Abbey Franer's "House of Shadows"
It’s amazing how many authors and books you stumble across on Twitter (X), and that’s exactly how I discovered our latest author: Abbey Franer and her fantasy novel House of Shadows.
Beautiful cover of House of Shadows!!!
Rebecca: My first question always asks what inspired the storyline. I had a distinct "Star Wars" feeling while reading, sort of "Star Wars" but set in a fantasy world instead of science fiction.
Abbey: My inspiration for House of Shadows if sort of a silly one, I suppose. Years ago I played on online game called Travian and was part of an alliance of really cool people who ended up inspiring the Golden Brotherhood desert raiders. The rest of the plot built around them. I was certainly inspired by favorite classics like Star Wars and The Mummy, too!
Rebecca: I also got a feeling of an alternate reality American setting but with lower technology. I envisioned the action scenes out in the west in the desert sort of like Arizona after Kali gets kidnapped and sold to slave-traders. What did you envision while creating the setting?
Abbey: It’s always so cool to me to hear how readers envision and experience my work and reminds me how stories, once published, take on a life of their own in the imagination of readers. When writing the setting I had a sort of fantasy 1920s vibe in mind, not really a particular real world setting.
Rebecca: The main character, Kali, is thrown into action in the first chapter when she is kidnapped and whisked off to a desert world. Any tips on keeping the plot moving quickly for aspiring writers out there?
Abbey: The classic advice of beginning a story “in media res” always stands. You have to balance introducing character and setting with action to really hook your reader; make them feel immersed in a world, intrigued by a character, and emotionally invested in what happens next. Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten is to establish what your character wants/needs and find every single way possible to keep them from achieving that goal.
Rebecca: I like the low spice set with high action. Do you write your other novels by this principle as well?
Abbey: Yes, all my books have low/no spice romantic subplots alongside high action plots. As a reader I LOVE good slow burn romance, and lots of it, but a strong plot is my preferred focus.
Rebecca: I agree; a strong plot is a must! If a movie were made of "House of Shadows," where would it be filmed, and who would play the main roles? Would you write the script, or would you trust Hollywood to make changes?
Abbey: Ooh this is an interesting question and not one I’ve given detailed thought! I’d certainly want to be involved in the production to some degree as I believe author involvement has been key to good book-to-screen adaptations recently. I’d like to see lesser known talent cast as my characters and there are so many beautiful possibilities for location I’d be interested to see what the production team chose!
Rebecca: Final question is your choice. If you could ask yourself a question for this interview, what would it be?
Abbey: This is so fun. I’d ask if we’d ever see a sequel or more with these characters in the future. The answer, there’s a strong possibility! I have a loose plot idea that would involve bringing the Golden Brotherhood and our main characters together again for another epic quest…at the end of House of Shadows there’s a hint that more adventures could be coming.
Rebecca: There you have it, readers! Go check out House of Shadows for yourself!
Twitter (X) : abbey_author