Kristin Jacques's Blog, page 3

Tune-In Tuesdays #2: Profession Anxiety

Okay it’s Wednesday morning. My record for timely posting is 1-1, but right now Tuesday is the only day of the week I have a vehicle and the kids are in school at the same time so all my appointments are crammed into that single day. Adulting is fun.

I wanted to talk about something I’ve personally been dealing with a lot lately, and I feel authors in general deal with frequently, unless you have the confidence of an Olympian deity who manages to seduce a woman as a dirty, flea ridden bird. I digress.

Anxiety

I knew I wanted to be a writer from my informative years, but I did not realize that came hand in hand with being an anxious pigeon. Creative professions are a category of brutality all their own. It is not a nine to five grind, or a physically labor intensive job. But creative professions are difficult work. It demands monumental sacrifices of time, effort, sleep, and straining your brain, and the pay off is a distant speck on the horizon. We shed blood, sweat, tears, often literally, while penning a manuscript. We cringe through edits and rewrites. Then we must distill our months of effort into a single page query, and that SINGLE PAGE is what we are judged on first. Not our text, that comes later. If our query piques an editor/agent/publishers interest enough to get them to read those sample pages. Rejections, silence, left to drift in the ether of the internet.

That is one lane. If you are an indie author, self published, or exploring any other avenues of getting your work out there: there is still the scrutiny of the reader, the reviewer, the not quite abated dismissal of ‘traditional publishing’ Oh and Marketing. Let’s not forget that bucket of suck, since both traditional and indie authors have to pimp their book. Alternate forms of publishing come with their own forms of anxiety that are just as stressful as the traditional path.

Writing for a living is a slim prospect, indie, traditional, or otherwise. There is imposter syndrome, ‘writer’s block’, slumps, juggling real life with writing life, bad reviews, bombed releases. For many of us, our self worth starts to tangle with our creative side.

So why do we do this to ourselves?

To be honest, that is a difficult answer.

On a personal side, the endless hours, the anxious hours, and wobbly moments are worth it. All it takes is one person saying they loved the story to make everything else a wash. I do this because I love it. I write because I can’t not write. (look at that saucy double negative.) Yes, some days are difficult. Some days I wonder how I am going to pull this off, but I stick with it. I keep creating. I keep putting myself out there. Not everyone is going to love my work, not every review is going to be flattering, and marketing is still a mystery knot I am attempting to untangle. I might not be able to make ‘a living wage’ off my writer for years, if ever. I might never get over this sense of imposter syndrome no matter how many books I pen. I might never shake this overriding sense of anxiety that my profession will never be seen as a job.

But someone will pick up my book and love it.

I keep going.

Current Song Obsession:

I stumbled on K.Flay one random youtube mix ago. Her breathy voice and catchy lyrics, coupled with eye catching videos are a win win and this song in particular is actually pretty great to run to.

 

Current Read:

Rosemary and Rue 

 

This is my second time starting the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire and I took out pretty much the whole series from the library as a reward for when I finish edits. I am going to binge the hell out of them.

 

Tune- In Tuesday #1: Editsville

 

Hey it’s technically still Tuesday. Bite me, I’ve had an unusually hectic Tuesday.

 

This month is my Editing month and I am moving right along with edits for #projectMarrowCharm, but it should be noted with any prolonged project you take on, particularly an intensive one such as Editing or Sprinting you remember a few simple rules:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And endless stream of coffee seems like a solid idea when you’re knee deep in redrafting, that is until you stand up to use the bathroom and topple over from the head rush. Remember to drink some water in there. For god’s sake, maybe eat a vegetable.
Take regular breaks. I don’t mean the occasional peek at social media (for which I am guilty) I mean get up, walk around, get that blood circulating in your legs again.
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet a daily goal. There is always tomorrow. –When you are riding a deadline this is especially hard to keep in mind. You might, scratch that, you probably will have a bad day here or there. Heck, if you are like me with the unpredictable fam, you might have a string of them. You will get this project done. You might need to ask for more time, you might have a few late nights at the end, but you will finish.
On Editing: This is the process that can fill you with self doubts and down right dread over your current WIP but remember this: You are editing this book not only because you want to make it better, but you are driven to edit it because people love your story. Be they your publisher, your beta readers, your regular readers, someone loves that story and wants to see it bloom.

