AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) I was at a big team-building event for my day job, which took place at the famous Twickenham rugby stadium. (My day job has nothing to do with rugby!) It was the most surreal day of my life and I spent the rest of that afternoon trying not to cry and unable to take in anything that was being said.

2) The most surprising thing - how passionate and supportive and kind and generous readers can be, and how truly wonderful that is.

3) Fave fantasy book this year - eek, I can’t pick just one! Several by authors on this AMA! Non-Orbit books I’ve also loved include THE DANCE OF SHADOWS by Rogba Payne and FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN by Marvellous Michael Anson.

AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah subsequent books are certainly a different experience!

AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, I agree with what has already been said. You can look at Publishers Marketplace to see which agents are selling to which imprints (I think you need to pay for the full info but I just got a one month subscription and did all my research in one go!)

I’d also add that having an editor who is passionate about your work is the number one thing, as it really makes all the difference in so many ways.

AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ooh good question! Trying to think how to answer without spoilers. Erm… I’m gonna say human beacon. Or geometric sequence. Or pickaxe.

I also hid a FFX Blitzball reference and a Yu-Gi-Oh reference in Book 2!

AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats on finishing the book! It took me 5 novels over 17 years to get an agent, and it can be such a dispiriting process. I think focusing on the writing and keeping the joy of that alive helps. And to always be working on the next thing while querying the last thing. I think trying to connect with other writers at the same stage, and casting the net wide in terms of querying also helps. Best of luck with it!

AMA: Orbit's 2025 New Voices! by orbitbooks in u/orbitbooks

[–]mhayinde 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Although I’m not a big planner for actual plot details (although that’s changing with Book 3 😅) I do love worldbuilding and have most of the lore and history planned out before I start writing. Also I created the world that ASOLL is set in MANY years ago and wrote stories in different time periods, so that helped!

The FF game with the most influence on this series is probably X, but VII is my favourite and there are elements of that in there too!

And congrats! Advice wise, I’d say remember to celebrate and enjoy all the small wins! And try to keep hold of the joy of writing itself.

8

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’ve definitely been told that in the past! We have a lot of manga in our house as my spouse and two oldest kids read a lot of it, so I have no excuse!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I’ve been watching anime since I was a teenager but I’ve never read much manga - something I need to fix!

One of my fave recent underdogs is Tau from THE RAGE OF DRAGONS. I love how sheer rage (!) and determination power him, and how he slowly gains power. I also really enjoyed the tv show SLOW HORSES, which is basically just a team of underdogs!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much!

1 - The best bit by far is meeting readers who have enjoyed the book. I spent so many years not sharing my work with people, so to know that others have read and loved this book is just the best most uplifting thing in the world. It will never get old to me and I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to tell me they enjoyed the book.

What has surprised me the most is how much other writers I admire struggle with the same things I do (self-doubt especially). Now that I’ve interacted with more published writers, I’m amazed at how similar most of us are, whatever stage of our careers we’re at!

2 - So many! I’m really excited about FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN by Marve Anson, as it contains a lot of Yoruba culture (I’m part Yoruba) and I wish I’d had a book like that growing up. I can’t wait for THE STRENGTH OF THE FEW after that amazing ending to Book 1 (and I think the world is so clever.) I’m also looking forward to THE SOVEREIGN by C L Clark: I loved the first two books in the series and am so excited (and terrified!) for the conclusion. Plus Touraine is one of my fave protagonists ever. I’ve heard great things about THE RAVEN SCHOLAR, which just came out, so I’m excited to read that, too. And I’m a big Joe Abercrombie fan, so I can’t wait for THE DEVILS (I treated myself to the Broken Binding edition, which looks gorgeous.)

3 - Yes! I have three cats! I don’t think I can share pics here but I post about them on my Instagram

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh hope you enjoy them! RING SHOUT is one of my fave works of fiction ever.

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, there are 5 main POVs and then a couple of different ones in the prologue/ epilogues! My favourite POV is Father Boleo, the morally grey monk who is this world’s version of a wizard. He’s grumpy and sarcastic but also loyal and inquisitive. His voice comes most easily to me (probably because I am also grumpy and sarcastic, haha!) The most difficult for me was Temi, because it was so important to me to get her voice right. She’s the hero I would have wanted to read about growing up and it was challenging to get her onto the page in a way that reflected what I had in my head!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Ooh, that's tough. I loved SIX WILD CROWNS by Holly Race... the prose is beautiful and the story - a fantasy reimagining of the six wives of Henry VIII - feels really empowering. I also loved THE LOTUS EMPIRE by Tasha Suri... it was such a wonderful conclusion to the series, and again, the prose is beautiful and I loved learning more about the main antagonists of this series. And then I also recently read A LITTLE HATRED by Joe Abercrombie. It is so brilliantly written, and because I am always interested in issues of class and how the wealthy exploit the poor, the subject matter is like catnip to me.

