Today I’m pleased to bring you an interview with N. C. Scrimgeour, author of Sea of Souls. This interview is part of my stop on the blog tour organized by Escapist Book Co. Thank you for allowing me to participate, and thank you to N. C. Scrimgeour for answering my questions.
Do you read reviews of your books? If so, how do you handle bad or good reviews?
I do, even though I know I shouldn’t! Good reviews always put a smile on my face, and even the more
critical ones can be helpful in terms of self-reflection. There are always a couple that get under your skin,
but I know as a reader I don’t enjoy every book either, so I try to just move on quickly and not let it bother
me. At the end of the day, whether review is positive or negative, someone has taken the time and
consideration to engage with my book, which is always appreciated.
What is the best way you’ve found to market your books?
I focus nearly all of my marketing efforts in the first book of my series. If people enjoy Book 1, they’ll
hopefully go on and read the rest of the series, so the most important thing for me is pushing the first
book as much as possible. I do a bit of social media, but my main marketing strategy is using Amazon
Ads, which helps keep sales ticking along. Once in a while, I’ll also do a 99c promotion and run a few paid
newsletter promos at the same time, and those usually result in a decent boost!
What was your favorite book as a child? Did it influence you to become a writer?
My favourite childhood book was Watership Down by Richard Adams. I don’t know how many times I’ve
read it over the years—the cover is so worn and dog-eared, and the pages have seen much better days. I
fell in love with the world and culture Adams created with these rabbits, and how well written they were as characters. I think Bigwig is one of the greatest fictional heroes of all time, and I still get chills when I read the line: “My Chief Rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here.”
I wouldn’t say Watership Down influenced me to become a writer—it’s hard for me to pinpoint any one
book that made me want to start writing myself—but it’s a book that is incredibly close to my heart and
made me fall in love with reading.
What is your favorite thing to listen to while you write?
I find it difficult to concentrate on writing if there are lyrics (I just can’t help singing along!), so I usually
listen to soundtrack music that fits the kind of theme/atmosphere of the book I’m working on. For Sea of
Souls, I’ve mainly been listening to The Witcher 3, Greedfall, Black Sails, Dragon Age and Lord of the
Rings.
Do you ever have reader’s block or reading slumps? How do you get yourself out of them?
Reading slumps (and writing slumps!) aren’t uncommon for me. In both cases I usually try to give myself
a bit of a break and not force it too much. Especially with writing—if I’m not in the right headspace for it, I
know I’m not going to be happy with what I’ve produced, so it feels counterproductive. That being said, it’s important for me to try and realise the difference between feeling genuinely burned out and just feeling a bit lazy, so sometimes I just have to make myself power through!
Do you read the genre of books you write? Do you read your own books after they’re finished?
I read almost exclusively fantasy and sci-fi, which are the two genres I write in. However, this is a habit I
am trying to change as I know that by reading other genres and exposing myself to different
pacing/structure/story beats, it will likely only improve my own writing. So that’s something I want to
actively try to do this year.
When it comes to my own books, when they’re done, they’re done! I’ll have re-read them so many times
already throughout the editing process that when they’re finally released, I’m happy to not have to look at them again—it’s up to the readers now. Maybe a few years down the line I’ll feel different and want to
read them again, but right now it still feels too close.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Sea of Souls by N. C. Scrimgeour Series: Sea of Souls Saga #1
Published by Alcruix Press on 08/04/2023
Genres: Folklore Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
Pages: 413
IndieBound
Goodreads
Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within…
Free-spirited Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves.
But when tragedy calls Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders have been terrorising the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood Estate, Isla is forced to flee with her hot-headed brother and brooding swordmaster.
To avenge her family and reclaim her home, Isla will have to set aside old grudges and join forces with an exiled selkie searching for a lost pelt. The heirloom might be the key to stopping the bloody conflict—but only if they can steal it from the island’s most notorious selkie hunter, the Grand Admiral himself.
Caught between a promise to the brother she once left behind and an unlikely friendship with the selkie who should have been her enemy, Isla soon realises the open seas aren’t the only treacherous waters she’ll need to navigate.
As enemies close in on all sides, she must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie if she wants to save what’s left of her family—and find the belonging she’s been searching for.
Content Warning: alcohol/alcoholism, amputation, animal death (fictional/in-world creatures), assault, attempted murder, blood, bodies/corpses, body horror, bones, child death (off-page, mentioned only), classism, death, decapitation, emotional abuse, forced captivity, gore, gun violence, hallucinations, hunting, injury, murder, physical abuse, poisoning, pregnancy, prejudice (fictional/in-world), profanity, self harm (ritualistic), skeletons/skulls, violence
About N. C. Scrimgeour
N. C. Scrimgeour is a science fiction and fantasy author whose books focus on character-driven stories in vibrant worlds, from folklore fantasy to space opera.
After completing her Masters in English Literature, she went on to work in journalism and marketing and communications while pursuing her passion in writing.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing story-driven RPGs, watching and reading all things science fiction and fantasy, and getting outdoors with the dog for a good walk!