Member Spotlight: Searska GreyRaven

1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?

Currently, I’m working on a sequel to my novel Camp Mana. I love the main character, and I wanted to explore that world a bit more.

2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?

Hoo boy, my writing process. I start off with an idea and doodle outward from there. I don’t always have a clear idea for how things will turn out, but I usually have a general idea of where things will end up. Of course, once I get going, the story often has ideas of its own.

3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?

Speculative fiction, things that deal with the Big Questions. The first story I ever got published (“And the Sea Full of Stars”) was one.

4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?

Serra Sinclair, the protagonist from my novel Camp Mana. Despite living in a world where she’s significantly out-gunned, she manages to not only survive but thrive. She taught me that bravery isn’t so much about not being afraid as it is being terrified, but doing the right thing anyway.

5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?

Wow, probably too many to list here. Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Charles de Lint, Scott Lynch, Kevin Hearne, Stephen King, H. P. Lovecraft, just to name a few. I loved the Harry Potter series (I grew up with it!) and The Lord of the Rings, and I read Jurassic Park over a dozen times before I reached High School. I have to give a nod to the Animorphs series as well.

6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick. It’s a deconstruction of the whole “reclaiming your throne” trope set in a steampunk faerie realm. And it’s a wild, crass, and sublime ride from beginning to end.

7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

Reading, mostly. Although I’ll probably vanish for a couple of months when the new Dragon Age game comes out.

8. Advice for other writers?

Read. Read. Read. And when you aren’t reading, write. There’s no trick, no gimmick to this art. Like every other art, it requires practice and an eye for detail. People talk about “show, don’t tell” and “kill your darlings,” but it’s all meaningless drivel unless you’ve got a feel for how a good story is supposed to flow. And the only way to get that feel is to practice. And once you’ve developed that feeling, you’ll know when you are showing instead of telling, and which darlings are due to be culled.

9. Where can readers find your work?

You’ll find me on FA here: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/searskagreyraven/
And my other work here: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SearskaGreyRaven

10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?

This fandom is probably the most inclusive I’ve ever found. Gay, straight, white, black, rich, poor, transgendered-asexual-lupine-that-identifies-as-a-mocha-frappuccino, it doesn’t matter. Drama comes and goes. It doesn’t fester the way it does in other lifestyles/fandoms.

Check out Searska’s member bio here!