The 2018 Author Interview Series Featuring Ronel Janse van Vuuren

This week’s author interview features Ronel Janse van Vuuren , author of New Adult, Young Adult and children’s fiction filled with mythology and folklore.

On a side note, though the initial response was gratifying, I find myself running out of interview subjects by the end of August. If you haven’t been interviewed, or even if you have and you have a new release coming out, please feel free to contact me to be interviewed at don@donmassenzio.com. I will send you the information and get you scheduled.

You can check out the 210 author interviews I’ve conducted thus far on my Author Directory page HERE.

Now, let’s meet Ronel Janse van Vuuren .

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Honestly, I write whatever the muse inspires me to. I have a specific reader in mind with each story, though I’m sure there are others who enjoy my original take on Faerie (‘cause they told me so).

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Patience is a virtue, persistence is divine.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

“The Iron King” by Julie Kagawa. I think the entire series should be a lot more popular than it is: intrigue, Faeries, romance, excellent worldbuilding and characterisation – what’s not to love?

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Yes. It’s good to know what readers like and dislike about my work. I do take all reviews with a grain of salt, though. Tastes and views differ, colouring reviews.

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Not intentionally. But I do surprise myself from time-to-time.

Do you Google yourself?

Of course! You never know when something odd might pop up or when SEO changes and your blog gets lost to obscurity. In the digital age, writers need to be Google-able and the first page of results needs to be relevant to your writing career.

What is your favorite childhood book?

“Klein Grootvoël, Die Getoorde Boeing” by Nico Venter. (It loosely translates from Afrikaans to: tiny big bird, the spelled Boeing.) I won it in a debating competition in primary school – it has various ghosts, including an African medicine man matching wits with an Indian medicine man while two boys take part in the adventures by travelling in a spelled toy airplane every full moon. It came out in 1997 – and taking into account the tensions in South Africa at that time regarding race and religion, it’s probably understandable that I can’t find it on the internet even with an ISBN number (magic, being friends with someone outside your culture and race, and a few other themes in the book weren’t popular back then).

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

One thing I would change if I could: entering the stories I wrote in competitions instead of hiding them away. I think each time we get feedback on our writing, we grow as writers. I could’ve fast-tracked my career if I had had the courage to do in my teens what I did in my twenties.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Including edits and rewrites? Six to eighteen months, depending on the length of the book (and other projects demanding attention).

About Ronel:

Ronel Janse van Vuuren is the author of New Adult, Young Adult and children’s fiction filled with mythology and folklore. Her dark fantasy stories can be read for free on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/user/miladyronel) and on her blog Ronel the Mythmaker (https://ronelthemythmaker.wordpress.com/). She won Fiction Writer of the Year 2016 for her Afrikaans stories on INK: Skryf in Afrikaans (http://www.ink.org.za/lede/roneljansevanvuuren/). Her published works can be viewed on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17528826.Ronel_Janse_van_Vuuren).

Ronel can be found tweeting (https://twitter.com/miladyronel) about writing and other things that interest her, arguing with her characters, researching folklore for her newest story or playing with her Rottweilers when she’s not actually writing.

In 2017 she won a publishing competition hosted by Groep 7 Printers and INK: Skryf in Afrikaans. The winning short story collection is available in English (Once…) and Afrikaans (Eens…) as ebook, print on demand and audiobook (only the Afrikaans edition thus far).

Ronel’s Books: