One of her main aspirations for The Amielian Legacy is to create fantasy stories with characters that connect with readers from many different backgrounds. Her current focus is to include racially diverse characters and those with disabilities. The latter is inspired by Schulze working with adults with autism and other developmental disabilities at Trinity Services in Southern Illinois.
Schulze draws much of her inspiration from favorite authors like Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Diana Wynne Jones, favorite games like The Legend of Zelda, and especially from the people in her life. Some of her exciting ventures include the publication of her award-winning Bloodmaiden, as well as The Gailean Quartet with Words Matter Publishing. Her books for younger readers include In the Land of Giants and The Amazing Captain K.
Christine currently lives in a cozy Hobbit hole, but you can visit her on her website: http://christineschulze.com.
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Thanks for this interview, Christine. Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing? Can you tell us about your journey?
Hi there, and thanks for having me! I’ve been writing since I was five years old, but my first published book was when I was around eighteen, Bloodmaiden, a YA fantasy adventure. It was published with a small press that eventually folded, but I went on to republish it on my own, along with many other YA fantasy books, including Larimar: Gem of the Sea, which has an audiobook edition now as of this spring (my very first audiobook!). I’ve had the honor of working alongside some brilliant editors through the years, including Kira Lerner (who’s taught me a LOT about developing my writing and editing skills) and Charlotte Raby. Overall, the publishing aspect of my journey has been pretty smooth, but it’s the marketing that’s the real challenge. I’m currently taking a year off writing to learn marketing so I can find my readers. I work full-time at an agency that supports special needs adults. It’s an awesome job but doesn’t leave time to both write and learn marketing. Thus, marketing is this year’s focus.
When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I love to go hiking (post the spring allergy season, which we are thankfully nearly through!), having movie nights and other fun activities with my friends, traveling with my boyfriend Isaac, singing, playing the piano, and playing Zelda (I’m super hyped for the newest game that just released, Tears of the Kingdom). I also love going to church. And I enjoy trying new activities. I’ll try a lot of things once, just to give it a go. I’m terrified of heights but would still love to try skydiving one day.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
I think there are a few things that make Larimar and the rest of my books stand out. First off, diversity in fantasy has been important to me ever since I was a child. I was reading books like Narnia and Lord of the Rings and loving them, but no matter what I read, I couldn’t seem to find any fantasy books with a racially diverse cast, and I thought I should see that. I thought that anyone should be able to see themselves represented in fantasy. So, as one does, I started writing those books myself and have been doing so ever since.
I also feel that I’ve crafted a unique world. Many characters have elemental or musical magic (musical magic is huge in The Gailean Quartet, where musical mages sing songs or play instruments to cast spells). There are elves who walk on water, people who can harness powers of flame from the sun, horses that fly without wings, etc. And my world is interconnected. So, while many books and series can be read individually, the more you read, the more little things you may recognize. As an example, once I’m ready to write the fourth and final book in The Gailean Quartet, I’ll be including characters from my stand-alone books, Bloodmaiden and One Starry Knight. You won’t have to have read any of the books to understand the others. It’s more like fun Easter eggs for those who’ve read many of my books.
Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
Chapter 1
Captain Jorah stood proudly aboard the Gem, smiling as his ship departed from the shores of Muriel. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sun, relishing its warmth on his fair skin, paler than usual from being cooped up too much this past winter. With a deep inhale, he savored the salty air and released a contented sigh. How good it felt to be one with his beloved ocean once more.
As they picked up speed, the wind tousled his shoulder-length hair about his face. He pulled the unruly locks back, tying them with a bit of twine, and a fond, bittersweet memory played before him. His mother, washing his hair as a young lad, admiring how its golden-brown hues were the same as his father’s. When he grew older, she would run her hands through his hair and say it was golden-brown like the sands of the distant lands he longed so much to discover. Much as he relished this life of adventure, he oft times wished he could trade it for one more simple, precious night with Mama, sitting on the shoreline, talking, and dreaming of a better life. At least he had fulfilled the greater part of her dream by building that life for himself, and so he would go on doing, with each new quest he undertook.
If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
I’m not sure. But if there was a holiday dedicated to adventure or travel, that would be it! Captain Jorah loves questing and exploring new lands.
Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
Larimar: Gem of the Sea is part of The Amielian Legends, which is a series of stand-alone books, all set in my same fantasy universe, that can be read in an order. I wanted to bring all my stand-alone books into a single collection, to let readers know that while these books may be separate stories, they’re all from my same fantasy world. Larimar is a bit different from the others because Book 8 in the series, Narwhals in the Stars, does follow the same characters, though again, either book could be read entirely on its own.
When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career or full-time profession?
I’ve seen myself as a future full-time author for as long as I can recall. I’ve made many series from the time I was a small child. The Adventure Club, The Johnny to the Rescue series (and its reboot I did in middle grade, The Legends of Surprisers), The Mischievous Puppies series, and the list goes on. None of these were ever published, but some of them formed the basis for the worlds I’ve created in my published books. There was a brief time when I was younger that I considered being an artist, but that phase was short-lived when I realized I didn’t care enough or have patience enough to take art classes. From then on, I knew it was writing for me.
What’s next for you?
I’ve just released my first audiobook for Larimar and plan to turn more of my books into audiobooks. In fact, my narrator and I should be able to start working on Book 2 of The Amielian Legends
soon. Meanwhile, I’m taking this year off writing (aside from a short
story I have planned to submit to an anthology) to focus on doing my
best to learn marketing. It does no good to write so many stories
without finding the right readers to enjoy them, readers who love
adventure, unique magic, diverse races, and romance without spice. In
setting out on my marketing quest, I’m trying cool blog tours like
these, setting up some guest speaking on podcasts, taking ads classes,
and working on my newsletter. In fact, if you want to learn more about
each of my books and get a couple free stories, you can find my
newsletter here: https://www.authorchristineschulze.com/newsletter. Happy reading!
Larimar: Gem of the Sea
Christine E. Schulze
KDP Publishing
140
YA Fantasy
A Fearless captain and a mysterious girl who walks on water. An underwater city and a destined deadly curse. What could possibly go wrong?
Captain Jorah is renowned for being one of the youngest explorers to ever sail Zephyrian waters. He’s also notorious for landing his crew in situations they hadn’t counted on, involving man-eating mermaids and other dangerous misadventures.
When Jorah decides to search for the legendary underwater City of Larimar, he doesn’t account for the quest that follows. After being rescued from shipwreck by a mysterious young woman who walks on water and carries a singing seashell around her neck, he soon finds himself reunited with an old friend once thought lost to him. Before he knows it, he’s caught up in a race against time to save her yet again, this time from a looming prophecy about a deadly serpent destined to consume her entire race.
Can Jorah help her save her people before the dark prophecy completes itself?
The Amielian Legends is a collection of stand-alone young adult books, all set in the same fantastic universe, that can be read in any order. Read Larimar: Gem of the Sea today to discover new worlds filled with adventure, diverse characters, and whimsical magic.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44u4tQY
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Larimar-Gem-of-the-Sea-Audiobook/B0BZDYVKWY
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