Today I’m interviewing local Tauranga author Sharon Manssen, who writes Young Adult Fantasy as SR Manssen. Welcome, Sharon!
Let’s start with a few quick questions by way of introduction.
Long black or flat white?
Flat white. Trim. Double shot, extra hot.
Kiwis or koalas?
Kiwis.
(Good, says this Kiwi.)
Mangoes or kiwifruit?
Mangoes (lived in Thailand for 9 years…)
Cricket or rugby?
Rugby.
Hobbits or Mad Max?
Hobbits (fantasy fiction!)
Books or TV?
Books.
Sun or snow?
Sun.
Desert or sea?
Sea. With decent waves and a boogie board.
Plotter or pantser?
Plotter.
Getting to Know S R Manssen
Where are you from?
New Zealand. I know, that’s a bit vague. Born in Lower Hutt, went to primary school in Palmerston North. But my parents moved to Belgium when I was 12, and I didn’t return to NZ until I was nearly 20, so whilst I am definitely a Kiwi, I haven’t felt connected to a particular place, until now. We landed in Tauranga 12 years ago, and now this is the longest I’ve lived in one place in my life (prior to that, the longest was in Heule, Belgium, or Bangkok).
What is your town or city most famous (or infamous) for?
Mauao (Mt Maunganui).
For those who don’t know, Mauao is the mountain guardian the entrance to Tauranga Harbour:
What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?
I’ve formally learnt 6 languages. I’m fluent in three (English, Flemish & French), and conversational in two more (Thai and German). A couple of years ago I started learning te Reo Māori, but am still very much at a beginner stage there.
Wow!
About Your Writing
What do you write?
YA Fantasy Fiction. I’ve started with an allegorical trilogy (because isn’t that what you do?)
Who or what are your main writing influences?
JRR Tolkien. CS Lewis. The Bible. I love anything fantasy or science fiction.
Do you have any books published?
The Realm Trilogy:
- Medar (2017 – Tom Fitzgibbon Award finalist (2016))
- Tyrelia (2019 – Sir Julius Vogel Best YA novel Award finalist 2020).
- Golden City will be published on 25 November 2020.
You publish as S R Manssen. Why did you choose to use your initials rather than your first name?
Well, I figured if it’s good enough for JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and JK Rowling, then it’s good enough for me! Also, I wonder if people sometimes are influenced in their choice of reading a book depending on whether the author is male or female, so I thought I’d take that bias out of the equation.
What inspired you to start writing?
Well, that’s the interesting part. I never grew up writing stories or dreaming of being a writer. Quite the opposite. Numbers were my thing. But back in 2004, when our kids were three and four, my husband and I were discussing the Harry Potter series. There was a lot of concern amongst Christians about the themes in that series, but nevertheless, it was hugely successful.
“You should write a book, become world famous and I could stop working,” Craig said.
I laughed. What a ridiculous idea. But in that moment, the idea just popped into my head. “You know,” I said, “If I were to write a book, I know exactly what I want to write about.” An alternative to Harry Potter, and hopefully as enjoyable for kids who are into that genre.
“Well, you should do it,” he encouraged, “but make sure it’s seven books!”.
I knew the story wasn’t seven books long, but I thought I could stretch it to three. And because Fantasy Fiction is my favourite genre, there was never any doubt that that’s what I would write.
What’s your favourite part of the writing process?
The actual writing. Once I’ve plotted it all out, bringing it to life and seeing how my characters deal with what I’d imagined (sometimes they don’t toe the line!).
What’s your biggest writing challenge?
Time. I work full-time, and a husband who doesn’t particularly like being a “writers’ widower”, so I find that I have to schedule time in. Luckily I work for a company with great flexible work policies, so when I’m writing, I’ll negotiate my hours so I can get one day off a fortnight to focus on writing. Then I do that for about four or five months, until the first draft is out. Once that’s done, I can do edits in any one- or two-hour block of time I can find.
How does your faith impact your writing?
The Realm Trilogy is an allegory of living in a non-Christian world, and how to find God in that environment. How to enter that ‘other dimension’. It’s the gospel message in fantasy fiction format. So all the themes in the stories tie back to a biblical truth. For example, I deal with how rules are there for our good, and not to ruin our fun. How it’s more important what you’re like on the inside, rather than what you look like on the outside. How believing in God is a step of faith, not necessarily based on physical evidence. How freedom works. So, to answer your question, my faith has shaped my writing fundamentally.
That’s great – thank you, Sharon!
Find Sharon Manssen online at:
Website | Email | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
About Medar (Book 1 in The Realm Trilogy)
A mysterious tablet. An ancient prophecy. A quest to find Tyrelia.
Freya is half blind, poor, and lives in land-locked Medar: an unlikely heroine. So when she finds a mysterious tablet telling her about a beautiful land beyond the Wall free from the evil Master, she doesn’t think anybody will believe her.
The same day, her family learns they have been selected to live in the Golden City, ruled over by the Master. But instead of entering the City with her family, Freya finds herself condemned to death by the Guards. At the last minute, Freya is rescued by an invisible Watcher.
What follows is an incredible journey, pursued by Guards, that takes Freya to the very edge of the only world she has ever known. Will she unlock the clues hidden in the tablet? The key to the long lost path to Tyrelia – and freedom – is in her hands.
Find SR Manssen’s books on Amazon
Medar | Tyrelia | Golden City
Hi Sharon, Welcome to ACW 😊 Wow, I read that you’re fluent or familiar with six languages and wondered if you’re going to translate your books into any of those languages? Congratulations on your YA fantasy series – they sound like fun reads!
Hi Narelle, thanks! I’ve thought about getting them translated. I could definitely give getting it translated into Flemish/Dutch a go, but I’d need a native speaker to tart it up! It would be challenging to get the poems and the acronyms working in another language, though (my first 2 book titles are acronyms!).