Fantasy author Freya Pickard releases Water Sister

When author Freya Pickard told me about releasing a new book in The Kaerling series, I knew I wanted to interview her. I’ve long been a fan of her writing, and The Kaerling series offers an epic fantasy tale for readers. Water Sister is the latest installment in the series, and the paperback contains three e-books in one. Water Sister is available now on Amazon.

Interview with Freya Pickard about Water Sister

Freya and I have been blogging friends for many years. While we discovered one another through our blogs, our friendship has grown beyond that. We have chatted countless times over emails. While there is a big physical distance between her in the UK and me in Canada, email allows us to instantly share our latest goals, accomplishments, and challenges.

Okay, let’s get to the interview!

Thanks for taking the time here today, Freya. To someone who has not yet read The Kaerling series, how would you describe it?

The Kaerling is a series of linked novellas that deal with trust, relationships, use of power, and different forms of racism and prejudice. Set in a fantasy world, each book can be read individually or as part of the whole series.

This newest release Water Sister contains volumes 7-9. Does that mean it is essentially three books in one?

Absolutely! The Kaerling is available in paperback with each paperback containing 3 e-books within its covers.

I’m curious, why did you organize it this way?

I prefer reading paperbacks to e-books, simply because I always feel as though I’m working when I read on my Kindle! My original intention was to release a series of paperbacks but the more I explored the internet, the more I realised that e-books were more popular than paperbacks. Each paperback was already divided into 3 parts so I re-wrote the MSS and produced 3 e-books which I then put into one paperback volume once the e-books had been published.

Now let’s talk specifically about the newest book in the series, Water Sister. Tell us about the plot.

Water Sister is the 3rd paperback volume in The Kaerling series and I needed to tell the tale of how the 4 companions pursue the evil kaerlings. At the end of Fire Daughter (the 2nd paperback) the 4 companions finally meet in the city of Aura Vere. Water Sister takes their journey a step further as they try to get along together and catch up with the kaerlings before it’s too late.

I track their journey from Aura Vere to Port Hollis, during which time the companions discover how hard it is to trust one another. Then voyage to the island of Kiros is traumatic for Lored and Otta and when they arrive at their destination, Otta and her twin, Erl, have to live as outlaws. Meanwhile, Lored and Tari find themselves trapped in the Cathair until Lored can find enough evidence to free Rue, the herb woman, from prison.

You’re so creative. What inspired you to write Water Sister?

Between Autumn 2019 and Autumn 2020 there was no custom for me at the Bed & Breakfast I was running in Torbay. This was due to Brexit and then Lockdown. I had no guests. I couldn’t go out, except for one walk every day. So, all I could do, was write. Despite not writing anything for The Kaerling for a couple of years (due to running the B&B) I found I slipped back into the characters’ heads without any problems.

I think that despite all the negativity Lockdown gave a lot of people, it actually was a good thing for me, because without it, I wouldn’t have written 90,000 words in a year!

That’s a lot of words! You definitely found a positive while in lockdown. Are you able to explain a bit about who is Water Sister?

Of course! The Water Sister is a character in the Zoratti prophecies. The Zoratti are practically immortal and somewhat frightening compared to mere humans. But they love the human race and revere those amongst the humans that their god has touched in some way.

The Water Sister is revealed in this book. It would of course have to be someone who is attuned to water. And, if you’ve already read Fire Daughter, you will have met someone like that! The Water Sister is Tari, the treu-priestess, who is travelling with her priestess, Undine and both of them look to Aqua, the goddess of water.

Quite why the Water Sister is of such importance to the Zoratti is, as yet, unclear, but will be revealed eventually!

What do you hope readers will get out of this latest installment in The Kaerling series?

I hope that they will enjoy the travels through Falna and Kiros and be able to immerse themselves in the different cultures I describe. I’m also hoping that readers will find themselves feeling closer to the main characters, particularly Lored and Tari. Lored has a difficult job to do and Tari finally finds a way to start standing up for herself and becoming more confident.

They are great characters. What do you see as your next writing project?

I’m already writing it – it’s book four of The Kaerling Paperbacks! Herb Woman is nearly finished. I’m just finalising the 12th e-book! This story tells of how the companions finally leave Kiros but before they can reach the land of the kaerlings, disaster strikes…

The series continues! Thanks for the inside scoop on what’s to come, Freya. And thank you for being here today.

Thank you, Christy, for interviewing me and allowing me some space on your site!

Connect with author Freya Pickard online

Find out more about The Kaerling and author Freya Pickard by connecting with her online at her blog Dragonscale Clippings, and check out her collection of books on Amazon. You can also find her on social media at Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Get your copy of Water Sister on Amazon on ALL marketplaces!

 

Top photo courtesy of Freya Pickard.