In a new series of Mythrill Author Spotlight we are introducing you Allison Marshall— the author of The Control; it is new on Mythrill app.
Tell us about your writing? What is your process?
I usually hit the ground running. I start with some vague structure in mind and then write scenes as they come to me. Sometimes I write completely out of order, filling in the gaps as I go along. I also like to make character sheets and build my world as I'm building the story. One of the things I like to do is set a timer and tell myself to just write during the duration of that timer. It's worked out reasonably well for me.
Who would you say are your influences in writing?
I've been heavily influenced by the great fantasy classics Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and The Last Unicorn. Since childhood I have devoured all manner of speculative fiction, and some of my favorite authors growing up were Bruce Coville and Gail Carson Levine. My story on Mythrill, The Control, was partially inspired by James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.
Did you have previous experience with Serialized Fiction before you partnered up with Mythrill or did you have to adapt to the format?
I tried a website called SEQUEL that had readers pay a small subscription fee for access to serialized stories. They had literally no community to speak of and spent next to nil on marketing. But I managed to nab 7 whole subscribers (only 4 of which were related to me!) before the service shut down. Since I'm used to novel format, it did take some adaptation, but I think I have it down to a pretty good science now.
What has been the experience like seeing your characters come alive in Lore Cards?
It's been a very intriguing experience seeing my characters rendered from someone else's imagination. There were things that surprised me in the Lore Cards, but that still felt right. I'm excited for the readers to get to see what the artist pictured.
You got 2 sentences to hook a reader into your story. Go!
Beth is a control, the unenhanced genetic equal to the super-human Beta. But Beta is dead now, and Beth must lead a group of super-human children across post-nuclear America to escape annihilation by her creators.
Finally, tell us why you partnered up with Mythrill? What made you go for it?
I saw a Facebook ad calling for story submissions and made a why-not pitch. I loved the whole concept behind Mythrill and thought being on the platform when it was launched would be super cool.
You can read The Control exclusively on Mythrill by downloading the app.