Current Song Obsession:

I’ve been listening to ‘Panic Room’ by Au/Ra on repeat. The song is catchy is hell, and her voice is downright ethereal. Worst part by far is the total lack of Au/Ra songs out there. I will be keeping an eye out for this one.

Current Read:

Wolves and Roses 

by Christina Bauer

I had this on my kindle and as I have a habit of collecting shiny things when they catch my eye I am not quite sure when I added it but I’m reading it now. It’s an interesting mix of modern fairy tale, school drama, mystery, heist, magic, and over bearing fairy god mothers. I am actually not sure what this book is trying to be but I AM TOTALLY HERE FOR IT. Plus the ‘Prince’ character is named Philpot and he is like a younger Lord Farquad in my head. I’m on board.

Hello Blog, it’s been a while…

Life got away from me. Like it does.

Coming off the tail end of a rough summer, with the kids back in school I am slowly getting back on track with various projects that derailed over the last couple months.

First, a grandiose update of Author Life:

THINGS. ARE. HAPPENING.

It’s been a wild year, with some absolute stunning successes. I have not one but two books set for release.

The first, Ragnarok Unwound, is set for January 8th, 2019 and yesterday the cover reveal dropped. Oh my stars. I am absolutely in love with this cover. And to celebrate this glorious art, I am hosting a giveaway for E-Arcs and one lucky winner will also get a $10 Amazon gift card. You can currently add it to your goodreads TBR and it is technically up on Net Galley with a few snafus we are working out.

Rafflecopter linky loo here 

Second big piece of news:

In case you didn’t hear me hollering this from the rafters, Marrow Charm (My baby!!) has found a home with Parliament House Press and is slated for Fall 2019.

I am in the middle of edits.

I am screaming internally most days.

 

My summer wasn’t a total wash. I managed a few small projects, continued tinkering with ongoing projects and followed a few plot bunnies. I have some structured plans for this (school) year I hope to follow. We shall see how long that train runs on the track.

Monthly Writing themes- This month is Editing. Next month is Sequels. *waggles eyebrows*
Blogging Initiative- Tune In Tuesdays.This is a personal goal to attempt to update every Tuesday with what I’m writing, what I’m reading, and what I’m listening to. Maybe a few other bits for good measure.
Author interviews- I had a fantastic time doing my Author Madness but it was a lot of work. So maybe spread those out a bit. Expect more interviews coming your way in the futur
You like numbers right? Well I’m out of stuff to list. I am not that ambitious and 3 is a lot. It’s a whole three things!

Anyway, enter the giveaway!!! Free stuff is fun stuff!

Speaking of Free Stuff, Zombies Vs Aliens interactive game has officially been out for six months now! 

A big fat update

Now, here I went and managed to post every day for the month of March and then go radio silent as all the stuff hits at once. I had every intention of doing an occasional detailed post about all the neat stuff happening right now but I’ve been burning the reserve midnight oil and some days I am just running on fumes and hope. 

Accidental radio silence, a common ailment of the busy writer, who prefers hermiting and light social interactions over food. You can always lure me out of the writing cave with the promise of food.

AND THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING.

 

It’s been pretty much non stop work since sometime around mid January, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In many ways a good thing but most days, I have to flip a coin to see if I deserve a nap. What’s happened since the last time I saw you? Let’s break it down shall we? (Warning, there is a lot of media in this post, just stuffed full of pictures. I am a picture whore.)

 

April was hella busy:

The first of several anthology releases dropped. My story Hollow was included in the Carnival of Fear from Limitless Press. (Which is totes in my book links)

Zombies vs Aliens THE GAME released through Chapters Interactive Stories which you can find in the Google App store. That’s so wild I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet but I made pretty pretty promotional postcards, which I am giving away at a special event that will include a peak at the revamped cover for the novel which I am currently hacking away. Seeing the response to the game has been a roller coaster ride of emotion. I even snagged an author interview with the fantastic peeps at Chapters which you can read here.

