Q&A with Author, Emma T. Elias
Emma T. Elias – Author Bio
Emma T. Elias is an Australian writer of Lebanese decent. She has been writing stories, poems and scripts, for as long as she could hold a pen and has never lost her passion for it. She has had a number of short stories and poems published in anthologies and literary magazines but is working on a novel that she is looking forward to publishing. When she’s not at work or writing, she’s probably doing some other random hobby such as archery.
Q&A
What is it about dragons that you love so much?
Growing up, whenever I would tell my older siblings something they would almost definitely respond with ‘cool story, needs more dragons,’ which used to annoy me to no end, but you can’t argue with the fact that stories with dragons are just… better. As a kid I also really enjoyed playing games like ‘The Legend of Zelda’ and ‘Skyrim’, I wish I could experience for the first time the absolute exhilaration I would feel when you first face off a dragon.
Why do you enjoy writing about dragons?
I think there is a lot you can do with dragons in fiction – yes, they are just generally epic, but there is a great symbolic and philosophical value to them, especially when you look through the history of storytelling tradition. Different cultures have different depictions of the dragon – I love the dragon as a representation of a ‘great trial’, or a ‘final test’. I play with this concept a little bit in my piece ‘Notice from the Pond Princess’, in that I have used the dragon as a sort of obstacle that stands between a princess and her rescuer. By slaying the dragon, the hero or prince does not only display their courage, bravery etc., but also in a way pays testament to the value of what the dragon ‘protects’; typically this would treasure, a kingdom, peace, a princess… Essentially, if you want to test your hero (and just make them seem ten times cooler), throw a dragon in their path. If you want to decipher their motivations, see if they would slay a dragon for it.
I’m also a big-time history nerd, and I love trying to track down dragon mythology and find links between historical event and legends depicting dragons. I have done extensive research into medieval and Mediterranean tradition, especially in regard to figures such as St. George.
What are some of your favorite books to read featuring dragons?
Perhaps not the most original answer, but I grew up with the Hobbit and the Eragon. Dragons are depicted very differently in these texts – both as antagonists and protagonists. I also have a particular passion and fascination with Arthurian Legend.
What got you into writing?
I read a lot, I wrote a lot, I did not pay much attention in class.
I have quite literally been writing since I could hold a pen, and I spent most of my school years staring out the window and daydreaming about magic and monsters and mayhem. I would often steal my siblings old exercise books and write stories in the back, when I was primary school I would write plays for my friends and to film in the holidays, and eventually I started writing novels. I genuinely do not remember a time that I was not a writer. But before I wrote, I read – I think that is an essential backstory for every writer. Every night before bed I would ask for a story from my parents or one of my siblings, then my sister started reading me Harry Potter until I was old enough to read it myself. Once I started reading I didn’t stop.
If there was one piece of advice you could give to other writers, what would it be?
The first thing I would say is that there is never going to be a convenient time to pursue your writing dreams, you will always be busy, so stop waiting for the calendar to clear up or things to settle down before you really commit yourself. It requires sacrifice and dedication, but you have to carve your own time for writing.
Where can readers follow your writer platform?
Learn more about Emma at: Instagram