Author Interview: C. S. Wachter & The Seven Words series

Please join me in welcoming author C. S. Wachter to the blog today to chat about her fantasy series – The Seven Words!

C. S. Wachter lives in rural Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, with her husband Joe, one German Shepherd, and three cats. She and Joe have been married for more than forty years and have three sons, one grandson and one granddaughter.

Ms. Wachter earned her degree in Performing Arts and English Education from Rowan University in 1975. She compares developing a character’s perspective to preparing for an acting role. As a life-long lover of books, she has read and enjoyed a variety of genres. However, after reading J. R. R. Tolkien in middle school her favorite has been, and remains to this day, Fantasy with a Christian perspective.

You can connect with C. S. on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

THE SORCERER’S BANE
SERIES: The Seven Words #1
GENRE: Christian Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Shadowfall Publishing
RELEASE DATE: February 16, 2018
PAGES: 337

Light and dark battle for the soul of six-year old Prince Rayne, heir to the throne of all Ochen and prophesied Light Bringer of the One. Kidnapped, his memories and voice blocked, claimed as a slave, and given the name Wren, he is raised as an assassin.

Sigmund, powerful ancient sorcerer and enemy of the One, plans to frustrate the prophecy by using the young prince to assassinate his own parents. With the death of the Light Bringer and the failure of the prophecy, Sigmund and his demonic colleagues will be free to bring darkness to all seven worlds of Ochen. But what the sorcerer fails to realize is that the One has already claimed the boy, placing within his spirit a glowing ember of light, and giving him support in a world of abuse and violence.

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Hi C.S.! Welcome to the blog!

C.S.: Oranges. Especially easy peel clementines.

Carrie: I love the smell of oranges but can’t eat them…

C.S.: Definitely summer. Give me warmth and sunshine and thunderstorms. Especially this year! Far too much snow, ice, and cold.

Carrie: i have had basically no snow this year and am slightly grumpy about it haha. I don’t mind the other seasons but I would like to at least have winter 😛

C.S.: I have two cats (Shadow and Auggie) and one dog (Rin), but I’d have to go with dogs. My German Shepherd Rin is my special companion. 

Carrie: Dogs are such loyal friends, aren’t they?

C.S.: Coffee by all means. Tea is okay occasionally, especially rooibos, but I need my coffee fix daily.

Carrie: that’s how i feel about my diet coke 🙂

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

C.S.: The power of Veritas. To discern the truth in people’s words, especially if they are lying to themselves and don’t realize it. That superpower would suit an older person (think grandmother) like me.

Carrie: i think we can definitely use more of that in the world today!

Q: When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?

C.S.: When I walk into a bookstore, the first place I head is the fantasy section. I’m an old fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I discovered The Lord of The Rings in middle school and the Chronicles of Narnia in college. Those books are one of the reasons I write fantasy with Christian themes.

Carrie: Lewis & Tolkien and their fiction remain among my very favorites!

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

C.S.: My favorite space in which to write is my “library.” The room was originally a formal dining room but the moment we moved it, I claimed it for my library. Now it has tall bookcases, a couple comfy chairs, and my desk. The antique desk sits in front of double windows that overlook rolling hills in the distance. So lovely. Add to that, my laptop, wireless keyboard and mouse, and an extra-large screen, and I’m ready to write.

Carrie: oh i love that – how cozy!

Q: What surprised you about the books or your characters as you wrote The Seven Words series?

C.S.: Probably the most surprising thing that has happened involved one certain character. As I set about writing The Light Arises, book two of The Seven Words series, I had envisioned him as part of a team of “good guys” who would help my main character, Rayne, on his journeys to fulfill his destiny. The character, Brayden, Rayne’s cousin, turned out to be, in fact, the opposite. The moment I started typing him, the words I thought would be supportive and uplifting for Rayne came out hateful and cynical and cruel. That twist led to Brayden becoming one of the major antagonists of the series.

Carrie: wow!

Q: Were there any songs that inspired you as you wrote this series?

C.S.: I enjoy strong music. Christian heavy metal bands like Red and Thousand Foot Krutch, and Mongolian rock bands like The HU are my favorites to write to. Perhaps the most influential song was Pieces by the band Red. The words melded well with where the story was heading while I wrote The Deceit of Darkness, the third book of The Seven Words series.

“I’m here again; a thousand miles away from you; a broken mess; just scattered pieces of who I am … You call my name; I come to you in pieces; so you can make me whole.” I think I must have played that song a couple hundred times while writing that novel.

Carrie: I was today years old when i learned that Mongolian rock bands existed! lol

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from your books?

C.S.: Another reason I felt called to write was an emphasis in current fantasy that removes God from the picture. This caused me to wonder. Are we Christians so afraid of being accused of Deus Ex Machina (pulling a god-figure out of nowhere to help us out of a corner we’ve written ourselves into) that we tend to avoid giving him an active role in our books or reduce him to a non-entity? I chose to make him active and present because he is active and present in this world. So, what I would most like readers to take away from my books can be summed up in these words, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 and “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed., for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

My poor protagonists suffer, especially Rayne from The Seven Words series, Demon’s Legacy, and A Weight of Reckoning. But though the demons are strong and their plan to bring darkness to the seven worlds of Ochen moves forward with all signs pointing to success, the One (God) never leaves Rayne to combat the enemy alone. He is always there strengthening, supporting, and loving Rayne despite the circumstances.

So, my message to my readers is: whatever your circumstances, keep your eyes on God. He is your rock, your fortress, and your strong tower. He is never absent or far away.

Carrie: Amen ♥

What about you? What makes you want to read The Seven Words series by C. S. Wachter?