I turned in my revisions for Ragnarok Unwound to my publisher. This is still sp surreal it hasn’t hit me yet. Probably won’t hit me until I am holding a physical copy of the book in my hand. Nearly three years ago, I penned the bulk of this story in a Nanowrimo blitz. Spent the next year finishing, and polishing. Thanks to #pitmad, I found a publisher for my little slice of mythological fantasy. Soon my mash up of Hawaiian and Norse mythology will become a true book baby. There is a tentative release date set for October 2018 but I shall keep you updated on that as we go.

All that happened last month. May has been chock full of more deadlines and writing blitzes. And also some health scares within the family (which thankfully didn’t turn out too horrible). When not slogging the children around to appts or doing a dozen other chores and errands, I’ve been writing. I also have another anthology release next week for Craving One Night.

It’s literally been one thing after another. I’ve been reminded by more than one peep to remember to stop and take a breath. Just this past week, I’ve turned in the edits for another anthology TBA soon while working on another two anthology shorts. Not to mention all the other little assignments. This year marks a big mile stone for me. With all my little assignments and anthologies and bigger tasks, I’ve slowly started to pull in an income using my writing. That is legit, a fantastic feeling. My path is winding and weird but I’m getting there. Slowly but surely. The rest of this month is one long grind. I have a long laundry list to accomplish in the next two weeks but the insanity will be worth it for a blessed weekend away.

 

I’M GOING TO BOOKCON!!!!

The Bookcon in NYC, June 2nd and 3rd. I am going to get my author and reader geek on and possibly fangirl a few authors on the down low.

I am so freaking excited for this. I will be attending not only my first con, but my first author meet and greet through Wattpad. I have no idea what to expect, if anyone will bat an eyelash for one Krazydiamond but I decided to go for it and ordered my first promotional material, business cards and little postcards for the z vs a game. So I can hand out my very own swag! And hugs! It will be a whole weekend away, staying with a lovely fellow author friend in NYC while I get my geek on. There will be much fangirling and drinking!

My very first business card!

This promises to be a very busy and productive summer but I hope to drop in on occasion

31 Days of Author Madness: Lucy Rhodes

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

Process? Ha. More like chaos and procrastination, fueled by crippling self-doubt. In their essences, I know the stories I want to tell and the characters I want you to get to know, but getting those things down? Chaos. Procrastination. Crippling self-doubt.

I do actually plan my stories out, but that mostly happens inside my head rather than in neat lists and files. So, by the time I come to write, the words (theoretically) flow like a stream of consciousness that I can then go back and edit into something intelligible.

Like a lot of writers, my writing comes from a very passionate, emotional place, and so once I get started, the actual task of writing becomes very immersive. I love the release of letting my thoughts leak out through my fingers and onto the keyboard. The trick is not letting myself think about it too much (see: crippling self-doubt).

2. What inspires you to write?

Love. Hope. Broken minds and broken hearts.

3. Writing is considered a dream job by many, but what if you were granted the opportunity for a true, magical ‘dream job’. What would it be and why?

Honestly, really and truly, I would still do what I do right now. Write words, make pretty pictures in photoshop, and love my husband. Having endless amounts of disposable income to throw at these pursuits is where the magic comes in… Is ‘lady of leisure and enormous fortune’ a job? I would rock that.

4. You are standing on a stage, addressing a high school auditorium of teenage creative writers. What advice would you impart to them about the craft and the career path of being a writer?

Read. Lots. You will absolutely learn about how to be a great writer through reading great writing, but even the terrible and trashy stuff will teach you if you’re open to learning. Read off-genre. Read the classics. Read, read, read. Then read some more.

Be #humble, but pursue excellence. Respect the advice and opinions of those who know what they’re talking about, and ignore those who don’t. Surround yourself with people who challenge you to be better.

Respect your readers, too. Yes, it’s your story, but they’re the ones who want to listen to you… or don’t. No amount of creative genius can compensate for a story that isn’t immersive for your readers. Craft your story so that readers get lost in its words, so that they’re not reading pages so much as listening to you, your voice.

Give yourself time to live your life. Start writing now, but don’t stop living before you’ve even started. Embrace your suffering; learn and grow from grief and pain. Hope and happy endings are all the sweeter when you know just how much we have to lose.

Be honest with yourself. Figure out WHY you want to write, and then give yourself permission to follow that dream. Prioritise that dream. It takes a lot of sacrifice, hard work, and legalised stimulants, but you can do it.

