Interview

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

I am Melinda Kucsera and I am an indie fantasy author from New York. (The state, not the city.) No one agrees about where upstate starts, but I always assumed if you could take a train into the city and get there in less than an hour, then you’re not upstate. So I am not upstate.

What first got you into writing?

I told stories when I was little to my siblings and anyone who would listen, and they were all set in a country I made up called Shayari. Someone told me to write the stories down. So I did, but I liked daydreaming about Shayari and its people more than writing. So, for years, I didn’t write much about it. That changed when I turned 12 or 13. I just woke up one sunny morning and decided to write everything I knew about my made up world in a notebook.

What are your writing goals?

I just want to write the entire saga that 12/13-year-old me envisioned from a reluctant hero in a fractured kingdom to reinstating the mythic queen and restoring the magic.

What is one of the things you are most thankful for as a writer?

I am thankful that I have a good job and I spent years paying off debt so, if I don’t feel like marketing, I don’t have to. My bills are covered. I can just write.

What is the most interesting book you ever read?

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It does what Project Hail Mary wishes it could have done. Both are great books, but Pushing Ice is so much more and takes the whole concept so much further in just one book. The audiobook version is just enthralling and so well acted.

What book are you currently reading?

I am rereading the In Death series by JD Robb and paying attention to how she handles story arcs across a very long series (60+ books and going) and how each book is fresh and different when they are all murders set in a futuristic NYC. There are only so many ways to commit murder and reasons for people to do it but, somehow, every book has a unique take. That fascinates me.

Who are your favorite authors?

Alastair Reynolds, Andy Weir, Tolkien, JD Robb, Mercedes Lackey, Dan Simmons, Faith Hunter, Mark Greaney, BV Larsen, Jack Campbell and many more.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I like to daydream about my characters and the story I am writing and where both could go next.

Where can we learn more about you?

On my Web site.

Tell us about your latest book. What do you hope readers take away from it?

I am currently writing Curse Breaker Jousts, book 12 in the Curse Breaker series. It’s not just about the joust, although there is one, but it’s interrupted by monsters for plot reasons. It’s also about healing and putting the pieces of your broken life back together, sometimes literally.

I hope readers will take to heart the mantra the main character (Sarn) repeats to himself to remind him that he is not his past and his past does not control his future: “I don’t live in the prison of my past anymore. I live in the limitless future with my friends and family.”

Who is the perfect reader for your book? (Please do not say "everyone.")

Since it’s book 12, it’s ideal for readers who have read the previous 11 books. The series as a whole is for anyone above 16 years old who likes tons of magic, mayhem, reluctant heroes, found family, ancient evil, and a young guy trying to raise his little boy in the middle of all that. Oh and that little boy has decided he is his father’s sidekick. His father does not approve of that decision, so it causes some humorous situations.

What inspired the idea for the story?

I went to the NY Renaissance Fair in 2012 and was watching the joust at the end and I wondered what would happen if some monsters showed up? What would the knights do? What if Sarn was there? What would he do? What would the Rangers do? I kept wondering this all the way home and then I wrote the original draft over the next few weeks. I thought it would be the first book in the Curse Breaker series but my sister said it wasn’t a first in a series book. It relied on knowing the characters so the plot could move because I was interested in what the characters would do not on introducing them. They’d lived in my head for many years so I knew them well. That sent me on a quest to figure out what is the first book of the series if not the joust story?

Sometime between 2012 and 2014, I started Curse Breaker Enchanted which became book 1 and then my sister died suddenly while on vacation. During our last conversation, while I helped her pack her car, she asked me to stop rewriting Curse Breaker Enchanted and publish it. I waffled about it because I didn’t think it was done or ready. Six days later, I got a call that she was gone. So I spent two years grieving and whipping that book into shape. I published in Sept 2016 and I thought Jousts would be book 2. But the plot and story arcs that began in Enchanted didn’t allow that. So it took 10 more books to box the characters in so they had to do the jousts story.

In that time, I figured out why the monsters came and there’s a whole subplot for it, which didn’t exist in 2012. The story has changed substantially from the original but I think it’s better in some ways.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

There’s a joust in it, so why not called it Curse Breaker Jousts? The Curse Breaker does attend the joust as a spectator.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Sarn wants to raise his brother and his son in peace, figure out how to get legal custody of his son before anyone finds out the boy exists, and keep the boy from becoming indentured like he is. He did not sign up to fight monsters or deal with wayward magic, but both happen regularly anyway. Yes, he has a lot of magic but what makes him special is his big heart. He truly cares about people and not a lot of heroes in books do these days. Someone who cares and is trying to do the best they can but they get stuck in morally gray situations is more interesting to me than someone with flexible morals.

If your book was made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?

I don’t know. Someone who could play someone who cares deeply but that caring doesn’t make them weak. It makes them strong enough to admit when they need help and when they need everyone to please get behind the shield he just generated and let him sort things out.

What is the most important thing that people do not know about your subject/genre that they need to know?

My books always have a lot of magic in them but also heart, humor, and drama because the characters have friends, enemies, and relatives. They don’t exist in a vacuum, and those relationships don’t disappear because a monster shows up.

Please share a short excerpt from your book.

Excerpt from Curse Breaker Jousts by Melinda Kucsera, from Chapter 1:

Sarn glared at the glass between him and the night like it owed him money. It didn't but the more he stayed here and recuperated, the more debt he racked up. Because that's how it worked when one was indentured. I was the idiot who tore open both wounds. I didn't even notice until Ran woke me up in the middle of the night.

