Hi! I’m Nazri Noor, and I’m an independent author. I spent years building a universe around my urban fantasy books: the Arcane Underground. It was only in September of 2021 that I released the first proper M/M romance entry in that same universe – the same brand of humorous, high-action fantasy that I always wrote, only with extra steam and many more exposed dangly bits.
I like to say that my books are packed with sorcery, spice, and everything nice, and that does sum it all up neatly. My novels are mostly urban and contemporary fantasy, featuring men with smart mouths and access to an irresponsible quantity of magic. I adore writing magical boys who overcome colossal obstacles with the power of friendship and love. I hope you’ll adore them, too.
Tell us about your new release. What inspired you to write it?
Perhaps my favorite part of writing fantasy is getting to explore all different kinds of magic-users. Summoning was something I’ve been wanting to write about forever. The concept of conjuring mythical beasts and monsters to fight on your behalf is visually rich on its own, but it also suggests so much about the relationship between mage and monster, all those ramifications.
What price is paid by each party involved? Can these individuals be friends, or will the master and minion dynamic flavor the relationship forever? And that was when the idea came to me. What if a snarky mage accidentally summoned a feisty fae prince? And what if that prince’s smart mouth accidentally bound the two of them together by force?
“Hilarity ensues” is frankly an understatement. Prince of Flowers practically wrote itself from the point on. It’s been an absolute joy bringing Locke the summoner and Sylvain the fae prince to life.
How did you decide on the title?
I wanted something evocative of the love interest’s personality, but also his powers. Sylvain is a fae prince who has the supernatural ability to manipulate plant matter, transforming a pile of leaves into armor, for example, or hardening every petal in a shower of cherry blossoms to turn them into deadly weapons.
And the same is true of who Sylvain is as a person. Beautiful and soft on the outside, but often you don’t truly discover that’s it’s poisonous or super stinky until you’re too close and it’s too late. Sylvain would hate me describing him as potentially stinky, but his secrets are a huge part of the story. If he detests being bound to a human summoner so much, why has he chosen to stay? Why does he trail after Locke like a lost puppy?
What is the hardest part of writing any book?
Getting all my thoughts together and refining them into something coherent. I often have too many ideas for a given book, and while it’s nice to have material to save for sequels or extra content down the line, sometimes the task of wrangling everything and forcing it into a legible plot can be so daunting. I love working from an outline, so without that crucial first step, at least sketching out a rough road map, I’m lost.
Did you learn anything from writing your recent book? What was it?
I learned that I’m capable of writing five thousand words a day under extreme duress. I learned that I do not like doing that, and neither does my back. I think most important of all, I learned that I could produce exactly the same amount of work over a period of time as long as I was careful to properly manage that time. Writing two thousand words a day is massively, massively preferable to over twice that amount. My back agrees.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Oh, absolutely make the effort to find someone who will be critical but kind about your writing. Someone who will be honest, and not afraid to hurt your feelings a little. That discounts almost all friends and family, who will go to great lengths to say nice things because they want to be supportive. Not their fault! They’re good friends, but terrible beta readers. Try to find one in online writing communities, or in a pinch, check out Fiverr to find someone who reads in your genre.
And that’s the other thing. Not everybody reads your genre, and not everybody you personally know does, either. Try not to take it too hard if no one you know reads your book. I love my friends, for example, but if one of them asked me to read their autobiography that was written in the form of an epic poem, I would happily inform them that I would much rather jump into a lake of broken glass that was also on fire.
Why M/M?
It’s a tough world out there for queer people and our allies, and after years of writing urban fantasy I figured it was time I spoke a little louder, added my voice to the chorus. I was hesitant to write openly queer content for the longest time for personal reasons, but we can’t live our lives according to the expectations and limitations set by others. It’s a short life. Be gay, do crime.
Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about and planning them?
It usually takes a few months for the initial germ of an idea in my head to grow into a sapling, and eventually a blossom. Even more ideas revolving around the main one show up over that time. I have a master document for each series which serves to collect every single idea I have about the setting, the characters, and so on. Everything starts out very skeletal, but eventually my vision begins to solidify as I flesh my ideas out.
The documents almost always grows out of control, too. Taming the beast is one of my most difficult, but most important writings tasks. And the hero’s name almost always comes last. I like to spend time finding something meaningful, which is why so many of my main characters have names that double as nouns. It’s cheesy, but I like it!
How often do you write? Do you have a schedule?
I usually write every day, even when there’s another book that needs editing, or maybe an audiobook that needs proofing. When it comes to crunch time, though, I’ll exchange some of those writing days for fully focused editing or proofreading days. I find that writing daily or as close to it as possible helps me stay consistent, even if it’s just a few hundred words. I realize that sounds painfully obvious, but it took me forever to grasp!
