Author Interview With A. L. Buehrer

Hello to all my wonderful readers!

I’m back from a somewhat long break, and today I will be sharing my first ever author interview with the lovely A. L. Buehrer!

I hope you’re all as excited as I am, so let’s get right to it!

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1. What was your first story you wrote? If you still remember, what was it about?

One of the earliest stories I ever wrote, or should I say dictated was about a rocket. I guess you could say I’ve been writing science-fiction for a long time. The first line was “When the rocket went away, he almost breaked his self.” It’s a good first line, really. It identifies the protagonist. (A rocket. A male rocket, to be specific.) And starts in the middle of the action. (Note that he’s already going away.) Plus, it puts him in immediate jeopardy. (He almost breaked his self.)

2. When did you first realize that you wanted to be a published author?

I don’t really remember. It must have been around the time I realized I was actually going to finish my debut, The Stardrift Trilogy. My plans didn’t start out very big. I just really enjoyed writing and didn’t stop after the first, or second, or third novel I finished. Eventually, I realized I had something to share with the world. So, here we are. 

3. If you had to choose a favorite character you’ve ever written, who would it be and why?

I’ve written a ton of fun characters over all the novel manuscripts and short-stories I’ve done. I’m obsessed with creating characters that make stories addictive. It’s really hard for me to choose a favorite, but for the purposes of this interview, I’ll highlight one in particular. 

I loved my main villain from The Stardrift Trilogy. I’ve learned a lot about characterization since Stardrift, and I suppose some people would whine that there are multiple Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters in the trilogy, but man, they were a fun cast. And Valhalse Coharnah was a classic. Seven feet tall, very good-looking, a full head of hair down to his mid-thighs, and eyes that appeared to be brown but in good light were “red as a dying star” I think was how I put it. But he wasn’t all dark-lord-y. He was also kind of a soft-spoken perceptive type who didn’t care for political posturing and actually treated his minions rather nicely. He was just a lot of fun, overall.

I will move on, now. 

4. Which writer (past or present) is your inspiration?

JRR Tolkien probably had more influence on my writing than any other author—which is funny to say, because I’ve never written any high-fantasy. I was pulled in by his world-building and setting descriptions and I love how he creates atmosphere. 

5. If you only were allowed to read one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Boy, that’s a hard one because I’m really not a genre-reader. I just read the books I like.  I read a lot of non-fiction actually, but I don’t think you could actually consider that a genre. Within fiction, I guess if I had to pick…*struggles* either fantasy or scifi. Maybe scifi? But what about fantasy? Wait! Mystery! I actually really enjoy mystery. As much as I love speculative fiction, mystery plots are probably my favorite. I just love scifi and fantasy settings…. Don’t ask me this question!

6. If you could give one piece of writing advice to aspiring authors, what would it be?

Start writing, stop worrying that it won’t be perfect, and finish your first book. Your first book won’t be perfect no matter how many times you rewrite the first chapter. Your second and third book will be better, but still not perfect. But books don’t need to be perfect. They just need to get written and finished. That’s really the best way to learn, in my opinion. Never stop writing imperfect books, and never stop enjoying your own stories.

7. Any exciting details you can give us for your upcoming Dronefall novels?

The last three books of the Dronefall series are going to escalate quickly. Throughout the first three, there’s a ton of mystery and you’re going to have so many questions, you might want to keep a running list. But in the second half, things will start popping like crazy as all those threads come together. The emotional subplots are going to expand and deepen, the back stories are all going to start coming into play, and you’re going to get an ending unlike probably anything you’ve seen in the dystopian genre. My advice to everybody is to read the first three and then hang in there. We’re just getting started!

Author Bio

A. L. Buehrer is a speculative fiction author on a mission to bring courage, wonder and hope to the Christian audience. She revels in creating twisty plots, set in atmospheric worlds, populated by vivid characters, and pointing readers to the eternal beauty of Jesus Christ. Other interests include nerdy stuff, Earl Grey tea, and giving weird nicknames to cats.

You can find her on her website and her blog!