Author Interview – Cornelia Amiri – Rare Finds

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I wanted to be an author since childhood but didn’t have the confidence or the time as a single mother. But eventually it all  worked out on its own. The Celtic Warrior Queen Boudica started my professional writing career. I love history and was reading about the dark ages, I learned about Boudica and she impressed me. so I started noting how I imagined her revolt against Rome and it became a novel. Because I had no knowledge of how to write I couldn’t revise it into a workable book but it proved that I could definitely complete a novel. However, I used parts of that work in my romance book, Druids In The Mist.

When did you take a step to start writing?

After accidentally writing the book about Boudica, my first intentional book,p The Celtic Focx, was published January 2001, The Celtic Fox.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

Almost 2 years.

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

Normally, it takes 6 months to complete a novel but this took longer because of the arthritis in my hips stopping me from sitting down for fifteen minutes at a time. And I was in a lot of pain and had two hip replacements surgeries while writing Rare Finds which also caused writing delays. It took me a year to write this book but with the surgery over, I’ll be back to my old self.

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Rare Finds?

The original Star Trek and The Orville TV shows inspired me. I wanted humor, a massive starship, and traveling from planet to planet to have crazy adventures. I also wanted more than one world and more than one kind of alien like an all-out space opera.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?

I love Celtic history and archeology so the male antagonist is a space archeologist, so a xenoarchaeologist. And from Celtic mythology I was inspired to write Niamh, the Irish goddess of beauty and brightness. The beauty and the geek.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

Dagda, the Irish Father God, is my main foe. Niamh had a human lover who died, so when Dagda notices that the goddess is interested in Robbie, he puts a geis on her in the hope that Robbie will meet the same end as her first love. The geis, something like a revile, is in the event that Robbie turns out to be genuinely sick or injured, Niamh can’t recuperate him with her enchantment. I was motivated by such countless old stories of Celtic folklore where divine beings and different characters have a geis put on them. Also, keeping Niamh from saving Robbie with her enchantment assuming he is lethally injured or haunting sick truly ups the contention of the book.

What is the inciting incident of Rare Finds?

Robbie lands on a remote planet inhabited by the gods of Irish mythology. When Dagda uses his powerful magic to capture Robbie,Niamh helps him escape and jumps aboard the shuttle with Robbie. But not before Dagda puts a curse on the immortal beauty.

What is the main conflict of Rare Finds?

Mainly, it’s that Niamh is a goddess and her magic conflicts with orders from the captain of the starship. Robbie feels pulled between the two but sides with the captain. Robbie must learn to support Niamh and let her be herself, while helping her use magic in a way that complements the authority of the captain. Also, Niamh and Robbie need to learn how to make ttheir personality differences bring out the best in each other.

Did you plot Rare Finds in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I had a premise, then worked up character charts on the hero and heroine, and and idea for the beginning and ending. But I’m a pantser so with that, I began freely writing.

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Rare Finds need?

I’ve used the same editor for all 35 of my books and I found two great beta readers on Tik Tok.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Support other authors and make writing friends.

Here are the links to my website and social media:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Cornelia-Amiri/e/B002BLFENY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk

https://www.tiktok.com/@corneliaamiri2

https://www.facebook.com/CelticRomanceQueen/

https://twitter.com/CorneliaAmiri

my website https://corneliaamiri.com/