I
met P.E. Gilbert through Instagram. After chatting we decided we
would like to interview one
Please
tell us your name and a little bit about yourself...
My
name is P.E. Gilbert, and I am a blogger, YouTuber, writing
consultant, and the author to the fantasy novella, The
Sultan’s Daughter.
I
studied history at Birmingham University, before spending the next
ten years writing a fantasy series (not The
Sultan’s Daughter,
as it happens). Nowadays, I give writing tips on my blog and on
YouTube, plus interview authors and lend advice where I can. I do
these things to help writers/authors write more engaging stories.
Tell
us about your book: Title, genre, page count, blurb
My
book is called The
Sultan’s Daughter.
It is a fantasy novella, targeted for fantasy lovers and women. It is
a short book of 121 pages and it is fast-paced and full of suspense.
The story is from the sole POV of Princess Nalini, the Sultan’s
daughter, who must do everything she can to save her father’s
kingdom, despite having two older brothers and several advisors
around her who are supposedly more competent than her. The blurb is
as follows:
Victory
means life and furthering everything that her father has built.
Defeat means death, destruction, and ruin.
The
choices could not be starker for Princess Nalini after a curse is
placed upon her family. Untrained for rule and war, she must adapt
quickly. For who else can stop the armies of frightening fanaticism
marching toward the capital if not the Sultan’s daughter?
What
is your writing inspiration?
In general, my desire to write stories comes from my love for great
books and films. I write in order to give back to the industries that have given me so much joy
since childhood.
More
specifically for The
Sultan’s Daughter,
my inspirations come from history, fiction, and historical fiction. I
got the idea to write the story after I read a biography on Saladin
by Professor John Man in 2019, around the time (coincidentally) that
the new Aladdin
film
came out. Yes, Princess Jasmine is an inspiration for Nalini, but I
would not say that they are alike in personality at all.
Other
inspirations for this book include my general knowledge of Ancient
Egypt and the Middle East; the deaths of the three French kings Louis
X, Philip V, and Charles IV in the early-14th
century
(all of whom were brothers and died heirless, which in turn started
the One Hundred Year’s War with England), and Margaret Beaufort as
depicted by Philippa Gregory in The
Red Queen.
Are
there more books in the works?
Yes!
I am planning the sequel to The
Sultan’s Daughter
as
we speak. I do not have a title for it yet, and it will be a while
before I start it (let alone finish it). But I intend to start
writing it in the autumn, and I am excited to continue the story.
(I
must say that I have been overwhelmed that people, who have read The
Sultan’s Daughter,
have asked me if there is going to be a sequel. It is wonderful to
know that people enjoyed my story so much that they want to read
more. That is a dream come true, honestly.)
What
are some tips you can provide for other writers as far as networking
their books?
Yes,
I have a few tips on this front, all of which I do on a regular
basis. First, I would advise writers/authors to use social media
platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, so that they can: a)
regularly post content to show their expertise, and b) make
connections and promote other people’s works.
Second,
write a blog and interview authors or other forms of content
creators. This second point links into my third tip, as I urge
authors to focus on getting promotions rather than sales for their
books. The more promotion you can get, and the better name you can
get for yourself, the more sales will come your way.
Fourth,
if you want to go to the next level, start a YouTube channel or
TikTok account. Video content will give you a greater profile online.
And the greater your profile online, the more chance people will have
of coming across your books, which can mean more sales. (I will be
setting up a TikTok account very shortly in order to give myself a
greater profile online.)
Can
you please share your contact information with us? (Please include
social media links)
For
sure. I am on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, plus I have a
WordPress blog (Paul’s Fantasy Writings) and a website. Here are my
links, so that you can view my content and/or contact me:
Lastly,
I would like to say thank you, Deanna, for this opportunity. I really
appreciate it and I wish you only success and joy going forwards.
