Author Interviews
About the author
T.R. Tells chose the the pen name created as a play on words “T.R “TELLS a story”. She lives in upstate New York with her Bachelors from Southern New Hampshire University in Fiction and Creative writing. When she isn’t writing novels, ideas, short stories, or finished with her classes; she’s usually scrolling through one of her streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Funimation etc). She’s a fan of Anime, RPG, and JRPG games; anything historical or fantasy (books or T.V. shows) – she can go on for hours talking about it or really anything that she is passionate about.
T.R. Tells feels a passion towards it and hopes that (even if it’s just one person) feels the amount of effort, love, and determination that is expressed in her writing.
Tell us your story? What made you start writing?
I’ve loved reading and writing as a kid. My mom had me and my siblings reading. I ended up gravitating to the pen. Starting when I was 12, I wrote my first unpublished book at 14 called “adventure of the teens” (which still makes me laugh today). Which is kind of like my very first fan-fic/ self insert novel! After that, I wrote as an escape and the things I liked in movies/books I transported myself into those worlds.
What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?
Besides food and water?
I have to say a notebook, a fictional book, and a survival book.
Would you rather cook or order in?
Oh hands down, order-in
I have the Grubhub app installed in my phone ready to go when I have that craving
[love me my Five Guys ?]
About your books:
Her Dark Sins
When a phenomenon in the form of a bright light illuminates the city of Chicago in the summer of 2019 it causes major blackouts, accidents, and many to be hospitalized.
Seventeen-year-old Hira Night witnessed a traumatic event when a routine cop stopped her and her boyfriend that night; the results devastating and heart-breaking. She is given a choice to fight for justice and right the wrongs of society, or do nothing and let the destruction of humanity continue.
Her world is thrown into chaos as she is confronted by creatures spawned from absolved negativity—Umbra Shades—that linger among the traumatized and abused.
To save the victims from their gruesome fate, Hira slays the creatures from preying on the innocent, all the while trying to live a normal life.
But something else lurks in the shadows, something much more dark and sinister than she’s ever encountered before.
Her Dark Virtue
With Alina Mulgrave defeated and in custody, Hira Night and Helene Roe have found themselves enlisted in the ranks of an organization that specializes in finding Awakeners and reintegrating them back into society.
Allied with other Awakeners like them, Hira and Helene train and get stronger with their newfound powers, but the growing threat that lurked in the shadows comes to light.
The cult the Dark Ordinance will stop at nothing to awaken a powerful deity that can end all life as they know it.
It’s a race against time as the growing threat of the ritual makes its debut, but can Hira stop the rise of the godly being with her new form alone, or will her morality crumble in the face of adversity?
What is your latest release? Tell us a little about it and what inspired you to write it.
My latest release was the 2nd book of the Paragons of Justice Series: Her Dark Virtue. I was inspired to write the POJ series because my strong sense of morals and need for change, Justice in the world. Argo, my MC tries her best, despite the negative effects of bullying, racism, and homophobia in the world she wishes to fight against the anomalies of darkness so people can live in just and true world that loves one another for who they are.
Do you have a favourite book among the ones you have written. Why that one?
My favorite ones of 4 I’ve written would be the 2nd book of my epic fantasy Trilogy “Twilight of the Gods”. The trilogy was one of my first books written as an Indie Author and I enjoyed the freedom of the world, the POVs of characters and gods I created in the story.
Do any of your characters resemble anyone from real life? Are any of them a bit like you?
If you were to get a chance to meet any of your characters, who would you meet and what would you do together?
Oh, every character [including the villains/antagonist] have a small part of me and my thoughts, ideals in them (of course nothing extreme!) I’d probably have the most in common with Hira and Helene in the POJ series as we like anime and manga, so I can see us discussing different animes, and going to conventions together.
About writing
What is one of the most interesting things you have researched while writing a book?
What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?
