Episode 41: An Interview with EA Fortneaux | Show Notes
Where to find EA Fortneaux and pre-order FOLLOWING THE SNOW:
Following The Snow preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CC6Q6D6Z
EA Fortneaux on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fortneauxwrites
EA Fortneaux’s website: https://www.fortneaux.com/
Here’s a copy of our interview outline!
Thanks for being willing to be our first non-horror writer on the show! Corinne is eternally grateful. Could you give us a quick synopsis of your debut novel, FOLLOWING THE SNOW?
Following the snow is about a young women who is born under the goddesses constellation which in Aerta signifies that she is one of the chosen Obligates who will be tasked with providing leadership to one of the four kingdoms that stood strong after a massive war between magical and non-magical forces a hundred years in the past.
What drew you into the world of Fantasy Romance?
Sure, I've always been an avid reader and make-believer. I am also a history and archaeology lover. I combined my two loves and began thinking through and creating a world built around fantastical concepts and then I threw in some spice because well, spice holds my interests firmly.
When we were first asking you about the book, you mentioned you drew from real-world folklore when developing your fantasy world. What can you tell us about that without giving away spoilers?
You will feel the presence of folklore throughout the tale. For example our main female character is first introduced to legends and lore as a youngin who was board with her reading lessons until her tutor introduces her to a text called Magika and Menagerie. She will reference that text throughout the story and of course, some of the sayings and colloquialisms will reference their folklore as well.
Growing up in KY I was surrounded by folktales…seers and whispers…7th son of the Severn son
Bloody bones and Haints and banshees
What was it like to adapt folklore to suit your world building? Was anything difficult? Or did you have no problem “filing off the serial numbers”?
Lore and legends are such an integral part of many cultures, both today and in their histories, so I wanted my world to be steeped in and have a solid use of lore as a means of helping the reader to understand the characters on a deeper level.
The continent has its own pantheon, Gods that they venerate and of course a past where magic and fantastical creatures once existed. When looking to create a world and the differing cultures within it I drew upon the tales of not only nordic/Irish/welsh cultures but, Greco-Roman and Mesopotamian as well.
I knew I wanted strong goddesses like Inanna and athena. I knew I wanted to use stories and tales as a means of establishing thoughts around superstition and morality. And I love things like trolls and pixies and wraiths so I wanted a way to have them included as well.
I know you’ve got a pretty good background in research - are there any skills you’ve developed that came in handy for writing?
-researching material cultures.
-archaeological digs, the fact that I’m not a writer.
-The eyes for small differences for
You also work full time, and you’re involved with pretty time-intensive hobbies like Society for Creative Anachronism. How did you balance all these competing priorities?
Actually I allowed myself grace to take breaks, and grace to not write for a few days at a time. I tend to be hyper focused and I knew that if I gave up everything to write constantly, I would ultimately end up damaging relationships or missing out on things I valued. I set goal dates however, but made sure they were obtainable. I also have a partner who was willing to take up so much slack around the house and I will be forever indebted to him for that.
Also, many of my hobbies allow me to write in a more realistic way, so it was important to me to study and think about things that I knew would be included in the text such as
Weaving: to describe textures and cloth
Fighting: to write in a more realistic way about movements and battle
We’ve talked a lot about fairy tales in folklore recently on the show. Are there any stories that you dream of retelling yourself?
I do. In my day job as an educator I think it is very important for when I teach a culture's history to either find a source to retell or take on the task of retelling excerpts for a peoples mythology or morality tales. For example.
-I have been able to find video sources of the Griots in Africa sharing their oral histories. But when I couldnt find the same for the Twin Heros of ancient Maya, I tried to do my best to retell the tale of their time in Xibalba.
Now, that being said. I would love to retell some of the classic tales with their more morbid endings. The little mermaid for example.
Favorite fantasy creatures?
MadreMonte- Colombian folklore, she is said to protect nature and if you are doing wrong she puts thickets and vegetation in your way to make you lose your path.
I love Harpies. Ugly winged women who snatch things from the unsuspecting. Seen in greek writings and felt all the way through the middle ages.
I love trolls in many iterations and gnomes and mermaids and minotaurs.
What authors have inspired you, fantasy or otherwise?
-Okay so this one may sound weird, but the oral traditionalists I've heard tales from have been my favorites. I have fallen in love with Russian and Hungarian tales through storytellers in the Society for Creative anachronisms. But I also love:
Hans Christian Andersons The Snow Queen, the little mermaid.
-Diana Galbodon
-Tolkien
-Suzanne collins
-Julie garwood
You’re also a singer, so I’ve gotta ask: Did you create a playlist for writing? Or for specific characters? Any pieces we’ve gotta listen to for the right ~vibes~?
Actually I wrote songs for the book that will be recorded and put up on my website for readers to hear what they sounded like in my head. You have local ditties that you’d never sing in from of your parents and war ballards to boot.
“The gong sounds, and the men called to arm—to keep fair love from fadin’.
And the horn blasts—but his banner do fall… to the goddess we all are prayin’
“The clangs sound… and the men, they do fall—to keep their foes from invadin’,
And they fight strong, but not all make it home… their mem’ries safe with their maidens.’
I will say however that Sam Smith’s Unholy was often in my head as were some southern gothic tunes. Okay and lets not forget Lizzo and Luciano pavirarri. Truly though, I can't write and listen to music with words because ill just sing along and forget myself.
Last but certainly not least - where can our listeners find you? When does FOLLOWING THE SNOW come out? Is there a preorder link we can make sure to include in our show notes?
-My ebook is currently available for preorder on Amazon and will be made available in Print, there, and at other retailers on its August 22nd release date.
