An Interview with Madilyn Cruzado

I have been creating little stories in my head for about as long as I can remember! When I was about twelve, I remember having this vivid dream of this unique medieval story happening and I woke up the next morning and wrote it all down. That night, I wrote the first three chapters, totaling around thirty pages. I remember my dad came into my room to say good night and I said to him, “Dad! I’m writing a book!” His response was, of course, “Sure you are, sweetie.” Little did he know that four and a half years later, I would go to self-publish that book.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I have always loved reading because I have been a very imaginative person. When someone told me a story or I read a book, I could distinctly see the event unfolding like a movie in my head. I guess I just decided one day to share the movies in my head with other people.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I absolutely waited until the last moment to finalize my book’s title, The Fate of the Kingdom. It’s something that I either have a vivid idea for from the beginning…or it’s the bane of my existence.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

It’s actually a funny story about when we got the first shipment. My parents have been my biggest supporters with all of this and my mom was possibly more excited than I about getting it. I was taking a shower and she called me saying “It’s here! I’m going to open it without you if you’re not downstairs in five minutes!” So I RAN down to open it and was just covered in soap suds. I can’t even describe the feeling of holding the fruit of all those years of hard work in a physical, paper version.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I actually have a playlist for each book with several sounds that would soundtrack specific scenes or characters. Here are a few: “Game of Survival” by Ruelle, “Dancing with Flames” by Secession Studios and Greg Dombrowksi, “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish, “The Untold” by Secession Studioes, and finally “Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement” by Beethoven.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Seeing how many people actually enjoyed or were invested in my story I was telling! I really just published it thinking, “Hey, no one’s going to want to read this but I can still say I have a published work.” People’s reactions to the book have actually brought me to tears with how much they enjoyed it. It absolutely shocked me!

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am currently almost finished with the first draft of the sequel to my novel! It will be a trilogy when completed and am actually looking for some ARC readers to give me feedback on the manuscript! I am very, very excited about book 2. It will be ten times better than the first!

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.