What are your writing and personal goals for 2022 and beyond?
It’s been a challenging year in terms of testing my limits when it comes to writing. I think I’m okay with a pace of about eight books released every year, so I would like to publish about the same number in 2023. I just have to make sure to give myself extra time to rest and relax, something I can feasibly do now that I’ve figured out a more casual writing speed that lets me get the same amount of work done anyway. More than getting the writing done, I’d say my biggest goal going forward is slowing down and putting my well-being before all things else.
Are you obsessed with stationery? And if so, what and why?
Yes, like just about every other writer on the planet, I have an unhealthy obsession with stationery of all kinds. I probably have enough Post-Its to last me years with how slowly I go through them. I’m trying to be more responsible, stopping myself from buying more notebooks unless I use or regift from the massive stockpile I have already. And I’ve just discovered the joys of washi tape, so that’s another problem to untangle.
He captured a fae prince, but can he capture his heart?
Book Title: Prince of Flowers (Wild Hearts Book 1)
Author and Publisher: Nazri Noor
Cover Artist: Christian Bentulan
Release Date: September 30, 2022
Genres: Contemporary MM, Fantasy M/M Romance
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, shared bed, found family
Themes: Trust, truth (Both MCs spend a good amount of the book deceiving each other, and have to learn that maybe they shouldn’t!)
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: approx 62 000 words
This is book 1 in a series and does not end on a cliffhanger. HFN.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Also available on audio – narrated by Greg Boudreaux
Blurb
Lochlann Wilde walks in the shadow of his father, a legendary summoner who commanded mythical beasts in battle. But Locke isn’t legendary. He’s barely a summoner, never passing his academy’s trial of the elements.
And then he accidentally summons a fae prince with a beautiful body and a bad attitude.
Sylvain is fiery and ferocious, stronger than anything Locke has ever encountered. And hotter, too. But time is running out. Locke must tame the prince’s wild heart. If he fails his trial, he’ll lose his inheritance and ruin his family’s name.
Without Sylvain, Locke could lose his chance to become a true summoner… along with his shot at true love.
The invisible entity’s breath rushed on the breeze, seductive and strong. The faint beat of its heart sounded like the playing of a distant drum. Above all things else I could taste the overwhelming power on the tip of my tongue, a palpable flavor of strange, alien magic.
I had to have it. I needed to earn my Summoner’s Crest. It was finally my time. I had to make my father proud, wherever he could be. I thrust my hand out, the grimoire levitating at eye level, pages fluttering in an eldritch wind as it turned to the correct section. The binding, the forging of a powerful contract.
“With iron will and stalwart heart I beseech you, great force of the ether. Make yourself known. Manifest. In the name of the summoners that have come before me, hear my words. Heed my call.”
A new wind swirled at my feet, sending leaves tumbling upward, whipping at the branches. Gooseflesh rose all over my skin, my body’s response to the tingle and thrum of gathering power. Something was here. Something was responding.
Time to finish the incantation, the barest minimum for me to qualify for the Summoner’s Crest. Time to complete the Pact of the Unknown.
“I invoke you, thing of the ether, unseen and unnamed. Grant me time and space enough to bargain and barter, to forge a bond that may yet be fruitful for us both.”
The wind howled, ripping at my cloak, shearing through my hair, screaming into my ears. It was coming.
It was here.
Time to bring it all home.
“Nameless of the ether, dweller in the unknown, I call you. I summon you. Come forth. Reveal yourself!”
Grass, leaves, and petals exploded in a burst from the center of the clearing, filling the air with a swirl of green and gold. I shielded my eyes, watching through the gaps in my fingers. Had it worked? It must have. I said all the words correctly, channeled the torrent of great magic through my soul, my flesh. Nothing short of a god could have resisted my summons.
And there he knelt in the center of the glade, his head low, his neck loose, a powerfully built man wearing leather trousers and little else. He propped himself up by one hand, groaning, rubbing at his forehead with the other, like someone recovering from a hangover. A side effect of the invocation, possibly.
Black hair fell in soft wisps over his brow, across his pale gold eyes. They took their time to focus, then filled with defiance, with wild devilry. He glanced up at me, eyes widening, mouth turning up in anger. But even in fury the man was devastating. That face, those lips, that — oh, gods, that body. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
And then he opened his mouth.
Nazri Noor is a California-based author of Filipino and Malaysian descent. While capable of fluently cursing in three languages, he only writes in English, and has been doing so in a professional capacity for over 20 years. His urban fantasy novels feature wise-cracking heroes who save the world with wits, style, and magic: think sass and class, while kicking ass.
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and 2 exclusive postcards featuring the Wild Hearts MCs (with greetings from author, not blank).