5. You’re stranded in a snowed in cabin, well stocked up on food, but no internet. What is on your emergency book shelf?

The complete works of Agatha Christie, the Chronicles of Narnia, and/or Harry Potter. I’d also happily drown myself in pretty much any calibre of Romance novel or fairy tale(s).

Where to find her:

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Tiffany Daune

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

Brainstorm, vision board, outline, and write!

2. What inspires you to write?

I try and grab any of the weird ideas floating in my head. If I can get enough for an outline, then that’s the story I’ll write.

3. Writing is considered a dream job by many, but what if you were granted the opportunity for a true, magical ‘dream job’. What would it be and why?

I would have to go with either fairy godmother, because who doesn’t want to grant wishes, or the one who feeds golden carrots to unicorns.

4. You are standing on a stage, addressing a high school auditorium of teenage creative writers. What advice would you impart to them about the craft and the career path of being a writer?

Don’t give up and be prepared to work a second or even third job to support your writing. There are ups and downs to a career in writing, so celebrate every success and don’t dwell on the falls. Write from your heart and your voice will shine!

5. You’re stranded in a snowed in cabin, well stocked up on food, but no internet. What is on your emergency book shelf?

Harry Potter!

Where to find her:

  

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

Thank you for having me!

 

 

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Gabriela Cabezut

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I usually come up with an idea and play with it on my mind for several weeks, months even, before I start to plan how the story could evolve.

However, once I have an idea, I need to explore it with images and music, and I try to play the whole story in my head to see if it could be something I’d be comfortable with, and once I’m very passionate about it, I start planning.

Planning is becoming something important to me, since I was a pantser until a few months ago, so now I’m trying to get to know my characters better, try to plan a skeleton story and try to work from there. But if I’m honest, I’m still starting on this, so there’s a lot of pantsing still xD

2. What inspires you to write?

Anything, really. It can be a song, a shared look between a couple I witnessed, a dream, or just a random thought that popped into my head. But when the idea hunts me for a few days, I know I might have something there.

3. Writing is considered a dream job by many, but what if you were granted the opportunity for a true, magical ‘dream job’. What would it be and why?

It would have to involve coffee and chocolate, for starters.

My dream job would involve traveling, helping others and being in control of my time, so I can have time to write also. I’d like to say I’d avoid deadlines, but if I didn’t have one, I wouldn’t accomplish anything xD

I guess I’m lucky right now because I love my job at the moment. I wish there was more freedom to do what I like, but I can’t complain, it’s pretty rad.

4. You are standing on a stage, addressing a high school auditorium of teenage creative writers. What advice would you impart to them about the craft and the career path of being a writer?

Write for yourself.

I feel like a broken record because that’s what I say all the time, but it’s because it’s important.

You’ll be spending a lot of time and effort on a story you need to be passionate about. You can worry about editing and plot holes later, but get that first draft going on, write from the heart and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished.

And then edit, a few times, but learn to let go, too. As writers we tend to over-edit our works even when they’re done and in print, but don’t get stuck in just one story, or you’ll never find time to write more.

5. You’re stranded in a snowed in cabin, well stocked up on food, but no internet. What is on your emergency book shelf?

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, A French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and all of Rainbow Rowell’s books

31 Days of Author Madness: Shaun Allan

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I sit and I stare at the screen and I look at the TV and I realise an hour has gone by and I stare at the screen some more and I write some words and then delete them and think I’ve been writing for an hour, time to stop.

Alternatively…

I don’t get a lot of time to write and have spent so long writing during my lunch break at work, I think I write better under pressure. So I have my lunch while I’m working in the lead up to noon. Then I open Onedrive and my current work in progress (Dorthy at the moment) and do my best to write for half an hour.

On an evening, I know I should keep the TV off and my phone away, but I seem to work better knowing I might be interrupted rather than in a relaxed environment.

In the main, I don’t plot. I just write and see where it goes, though I have a rough plan in my head. Well, usually. Sometimes I don’t at all and am completely surprised (like the time I sat down to write some of the sequel to Sin and ended up with Rudolph Saves Christmas). Since I’ve worked on movie campaigns for Wattpad, however, I’ve started doing some outlines. I know where Dorthy will go and I have an overall plan fro Red Queen. But, to a certain extent, I find it a little restrictive as I am almost forced into what I’m writing. I still don’t fully plan the whole story, but it’s sort of a general route. I just need to decide if I’ll follow it.

