how to love myself and utilize my creativity to live a life of joy that I thought was only a dream. If I hadn’t been forced to stay home and accept that the world was going through a crisis, I would never have published my first piece.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

A question I wish I would get asked more often is what type of self-care do I practice to keep myself motivated and writing. Self-care is an important thing to us all. I do my best to write each morning in a journal with a method called the morning pages. It’s something I picked up after reading a book about unblocking your creativity. It has helped a lot and even managed to help me organize my thoughts better. I also stay active and get outdoors. Staying active is important for mental health and physical health. I also take random trips to the store to buy crafting supplies or paint to engage my creative flow differently.

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

Growing up I’ve always used the phrase, “go big or go home,” but now that I’m older and hopefully a bit wiser I like to say, “do what brings you joy.” 

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Thanks to Madilynn for participating.

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them."

"[T]he more you join in with people in their joys and their sorrows, the more nearer and dearer they come to be to you."

These quotes are from chapter 11 of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer Abroad. He must have written the first one based on his extensive travels. Twain scores another bullseye on the target of human observations. Traveling together can create great friendships--or destroy them. I've always thought that a good two week trip in close company with someone would tell you just about everything you might want to know about them. The thistle in the pant leg being that you may have reached the limit of what you're interested in knowing well before the journey is complete.

As for the second quote, once again Huck Finn speaks truth in his unvarnished manner. The humor in this one is that the people with whom Huck had joined in joys and sorrows were in a caravan far below while Huck and his friends were in a balloon high above. He had never interacted, but had only viewed the people from afar--before they were buried in a sandstorm. Isn't that similar to the attachment we form for fictional television and literary characters? We don't interact. They know nothing about us. We simply invest ourselves in their stories and how we desire things to play out for them. We celebrate their victories and mourn their setbacks, losses, and deaths. 

Ultimately, fiction is indirect communication from one mind to another. One mind creates stories and characters; another mind comes to care about them.