1.
Where were you born/grew up at?
Born and raised in Northern Georgia, on the cusp of Alabama and
Tennessee. I’ve lived in North Carolina briefly, but otherwise I’ve stayed
close to my roots. Would I love to move to the snowy mountains of Colorado?
Yes. But could I manage being that far away from my family? Eh, probably not.
2.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I read, and read, and read. Or I’ll fill the tub up and soak in a hot
bath. If my kiddo is at her grandparents, I’ll stay in until the bath water
gets cold and then fill it back up again. Something about the hot water calms
my nerves, and it’s easy to immerse myself into my books.
3.
How to find time to write as a parent?
Simple, write while she plays, eats, and sleeps. Haha. We take walks,
and go outside. I read her bedtime stories at night, and watch Disney movies
with her. She knows when Mommy is working she has to go and play with her
millions of toys inside of her bedroom.
4.
What inspired you to write this book?
I would say that reading a million books with tropes that I loved
inspired me to write one of my own. Also, vampires have always and will always
be my favorite creatures of the night. I cannot help it. It’s ingrained in my soul.
I grew up on Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire Academy, True Blood… I
may or may not enjoy blood and biting tropes LOL.
5.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I have the next two years pretty much outlined. So this year, I will be
releasing the first FIVE books in The SoulBlood Series, one surprise novella
that links to The SoulBlood Series, and one super secret anthology project.
I’ll be releasing a demon romance standalone in 2022, and finishing off the
SoulBlood Series (seven books total). We’ll see what happens after that. :)
6.
What book do you think everyone should read?
I always, always recommend anything by Ruby Dixon. If you are new to
her, please go pick up Ice Planet Barbarians. It’s the start to my ALL TIME
favorite series! If you aren’t into sci-fi romance, you can try out her
Fireblood Dragon series!
7.
How long have you been writing?
I, like many others, have been writing since childhood. I think it all
started when I was in middle school, and I became obsessed with the now-famous
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I wrote my first original story, about
fated mates and high school romance, around that time. I started taking writing
seriously in 2019, when I started writing on Wattpad for practice and found out
that my writing was actually not that bad
and something other people might enjoy.
8.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite
genre?
Um, yes! Of course I read, how in the world would I get better at my
craft otherwise? My go-to tropes are fated mates, captive romance,
protective/possessive alpha males, anything with vampires, blood bonds, yadda
yadda. I’m a hardcore romance reader and writer, through and through.
9.
Do you have a favorite movie?
I don’t have a single favorite movie, but I have a favorite genre/sub-genre
of movies. Any guesses? Haha, I love horror. Way over the top love, lowkey
obsessive. If I don’t indulge in at least one horror flick a week, then
something is wrong. My favorite sub-genre of horror is creature films, whether
that be zombies (my all-time fav) or aliens, vampires, werewolves, etc.
10. As
a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
As a person, my spirit animal is most certainly a raccoon. Funny story,
I actually rescued and rehabilitated one as a teenager. They’re kind and very
similar to a cat, though a little less domesticated. But as an author who
writes about vampires, I’ll go with a bat as my spirit animal. Anything that
sucks a little blood and only comes out during the night totally fits my
aesthetic.
11. What
kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I do a ton of market research before writing. I’ll pick up a few top
sellers and read them, analyze the tropes, and find out what makes readers
gravitate towards that particular book. I’m an avid reader, so my market
research is normally just my leisure reads. Before I begin plotting, I outline
my characters like crazy. If they are professional NASA scientists, then you
best believe my search history is all about what the heck a scientist at NASA
does. Most of my plot is all about romance, suspense, and horror/tension. I
don’t need to do much research on that, but places, environment, weather
conditions… Yeah, authors do a ton of learning with each new project.
12. Do
you see writing as a career?
Absolutely. Writing good books is a profession. I am constantly
learning new things about the craft and the business side of this career, but
it has never been ‘just a hobby’ for me. (Okay, maybe when I was a kid it was a
hobby, but not anymore.)
13. Do
you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I prefer to write listening to sounds. I have a playlist that I listen
to on Spotify called ‘Lofi Beats for Ghosts’ and it has single-handedly gotten
me through almost every draft I have ever written. When I go in to revise and
do line edits, I normally turn on my WIP playlist. Current band obsessions are
Haley Henderickx, Big Thief, Modest Mouse, Fleet Foxes, Grouper, and a ton of
other indie rock/folk tunes.
14. Do
you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I’ve found that I work best when focusing on one book at a time. I
normally section out blocks of the month and devote those days/weeks to my WIP.
Same goes with revising, if I’m editing one book, I find it difficult to be
drafting another. I’m just weird like that.
15. If
you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you
choose?
I’ll most certainly get tons of shade for this, but if I could take
Stephanie Meyer’s place and write Twilight the way it should have been written, i’d do it in a heartbeat. Or maybe
Rachelle Mead… Her Vampire Academy series gave me life while I was in middle
school. Props to her!
16. Tell
us about a favorite character from a book.
So when I was in my late teens, I read a book called Stray by Rachel
Vincent. It’s a steamy paranormal romance about werecat shifters, and the FMC
Faythe Sanders gave me so much life.
She’s strong, knows what she wants (kinda), and kicks ass. It’s so hard to pick
a single favorite character from all of the amazing books I’ve read, but she is
high on my list.
17. A
day in the life of the author?
*Opens front door* Hello, and welcome to a day in my life. *Gestures
wildly to the debris of toys that cover the living room, put there by one
tornado of a toddler.*
In this home, we drink coffee non-stop. Here, have an espresso. *Shoves
cup of triple shot into your hands* Let’s get on with the tour! Oh, don’t mind
my messy bun and leggings, I always look like this.
