An Interview With Clara Loveman!

Crown of Crowns by the illustrious Clara Loveman came out on August 11, 2020, and since then I've been helping build some hype towards the book! And today, I have the luck of having Clara Loveman herself answer some questions about her book and her writing process!

Before we jump in, I'd like to share the Amazon blurb to jog your memory:

In a kingdom where the ruling and lower classes live and die apart by law, a noblewoman and a commoner make a fatal mistake: they fall in love.

Kaelyn, a young noblewoman, feels smothered under the harsh constraints of the Decens-Lenitas, the legal and moral code that governs the people of the Geniverd Kingdom. When she meets Roki, a handsome young man from the city with knowledge and aspirations beyond his status, Kaelyn realizes she’s not the only person trapped. She starts to question everything she thought she knew, including about the Gurnots, a group of rebels set on overthrowing the laws—people who the nobles have labeled as terrorists.

When her parents find out that she’s spending more time with a lowborn citizen, they forbid her to meet Roki ever again. He’s common. She could be queen.

Kaelyn tries to move on. Her future as a potential leader depends on it. But she can’t forget Roki, or the ominous signs his lessons now make clear: the death of an obedient follower of Decens-Lenitas, the unrest that follows … and the whispers of conspiracy.

With the lives of all free people at stake, Kaelyn must uncover the truth—even if she risks her heart at every turn.

Right before we jump into the questions, I'd like to thank Clara Loveman for taking a chance on a smaller reviewer and making a stop at my blog. I can't wait for book two 💓 And now, right into the questions:

• 1. How did you get the idea for Crown of Crowns?
  
  
  I think the inspiration came from a combination of things. I work in biopharmaceuticals and life sciences so that may have played a role. There are biblical stories like angels coming to earth and mixing with humans, as well as the many different dystopian and utopian worlds that have been created in the last one hundred years. All these things may have played a role, and I can’t pinpoint precisely one thing or the other. But the starting point for me was the idea in my head of spirits possessing and controlling human bodies and becoming superhumans. It felt so real, and once I started writing, I couldn’t wait to get to the reveal scenes.

• 2. Crown of Crowns has such a complex plot! How did you keep it all straight as you wrote it?
  
  I wrote most of the story outline and the plot details and then completed the world-building before I wrote it. So the plotting and world-building were the hardest to do, but once I’d finished, it was straightforward to write the first draft

• 3. One thing that struck me as I read it was how realistic Kaelyn’s growth was. Her progression from an immature teenager to a passionate, yet still relatably flawed adult was handled so well. Was it hard to cover so much of someone’s life in one book?
  I consider this book and the next installment to be prequels to a project I'd like to do in the future. I had so much to cover about Kaelyn's life in a way that I wanted to be an easy read.
  I could've gone into far more detail, and I guess that's a learning for me--that readers want all the details--but when I was writing it I aimed to keep things very simple. I even rewrote the whole book to make it less daunting for younger readers and people who aren't necessarily into books. The shorter it was, the better.
  I'm glad you picked up Kaelyn's flaws. It was important to me that she wasn't a saint, that people could relate to her and the themes in the story.

• 4. How different is the final copy from the first draft?
  Very different. Chapter 1 was double it's current length! 

• 5. What is your writing routine? Do you have any specific music or drinks that get your gears turning?
  For me to be ready to write, I need to feel fully rested when I wake up. I also prefer tranquil surroundings, and if possible, to be alone in a room. I can write in my home office, in bed, or the living room; so my mind only demands that I'm well-rested and have no distractions, including music. 
  Once I have my story outline, which can take anywhere from a week to a couple of months to flesh out, it takes me between three and four months to write. I have to be passionate about the story outline to start writing. During the writing of the first draft, I tend to generate even more ideas. So I often find myself typing in the middle of the night.

              I have a day job, so I currently write every day in the evening or during weekends. 

• 6. Aside from Kaelyn, who is your favorite character in your book?
  My favourite character in the book is Nnati. We'll see more of him in the sequel! 

• 7. If you had to assign an ice cream flavor to each main character, what would you choose?
  Kaelyn: Rocky road
  Lordin: Strawberry
  Roki: Mint chocolate chip
  Zawne: Passion fruit
  
  
• 8. Given the chance, would you move to the Geniverd Kingdom?
  The futuristic tech would be nice to experience. But I think it would be very sad because of the inequalities and robots doing most of the work.
  
  
• 9. Which authors inspired you to keep writing through writer’s block and the difficult editing process?
  Donna Tartt, Suzanne Collins and Andre Aciman.

• 10. Lastly, for the struggling writers like me who might be reading this, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I think everyone has their process and we’re all learning. But the book I find most helpful and would recommend to all writers is Stephen King’s On Writing. He’s got great advice, including reading all sorts of books, even bad ones. 

This made me even more excited for the second book, Godly Sins. There's no release date yet, but there is a beautiful cover on her site, which you can find here!

As we wait for that to come out, you can find Crown of Crowns at Barnes & Noble, or on Amazon (and Amazon UK), where it's available in paperback, hardcover, and an ebook! (Psst: the ebook is on kindle unlimited!)

Thank you to everyone who reads this! I hope you all have a wonderful day!