Interview with a Romantic Fantasy Author–Nicolette Andrews

When Nicolette Andrews announced her Diviner’s Prophecy Tour, the timing couldn’t have been better. It just so happens that I’ve been thinking a lot about romantic fantasy lately. My wife is just about to finish her first romance novel, which prompted me to wonder what kind of story she and I might produce in collaboration.

That idle speculation turned into a persistent question: Could we write a romantic fantasy together? She reads fantasy but prefers romance. I read some romance but prefer fantasy. What if she took charge of the romantic story line and I took charge of the fantasy story world? When I proposed the idea, she was cautiously optimistic. “Let’s see if I can finish my first book, then we’ll talk.”

That’s right about when I got the Magic Appreciation Blog Tours request from Nicolette. Here was a romantic fantasy author who was willing to do interviews. Serendipity!

I told Nicolette my story, and she enthusiastically embraced the idea of answering my questions. We did the interview in two passes, just in case her answers inspired additional questions (which they did).

So here is my interview with Nicolette Andrews, magical romantic fantasy author extraordinaire. Be sure to check out her new release Diviner’s Prophecy after you enjoy the interview. Her bio and links are at the end of this post.

Thank you for including The Vaetra Files on your blog tour, Nicolette!

What made you decide to write romantic fantasy, rather than straight fantasy or straight romance?

I’ve always loved romantic fantasy. I used to devour Juliette Marillier’s novels as a teenager, and when I decided to write I knew I wanted to stick to what I loved. I also love the human element and the way relationships can stir up a plot line.

Speaking of plot, would you say your novels follow the classic romance meet/lose/get structure, or do you lean more toward the fantasy Hero’s Journey (aka Mythic) structure? Or perhaps something else entirely?

For me I like to deviate a bit from the classic structures, my relationship building varies between story lines but in Diviner’s Prophecy I focus a lot on unrequited love and unattainable love along with a love triangle just to spice things up. 😉

Who are your favorite R/F authors? Did any one book inspire you to write in that genre?

To name a few: Juliette Marillier, Jaqueline Carey Anne Bishop and Melanie Rawn. All of them are amazing writers and I look up to all of them. I think Jaqueline Carey and Juliette Marillier inspired me the most though.

[Daniel says: I’m a Melanie Rawn fan myself. I loved her Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies.]

If I were to pick up one book from each of those authors, which titles would you recommend I get?

• Jaqueline Carey: Kushiel’s Dart 
• Juliette Marillier: The Dark Mirror, Wolfskin or Daughter of the Forest
• Anne Bishop: The entire Black Jewels series is amazing.
• Melanie Rawn: The Golden Key which is a collaborative work with Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliot (One of my absolute favorites).

For a full list, you can check out my Goodreads reading list.

What has been your biggest challenge in writing R/F?

Oooh. That is a good question, I would have to say at first realistic relationship development. It’s very tempting to force to people together and say ‘have chemistry’ but jut like movie actors the romantic elements have to work and it was a bit of trial an error getting it just right.

Can you recommend any writing books, blogs, or other tools that would help a new romance novelist learn how to show that chemistry?

I’ve read a lot of writing books. The Art of War for Writers is a great place to start in general on writing. As far as romance scenes, my advice read, read and read some more. I also like to watch movies with romance and sometimes people watch.

How would you rate your love scenes? G/PG/PG13/R/X?

I will freely admit I am a bit of a prude, the highest rating my love scenes would be PG-13 even then I doubt it would be anything too graphic. I focus more on the emotional relationship than the physical.

[Daniel says: Me too. I doubt I’ll ever want to do more than a “fade to black” love scene. My wife is the same way.]

How do the fantasy aspects of the story influence the relationships in your books? Would you say they are “incidental” or that they play a big role in how relationships develop?

In Diviner’s Prophecy, the fantasy elements play a pretty big role. The main character has lost her memories as a result of a spell. Her missing memories influence the way she perceives those around her and without giving too much away potential love interests.

Are you planning to base most of your R/F stories in the world you developed for the Diviner’s series, or do you have plans for more worlds or even non-fantasy romantic works?

So far I have a planned three books in the Diviner’s Prophecy, and I have one short story set in the same world. I have some general plans for a Novella set in the same world and maybe more stories in the possible future. We shall see. I am planning on sticking to Romantic Fantasy for the long term. It’s my favorite genre and I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

I notice that you’ve posted a few works on Wattpad. Would you recommend it to other writers?

This question has come up quite a few times since I became published. And the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. Wattpad is an amazing community of writers and readers and it’s the most effective social media network I have found to sell my books. (I recently did a guest post on Lindsay Buroker’s blog about this topic.) I actually published Diviner’s Prophecy there before selling it on Amazon as I wrote it and I have another current WIP on the website as well. The reader engagement is wonderful and I feel like I can attribute a lot of my initial sales to my ‘followers’ there.

[Here’s a link to Nicolette’s WattPad article:]

How to Connect with Readers Using WattPad

Maea is a diviner, the last of a once influential family of women who could see into the past and future through visions. Though she holds immense power, once sought after by kings, she is helpless. A spell has wiped away her past and crippled her abilities, leaving her dependent upon her foster mother and her companion. Maea wants to trust them but their evasive behavior in regards to her missing memories makes her wary. They claim an accident caused her memory loss. Maea, however, remembers the night the man took her life away. She suspects they are accomplices to the act and further believes they plan to use her in her their own political plotting’s.

At the royal court, the first diviner speaks to Maea through a vision and charges her with an immense task: to stop a catastrophe that threatens to destroy her, her kingdom and all life.

Diviner’s Prophecy on Amazon.com

Nicolette Andrews born and raised in San Diego CA. She currently resides with her husband, two daughters a dog and a cat. She enjoys reading a good fantasy novel with heavy doses of magic and intrigue. When she’s not reading or writing, she likes to take advantage of the San Diego sunshine by walking and hiking. Or on occasion trying her hand at gardening.

The Nicolette Andrews Blog

I hope you enjoyed the interview, everyone. Happy reading!