Here is where you’ll find my computer, which currently has sixteen tabs
open, most of which serve as a distraction from the writing I need to be doing.
Never mind all that, hows your coffee? *Child screams in the background*
You get the gist.
18. Advice
they would give new authors?
Just don’t stop, and do not get caught up in all of the marketing
advice that can easily consume all of your time- time that would be better
spent just writing the damn book. Write,
and write more, and for the love of all things holy, please do not create your
own cover. Yes, you need an editor. Yes, you need a marketing plan- but only
once you have the book! Or multiples, if you want to try your hand at rapid
releasing. Do NOT get caught up in all of the marketing tactics like I did.
Yes, you need to know them. However, you don’t need to know them all in the
first month. Slow down.
19. Describe
yourself in 5 words or less!
Witchy, Moody, Anxious, and Nerdy.
20. Do
you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Why yes, I’m glad you asked! Sometime at the end of the year, I have
plans for a novella featuring my two main characters for book one. ;) I’ll
leave it up to the imagination on what exactly it’s about, but here’s a clue.
“Happily Ever After can be rounded, by two.”
21. Can
you tell us a little bit about the characters in (Name of book)?
Of course! Book one, Blood at Dusk, follows the life of a woman named
Kora and a Vampire named Aldeon. Their paths cross, of course. (It wouldn’t be
a love story without that, haha). Kora was a Senior at Nashville State
Community College before the end of the world came. She was a vegan, bookworm,
and partied with her sister on the weekends. Nowadays, she deals with a lot of
anxiety and grief (as to be expected).
Aldeon is a vampire from the world know as Azure. He doesn’t remember
how he, or his people, got to earth. His mind has cleared from the fog of
bloodlust, but his species is still mad, tearing through the human and animal
population on this new planet. He wants to help the, but when he meets his
fated mate- a human, he has to choose. Save her, or stay true to his kind.
22. What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
My most favorite thing about writing this book was sharing my struggles
with a select group of writing friends. They have grown into an amazing
community who lends a helping hand to all those who need it. Without them
listening to my endless rants, I don’t know what I would do. I especially
wouldn’t have been able to get this book written without my amazing friend and
critique partner, Winter. I owe this all to her.
23. How
did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
The concept for this series was a combination of reading a dragon
series that I loved (the male main characters inspired my dhampirs’
protective/possessive/alpha nature) and a dream. Daydream might even be a better
world. For a whole month, I would lie in bed and visualize the scenes, and then
the next day I would write them. It really was a beautiful process.
24. If
you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Psh, I already have. I wrote this book in a month, and then rewrote it
completely a few months later, and then sent it through betas and rewrote
pieces of it again, and then changed things one more time before my editor got
ahold of it. It’s as good as I can make it at this point.
25. If
your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Kora would most certainly be Emilia Clarke, and Aldeon would probably
be… Hm, maybe Joseph Morgan with long black hair. *shrugs* Aldeon is a hard
character to cast.
26. Anything
specific you want to tell your readers?
Yes, for sure. My books are not meant for young readers, and there are
very mature themes involved. Also, I hear a lot of smack about ‘weak’ heroines.
Let me be clear, my characters may seem weak
in the beginning (I mean they’ve survived an apocalypse, I feel like they
deserve a little credit for that already) but each and every one of them turn
their weaknesses into strengths by the end of the book. This is called a
character arc and for me, it’s important.
27. What
is your favorite part of this book and why?
Haha, all of the steamy scenes are my favorite. And anything with
heightened emotion. The dream about Cece (my FMC’s dead sister) made me cry on
my first reread, and then the scenes with Aldeon when he’s super sweet and
loving towards Kora… <3 Heart melts.
28. If
you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what
would you do during that day?
I would say Aldeon, because he’s a hottie, but I feel like that betrays
my sisterhood with Kora. I’m weird and totally think of her as a BFF. So, I’d
choose to spend my day with her. Maybe we would go and scavenge a book store,
or talk about all of the beauty in life. I think she would appreciate that
conversation.
29. Are
your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your
imagination?
They come from my imagination, though I feel like I may inject parts of
my self into them at times. Like Kora enjoys books and is an animal lover.
Those are totally quirks of mine. She’s also a little bit softer spoken, which
is totally me. Aldeon is super protective, and overthinks sometimes. Also me.
30. Have
you written any other books that are not published?
Yep! I’ve written 4(ish) that have never been published, and three
novels that were published using my legal name. I’ve unpublished those books,
and hope to one day rerelease them under this pen name. :)
31. If
your book had a candle, what scent would it be?
Blood orange, or maybe strawberry lemonade. Or forest scented, mixed
with a tinge of vanilla.
32. What
is your writing Kryptonite?
Nitro Cold Brew from Starbucks. And I need to have a candle lit before I begin writing. Don’t ask me why,
I just do.
33. What
is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do
the chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I do a basic outline. I like to know what ‘beats’ I need to hit, and I
know how the story starts and ends. Those points never change while I draft,
but before each chapter, I do a summary. Things change while I write, but I
roll with it. I’m not sure what I would do without a simple outline.
34. How
long on average does it take you to write a book?
It takes me a month on average to write my first draft. Most of my drafts tend to be around 45-50k. After that, I’ll decide how much needs to be rewritten and then focus on that for another month. At that point, the manuscript is normally clean enough that I can manage a couple of weeks of self edits before sending it to my editor. From the first line to hitting publish, it normally takes 2-3 months. (That is for a full length novel.)
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