Manchester Author Megan Linski to Hold Book Signing in Tecumseh

Manchester author Megan Linski will hold a book signing December 13th at 2 PM at That Used Bookstore in Tecumseh, MI. Linski, owner of Gryfyn Publishing, will be signing books, reading from her new book Alora and having a Q and A session with readers after.

Below is a brief interview with the author.

Why did you decide to start Gryfyn Publishing?

I've been writing seriously ever since I was 14, and have been trying to acquire a traditional publisher since I was 18. But landing a book contract is a lot like winning the lottery; you have to be in the right place, at the right time, with a book that somebody is looking for. Publishing is up in the air right now with eBooks, so a lot of houses are being safe by only signing things they feel comfortable selling and not taking risks. Even after they acquire a book, they still expect authors to do most of the marketing. I figured if that was the case, I might as well do it myself, keep the rights to my own books, and be paid better royalties!

What was your inspiration for taking the leap and starting your own business?

It's been my dream ever since I was in high school to start my own publishing company. I thought I would begin my business after I graduated college and had been in my career for a couple of years, but life isn't quite so linear! I listened to many young business owners and they advised that there was no better time to start a business than when you were in your college years. With the job market as it is there's no guarantees that any job will pan out after school is done. I thought that if I had a shot in making a living off of something I loved so dearly, that I might as well go for it. If I failed, it was better than saying I never tried.

Why fiction?

I believe in these hard times people need stories, and good stories. Stories are part of life. They're how we communicate, what we live our lives by, what we live for. You can't go throughout your day without encountering a story whether it's in a book, in a movie, or from a friend. Dreams are stories, and they're as necessary as breathing. Even people who don't like to read love stories, they just love them in a different format.

Kiatana's Journey is about a fairy who has to save her forest from a deadly illness. What are some of the problems she faces on her quest to find a cure?

Kiatana has to battle elves, climb mountains, solve riddles, and fight monsters to save her home. But I think the biggest problem is that she gets in her own way, and if she isn't compromising herself then one of her friends are. All of the characters on this quest have internal demons, and they surface more frequently than most of them would like.

Tell us one of your favorite things about Kiatana's Journey.

I enjoy how my characters interact. They're not exactly bosom buddies. Kiatana's group is a bunch of rag-tag outcasts who are forced to journey together to find a cure for a mysterious illness that no one knows about. They're always either arguing, being really sarcastic, or saving each other's lives. There's no in between there. They're the exact opposite of who you want to bet your life on, but unfortunately the creatures in my world have no option. It's like being in the middle of a giant group of friends who stick together because as much as they hate to admit it, they need each other.

Can you tell us about Alora?

Alora is an immortal being (an Anmortal) who is a winged wolf in the winter and a young woman in the summer. She's lived like this for thousands of years, and nothing for her has changed until a boy moves in nearby. Once she falls in love, her whole world changes. Things can be difficult for your relationship when one of you lives forever and the other one doesn't, and the one who lives forever has to keep it a secret. Then it gets even worse when the most dangerous hunter alive decides he wants Alora as his prize.

Who is your favorite character in Alora?

The Windcomer. He's this giant metal beast that hunts down Anmortals, and since Alora is the last, she's next on his list. He's dangerous, but at the same time his personality is so alluring, you don't realize you're trapped until he has you.

Any advice you'd like to give budding authors or entrepreneurs?

Learn everything you possibly can about what you want to do. You don't have to go to college; go to the library or Google and learn from the masters, figure out a way to improve your work or improve your idea until its the greatest it can be. Become better and better and better until you believe that you're the best. And when you're confident, go out there and do what you've gotta do to sell and market your product. If it doesn't sell, it doesn't mean that it wasn't good; the world just wasn't ready for it. If you fail, life will always give you a Plan B, but don't focus on that. Focus on the idea that Plan A will work out, has to work out. You might not get it on the first try, or the second, or even the eighth, but if you love it that much, it won't matter to you. Passion is what drives life, so chase after it until you can run no more.

For more information visit the following Facebook pages:  Gryfyn Publishing, Megan Linski at and Natalie Erin.

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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