Oh my gosh, I’ve researched so much, written so many notes down and saved tabs on my computers. I remembered for my Epic Fantasy trilogy I had to look up different kinds of poisons and how certain ones could effect the body. My most favorite is looking up the background of a certain place, I like knowing about the world I’m basing my book off of.
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
What are you currently working on?
I know they say if you write anything you are a writer. I guess it took my first book to really set in “Yes, dog gone it you are a writer” I didn’t have any formal training, though I do have a Bachelors in fiction and creative writing. I’ve learned as I went, learning from others, and my mistakes. I’m currently working on the 3rd book of the POJ series and a Middle Grade retelling of the Divine Comedy’s Dante’s Inferno.
Surprise question:
You are lost in a foreign city. It is getting late. Your only options are to ask directions from a man hidden under a long black coat and sunglasses or a drunk woman is suggestive clothing. What do you do?
Depends on if I’m a main character in a story. The cloaked man will kidnap me and bring me to a magical world where I am probably destined to fight a magical war and the woman is either used to lead me to her group which are fighting back against a totalitarian maniac….yes, I have a very overactive imagination
I’d still rather ask the drunk woman, logically she’ll be near a bar, and if her instructions aren’t coherent I can ask someone in there.
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About the author
Tell us your story? What made you start writing?
I have always loved writing. Even in my early years, I would write everything from poems to short stories. I’m not much of a talker so I have always found it easier to express myself through writing. I’m also a big daydreamer and was always building all kinds of worlds and stories in my mind. So, my Adapted series is one of those stories I made up and would tell my children about the characters and their adventures. During a challenge one of my daughters had, which was to write a story within a month a little like NANOWRIMO but not as intense, I told her I would join her on the project and write a part of Adapted into a novel. It was only meant as an encouragement for her really, but once I started taking the novel seriously I couldn’t stop. It took me longer than a month when you take editing, rereading and all of the things that come after writing the first draft but, by the time I had completed the 3rd draft I knew I had to try to get it published somehow. Now I struggle a lot with getting the time to write but I’m super dedicated to writing more. I still have more from the Adapted series and a few other stories that I have started that need to be finished and put out for the public.
If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
It might have to be the Regency era. I am a big fan of Jane Austin and I love some of the things about life at that time. The innocence and the clothing mostly. The only thing would be the lack of ethnic diversity so it would have to be more like how it is depicted in the Bridgeton series.
If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?
I would hate to be the ruler of a country. I’m too much of a softly and would probably agree to some really ridiculous requests because of it. I think my number one rule would have to be, ‘No one is allowed to speak directly to me EVER!’ It would have a really big penalty like death or something LOL. I know it sounds harsh but otherwise, my country would probably be in extreme debt because I was always giving into requests and we would all end up being sold off in to labour or something like that.
If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would it be?
A cheetah. I love cats, especially the big cats, they’re beautiful, and cheetahs have always stood out to me. They’re the weakest of the big cats and they’re so vulnerable, and the markings on their face make me feel like they are always crying so, I don’t know, I just always felt a connection with them.
About Adapted: book one Heat
Born with a unique ability, Claudia has found her life to be filled with rejection, ostracism, and manipulation by all but one person, Dr J. Right after escaping a research facility she has been kept at and experimented on, Dr J. is found dead and the police rules it a suicide.
Needing answers and revenge for the only friend she ever knew, she follows the last clue he has left her and finds herself in Westpoint. Everything changes when instead of vengeance she finds a family. She has to learn what it’s like to live a regular life. And when the high school quarterback is thrown into the mix, being normal feels so strange.
Torn between the urge to avenge Dr J’s death and the chance to belong. Will Claudia learn how to fit in, or will she ultimately yield to the power the facility had worked so hard to nurture?
Tell us a little about the book. How did you come up with the idea for Adapted?
The very early life of Claudia started as a Superman-style story. Superman was one of my favourite superheroes from back in the day. Claudia was half human and half alien and had similar abilities to Superman. She never knew her father and, as her mother had died in childbirth, she was raised in a research facility due to her obvious abilities.
