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Today I had an inspiring interview with Finn Aspenson, author of A Tale of Love and Cinders! A Tale of Love and Cinders is a fantasy romance novel released in November 2022, and a second book in the Amora Chronicles.
Finn lives with his family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and works as a software developer for Momentum3, a software consulting company. He graduated high school from Augustine Christian Academy and attended Holberton School in the following years. A Tale of Love and Cinders is the follow-up to his first book, The Child of Stars!
Here’s the short synopsis of A Tale of Love and Cinders:
Kono Acculo is a young Martial Artist embarking on his journey to the Roots of Life, a sacred monument where the youth of his homeland journey to when they come of age. Here, they will receive guidance that carries them through the rest of their lives.
Kono is uncertain of his future in the midst of a terrible breakup and hopes this place will give him the answers he desires. To reach this place, he must travel through treacherous dunes and challenge other fighters, while facing a constant battle against the demons of his old romance.
Erienda Veiss is a priestess in the city of Understone, the capital of a totalitarian nation. Being a priestess to the goddess of love, Erienda attempts to spread love and strengthen her own faith via her doctrines while attempting to mend a troubled and bitter relationship with her sister. In the middle of this is her lover, Sylvain, who beckons her to escape the country with him where they can live a true, peaceful life.
Now lets get to meet Finn more! ✨
What inspired you to become an author?
Ever since my earliest memories, I always wanted to write a book. My goals and aspirations changed over time like any person, but the desire to write was always there. I was inspired by everything really, whether those be books, movies, shows, or games. Every time I felt myself being moved by a story, I always felt a drive to write one of my own.
Describe a typical writing day.
Every time I write, I’m laying on my bed with my laptop sitting on my chest and leaning on my knees. That sounds terrible, but it’s quite comfortable for me. On a good day, I try to get anywhere from one thousand to two thousand words. Other days, I may just be planning future chapters and developments.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like to watch films, play games, and read. During all those, I find myself thinking of my books and characters. Many days, I fall asleep and wake up thinking of them.
What was the most challenging thing about writing A Tale of Love and Cinders?
I was on a writing high after finishing my first book, and I ended up cruising into this one a little too quickly. This resulted in me reaching points where I was asking myself, “alright, you know the ending, but how in the world are you going to get there?”
As for individual parts of the book, writing the action was quite tough. One of the characters is a martial artist who uses magic in conjunction with it. When I finished writing a major fight, I felt dizzy!
Which part of the book is your favorite?
I love the last third of it. So many things start to come together. Being as vague as I can as to not spoil things!
How do you develop your plot and characters?
All my character thus far have two things: a want and a need. The want is what the character desires most, but their need is what they require to grow and become better.
The key ingredient is for the want and need to contrast in some way. This creates an inner conflict the reader gets to follow along with. Their stories end with the need having been realized and the character striving for that and leaving their want behind.
For the plot side of things, I try to have the reader be just as clueless as the character. This creates a web of relatability between the two and allows them to really go on this adventure together.
What do you think makes a good story?
It’s very hard for me to say! I could lay out a lot of the sciences and do’s and don’t’s of storytelling, but I feel the first major stepping stone for any story is passion.
Did the author enjoy writing this and feels it expresses things important to them? Do they themselves connect with the characters they wrote?
If yes to each of those, then I feel it’s hard for your story to be bad.
How do you do research for your books?
When it comes to research for storytelling, all aspiring writes should read ‘The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller” by John Truby. This books lays out many storytelling rules, along with the want and need element I mentioned earlier.
If your book takes place during a certain time period, or if your fantasy world is emulating one, research as much of that time as you can. This helps to see what certain things are called and how people talk.
Anytime I have instances of complex human behavior like panic attacks, fits of rage, or shock, I try to research how exactly those behaviors come about and what they do to the person.
Tell us more about the publishing process behind the book.
To find editors and designers, I used the website Reedsy, a platform that allows you to commission such professionals.
Kindle Direct Publishing was what I used for the publishing platform. This helps for the book to be available on Amazon web stores for free.
What are some tools you used to write this book from start to end?
I used Microsoft Word on my MacBook Pro and Google Docs and Sheets for note taking.
What authors inspired you into becoming an author yourself?
Despite her various controversies today, I find J. K. Rowling’s underdog origin to be very inspiring.
I also look up to S. E. Hinton, an author from Tulsa, Oklahoma who wrote “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish“. I look up to her since she wrote “The Outsiders” at the young age of seventeen, which goes to show that it’s never too early to write.
What are your future plans and where can our readers find you?
I expect my series to be around five books, so I have three to go! Both of my books are on Amazon in both Ebook and paperback formats.
To connect with Finn, you can also follow him on Facebook, or check out his Github profile.
Have you enjoyed this Q&A with Finn? Let me know in the comments below! ❤️