Do the characters
all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
They
definitely come to me as I write. That’s part of the fun! Although, I usually
start out with a solid main 3, but my favorite characters always end up being
the ones I discover later. Cadan is my favorite character in Banshee’s Curse
and Aadya is my favorite in Changing Tides, my YA mermaid book which will be
released soon.
What kind of
research do you do before you begin writing a book?
Do you see writing
as a career? 1000%, yes. Honestly, I don’t think I fully comprehended how much I’d have to do as
a writer. The idea of “I’m here to write and that’s all” feels completely
absurd to me now. Definitely how I used to think, how the author wrote and
others did everything else, but that’s not the case for 90% of authors,
especially in today’s publishing world.
What do you think
about the current publishing market?
It’s evolving and oversaturated. With social media and the
transformation of indie publishing over the past ten years, it’s wild… and
exciting, stressful, overwhelming, inspiring. I am able to accomplish things I
would’ve never thought possible fifteen years ago. However, this does make it
very difficult for authors to gain recognition in the current market. The best
marketing will and always has been the readers. Authoring is the equivalent to
running a small business, so all your readers out there, please know that
reviews really help us out. So whatever author you love, definitely give them a
shout out on Amazon, Goodreads, Social Media, or wherever you feel most
comfortable. I promise you, they will be immensely grateful for it.
Do you read
yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
Do you prefer to
write in silence or with noise? Why? It depends, I’d prefer silence because music can distract me. However,
if I’m at home, and my husband is watching TV in the other room, it can be more
distracting for me. So, I made a Spotify writing playlist with various film
scores from movies such as Narnia, Hunger Games, LOTR, Maleficent, Star Wars,
etc. Recently, I found a Dark Academia Instrumental playlist I enjoy too. I’d
be happy to share these playlists with any readers who are interested!
What made you want
to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
A day in the life
of the author? My day is a little nuts since I’m a teacher as well. Usually, I
wake up and will get to school about 1.5 hours before school starts, so I can spend the first 45-60 minutes in a structured
environment writing. Once school begins, I focus on teaching, grading, and the
other parts of my job. If there’s spare moments to write, such as my prep
period, I will, but that’s not my priority when the kiddos are around. When the
school day is done, I’ll go home, spend time with my pups, start
prepping/cooking dinner. My husband will come home, and we’ll have a meal
together, maybe watch a show, and then I’ll spend another 1-2 hours writing at
the end of my day. My aim is always a minimum of half a chapter per day when
I’m in the midst of the writing process. With editing, my goal is to complete
one chapter per day at minimum. Also, in between these stretches, I am managing
all my author social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok) and
marketing. I am conversing with authors, attending meetings, running my New
Adult and College Fantasy facebook group, critiquing other writer’s novels,
conversing with my cover designer or beta readers, and plenty of other pieces
of my small business (aka being an indie author). I am a one woman show right
now, but I’m passionate and driven to give it my all.
Advice they would
give new authors?
I have plenty of advice, I could write a whole book on it.
However, what I’ve been doing instead is making informational Tiktoks. So,
that’s a great place to learn some advice or ask me questions if I don’t cover
something you’re curious about.
Do you try more to
be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I
don’t try to do either. I try to
envision what I enjoy in a novel or what I want to read, and I write it. Don’t
get me wrong, I totally want my readers to enjoy the book.
If you could tell
your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Just
write. And when they say the best way
to become a better writer is to read and write, it’s true. But reading doesn’t
need to be “the classics”, it can be books you love within the genre you want
to write, and getting better with writing over time is a given because
‘practice makes perfect.’
How long on average
does it take you to write a book?
Changing Tides, my YA mermaid book, I wrote on and off for nine
years. Whisper of Darkness took me about six months, and Beyond The Mist
(Banshee’s Curse Book 2) took me about five months. I’m getting better all the
time. It’s difficult since I’m a full time teacher too and cannot commit to
writing at the same level other indie authors can. I truly feel I work two
jobs, one of them being the equivalent to a small business.
Do you believe in
writer’s block?
I had no idea it was a ‘belief’, definitely thought it
was a given. Absolutely, I believe in
creative/writer’s block. However, what you decide to do when it occurs is what
really matters. If I waited for inspiration every single time to write, it
would take me years to finish a novel. Nanowrimo helps keep me on track, and
forcing words out even if it’s only a page or two. My mantra when this occurs
is “You can’t edit a blank page.” I don’t expect my first draft to be perfect,
and believe the first draft’s purpose is to help the story exist outside of
your head. I will often force out a chapter when I’m not feeling it, and then leave
a comment of “expand” for when I go to edit it later. Oftentimes, I will have
the inspiration at some point and I can go back and make the chapter better,
and I never worry I’m not making any headway at all.
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