Helen is a YA fantasy author from Sydney.
You might know her as the author of THE OREMERE CHRONICLES, or as the founding editor at WRITERS EDIT.

Please welcome Helen.

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Hindsight is a marvelous thing. Looking back now that the third book in your The Oremere Chronicles is complete, is there anything you wished you’d done differently?

You’re absolutely right about that! I learnt so many things over the course of writing these three books, the biggest being: the importance of planning. While I’m more than happy with how the series turned out, I would have saved myself a lot of hassle and heartache if I had of planned a tad more meticulously!

I also learnt how hard it is to juggle multiple projects; writing one book, editing another and marketing another… It’s draining work and often I’ve felt that I’m stretched too thin. However, not much can be changed in this regard, it’s just the nature of publishing I’m afraid!

I am fascinated by how authors come up with the ideas for their books. Can you tell us a little bit about where the inspiration for The Oremere Chronicles came from?

I get asked this question quite a lot and the truth is, I still don’t have a real answer for it! For me, these books weren’t the product of a lightning bolt of inspiration. I made a conscious decision to write what I loved reading and over the course of NaNoWriMo one year, Heart of Mist (Book I) was born.

When it comes to finding inspiration, the settings are actually the best example. I have found inspiration all over the world: Sydney beaches, Scotland, Prague, New Zealand… There are tidbits of these places in the details of my continents, landmarks and cities.

I know I can’t be the only one fascinated by people’s lives. (Hands up if you’re a YouTube vlog addict like me). Can you take us through a normal day in the life of Helen the Author?

You’re definitely not the only one, Sarah! I love this stuff.

A normal day looks a little something like this for me:
6.00 – Get up and make a tea
6.30 – Review the To Do List (usually made the night before)
6.45 – 8.45 – Creative writing and/or plotting (books, prequels)
8.45 – 9.00 – Breakfast
9.00 – 11.30 – Creative writing round #2
11.30 – 13.00 – Go for a run & lunch break
13.30 – 16.30 – Emails, calls, social media, marketing tasks
16.30 – 17.00 – Reassess To Do List
17.00 – 18.30 – Creative writing round #3
18.30 – 19.30 – Dinner

Of course, it’s not always that strict. Though, around launch time, it’s even worse (starting earlier, finishing later).
I’ve learnt recently not to be too hard on myself and to be a little more flexible, however, I’m definitely the sort of person who thrives on routine!

Do you have any other projects in the works you can let us in on?

Ohhhhh I have so many projects in the pipeline, Sarah!
I can tell you that there are two projects planned for 2020, but that’s all I can say for now unfortunately.
Right now, it’s all about War of Mist hitting the shelves on July 25 🙂

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If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out book one:

Heart of Mist by Helen Scheuerer
Genre: YA, Fantasy, #LoveOzYA
Publication: August 31st 2017
Publisher: Talem Press

In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power.

Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital.

But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers.

The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated.

Heart of Mist is the gripping first book in The Oremere Chronicles, a fantasy series of epic proportions.

HELEN CAN BE FOUND ON
TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK & HER WEBSITE

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Helen before. We did a Q&A on the #AusYABloggers site [HERE] & Helen did a guest post on The Adventures of SacaKat [HERE], after the first book in the The Oremere Chronicles, Heart of Mist, was released. Make sure to check them out to.

The Oremere Chronicles CAN BE FOUND AT Amazon AU, amazon US & booktopia.