Ask the Author: A.K. Graves
Answered Questions (6)
A.K. Graves
I write something else. Seriously, like I said before, His Fate was actually a loose idea to help with writer's block and spiraled into a series with a lot more to follow. Bouncing around from WIP to WIP helps some too. Sometimes that's when I read. I'll binge a bunch of books that aren't in my genre/trope, give my brain a break from my broody, PNR alpha-holes, then dive back in when I feel the block lift. Or I end up with about a dozen more WIP from various series with H/h that are loud and demanding. Either way, the block is gone!
A.K. Graves
I used to paint. Way back when, before kiddos and day jobs, I would spend hours painting and getting lost in the worlds I created on canvas. As my focus changed, as I lost the drive to lay acrylics down, I back-burnered the creative mind because I wasn't sure where to put the energy anymore, and honestly, I was exhausted because parenting is hard lol. Over the years my love for reading grew and sort of replaced painting and gave me the same feelings I had when I would just sort of check out with my brushes, and one day I started writing. My husband was actually like, "You could totally write books like the ones you read. It'd be like when you used to paint." and he was exactly right. The best thing about being a writer is still having a creative outlet, one that gives me all the feels, allows me to express myself in ways I can't verbalize. The best thing about being a writer is the fact that it still makes me feel like an artist, a creative, a dreamer, and that is vital to me.
A.K. Graves
Oh man, this is really tough since I don't exactly consider myself anything but aspiring at this point. What I will say, what I have found most important during my journey, is find your tribe and hang onto them! A solid support system within the writing community, something outside of friends and family (their support is everything as well!) is practically vital to any writer. It doesn't have to be a big tribe, but find like minded authors that will lift you up, have your back and help you learn even after you have a backlist worthy of Nora Roberts or Stephen King. This is an ever changing, ever growing field and without the knowledge and support of those in it doing the damn thing as well, it can get very lonely and overwhelming. And seriously, your tribe doesn't have to be big. I have my family but I am also fortunate to have made a few ride or die author friends as well as formed really solid, meaningful friendships with my designer and my editor. Find people doing this, that understand this, that love this as much as you do and hang onto them hard. Doesn't matter what stage of the game you're at, if you click, if you find people that just GET IT and GET YOU, then keep them around for as long as y'all can stand it. That's my advice to aspiring writers.
A.K. Graves
I am currently bouncing back and forth between book four and five of the BBBS as well as two very secret WIP. I have a tendency to move around a lot but since the novella as well as the first three books in the BBBS are completely written, I'm really all over the map lately. Which basically sums me up in a nutshell.
A.K. Graves
Music. Music is definitely my biggest writing inspiration. Music has been the inspiration for many, many creative outlets in my life and that didn't stop when I started writing all the words. All of my books have playlists as well, so if you're curious, you can find me on Spotify.
A.K. Graves
Funny enough, I started writing contemporary romance before I went into PNR. His Fate was actually a writing exercise to help with some writers block I was experiencing during book three of my first contemporary series and I had no intention of turning it into what it is. Now The Bound Beyond Blood Series is at minimum a ten book series and I have a PNR trilogy and duet planned as well. Guess that writing exercise really worked!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more