Author Interview with Lee Mavin, Author of 'THE WARS BETWEEN' #authorinterview

Today we are talking to Lee Mavin, author of the YA fantasy, The Wars Between.

Lee J Mavin is the author of 11 books. He is also a teacher and father. He has a Masters in Creative Writing and am solely focused on writing fiction (fantasy and horror) and poetry. He is now in collaboration the illustrator Karolina Piotrowski, a Polish artist who has brought many stories to life. He has worked and studied in China and Japan and studied with Dr Xiaohuan Zhao (a master of Chinese poetry) to complete his book Li Bai’s Shadow, at the University of Sydney. He has two children who are both avid readers, so he is always in the loop with trends in children’s fiction. He is married and lives in Sydney, where he teaches English.

His latest book is the YA fantasy, The Wars Between.

Visit his website at leejmavin.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.mavin.925/

╰┈➤ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mavin798

╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103759.Lee_J_Mavin

╰┈➤ TikTok ➜ https://www.tiktok.com/@leemavin4

Can you share a story about what brought you to this particular career path (becoming an author)?

I have wanted to become a writer every since my third grade teacher, Mr Holmes, told me that, ‘You’re a good writer, you should become an author.’ After I read my short story to the class. I had no idea if I was any good, but I just loved the idea of writing and publishing a book from that day onwards.

Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?

I think when I was 16, I sent my short story to the local newspaper and they agreed to interview me about it. I was so nervous and they took my photo and I did the interview, having no idea what to say. On the day, I wore an old pair of shorts and my favourite t-shirt, not knowing that that photo would be printed and cut out by my Mum and put on our fridge forever.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming an author?

I am trying to break into the mainstream, I think that is my current challenge. I want to be known as a writing and I want my new book to well known, that is my biggest challenge, getting it out there.

What is the main empowering lesson you want your readers to take away after finishing your book?

Fantasy novels are classic quest plots, they often have characters who fight an enemy who seeks to destroy them. I have a character that suggest the enemy is not really an enemy at all. The enemy in fact, is someone to love and learn from.

What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a great writer?

Always imaging alternatives to books and movies, which inspires new ideas

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

A theme of The Wars Between, is that in a world with a history of war, if we look into our so called enemies eyes, we in fact see ourselves. So I am suggesting, that we stop the loop of war with getting to know everyone from the other side and find our common traits. Outis Everrett, the poet who changed the world, could really exist inside all of us.

For centuries there had been an ongoing war between Asalandia, the proud monarchy of the east and Kastanair the progressive democracy of the west. However, the years of war would end with the most unlikely turn of events.

Outis Everrett, the disappointment of his family, a measly poet, is suddenly thrusted into an epic adventure across the sea, with the King’s blessing. His poem, the poem that somehow won the first annual Asalandian poetry competition, was meant to be taken across the seas, to the enemy island of Kastanair, there, it would be read by the President of Kastanair, the newly elected and very progressive, Penelope Chinwa and she was supposed stop the war after reading those so special words.

So Outis set sail aboard the Golden ship, guided and protected by the Knights of Sunrise and their adventures began. The Knights are led by Bartholemew Aries, the most famous soldier in Asalandia, though when their ship drifts off course to the mysterious island of Aquos Atalantious, the Princess of the island soon lures him to stay. So, the Knights of Sunrise become distracted by the beauties of this foreign island. After failing to find the prince, who had been taken by a monstrous octopus, the Golden ship sails onto Kastanair, without its leader, who had fallen in love with the Princess. They then sail to Syanthia, where the worlds’ meat was produced. There they meet, the young Kastanairian, Gwenia Xiachung, an enthusiastic vegan on a mission to stop everyone eating meat. Outis is thrown into a pig saving mission with Gwenia and is intrigued by the young girl. After saving the pigs and convincing the head of meat production to change his ways with a beautiful poem about animal empathy, Gwenia falls in love with Outis. She joins him and the Knights of Sunrise on the voyage to back to her country, Kastanair. Once they finally reach the shores of Kastanair, they are attacked on the shores by a small army, led by Caslian Jesper, the tough captain who worked his soldiers to exhaustion. The Knights, Outis and Gwenia are rescued by Nastab and his band of terrorists who take them on horseback through Kastanair to Mount Xian. Nastab and his men come from a rebel group who had been dwelling on the plateau of Mount Xian, plotting to overthrow the government of Kastanair. However, their leader, who had driven their group to crimes and violence, was hoarding their food and treasure.

Caslian Jesper follows the terrorists to Mount Xian, in pursuit of two of his enemies at once, the terrorists and the Asalandians. Outis and Gwenia are suddenly taken off their horses by huge hawks, who fly them up Mount Xian, to a cave opening. There Gwenia and Outis meet The Tall Man, a strange man with huge black eyes who has no name. He takes them into the cave, and they fall more tall people. There they learn that the tall people had been in the caves for hundreds of years and they care not for treasures of war. The tall man collects water from an underground stream and fruits from the cave roofs and they take Outis and Gwenia up to the top of the mountain. There they find Caslian’s army had managed to climb to the top of the mountain in attempt to attack but they were too drained to fight so the tall man shared his fruit with them. Both sides rested as Outis read a poem to the leader of the terrorists.

Outis and Gwenia are then taken to the capital, by an eclectic group including Nastab, The Tall Man and the Knights of Sunrise, they journey through the planes of Kastanair where they are attacked by wolves. The Knights and Nastab fight the wolves off valiantly and they continue. When they finally reach the capital Outis reads his poem to the President, but it is not the words of his poem alone that convince her to stop the war, it is the group he brings with him, a group of once enemies, who had come together with the same goal.

╰┈➤Book Details