1

I was rereading the Chronicles of Narnia ahead of Prince Caspian's movie release. And as I was doing that, a character (who will remain anonymous) walked into my head and told me I'd have more fun writing their story than rereading a book I already read twice before. It took me a few months after that to nail down the actual story concept, but that character was the first spark.

 2

Well... Everything. XD 

Seriously though, by the time I started working on this story, it was the sixth draft I was going to try writing and it was infinitely more ambitious than any of those previous drafts. I had to figure out how to juggle multiple storylines while also learning how to finish a story. It was honestly terrifying to do in some places, but in the end, I'm so, SO glad I stuck it out.

3

Overwhelmingly positive. Which was something I didn't expect. I went off the beaten track with the story and the tropes it uses, so I thought I'd get a 50-50 sort of response where people either loved it or hated it. But people really seem to like it a lot, with a few people saying they don't like it for some or the other reason.

 4

The characters. I can honestly say I love them, and I love the journey I'm on with them.

? 

The Vanished Knight is book 1 in my series The War of Six Crowns. It also ties in very closely to book 2 (The Heir's Choice), so I suggest people read the two together.

6

I actually tried really hard to write the story in a way that allows people to make of it what they will. I don't try to make them draw a specific conclusion or to think about things in a specific way (unless it's for story purposes). Of course, there is what I think of as canon, but there is a LOT about the canon that hasn't been revealed, so I don't blame readers if they think about a scene differently than I do. So honestly, if someone comes away from my story having loved it and having experienced it deeply in their own way, I'm happy. 

7

Write what you love, and stick with it.

8

It's hard to answer this one. My main characters all have little pieces of me in them, but they're all different people from me (and from each other).

9

The first thing that pulls in readers is the strength of the characters' voices that come through in the writing. The next thing is (I hope) the characters. After that, the fact that I create the space for readers to experience the story vividly along with the character.

10

Yes, several. Although at the moment, I'm still working on the next book in The War of Six Crowns.