Magic and wizardry abound in S.A. Schneider’s Embracing the Magic, Book 1 in the Town Magician Series. Read on to learn about this fun author!
1. What motivates your protagonist, Samual?
Samual loves magic. In his world, some people can channel magic and perform tricks. The best become Town Magicians, protectors of the town. That’s what Samual wants, but he doesn’t show any signs of having magic. Worse – he can’t enjoy the shows of the Town Magician, Rory, because he knows Rory is a fake and can’t channel magic either. But no one wants to listen to the kid of the town drunk.
When an evil wizard challenges Rory to a duel, Samual sees this as his chance to prove Rory is a fake and possibly find out if he has magic himself.
2. What inspired this story?
Every year in Kent, Oh, they celebrate with a wizarding world fest. I wanted to set up an author table, but the stories I was working on had nothing to do with magic. I thought I’d write a quick short story to have for the fest. Unfortunately (fortunately), Samual’s story became bigger than a short story and I developed it into a book. Missed the fest though.
3. What do you find most rewarding writing for children? The most challenging?
My kids often say I’m like an intergalactic 12 year old (Dr. Who reference). When I took them to see Star Wars the Force Awakens, my son said I look like a little kid, impatiently waiting for the movie, swinging my feet because the seat is too high and they don’y touch the ground. That’s how I am. I’ve been a softball, baseball, and soccer coach. Spent my time as a cubmaster, Boy Scout leader, and Girl Scout leader. It’s very natural for me to work with kids, especially working with them on video game storytelling.
The challenging part is getting out there. You can’t market directly to kids, so you have to interest the kids AND their parents. That can be tricky. And it’s not always easy to get into schools to talk because I’m unknown right now. I have multiple avenues this summer I’m setting up to get face to face with the community.
4. Embracing the Magic is Book 1 in your Town Magician series. How many installments do you plan to write for the series?
I am working on book 2 right now. Some hints from book 1 come to fruition and turn Samual’s life upside down. I also have two prequel short stories to book 1 and two in between short stories. After that, I definitely have books 3 and 4 planned with some interesting stories that lead from these first books. If things go well, I have ideas for a couple more set in this world. BUT – i also have a victorian, steam punk-ish spy thriller almost ready and I’ve been working on a series about a young group of paranormal investigator siblings. And I’ve been publishing a Christmas ghost story serial the last couple Christmases.
Musings of an Author 