Tracey Alley--Erich's Plea

I was born, raised and still live in sunny south-east Queensland. I come from a large, wonderful family and am married with a dog and two cats. I enjoy travel, boxing, yoga, horse-riding and would love to learn photography and scuba-diving - my two new challenges for the year.
I've been writing for as long as I can remember but found fantasy through role-playing and Dungeons & Dragons - since then I've never looked back. I love to read and write fantasy - the escapism is wonderful.
I have degrees in Ancient History, where I specialised in Egyptology, and Comparative Religions, where I specialised in ancient pagan religions. I incorporate a lot of that into my work, using old myths and legends and religious practices.



Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
A: I think one of the best features of my book is that it blends so many other elements into a fantasy setting. Erich’s Plea is as much about politics, religion v faith, and the power of love as it is an action/adventure fantasy story. Another element that adds dramatically to the overall story arc is the amount of ‘real world’ history that has been incorporated into the book. Many readers will recognize the mythology that is woven into the storyline. Having said all of that I would hope that what readers like most about the book is the basic question the story asks of ‘how far would you go for someone you love?’ All of my principal characters are driven by love of some kind – love of parent, love of country, romantic love and love of a friend. That’s the driving force throughout the series rather than the fantastic elements of the storyline.



Q: Why did you go indie?
A: I tried the traditional publishing route and got nowhere. Received extremely positive feedback but it always seemed to come down to a cost analysis – I was constantly being told by agents and publishers they ‘weren’t sure they could make enough money on an unknown author’. It was very disheartening and frustrating to be told ‘your book’s good but it’s not the right time for this from a financial point of view’. A friend told me about Amazon’s ‘do it yourself’ option and I’m so glad to have found this venue. Now I have the satisfaction of knowing that all those publishers who passed were both right and wrong – it is a good book, people are buying it and liking it, and it is financially viable, people are buying it and liking it. I wouldn’t turn down a decent traditional publishing contract but I am no longer actively seeking it. Being indie is way too much fun and I’ve met some fabulous authors this way I would never have otherwise gotten to meet.




Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
A: I love Katharine Kerr, Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey and many others. Perhaps one of my favourite authors is C. S. Lewis – his fantasy was filled with adventure and fun but also asked some serious questions. I like any book that really makes me think. One of my new favourite authors, who I discovered via KindleBoards, is David Dalglish. His Half-Orc series is truly fantastic and his writing is so neat and clean. There are many, many other fabulous indie writers out there and one element of my joy at being a part of the ‘indie publishing phenomenon’ is discovering these new, wonderful authors.

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