What a time to behold when a fantasy author talks to a fantasy and sci-fi reader, like me.
My first spotlight interviews have gone off wonderfully. So many authors and editors have been interested in talking about their experiences in the writing industry and their journey of publication. So many highs and lows throughout that I can’t wait to share with my fellow readers and their fans.
Natasha Yentrouc, an indie author, was a lovely person to talk to. Off the bat, the atmosphere was incredible - if you had a chance to meet with her, it would be as if you’ve known her all your life.
I did have permission to inform you that Natasha is, in fact, a pen name.
There are so many reasons to take on a pen name; I’ve been encouraged to use one on many occasions for my projects. “Natasha” is a family name and the last name is simply a jumble of letters from her real name (no, I will not disclose her real name). She’s used this name since high school as she has other endeavors she has pursued - read below!
Natasha is every woman’s idol. An entrepreneur, science teacher, and author. Started actively writing in October of 2023, and she’s been met with plenty of ups and downs. Over time, writing has become her therapy in some ways. Her earliest writing memory stems from her mother teaching her grammar as she was homeschooled.
She described this memory as teaching a young person simple sentences and keeping it that way. Spending long hours just writing sentences - as she grew her mother got her a writing coach as she was already an avid reader.
At this point, Natasha is a fantasy and science fiction writer. We’ve talked about a certain book series that she encountered and stated that she could write better than a romance with an object.
Her first book was published in February of 2024, “The Doctor’s Dilemma”. It’s an enemies-to-lovers adventure. When I asked about the push to publish this story - she “needed to prove I could write a book.”
With her new novel coming up, it’s evident that she dabbles in a little bit of every genre and has plans to continue and experiment
Now, her new novel, “The Cursed Thief”, is a fantasy adventure with a DND flare. It launched recently - June 27, 2024. She’s created this to be intentionally diverse, working around the idea of a society surrounding religion. Building her deities and backstories.
Fun fact - she’s working on a guidebook around her mythology AND a novella.
She admitted that she put a lot of herself in the story - I don’t see anything wrong with it. As writers, we work on an idea and get so caught up in it that we daydream about this world we created. I’ve been there too with a few short stories. Like all good stories, “it was a story in my head that I feel like I should write down”.
“The Cursed Thief” is a stand-alone as of now. However, I have been warned that a couple of people cried when they read her ARCs - not cool, Natasha.
The link to find this story is HERE
It is self-published through Amazon. Many authors take this route nowadays, so when asked ‘why’, I wasn’t too surprised. You are tasked with many deadlines with a traditional publisher and not part of the publishing process. Natasha said she didn’t want to be bogged down with deadlines as writing is a creative outlook. Self-publishing is a good way to express yourself without deadlines and you are in complete control of what is published and when. Her one dislike? She had to do everything.
However, this doesn’t ruin her experience as she has reported that her launch day was successful.
I plan on reading this story myself for many reasons - it seems like something up my alley to read. There’s nothing wrong with building your 100+ TBR.
Follow Natasha on Instagram and keep up with her story!
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