Either way, writing is a part of me. It’s like something trapped within me is trying to get out through my fingers. It’s something I’ve done since being a young boy – and been derided for through much of my life – and it’s something I can’t imagine not doing.

2. What inspires you to write?

What inspires me to write or what inspires my ideas? I wonder.

For the latter, it can be anything. Really anything. A song lyric. Just one line from something I’m listening to. It can be a comment from one of my children – I got the idea for Suffer the Little Children (written for Sinister II) from my now 6 and almost 7 year old little girl. Conversations and mannerisms and random thoughts. A song lyric or TV show. Someone turning up at my office door. I have numerous journals and notebooks, including a waterproof one in my bathroom for if a new idea explodes in my head whilst in the shower. It still doesn’t stop me telling myself that I’ll remember it and write it down when I get the chance and then forgetting…

So, ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. And anyone (so watch out!).

What inspired me to become a writer? I don’t know what started me off, as it’s something I’ve done all my life. The reading of To Kill a Mockingbird by my English teacher, as I’ve said many times, was what made me want to actually be a writer rather than just writing. I wanted people to be lost in my stories. I wanted them to be on the edge of their seats.

The fact that, it appears, I seem to have achieved this, at least to some extent, is amazing.

3. Writing is considered a dream job by many, but what if you were granted the opportunity for a true, magical ‘dream job’. What would it be and why?

Being a full time writer IS my dream job! That’s probably a cliché but I so wish I could. I might finally have time to finish some of my works in progress for a start, instead of jumping on the next shiny new idea and leaving them hanging.

Of course, when I was younger, even though I wanted to write and be a writer, my dream jobs were astronaut or archaeologist. Sin derives his name from the Singularity Point of a black hole and I would stay behind after class, with a fellow pupil, to be taught about carbon dating from our teacher. I wanted to space walk. I wanted to discover a new breed of dinosaur or hidden Egyptian tomb.

I didn’t end up with either of those, but it’s not too late, I hope, to be the full time writer.

4. You are standing on a stage, addressing a high school auditorium of teenage creative writers. What advice would you impart to them about the craft and the career path of being a writer?

I think the most important thing…well there’s more than one. Let’s see.

Don’t write because you want to be rich. Or famous. You may well not be disappointed, of course. It could be a case of move over, J. K. Rowling, there’s a new voice in town!

But, for me, writing shouldn’t be about that. For me, you should do it because you love to. You enjoy crating new worlds or inventing new characters and spinning them off into impossible situations. The words fill you. They leak out of you and puddle on the ground at your feet if you don’t get them down on the page.

Don’t let other people stop you either. If you want to be a writer, then be a writer. It’s not stupid. It’s not a waste of time. If the only people who ever read your book are you, your other half and your mum, then so what? It doesn’t matter, do it anyway. If the words, the voice and the unstoppable impulse are there, then let them out.

I’d also say, read as much as you can and write your heart out. It’s the perfect way to hone your craft and improve. By listening to others, you’ll find new ways to create your own stories.

5. You’re stranded in a snowed in cabin, well stocked up on food, but no internet. What is on your emergency book shelf?

Are you serious? How am I supposed to choose? There’s a gazillion amazing books out there. Right…

One book would be Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane. It’s breathtakingly good. Its pages are filled with such inventive, wonderful ideas. I wish, one day, I could write a book like that.

I’d also have Stephen King’s On Writing. If you haven’t read it, the book is a memoir of Mr. King, along with some brilliant tips and advice for budding authors. It’s invaluable and, I’m pleased to say, I’ve just this week bought myself a new copy.

What else… Well, the first book (or rather, series) that I reread was David Eddings’ The Belgariad. It’s a fantasy tale of a young boy, Garion, who grows up on a farm with his Aunt Pol. He discovers that she’s a witch and the crazy old man who occasionally visits is a wizard. Many exciting adventures ensue, of course. I’ve read the full series, including follow on books, multiple times, but not for many years. I think being stranded us the perfect reason to revisit it.

I have to include To Kill A Mockingbird. I owe the novel so many things. It’s an important, moving story and Mockingbirds feature in one of my tattoo.

