Sherry Peters, an author from Ile-des-Chenes, is set to release Mabel the Notorious Dwarf, the final volume of her trilogy, The Ballad of Mabel Goldenaxe, on August 15. The series began three years ago with Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf, followed by Mabel the Mafioso Dwarf.
“The character of Mabel came about as a challenge during the Odyssey Writing Workshop, to write a story about a female dwarf, and put on a twist on some of the most traditional fantasy tropes, such as the beautiful female elf that everyone is in love with,” says Peters of her inspiration. “She quickly became a character I could embrace as I figured out what a life might be like for a female dwarf.”
Peters points out that her books touch on powerful themes that just about everyone can relate to on some level. “Writing Mabel, having the opportunity to play with fantasy tropes and have fun with them, gave me the freedom to address something that all of us face: how to be ourselves when family and society expects us to be something else—married, with kids, looking a certain way, having a certain job or income, etc.”
On top of being an author, Peters is also a writing coach for other aspiring writers. Her first coaching book, Silencing Your Inner Saboteur, came out in 2013.
She offers different coaching options, including one-time sessions, a three-month package, and even an eight-month package for authors working on novels. Each package begins with a consultation over the phone, and then Peters adapts the remaining sessions based on the author’s needs.
“My training is for coaching in general, so I can coach anyone who wants it,” says Peters, who received her training in 2012. “We were encouraged to come up with a niche, a group of people we connect with most, and since I am a writer and most of my friends are in the writing community, it was a natural fit.”
Peters also offers workshops called “But I Have a Day Job,” “Plan for Success,” and “Silencing Your Inner Saboteur.” Each is designed to inspire, encourage, and push writers to keep going.
“I wanted to share the tools and tricks I learned and developed to help other writers,” she says.
Her other non-fiction book, Blueprint for Writing Success, can be purchased through her website.
Her Mabel series has also been nominated for the prestigious Aurora Awards, Canada’s biggest award for fantasy/science fiction writers.
“I never expected that Mabel would grow into three novels, but I’m glad she did,” Peters says. “I still absolutely adore her, probably even more after this third novel than before."
