July Member Feature - melfurny

Username: melfurny
Time on Deviantart: 5 years
Varied/Hobbyist

Basic Stats (as of this Journal):
550 Deviations
9,494 Comments
28,945 Pageviews
9 Scraps
135 Watchers
1 Critique
1 Forum Posts
20,055 Favorites

Some of Her Deviations:

TEK - Assignment - Angelica and Flaming Sky    Angelica didn’t really like the idea of using her magic to cause harm to other cats, but instinct and everything her family taught her, lets her know that if it is to defend those you love and you Kingdom, is justified.  She had just received word that she was needed for a border patrol that would check the whole eastern border. She was not a Soldier, but she did know some deadly tricks with fire. She wasn’t entirely excited though. She figured it was just going to be some silly little walk trip that wouldn’t be worth it, but she really perked up when she heard Rusco was going too. This news added a spring in her step as she was strolling toward the meeting place.
    Living in the Fire Kingdom and of course being able to control made her really hate water. And that was another reason why she had not been happy about this journey. They would be walking along a shoreline where the Kingdom of Water flourished.
“Angelica?” called Prologue - A Witness Cries Out for Awareness“You can find him… prowling among the undergrowth… an ancient tomcat's mysterious green eyes piercing through the darkness of the night. His black fur sleek and well-groomed; it lay flat against his skin, better revealing his thick muscles rippling underneath. He is on the hunt, but not for what you might think. He is after something different… something that glows within you. His spirit is full of menace, and as all cats know, he is to be deeply feared. He may appear to be handsome and his eyes could be blindly seen as comforting, but if you look deeper, you will see the darkness that lingers within. However, it is rather unfortunate that at one time, long ago, The Goddess of Life, Draymar, was in love with him… I say unfortunate because, well, he hurt her. Bad.” Troublesome Memories and Lost Secrets - Chapter 1        Crystal padded quietly forward, tip toeing back to her house. The chilly night air felt good, the stars shone brightly, and the moon beamed down the cats below. Talos had just returned with her from the waterfall. They went their separate ways, he went home, and she made her way to the door of her house. Their visits there were magical, amazing, and so much fun. She slipped past a window at the front of the house, candle light streaming through it. For, there is mother and father's bedroom. The house seemed empty the first few weeks when the tragic murder happened. The funeral was just awful, the last moments replayed through her head often. Ever since Talos and her had been visiting the waterfall, they began to fix somethings back there. When Fayna, and Crystal were younger, Jewel, would bring them whith her to there. She even carried seeds from the garden at home and plant them there. Now that Talos and her went there more often, the pl

Questions We Asked:

1) How has the publishing experience been with your books?
It was a very long and slow process getting there because there are lots of options. For the longest of time, I was just writing and it was just a dream to get published because I didn't want to sell rights to a company that would take advantage of me, so in the end I just self-published, but with Amazon Direct Publishing. They offer to publish and distribute books for you. Now you get more money back for eBooks, since they cut out the prices of the publishing too, so really the money you get back is "70%" royalty or so, but yet it is more like 30% it seems because they are having to pay for the paper and ink and such.

2) What are some things you would recommendations you would give to someone who has just started writing?
I would recommend just to keep an open mind and have patience! Writing a story and even a series takes a very long time and lots of stress and thinking so also remember to take breaks often and relax because if you just push yourself to write ALL the time, it'll become more of a job than a hobby and your ideas might not be as pure or as effective because you're killing your imagination with being so forceful. Just really just let it happen and come to you. Good things take time, so wait and let the good ideas and twists come to you. As weird as it may sound, some of my best ideas came to me from road trips, new music, shower, working outside, walking in the woods, swimming, etc. Or just even in my sleep if you can remember to write down dreams as soon as you wake. Or really just writing down a diary or journal and you could use your own life experiences to make the character's lives more realistic or impactful for the reader because of the more relatable, the better.

3) Which is your favorite deviation in your dA gallery and why?
My favorite deviation is probably the one advertising my published works because it has so much meaning and emotion behind it for me. It took my five long years to get them published and to be where I am now. When I first held my books in my hands, I felt like I had finally done something I can really be proud of and see for myself and touch. Grant it, I raise sheep for show stock and getting to see that project grow is great too, getting to see younger 4-H members show my lambs and do well is very comforting, but it never brought me the same feelings of real accomplishment like my books have. I'm not sure if it's because I have poured so much of my own life and my own feelings and experiences into my books, or because I just never thought my dream of publishing would ever come true, but I also love it because I see it as my opportunity to leave behind something on the world that could impact others. I've always wanted to be someone who make a change and could inspire others. I love sharing my ideas with people, and so I saw my books and my writing as the best way to do it. They also helped in a sense of communicating indirectly. I have trouble sometimes coping with things, and so writing is sort of my way to really share the truth if I can't say it. There are many moments in my books that I created because either I wish it was something I could've done myself, or things that I had happen to me, or even things that have happened that I didn't want to happen, but they did, and so I guess my books are also just a way to show others that life is full of times like those, and that the challenges in life have a reason and how you handle it, builds character.