My next interview is with M.J. Irving, author of Nova’s Quest for the Enchanted Chalice!
What inspired you to start writing?
M.J. Irving: I hate to start on a negative note, but in March I came down with Covid. I was extremely sick for weeks and with so much on the news about people of ethnic minorities being at higher risk and also people with underlying health conditions, there were times that I thought that was it for me! It is scary when at times you cannot breathe properly, and you feel so unwell you can’t get out of bed. I obviously have felt so grateful that I came out the other side of my illness, but it really made me stop and think about how life is so short, and that you need to do the things that you are passionate about. The present is truly a gift so don’t wait for the future!
Alexis: I’m so glad you recovered! I’ve heard so many devastating stories about Covid, and even young people are getting very, very sick. Readers, don’t forget to wear your masks, wash your hands, and stay six feet apart!
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
M.J. Irving: Yes, almost always. Well, apart from when I was really young and wanted to be a marine biologist or vet because I love animals. I was always worried because you hear about how writers and artists can never make it. I didn’t want to be in that situation, so I made the idea of writing in to something that I pictured myself doing when I was old and grey. But, after my illness earlier in the year, I thought, what is stopping me? Plus, with lots of holiday days and no holiday to go on because of Covid, I thought why not spend those days writing? I have also been lucky enough to know a few authors who inspired me over the years and their successes made me realize that I can do it too! If you put your mind to it, even your wildest dreams can come true.
Alexis: Yes, it’s so easy to put things off and assume we have all the time in the world. But no one does, and the time goes by so fast!
Pantser or Planner?
M.J. Irving: I’m both. At first, I didn’t think I was since I organize everything in my life. I am bad at remembering things, so I have always been good at keeping myself organized so that I don’t forget what I’m doing. With Nova’s Quest I spent two weeks planning out everything: the settings, the characters, the cliff hangers etc. But, once I started writing it was like the characters took on a life of their own and they surprised me. The story became a living thing, an entity with its own volition and I became its servant – the humble writer. It was a strange feeling since I had control over the story but it had its own special power all at the same time!
What do you hope your readers take away from your book?
M.J. Irving: From an entertainment perspective, I honestly really hope that readers just have fun with the story, that they feel hooked and don’t want to put it down. I hope that they want to hear more about Nova’s Quest because there is so much more to come! From the perspective of the message that I am trying to deliver, there really are a number throughout the book. One is really the importance of standing up for what is right and making change collectively in the face of adversity and corruption. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I will stop there.
Alexis: I feel that the last few years, at least in the United States, have definitely shown how absolutely important it is to stand up to corruption and do what’s right.
What made you pick the setting for your book?
M.J. Irving: I actually wanted to play with high fantasy and low fantasy settings so you essentially get two worlds. One setting is a lot more like the world we live in today, and another is like a colourful painting bringing all of the wonderful things of fantasy all together. In the series, I intend to build on these worlds and reveal a whole lot more. I also wanted to bring a fantasy world to Canada and to a place that I hold dear to my heart. The world of Dacaan is depicted with every drop of beauty that I found in the place where I spent my high school years – in the Kootenays in the province of British Columbia. I really believe that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world! I obviously recreated the region in to a fantasy world but I used a lot of place names and reference the beautiful mountains, lakes, trees, streams and so on.
Nova’s Quest Book Blitz Banner
Are you reading anything right now?
M.J. Irving: I am in the middle of reading my way through a few series including Scythe as well as Caraval and Six of Crows. I love anything fantasy and dystopian but I do read all genres and am keen to one day write in other genres too.
What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
M.J. Irving: I really love travelling. I’ve travelled to over 50 countries and really love feeling immersed in other cultures and experiencing different things – I really believe travelling is the easiest way to building yourself as a person – it opens your mind! Obviously, this year I haven’t been able to travel quite so much and have just had one staycation in Cornwall with my boyfriend. I do however love hikes in the wilderness and exploring nature. That is probably my happy place.
Alexis: I also love hiking and being outdoors. Travel can be so wonderful!
What’s for dinner?
M.J. Irving: I love, love, love to cook! And to eat, haha. I like to cook almost anything and wish I was better at baking, but find that harder because you have to have patience and follow recipes. Plus I’ve never been good with numbers and measurements. A teaspoon can all of a sudden get mixed with a tablespoon and you’ve ruined your treat! My favourite food is most definitely seafood and more specifically lobster, but I like to save that for special occasions because it tastes even better then! My favourite sweet treat is chocolate fondant.
Alexis: I love cooking, too. And while I didn’t initially love baking as much, I’m so addicted to the Great British Baking Show that I’ve started baking much more and love that, too.
Share something about yourself your readers don’t already know.
M.J. Irving: I’m really clumsy and awkward. Thankfully, people who know me laugh and see it as endearing but it can be hugely embarrassing! I also firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine. The world is a grey place without laughter. I try not to take things too seriously and am almost always joking about something.
If you could go anywhere for the weekend, where would you go?
M.J. Irving: Happenstance, I mean I do go there most weekends in my writing haha! But in terms of real places it would probably be Iceland. I am honestly in awe of the beauty of that country. It is the last place that I visited and I could have stayed for forever.
The cover of Nova’s Quest by M.J. Irving!
Are you working on anything new?
M.J. Irving: I already have some amazing concepts drawn out for Nova’s Quest for the Spellbound Elixir which is book two in the series. I can’t wait to get fully started on it as I want to make sure we make it’s release date of June 2021! I have so many different directions that I would like to take my stories. I have multiple books that I would like to create that are based in the magical worlds of Dacaan and Happenstance – I can’t wait to share everything with you all!
About Nova’s Quest
When a comet lights up the night’s sky, an ordinary boy from a small town in Dacaan begins to see that everything in his world is not as it seems. A secret that he didn’t know about himself becomes exposed and he finds himself running from the clutches of his enemies as he embarks on an adventure with his best friend to a mysterious land of magic called Happenstance. It is not long before he realizes that he has a bigger place in the world than he could have ever imagined. It is up to him to fulfil his new quest and challenge everything that he thought was good around him. But, the path is not so easy to travel and there are challenges, lies and betrayal in its wake.
Nova’s Quest for the Enchanted Chalice, is a story of a world after magic has been banished and evil resides. A powerful regime that rules Dacaan uses social media, a virus and other invisible shackles to keep its citizens in their districts as ignorant hostages. But, as Happenstance begins to vanish and magic is lost forever, it is up to its inhabitants to fight back and they know that Nova is their only hope to save their world of magic and Dacaan.
More About Author M.J. Irving!
M.J. Irving has always followed the advice that if you believe in something, it can come true. M.J. has spent life following this philosophy which has brought her to this point; where she can share the magical worlds in her head with you.
MJ is a Canadian of Jamaican, English and Irish descent currently living in London, England with her significant other. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and has led a career in research, marketing, sales and strategy management at one of the world’s leading media companies in the events industry.
She has travelled to over 50 countries and many of her experiences have helped in shaping her writing. When MJ is not writing, she enjoys countryside walks, playing board games and eating chocolate. She has a fascination with the unknowns of the world and the universe and her mind is quite often in the clouds.