I’m missing far too many out, but I’d never stop. I have loads of Wattpad friends and extended family who have created stunning works that I’d love to include. Children of the Plague. White Stag. Hide and Seek. More, more, more! It’s an impossible task!

Where to find him:

Snippet/ Teaser:

Sanctuary can be found in the most unexpected of places.

A mother’s arms, or an aunt’s, during a particularly scary film. A doorway in the rain. A dark room when a severe headache makes you want to rip your head from your torso. A sofa with your favourite Gregory Peck black and white movie, a thick blanket and a large tub of cookie dough ice cream.

A tall, yet crumbling building, with one wall lost to time and elements. Windows had forgotten what glass was in the years since they were filled. The door had opened only three times in the last decade. Since then it was stuck shut on hinges that were rusted and cracked. Any attempt to pull it open would result in the hinges breaking and the door dropping and sticking in its frame.

Once upon a time, the building wanted to be a castle. The builder of the building, Francis Oberon, also wanted it to be a castle. Funds and materials had other ideas, however. By the time the beginnings had begun and were progressing to the middle of the project, the grand designs had to be made less so.

Francis lived alone in his home, telling himself daily that he was still happy with the finished product. He hoped that repetition would result in conviction. By the time that, alone, he passed away, it hadn’t. He still longed for the extended boundaries that would give him the room to feel the echo of his loneliness. The more compact living situation, though still extensive, didn’t allow him to enjoy his empty life. Though others would be sad at such a state, he wasn’t. He found solitude to be a generous companion. It gave him time to think. Time to sing and dance. Time to be alone with himself and his collection of alternate personalities.

He knew they weren’t real. He knew they were, perhaps, aberrations of his mind. He didn’t mind. The castle would have given each of them a room to themselves. They had to double up when the original plans went awry. The man, without his imaginary other identities, died in the only chair he owned. It was, apart from a single bed, the only furniture he had, or felt he needed. Imaginary friends required only imaginary belongings.

When Julian took shelter in the tall, crumbling building, the remains of the man still sat in the chair. The upholstery had faded. Various birds and rats had made nests and lairs in its stuffing. His bones were mostly intact. A fox had made off with a femur and most of the toes had fallen off and rolled off along the slight slope inherent in the floor. Julian stood in front of the man.

Or his remains.

The boy, or his remains, looked down. A part of him wished he could swap places. He didn’t want to be who he had become. He wanted free of the curse the Terrors’ bites had inflicted on him. He would rather be bones than beast. But he wasn’t and he had to deal with the conflict that was creating in him. And what else it was creating.

A hunger.

A lust.

For blood and brains.

-Dorothy, Shaun Allan

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

Dorthy is still going strong. Before I return to Red Queen, Mortal Sin and so on, I am determined to finish this book. I don’t think I’m far off to be honest. I can taste the end!

I’ve relaunched my website! YAY! Drop by and take a look! I think it’s cleaner, more fun and more informative. Let me know what you think. 

Also, there’s a surprise story coming up. It’s only short, but it’s exciting – I have to keep it quite for the moment, but you’ll find out all about it soon!

31 Days of Author Madness: Stacey L. Polishook

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I have a writing process that is a bit unique. I tend to be inspired by a question or a character. I actually write scenes out of order and discover the story through writing these scenes. As I come to know my cast of characters and their stories, the overall shape of the novel ( and typically the ending) begin to come into focus. At this point I start to try organizing the story into beats and making sure that both the narrative and character arcs have the proper structure. Then I fill in the gaps with scenes that are missing in order to complete the arcs cleanly.

Writing out of order is not for everyone and does require a bit of flexibility as well as allowing yourself to be comfortable with writing a scene or two that you might not use. But for me, it prevents the story from becoming stagnant as I am constantly discovering new things myself! It also allows me to write the exciting scenes when they pop into my head and not wait till I reach them in a linear plot progression.

2. What inspires you to write?

I will say that I am most inspired by history and the funny habit it has of repeating itself… Throughout my life I have been interested in learning about the past as a way to understand our present. In trying to understand how humans capable of creating so much art and beauty and spreading such joy to one another while at the same time being capable of acting as destroyers, killers, and spreaders of hate. I have also spent a lot of time time traveling the world, exploring different cultures and looking at parallels in the stories we share and our collective history as human beings.