Sarn would never forget the fear in his son's eyes when the boy pointed at the blood staining his tunic. He covered his face with his hands. He was trying to take better care of himself. He really was. But every time he got overly emotional, he'd forget to do basic things like eat and move with care so he didn't do dumb things like tear open healing wounds. I must do better. Maybe if he did better long enough, he actually would become a better man. Now that was an enticing thought.

I don't even know how I reopened them. It was probably when he picked up his son. Fear of losing the boy had driven him out of his mind to the point where nothing else had registered. That was bad, as his son liked to say.

“I don’t live in the prison of my past anymore. I live in the limitless future with my friends and family,” Sarn whispered to the darkness outside the window. If he said that often enough then maybe it would be true. But he couldn't shake off the grip of his past until he got legal custody of his son.

So far, Ran was still with him even though the list of people who knew about him kept growing. That wasn't how it went when he played out that scenario in his head. I'm glad I was wrong. But that left him in uncharted territory without a map. How do I ensure I can keep my son?

That was the question driving him crazy for several weeks now. But he was no closer to an answer. I need some leverage. That would help. Sarn turned away from the window and scanned the room for ideas. What can I offer the Lord of the Mountain in exchange for full legal custody of my son?

He wanted that in writing with Lord Joranth Nalshira’s seal on it to make it official. Sarn walked to the dresser and opened the drawers, not expecting any answers in there. It felt good to search since he was doing something constructive instead of brooding and driving himself crazy.

He found a crystal hidden under a sweater. Sarn pulled the glowing white pendant out of the drawer. It was just like the one he wore. Miren had one too. I gave it to him. Where did mine come from?

Sarn couldn't remember. He'd worn it for so long it was practically part of him. Could I trade the crystal pendants for custody of my son?

His fingers glowed green as his earth magic poked around inside the pendant resting on his palm. It was some kind of lumir crystal, possibly a sun crystal. That was the rarest type because of its intense glow. It might be valuable. His magic closed his fist around the pendant.

The crystal is locked. It keeps its secrets until you find the key to unlock it, said his earth magic in its most cryptic tone, and then it withdrew from the crystal and slid back into his hand. That was weird since he'd never come across a crystal he couldn't read.

Is there a spell on it? It sounded like there was. What kind of spell would someone put on a crystal? Sarn couldn’t think of any.

Then again, he’d never thought to put a spell inside a crystal. I could do that. First he’d have to learn how to construct a spell and then cast it. How hard could that be? I’m not stupid. I never went to school, but I can learn. And he knew who he could learn from.

Sarn bounced the crystal on his palm. Nulthir knew how to construct spells to do things. He could teach me. Sarn walked toward the door and then he stopped. Would that give me leverage?

What role does research play in your writing? Do you have any research resources you recommend?

I do some research on armor and weaponry, but I look at multiple sources before deciding what to use.

Do you aim for a set number of words/pages per day? Do you write every day, five days a week …?

I write at least four chapters a week though often more than that and I post them on Patreon and Substack, so yes, you can read Curse Breaker Jousts as I write it. There are 45 chapters posted as of March 11.

Do you have an area set aside for writing?

No, I write wherever I am since I can open the document on all my devices.

What does your writing process look like?

I just write when I can, wherever I am. I could be out for a walk or in bed or in between tasks at my computer. But I’ve written 30 books already, so this skill evolved over years of writing in every spare minute I had.

What comes first, plot or characters? Why?

I am writing sequels right now, so the plot since I already have the characters fleshed out. But the characters make decisions that change the plot too.

Do you outline and plan your story or do you just sit down and write? Why?

I think about the story when not writing so I always have a few items in my head I want to hit in the upcoming chapters. I don’t always write those ideas down or even stick to them if the characters come up with something better.

What software do you use to write? Or do you prefer to write longhand or dictate your work? Why?

I switch between typing and dictating and just swiping on my phone. I also switch between different programs, depending on what device I will have with me. So I have copies of my WIP in MS Word and also Google Docs.

How long (on average) does it take you to write a book?

Two to four months, depending on how many chapters are in the finished book and if I can write more than four chapters in a week.

How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

I start the next book.

In your opinion, what's the measure of a successful writer?

Making enough money from one book to pay for the expenses of the next one.

What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing?

Don’t compare yourself to writers who are not writing for the same things you are because that is just a recipe for depression.

What's your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?

I love the writing part and I love sending my books to readers. I don’t have a least favorite since everything in between just leads to getting my books into readers’ hands.

What is the best advice you could give other writers about publishing?

Publishing is just hitting a button to put your work out there. So hit it hard and go find your readers.

How do you market or promote your books (e.g. social media, e-mail, blog tours, etc.)?

I just send out my weekly newsletter.

What strategies have demonstrated the most success for you?

Crowdfunding. I have run 6 campaigns successfully since 2023.

What is your best marketing tip?

What works for other authors may not work for you and that’s okay. Find what works for your books. Then keep finding it because nothing works forever and the market keeps changing.

Education Advice

Writing Advice

Author Interview: Nicolas Lemieux

Author Interview: Clay Vermulm

Author Interview: Jeff Bailey

Author Interview: Jasveer Singh Dangi

Author Interview: Rune S. Nielsen

Author Interview: Uchechi Theresa Ezeuko

Author Interview: Melinda Kucsera