Interview with Emma Raveling

Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war with the Aquidae, immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world.
Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble.

When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past. Alone and with no one to trust, she must now navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny.

All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down, in the hopes of eliminating her forever…

An edgy young adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance, Whirl is recommended for older teens and mature readers due to strong language and mild sexual situations.

It has been six months since ondine Kendra Irisavie arrived in Haverleau, the hidden capital of the water elemental world.

Six months since she discovered her destiny as the sondaleur.

Six months since a series of devastating events left behind their mark.

Now, as she enters the chevalier elite program in her final year at Lumiere Academy, Kendra continues forward on her prophesied journey against the Shadow. Obsessed with what she must do to keep those around her safe, she struggles to balance her powerful magic and the demands of her fate with the challenges of friendship, the complications of romance, and the bonds of family.

Meanwhile, the threat of the Shadow looms larger. Kendra and her friends investigate a series of puzzling human and elemental disappearances in the city of Lyondale and uncover a horrifying tactic used by the Aquidae in the war.

When danger strikes close to home, Kendra must separate the truths from the lies and choose who and what to believe.

Even if it means facing what she fears the most.

Chevalier (Ondine Quartet #2.2)
*This is a short novelette (approx. 9500 words)*

New York poses an unknown challenge to Julian LeVeq and Kendra Irisavie. Determined to help elementals gain traction in the war, they partner in the covert investigation of the elusive Shadow and plunge into the complex depths of the city.

But when the First Lieutenant and sondaleur finally cross paths with the world of Manhattan’s Aquidae, they find more than they bargained for.

Chevalier is a short novelette set within the Ondine Quartet world and is from Julian’s point of view. The events in this work take place between Billow (book two) and Crest (book three).

  

Warrior Prince (Ondine Quartet #2.5)

 

 
This is not a short story, novella, or stand alone. It is a collection of scenes from Tristan’s point of view and is meant to be a companion work to the Ondine Quartet series.

Warrior Prince features seventeen scenes from Whirl (book 1) and Billow (book 2). Seven are extra scenes that do not appear in previous books.












1) How and why have you started to write? Were there something or someone that gave you an impulse?

As a child, I was a very active reader with an overactive imagination. When I was around six, I decided that I would write them down and be an “author” like the writers of my favorite books. My mother was my first reader and I gave these silly stories to her as a present almost on a daily basis.


I had wonderful teachers in school who encouraged me and I ended up winning a few writing competitions. But although I’ve written a few novels over the years, I didn’t seriously pursue publication until a year ago.



2) Tell me something about you and your books.

The Ondine Quartet series now has two books out: Whirl and Billow. There will be a total of four main novels and a few shorter works in the series. It was inspired by the work "Gaspard de la nuit" by the French composer Maurice Ravel and is about the world of water elementals and a teenage girl prophesied to bring about the end of an ancient war with demons. If you like complex worldbuilding, kick-ass heroines, and a slow burning epic love story, you might enjoy my books.


3) While you’re writing, have you discovered a character that you where developing feelings of love for? And was there a character that gave you headaches?

I’m the type of writer that deeply falls in love with all of her characters. I think that’s part of the writing process for me. All of my characters are flawed and are prone to giving me a headache once in awhile. :) But just as in life, I accept that these mistakes and difficulties are what make my characters come alive. I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.

4) How have you done your research for this novel?

I didn’t do that much research into the lore around water elementals, other than understanding the basics of selkie mythology. The reason was because I wanted to create my own mythology and world. I spent a great deal of time imagining and creating the rules and structure of the Ondine Quartet world - everything from the history of the society, magic and special powers, politics and government, the different races of water elementals, and societal and moral values.

I also spent a great deal of time studying etymology. Many of the words I created to use in the series (such as race names, location names, special terms, etc) were constructed out of specific meanings, and the combination of various word roots.

5) Is there a book that inspired your writings?

More than a particular book, there have been writers whose general aesthetic approach has had a strong influence on me. There are too many to name, but my favorite writers include Franz Kafka, Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling, and Milan Kundera.
6) In the end, would you like say some words to your fans from Romania? 
I hope you continue to enjoy stories that have the power to transport you anywhere in the world. Perhaps they may even inspire some of you to write your own. :)