Gelend Talahuron started writing in high school as a hobby. He started writing things down to remember his thoughts, including some of his stories. A friend he made in college inspired him to keep writing as she was able to publish a book in high school. Angelsong is his first published work.
Gelend shares that having connections is valuable as a writer. A colleague in his previous company, who was already a published author, was the one who referred him to his publisher. He was lucky enough that they were accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
He shares writing the book is only a third of the battle. Getting published is next, and the heavy third is marketing and selling the book.
Tools of the trade
Pen and paper are indispensable note-taking tools for Gelend, but story writing happens on a computer. “Just don’t forget to save. Thankfully, with modern software, there is autosave. In the past, I lost some work because I forgot to save it after writing. Sayang (What a waste)!”
Outlining is an indispensable part of his writing. It’s about 40% of his writing process. Setting up the start, milestones, and ending is key to finishing the book.
Not formally trained as a writer, YouTube, and the internet has been a valuable tool.
About the book
Angelsong is a contemporary fantasy. Some would consider it an urban fantasy. There’s also a bit of a murder mystery. I love that in a fantasy, you are not limited to existing physics.
I didn’t know much about Angels or demons when I started writing Angelsong. It took about two years of research to understand and find the elements I integrated into the story. I call them celestials and internals.
“The angels have a hierarchy which I didn’t follow accurately,” he states.
What was the most fun scene to write?
The first encounter – a battle scene. The human characters meet the angels for the first time, not knowing they are angels. This was one of the first major action scenes.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Keep writing. People tend to start and stop because they get bored or tired. Keep going until you finish to the end.
Social Media
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gelendtalahuron
- Instagram: @gelend_talahuron
Angelsong is available from the author directly or through Ukiyoto, Amazon, Google Books, and Barnes & Noble.
