1. Let’s start at the beginning. Who is T.L. Akermann in your own words? T.L. Akermann is the girl who was six years old who stayed up well past her bedtime with a reading light because she couldn’t not know how the latest Magic Treehouse book ended before she fell asleep. She’s the girl that tried to write her own fantasy world short stories at the age of eight in a dented, old lined notebook. She’s the girl who continued her love for reading and writing throughout middle school and high school, and who stayed loving writing throughout her bachelors and masters programs—even if that writing shifted from fiction to writing research papers. Now, she’s the girl who gets to live in a fantasy world all over again and makes that former six year old proud every single day. 

2. You grew up with your nose in a book and started writing your own full stories at 27. How did your love of reading shape your writing style? Growing up, I was into the series that everyone was in—The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent, Percy Jackson, Twilight… These stories lived, and still live, completely rent free in my mind. When my best friend and I started writing Broken Passage, we knew we wanted our female main character to be strong like Katniss and Tris, smart like Hermione and Annabeth. We definitely took good and bad traits from each of those characters to build our FMC, Ailis Selura. 

3. When you are not writing, you cuddle with your dog, travel with your husband, or binge comfort shows. How do these hobbies influence your storytelling? Oh my gosh! If you know me, you know I LOVE a good crime show. And binge-watching a crime series after a long day or working my day job? *chef’s kiss* These shows haven’t really influenced any part of my story telling with Broken Passage, but they definitely have influenced some of the subplots of my romantic suspense series, The Bailey Brothers. 

4. You write fantasy, romantasy, and romance. What draws you to blend magical worlds with romantic arcs? It comes down to one simple thing and that’s the fact that I love stories within stories! From a reader standpoint, it makes the story seem that much more complex and real world! 

5. Your upcoming release Broken Passage is highly anticipated. What inspired the story and its central concept? Broken Passage was released January 23rd and it’s sort of been a whirlwind ever since. The story literally started on a shared iPhone note between one of my best friends—G.M. Lockhart—and myself. We knew we wanted something different, something that hasn’t really been done all too much, which is how we came up with the concept that the magic in this universe had to be earned, not given. If we had to compare it to popular fantasy/dystopian series currently out there, it would be a mix between Trial of the Sun Queen, Divergent, and The Hunger Games with a lot of our own twist to it! 

6. Which character in Broken Passage demanded the most from you as a writer? Definitely Ailis’s character. She’s very complex and we get the opportunity to watch as she explores new elements, tries to keep up with her passions, makes new friends from different backgrounds, and has to fight tooth and nail through the deadliest trials she’s ever had to face. 

7. How did you approach world-building for Broken Passage? Were there elements that evolved as you wrote? Surprisingly, no elements changed as we wrote. We have a shared google folder with our world-building map, our character map, and an extremely detailed outline for each book. Since we take turns writing chapters, it was essential that we had all of these elements locked down so there aren’t plot holes or conflicting information. 

8. Romance is a key part of Broken Passage. Which character pairing was your favorite to write? While romance is a key part of Broken Passage, I think that the platonic relationships are just as important in this story. My favorite character pairing with this in mind is Ailis and Finnik. If you decide to read Broken Passage, you’ll want to pay close attention to their relationship as we go forward! 

9. What theme or message are you most excited for readers to take away from Broken Passage? Broken Passage is an upper ya fantasy novel and was written with our fifteen year old selves in mind. I think a message readers, especially teen readers, should take away from this book is that you do not need a significant other of any kind (but especially a man) to define you or your future. Throughout the series, we will follow Ailis (the FMC) as she learns to trust her own judgment, make her own decisions no matter how unpopular, and build her own inner strength. We’re challenging the stereotypes that are still so present in today’s society that women need rescuing. News flash, we don’t. At the same time, the message isn’t that relationships are bad, but they shouldn’t be the foundation of anyone’s worth or survival. Throughout the series, the healthy connection Ailis builds with the MMC will support her independence, not replace it. 

10. Was there a scene in Broken Passage that surprised you while writing it? Oh, absolutely! But I don’t want to give away that spoiler. You’ll have to read it for yourself! 

Rapid Fire (Quick Vibes)

11. Fantasy or romantasy if you could only pick one? -Romantasy!

12. Writing early morning or late night? -Late Night!

13. Music, silence, or ambient noise while writing? -TV show in the background… the best writing show I’ve found is Survivor! 

14. Pantser, plotter, or somewhere in between? -Plotter! 

15. One word you hope readers use to describe your books. -Lifechanging 

The Author Journey

16. What moment made you realize, “I am really doing this author thing”? It wasn't until I sat my first author event in Cadillac MI that it really hit me and people were asking me to sign my books that I wrote that they purchased from little ole me??? Like what do you mean you want my autograph?!

17. What has surprised you most about becoming a published author? As an indie author, marketing your books is much more exhausting than actually writing them!

18. What advice would you give to new authors who are starting to put their daydreams into stories? The first draft is going to be so insanely bad, and it’s supposed to be! The most important thing is to just get your ideas written down first and to polish them up later. 

19. How do you balance writing fantasy worlds while keeping the characters relatable and grounded? Ailis especially has lots of inner conflict and flaws! Ever heard the song Nobody’s Perfect by Hannah Montana?

20. Which character in Broken Passage do you hope readers fall in love with first and why? Ailis. There’s so much of myself that I put into her and if readers fall in love with her, in a weird way it’s also like they’re falling in love with me as a human a little bit. This trilogy is also her story, and we’re just following along for this rollercoaster of a ride. 

Just for Fun

21. If Broken Passage had a theme song, what would it be? Everybody Wants to Rule the World (specifically the Lorde cover)

22. Which character would you want to meet in real life? In Broken Passage? Lyria. In any book written by anyone? Hm. I’d have to say Ridoc from Fourth Wing. He and I are pretty much the same person.    

23. If Broken Passage were adapted, would you prefer a movie or a series? Movies! 

24. What is one fun fact about you that readers would be surprised to learn? About writing or about my life in general? Here are some good ones: I’ve broken thirteen bones, I have a SCUBA certification, and I’m 28 and have never been pulled over. 

25. When readers finish Broken Passage, what feeling or takeaway do you hope stays with them the longest? Honestly I just hope that they’re so addicted that they immediately add Broken Passage #2 to their TBR’s.