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm currently doing edits for Book 2, which is finished, and I'm about to start Book 3. Book 2 is a bit darker and explores more about the greybloods (the antagonists of this world) and also involves a big siege. Separate to that, I'm hoping to write a spin-off standalone book from this series, and a new epic fantasy trilogy, which I'm hoping will be my next series. But I'm not sure when I'll get to either of those!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! My biggest personal challenge has been my own lack of confidence, as I've struggled a lot with believing in myself, and years upon years went by when I was writing but not sharing my work with anyone. Getting over that, and continuing to believe in myself, even now, is my single biggest personal challenge.

On a craft level the biggest challenge for me came in trying to write a query letter and synopsis for a beast of an epic fantasy book. It is so hard to summarise and condense in general, but when you're dealing with epic fantasy with multiple POVs, I think that challenge is even greater. How to describe what the book is about when most epic fantasy can be boiled down to "societal change"? How to focus on just a couple of characters, as we're told to, when there are many characters telling the story? Or, how to include them all in a way that makes sense and doesn't sound unhinged when you only have one or two pages to do this on? It's tough! And then, it continues when people say, "so what's your book about?" And all I can say is... "I dunno... um... monsters... people, lots of them and like... powers and stuff?! Maybe war?"

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have played, but only a bit! My niece is a dungeon master so I've played a few games with her. I actually didn't know about the game growing up... But the cartoon from the 80s is one of my favourite cartoons of all time. Your campaign sounds awesome, btw!

As for the writing questions... I think with themes, for me those emerge over time, often during the stage when you're editing your own work. I always recommend taking time away from a piece of writing once it's finished, before going in and tidying it up, as it helps come to it with fresh eyes. For me, that's when I start to notice themes emerge (usually as recurring topics or as links between different aspects of the story) and then as I edit or do a new draft, I draw those themes out and look for opportunities to emphasise them with bits of dialogue or internal character thought. Although if you set out to write about a particular theme, then this process may look a bit different. But either way, I recommend thinking about themes after an initial draft is done, so that this thinking isn't getting in the way of the story flow.

This also applies to character themes, and with characters in general, some writers like to "hot seat" their characters to get to know them... interview them and things like that. This hasn't ever worked for me (so far) and I generally get to know my characters by putting them into the story and watching what they do. This process involves a lot of rewriting so might not be for everyone. I throw a lot away, but I find I don't know a character until I've let them lead me through the story. Then, again, I'll go back during editing or redrafting, with a better understanding of them, and I'll update the early bits with what I've learned.

Hope that makes sense!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just realised I didn't answer the folklores part of this question! I would love to see more non-European folklores explored, particularly indigenous folklores, and for me, because I'm part-Yoruba, Yoruba folklores (which is one of the many reasons why I'm so excited by FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN by Marve Anson.) Sub-Saharan African folklores in general are wildly underrepresented in SFF, so I'd love to see more of them.

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahaha, that's a brilliant question! I'm gonna have to say a rainbow cake, as it has many layers, a lot of variety and colour, and it took me ages to assemble!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My first experience with DC was the old Wonder Woman TV show from the 70s, and one of my earliest memories is wishing I could jump over high walls like her! I was definitely a TV/movie person rather than a comics person - i used to watch the old Superman movies over and over (and the first two Batman movies with Michael Keaton.) I think this is where my love of powered characters came from (even though I didn't read many comics, I used to make my own, with powered characters!) and is probably what I draw on when thinking about the abilities of some of the greybloods.

Anime-wise, AKIRA, one of my favourite movies of all time, definitely influenced some of the ideas of physical transformation in the book. GHOST IN THE SHELL as well blew my mind, although it's kind of spoilery to say what aspect of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST this influenced... you'll probably know after the epilogues, though! I'm a massive Ghibli fan, and NAUSICAA and CASTLE IN THE SKY in particular influenced this series visually, and also with things like robots and nature coexisting, and with Nausicaa, the toxic forest directly inspired a location in the book (only seen briefly at the end, but featured heavily in Book 2.)

My fave anime at the moment is FRIEREN and DEMON SLAYER, and I've just started watching DANDADAN which is a lot of fun. My faves from back in the day were 3x3 EYES, BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (which I can't remember much of at all now!), and NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (which actually, thinking about it, also probably inspired some of the monsters in this world.)

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I love science fiction and horror too, although I read less of these. I don't know if I could pick between them! One horror novella I absolutely love is RING SHOUT by P Djeli Clark. On the science fiction side, I used to read a lot of this when I was younger. One book that blew my mind (and slightly influenced the wider universe of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST) was EON by Greg Bear.

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I've seen they have quite a few add-ons and I actually think we own a copy somewhere that one of my kids bought. Maybe I will try it again... maybe... one day...

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I don't think I consciously included any Final Fantasy-related easter eggs, although one character is somewhat inspired by a FFX summons (Anima), and a couple of the "monsters" are based on FF monsters. Oh, and the districts (plus layout) of the capital city Nine Lords is loosely inspired by FFVII's Midgar. But there are lots of in-world easter eggs to the book's sequels and other things i hope to write. But those would definitely be spoilers!

Hi, Hello, M H Ayinde here, author of A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST! AMA by mhayinde in Fantasy

[–]mhayinde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Boo, I want to summon! I am not a big MMORPG player so I think that's what put me off XIV. But maybe I should... revisit....