Kristin Jacques's Blog, page 4

31 Days of Author Madness: R. K. Close

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I’m a new-ish writer, so I’m still developing a style. It’s was my habit to just puke my ideas down and then “boom” I’ve got a story. Worked like a charm for book one. Book two was a bit more difficult because I suddenly had parameters from book one that I had to work within. Book three was where I decided that I’d never write another series without a lengthy outline, again–live and learn.

I’m making a serious effort to carve out at least three to four hours a day to write, but sometimes that time is overshadowed with editing, marketing, or the family. I am doing better.

31 Days of Author Madness: Darly Jamison

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

My writing process involves making my surroundings as quiet as possible, no music or distractions from the hubby or kiddos, which is not an easy feat! I prefer being alone with my thoughts and characters so I can better hear what they have to tell me.

2. What inspires you to write?

Most of my inspirations come from everyday life. I’m not really into fantasy, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around magical story lines and plots. It’s sad, I know! I’m more into ideas and characters I can relate to on some level. Things that feel realistic.

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?

Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to work in entertainment, even if it were strictly behind the scenes. Ironically, I had never considered writing as a career until recently. But that doesn’t mean I never dreamed of writing a book! Now that I am writing, I have found it’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do all along, I just didn’t realize it. I wanted to somehow contribute to the entertainment of others and creating stories people might enjoy is the perfect fit for me. Right now, I really can’t think of anything I’d like to do more! But if I can’t choose writing as a dream job, I’ve always thought being an archaeologist would be really interesting. Getting to travel to different locations around the world and being the first person to see something that hasn’t been seen in possibly thousands of years sounds like a nice way to spend my days.

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?

If I had the opportunity to speak with young authors about their writing journey, I would tell them to write what they love. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of writing what others want to read, but it can be difficult to connect with those stories if you haven’t fallen in love with them yourself. And then writing can become a chore. I would also tell them to read a ton and to try and live life to the fullest because that’s where they will find their inspiration.

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

Only one book shelf??? Hmm, good question. I love a twisted mystery, something I can really get lost in. And romance is always good, too! Be it sweet or complicated, I’m all about watching two people fall in love and all of those mixed feelings that go along with it. I tend to read a lot of young adult because that’s the time in my life when I first discovered how amazing books can be. That’s also the age range I’d like to publish in next. But there are too many titles and authors to name and if I tried, I’d be afraid I’d leave someone out! I will say I love to find new authors, so it might be fun to have a shelf stocked with books I’ve never seen before and all the time in the world to fall in love with them.

Where to find her:

Snippet/ Teaser:

For the twelfth morning in a row, I awake to the sound of a window shattering. It’s just as unnerving as the first time I heard it, jarring my insides like I’m nothing more than a bag of fragmented bones crashing into one another as someone violently shakes the sack.

Harlow.

Already, the name bounces around my skull like a ghost.

I don’t have to open my eyes to know the noise was caused by my sister and a sliver from the past that’s been stabbing at the present for nearly two weeks. Their favorite time to visit is just before I wake up, when my drug-sodden brain fights to breach consciousness.

I open my eyes anyway. The monitor above my bed is beep beep beeping, continuously announcing my heartbeats as they flash in a series of lines and jagged angles across the screen.

No matter how pleasant they’ve tried to make my surroundings, the abstract paintings and pastel curtains, the depressing pieces of furniture and polished floor, it doesn’t put me at ease. It’s the grabby hands and intrusive noises; the lingering smell of various chemicals; the annoying fluorescent lights that leak in day and night via the ever-open doorway and observation window dominating one of four faded gray walls, hijacking what’s left of my privacy, that make me uncomfortable.

But something’s different this time. I’m not alone.

There’s a man sitting next to me, the arm of his chair butting up to the pale blue blanket draped across my bed. In the blur of faces that have rotated through my room over the past several days, this one is new. Like many of the others, he’s wearing a lab coat, the white material starched and perfectly tailored to fit his portly physique. But his face is kind. Round and slightly ruddy. Thinning black hair carefully combed to one side, making it painfully obvious he has something to hide. He’s leaning back, arms folded across his middle, waiting for me to wake up.

He shifts his ample bottom in the seat. It creaks in return. “Good morning, Miss DeRosa. How are you feeling today?”

I stare but say nothing.

“I’m Doctor Haris Aman, a clinical psychologist. I’ve recently been assigned to your case.”

My case. I’ve been reduced to the example of something occurring. The circumstance of a situation beyond my control. I continue to watch him.

“I’d like to talk about your sister. Would that be alright?”

Nothing.

“Or we could just sit here in silence and enjoy each other’s company?” he suggests, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “But I think talking might be a more therapeutic approach. Don’t you? I understand very well the bond between identical twins. I’m an identical twin myself.”

He says this like it’s his accomplishment.

Bravo

“And we have something else in common. My twin passed away, too. We lost him to colon cancer when he was just twenty-four. I think that’s why the medical staff asked me to speak with you. Because I know what you’re going through and can sympathise with the special relationship between two people who, at one time, shared the same womb. But I’ve been told you’re hesitant to open up, and that you may be experiencing lapses in short term memory. Is this true?” He pauses, waiting for a response that doesn’t come. “Would you like to talk to me about your sister?”

