This is the second in an ongoing series of regular interviews with other authors. Kevin Nielsen is author of the popular YA fantasy, Sharani Series, with the first three novels of the series released.

Q: Hey Kevin! Thanks for stopping by to do this interview! For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

A: I’m a native of Utah raised in the smoldering heat of Arizona once again returned to the homeland.  I’ve been writing since I was 11 and had completed 4 complete epic fantasy manuscripts by the time I was 17.  They all ended up going the way of the dinosaur.  After getting married and having my first child, I returned to writing and attended the LTUE Symposium in Utah (you should all go to it).  From there, my writing world took off.  Two years later, I have four books out and am working on my fifth.

Q: What is Sands (the first novel in the series) about, and what do you think is driving its popularity?

A: Sands is about a young woman named Lhaurel who gets chained to the rock and left to die after lifting a sword in defense of her friend.  The genesauri monsters – eel-like creatures that rove the desert sands in giant packs like piranha for 3 months of the year – come to kill her, but she’s rescued by a mysterious eighth clan which only comes out when the genesauri do.  Lhaurel’s rescuers teach her that she has a power that could help save her people from the genesauri, but Lhaurel has to decide if she actually wants to save them or if turnabout is fair play after all.

I’m not sure what the main driving force behind the popularity has been.  I’d like to think it’s because the story is fun, original, and features a strong female lead who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.  The rather fantastic covers Future House did probably help a lot too.

Q: You’ve also released the second and third books in the series, Storms and Skies. Can you tell us a little what you’re most excited about the series?

A: I developed this series as a quintet with a fair amount of parallelism involved.  There’s a principle in literature called Chiasmus which basically means there’s a beginning that points toward a middle focus and then an ending that points back to the middle focus and mirrors the beginning.  Each novel is split into five parts as well, so you’ll notice a lot of mirroring going on in the novels themselves as well as in the overall series.

Inside the storyline itself, one of the major themes explored is the morality of certain choices and whether or not what is considered “moral” and “right” is just a perception of the individual or the society as a whole.  I enjoy exploring that aspect of it as well.

Q: What were some of your influences for Sands?

A: Sands came from a lot of places. The concept started with the genesauri monsters themselves, which I came up with while watched the Avengers movie. The genesauri are loosely based off the chitari monster thing that comes out of the wormhole, except miniaturized. The rest of it evolved as I considered the effects those sorts of monsters would have on the geography, politics, and nature of the world.  Basically, it started from a single idea and sprouted into what it is now.

Q: What is the world of the Sharani Series like? Are there any other books or shows we’re familiar with that it might resonate with?

A: The Sharani Series takes place in a lot of different area.  Sands and Storms take place in a desert environment very similar to Tattoine or Dune.  Skies has a shift in geography that would be similar to the fertile parts of ancient Mesopotamia.

Q: One of the things I love is a good quote. Any memorable quotes from the novel you’d like to share?

A: Hmm…that’s a hard one.  I think a lot of things in the story are memorable in their own right, but I think I’ll share what is most often quoted by others:

** “Do not let your emotions rule you,” she would say. “Rule them. Emotions are a fuel for action, not the cause of them.” **

Q: Where can readers connect with you or find out more about you and your stories?

A:  They’re most welcome to stop by my website at kevinlnielsen.com or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorkevinlnielsen – the books are available on Amazon or even at your local bookstore if they’ve got copies in stock.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, and good luck with future novels in the Sharani Series!