I am thrilled to have interviewed author Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann, who shared with us details of his writing life, his book ‘Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm‘, which was released on 28th August 2020, and answered a few fun questions. This post contains affiliate links.

Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann has been writing since childhood, and has a B.A. in writing from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in Bradford, PA. He has lived in Columbia, SC for more than twenty years with his wife and editor, Jay-Jay Flanagan-Grannemann, and a coterie of cats.

Joel has a day job in backroom operations at a major national retail chain where he has worked in various capacities since 1995.

I wrote all through high school and college, but stopped after graduation because life got in the way. Work, married life, moving 600 miles away: They all pushed writing out of my life. It became a source of depression in my life, but I couldn’t find break the cycle. So, in September 2019, my wife and I were on a beach vacation, and since there’s very little to do there in the evenings, we were watching movies. One of the movies we watched was Maleficent. We were going on a cruise that October and the second Maleficent movie was premiering on the ship, so we figured it was finally time to watch the first one. It was a good movie, but I was struck very strongly by the motherly relationship between Maleficent and Aurora.

The movie was going for the whole ‘Fairy Godmother’ vibe, but as the credits rolled, I thought, ‘This would be a better movie if Maleficent was Aurora’s mother.’ I went to bed and was only half asleep all night thinking about this idea. I had just taken on a new role at work, and I was in a much better headspace, so in the morning, on the new laptop I had just gotten, I wrote a brief outline of the story, the world, and the characters. Then, after diving into the original Sleeping Beauty stories, I found the name Talia, and I was off and writing.

In that original outline, I had the beginning, a few early scenes, and a rough framework for the story. As a discovery writer, I just followed the characters. There were a few guideposts and critical moments I needed to hit, but the rest was discovered as I wrote. Most of the scenes, I worked out in my head first, or at least the first few paragraphs, or maybe a conversation between characters. I’d jot down notes in my phone or on post-it notes as scenes, phrases, ideas came to me, or if I just had a quick idea I needed to get down. My co-worker got used to me suddenly stopping to scribble something down, then going back to what we were doing.

I had the title, Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm, from the very beginning. “The Heir” is how most Fairies refer to her. It also sets the expectation that Talia has an important destiny, and the drama of the story is the push and pull between her duty and her heart.

‘Talia’ came from one of the original Sleeping Beauty stories. Once I saw that name, I knew it was perfect. I knew exactly who she was, and what she would do. Not that Talia doesn’t still surprise me sometimes, but I had the framework for the character.

Other names are nods to other versions of Sleeping Beauty. ‘Flora,’ Talia’s maid and second mother, and ‘Merry-Weather,’ the Majordomo of the Fairy Court and Flora’s mother, for example, are nods to Disney’s classic version of the Sleeping Beauty story. Bastile, the Heir to the Human Realm, comes from Giambattista Basile, who wrote “Sun, Moon, and Talia,” one of the first Sleeping Beauty stories. This was also where I first saw the name ‘Talia.’ Another author, Charles Perrault, becomes a villain in book 2 of my series, Talia: On the Shore of the Sea, and has a bigger role in book 3, Fairy Court in Exile. Talia’s mother, ‘Zellandine,’ is another pluck from the Sleeping Beauty mythos.

I wear my influences on my sleeve for other names. ‘Elanor’ and ‘Goldberry’ come from Tolkien. ‘Willow’ is from Buffy, and despite what we now know about her creator, she’s an important character to me. The Fairy soldiers mostly have fighting-, armor-, or weapon-based names — like ‘Spearhead,’ ‘Shieldbreaker,’ and ‘Harpoon’ — that also fit with their personality and role. The deadly former spy and assassin, ‘Raven,’ is a combination of a lot of influences.

Other fairy tales influenced other names. Talia’s uncle ‘Oberon’ and his wife ‘Titania’ are pretty obvious nods to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” And then there are names that I just like, or that strike me at the moment I need them. The names of the twins, ‘Silidin’ and ‘Nidilis,’ make me grin.

I read some of the old Sleeping Beauty stories, and read synopses of others. For the Fairy ceremonial magic, I referred to ancient warding and divination practices. The internet in general helped me with weapons and armor.

I’ve always loved fantasy. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were early obsessions of mine, so there was no doubt that I’d set these books in a fantasy world.

I started writing in September of 2019, and finished the first draft in April of 2020. When my wife and editor, Jay-Jay, started reading and critiquing what I had written, we decided that the manuscript was too long for one book and split it into two. The first, Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm, was published on August 28th, 2020. Book 2, Talia: On the Shore of the Sea, was published on April 24th, 2021. Book 3, Fairy Court in Exile: An Epic Fantasy Novel of Civil War, was published on September 23rd, 2023. The next book (title not yet released) is planned for Fall 2024.

Epic fantasy quest

Balancing being creative, with the logistics of the story, and then the marketing of the book. Finding those readers who will absolutely connect with your characters and getting the books into their hands.

This is not your typical fairy story. My fairies are passionate, honorable, but still flawed individuals. Talia wants to do the best for her people and her Realm, but her personal feelings can get in the way. It’s not a typical fantasy, full of long-winded descriptions, lore dumps, and unpronounceable names. My focus is on the characters and their conversations and relationships. You discover the world of the Fairy Realm through them, with little hints and experiences playing out over time.

Roosevelt Franklin, our black cat, likes to sit on the back of my chair when I write, or on my hands when I’m trying to edit. Then there’s Sammy. He’s more of my Twitter buddy. Always lurking somewhere, with a silly remark or begging for some bread.

I used to be able to write in the living room with my wife watching tv, but no more. Now I need quiet, at least for the drafting. Sometimes I’ll have instrumental music on. That seems to help with very fast-paced scenes, or very emotional ones.

Right now, it’s either my chair in the living room or my chair in the bedroom. No picture: both spaces are too cluttered!

There’s a scene in the Fairy throne room after a very important event early on in the book. I would be one of the Feather-winged Fairies helping Merry-Weather keep the crowd under control.

“I love the Feathered-wing Fairies and how they’re the best flyers, but you need more owl representation. I’ll put you in touch with my parliament, and we’ll work on getting some sensitivity readers and consultants set up. And you also need more Feather-winged Paramounts. The ones here all seem to be Iridescent-winged. Again, I’ll find you a good advisor. Diversity in birds is what you need, sir!”

A big thank you to Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann for sharing his writing life with us and for a wonderful interview.