All of that inspires me to create speculative fiction that explores my questions about our world and our place in it. As a result, my writing tends to be a bit on the darker side ( I like the fluffier stuff for reading on occasion but don’t tend to be inspired to write it myself). Questions of morality, mortality, and human interactions in the face of adversity, tend to take center stage in everything I write.

I am also highly inspired by the places I have traveled and the diverse people I have met along the way. I am a person who takes pictures on my phone a lot and is constantly collecting visual, auditory, and olfactory details in my mind for use in the stories I still have yet to imagine…

3. Writing is considered a dream job by many, but what if you were granted the opportunity for a true, magical ‘dream job’. What would it be and why?

Hum… this one is tough! Writing IS a dream job for me, but I guess if I could create a dream job, it would be something that involved traveling and making a difference. I have been to more than twenty countries and want to explore so many more. I love learning about new people and cultures and history. A job that would allow me to do that would be amazing. Bonus points if that job also allowed me to help the communities I visited in some way. Maybe I should quit my day job and travel the world doing humanitarian aide…

4. You are standing on a stage, addressing a high school auditorium of teenage creative writers. What advice would you impart to them about the craft and the career path of being a writer?

I would impart to them how very important stories are. Stories are how we interact with and process our world as human beings. They teach us about other people and places and help us develop empathy. Stories are an integral part of who we are and the written word is key to preserving those stories to be passed on from generation to generation. As an author you have the chance to become a part of that amazing history. Choosing writing as a career path is not easy. The industry is tough. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your passion. Those stories demand to be written and if you have a tale to tell…WRITE IT!

Look for inspiration in the world all around you. Look in history, in different cultures and myths and landscapes. Try to imagine how you could record, in words, the things that move you, from a sunset to a rain shower, to the smell of week old garbage that you keep neglecting to take out. These observations of the world around us are the colors with which authors paint stories on the page.

Remember that writing is a life-long endeavor in improving craft, honing voice, and writing A LOT…even if there are days when everything you put on the page feels like crap. All authors go through writer’s block. All authors will face a crisis of faith. Keep working to tell your stories. Keep track of your old pieces and when you are feeling hopeless, look back on all you have accomplished and how far you have come. Find your “tribe” of writer friends who can share the journey with you. Writing is a solitary discipline but it is important to have critique partners & writer confidants who can support and help you as you, in turn, support and help them.




5. You’re stranded in a snowed in cabin, well stocked up on food, but no internet. What is on your emergency book shelf?

Well Anne Rice is my author hero so I would expect a full collection of the “Vampire Chronicles” + “Mayfair Witches” (those can all count as one since they cross over right?). I would also include her non-vampire novels ( “Servant of the Bones” is actually my favorite Rice book). My most worn books from reading again and again are Monica Furlong’s “Juniper” as well as “Wise Child” so they would be good to have. How long am I stuck in this cabin? hehe. I would toss in Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” series for variety, some Philippa Gregory, and ask for some surprise options too from authors I don’t know. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Historical Fiction… Pretty much any collection of speculative fiction would work for me.

31 Days of Author Madness: M. Greenhill

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

My writing process is very simple. I tend to vomit out my first draft; cringe at the mess, then start to fix it through the editing process.

I am a panster writer which makes things a little interesting in that my characters tend to write the story for me. I’ve recently finished the first draft of my third story in the Masked series. The final couple of chapters did not turn out they way I had planned. The main reason for this was when I put pen to paper (I hand write my chapters on the ferry on my way into work then type them up in the weekend) if I stayed true to my characters traits, I couldn’t end the story the way I’d originally envisaged.

I chose to stay true to the characters and they told the ending, not me.

2. What inspires you to write?

In the real world I am an IT Business Analyst/Consultant. Most of my work is centered around software delivery projects, which can be stressful due to technical, time-frame, people and political challenges. I spend a lot of my time writing technical documentation.

While I enjoy what I do, it is a very structured and clinical way to write. Creative writing provides me with an outlet to be just that-creative.

For me, creative writing is stress relief. I get to let these little worlds in my head come to life. Sometimes it works, and other times it was probably better off trapped in my head.