So, that was the birth of Claudia, but over the years she developed into a character within her own rights. A lot of the details about her changed as she developed, like her abilities and her quest. It became more about starting over and fitting in and the kind of situations you might come up against rather than just fighting bad guys, although I did throw a few bad guys in throughout the series.
Do you have any connection to orphanages? Is there a reason for having such strong attention on orphaned children in the story?
Initially, it was the whole Superman/alien thing that inspired the orphans, but as the story progressed and changed, I realised that I understood Claudia better as a lonesome person, so I kept it like that. I actually come from quite a large family but I have always felt a bit different from my siblings, I’m not sure why. So, I spent a lot of time alone in my own mind, and I understand how it feels to not trust people and to be scared to open up to people and things like that. You know, you can be physically surrounded by people but, due to your own fears, whether they’re rejection, ridicule or whatever else, you can actually feel so alone. And this was kind of the feeling that Claudia gives me, she really was alone but she made her loneliness so much greater by not opening up to people.
Which character did you have most fun writing?
Definitely Solomon! I’m actually a little bit in love with Solomon so there’s that, but I just love watching his interactions with Claudia, he is so devoted to her and makes her feel so special. Writing about him just makes me feel happy.
If you would rewrite something in Adapted right now, what would it be?
I might have Solomon follow her when she leaves with Dr. R. I don’t know how it would happen but when I think back its actually probably something he would do. But having said that I don’t think he had enough time to react and he’s too calm to have done anything rash even though he was a bit suspicious of what was happening.
If you were a character in Adapted, who would you be and why?
Probably Claudia, to be honest, she’s very much my kindred spirit so it would be an easy enough transition. Plus I would love to have her ability, and there’s Solomon, of course.
About writing
Did you need to do research for Adapted? What was the most interesting thing you learnt while writing Adapted?
I did a little research but I think the most interesting thing was about football. I actually don’t know anything about American football so I looked up a few things about it. There’s one scene where Claudia asks Solomon if he can throw his ball across the whole yard and after writing it I didn’t even know if it was possible so I remember looking it up and watching a few videos about it.
How did you feel when your first book was released?
I was scared but relieved. Actually, it was my daughter who finally pressed the submit button because every time I went to do it I found a reason to wait, maybe I needed to check something or change something, things like that. When I got the message saying it was live I just felt, finally. But I was so worried about what kind of feedback I would get I almost found reasons to take it down again.
What’s your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?
My definite most favourite part is sending out the book link and having someone say it looks interesting. Getting feedback on the actual story is so amazing. I love connecting with people on that level and feeling that they felt a connection with my characters.
My least favourite part has to be finding ways to get my book noticed. I still get self-conscious about telling people to read my book in case they tell me they took my advice and hated it! It is slowly getting easier but sometimes I do feel like I’m at battle with myself when it comes to trying to attract an audience.
When can we wait for the sequel? Is there anything you can say about it without any spoilers?
I really hope to have it out before the end of the year. Writing is a slow process for me at the moment as I have a lot more responsibilities than I did when I wrote Heat, but I am working hard and trying to get something done each day.
Book two’s title will be Ice. You may have noticed some hints from Heat about others with similar abilities to her so, after confiding in one of her friends about her own ability, she is officially introduced to the ‘gang’.
Unfortunately, she gets caught up in Marcus’ revenge plan on her father which involves some mind games and she starts to lose grip on which exactly her real persona is. This causes a lot of friction between her friends and of course Solomon, who we also learn has a slightly different side to him when he’s pushed in the right way.
Surprise question
You are lost in a foreign city. It is getting late. Your only options are to ask directions from a man hidden under a long black coat and sunglasses or a drunk woman is suggestive clothing. What do you do?
It would depend how drunk the woman was. If she was very drunk and acting strange then I don’t think I would be able to approach either of them. I find it hard enough approaching any unknown person to be honest, but put these two characters on the scene and the multitude of scenarios that would run through my head if I did choose to stop one of them and I would probably avoid them both and end up walking around lost all night.
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