Would I like to talk about my sister? Not really. The wound is too fresh. But if I humor him perhaps I won’t have to talk to anyone else — including my parents, who have a tendency to scrutinize me with tear-filled eyes as they plead for answers I’ll never give. If I speak with him, maybe I’ll be able to bury the events that brought me here, mangled and despondent, and forget they ever existed. Isn’t that what psychologists are for? To fix all the hurts from the past?

-Yesterday’s Girl

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

Looking for new ways to read stories? Check out my short text message stories on Tap!

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with Wattpad and Paramount Pictures to create a 500-word piece loosely inspired by A Quiet Place, which will be in theaters April 6th. With the prompt I was given, I created a paranormal story called The Hunted. #AQuietPlace #StayQuiet It appears on my profile as well as in a collection on the @Fright profile titled Stay Silent: A Horror Anthology. Working with brands through Wattpad not only helps me grow as a writer, but has also had a huge impact on my writing resume. I’m very grateful for the opportunities!

31 Days of Author Madness: Sally Mason

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I’m a panster by heart. The only thing I’m planning is a couple of major plot points and the ending. The last few paragraphs are written pretty early on so I can keep track of the finish line. The rest is write as a I go.

2. What inspires you to write?

Real life and the world around me. Life is a great teacher and observing people can spark characters in my mind. Most of the time, I get a few new ideas just sitting at the mall on a Sunday afternoon, having a coup of coffee.

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 think I would like to be a super spy/secret agent. Or a time travel, if magic is involved, like those guys on Timeless.

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?

Keep writing. With every chapter, you grow and get better. Be open minded to changes in style and concepts and think outside the box. Experiment. Different genres, voices, POV, tenses – the sky is the limit. But most of all, have fun. If you lose your love for writing, it becomes a chore and the magic will suffer.

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

My WP library containing all the books of my friends – and all of Elicia Hyder books on my Kindle. Also, some good John Grisham’s and Stephen King’s (or at least those I haven’t read before)

Where to find her:

31 Days of Author Madness: Kimberly Vale

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

Before I begin writing, I share my ideas with my two closest writing friends, we squeal together, then I get started.

My writing process is a LOT of back and forth. I tend to revise while I draft, going back to a previous chapter and revising it before moving onto the next. My writings always include mini-arcs in the beginning, middle, and end that develop the main story arc, so as I finish each arc, I go back to the beginning of each section and revise before I start writing the next.

Basically, by the time I finish the first draft, it’s already gone through a revision or two. This takes me longer to write a first draft, but I skip a round of revisions because of it.

2. What inspires you to write?

Music is one of the biggest inspirations to me. If I am stuck, I’ll turn on some movie, tv show, and game soundtracks (such as Light of the Seven from Game of Thrones, The Last of Us or Assassin’s Creed soundtracks, etc). Sometimes, I’ll even play a song on loop until I finish a scene. The music provides a movie dynamic, kind of like ‘this is the song that would be playing during this scene if my book were a movie’. I also scour Pinterest for the AMAZING fantasy art that users have linked. Art pieces have actually inspired two whole books of mine.

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 am also a teacher and it has been a dream of mine to combine my love of reading, writing, and teaching. It makes me sad that reading classes aren’t really offered in the junior high/high school levels and I feel like if students were given the opportunity to take a pleasure reading course as an elective, maybe more kids would take up reading as a hobby. I’ve also wanted to teach creative writing at a junior high/high school level since I started writing. So many kids would benefit from being given an outlet to express themselves freely in a safe and productive way, and it might even inspire them to pursue a career in writing.

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?

Everyone has a story that they want to tell, but they might not know how to tell it. I remember when I first started writing, I had so many different ideas and these epic moments in my head, but when I actually tried to write them, it was atrocious. Like stab my eyes out kind of bad. But I didn’t stop. Instead, I read more. I read A LOT. By reading, I learned about the lyrical flow of varied sentence structures and what a narrative voice actually was an how it impacted the story. Through reading, I became a better writer.

People will tell you that they don’t like your book. People will say they hate your ending. But there will also be people who love your book and everything about it. There are other writers in the community who feel every single insecurity and disappointment that you do. Find others who share the same passion as you, because they will lift you up and make you feel like anything is possible.

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

All of the YA fantasy. ALL OF IT.

Where to find her:

Snippet/ Teaser:

I will not die today.

Csilla’s unspoken words crowded her mind. She never dwelled on death—there was no reason to in the life she lived. Death came, it took, and it did not give back. She hadn’t even given much thought to how she would die, but she assumed it would be bloody and brilliant.

As she walked through the crowd with her wrists shackled behind her, her fingers ached for the leather hilt of her sword. If she could, she’d fight until every Elshire soldier lay dead or until her last breath wheezed through her lips.

Around her, the weathered courtyard was overflowing with harbor-folk who’d normally be selling wares or watching the soldiers’ demonstrations. On this day, however, they’d be witnessing her execution.

The soldiers marched before her, parting the path. To onlookers, she was a stain on their garments they couldn’t scrub out, a plague they couldn’t be rid of. Every time their eyes ran over the scars along her brown skin, and the piercings that lined her ears, their anger flickered with fear and their shouted insults grew louder.

Csilla ignored them. The distant crash of waves and the briny scent of sea was enough to calm the frenzied beating of her heart—for now. It was impossible to be truly calm when time was running out.

The noose loomed overhead.

If the army thought to humiliate her in her last moments, they would fail. She held her chin high and stepped gracefully. No one would see her break. No one would see her falter. She’d only show them a girl proud of her pirate heritage and willing to die for it.

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Debra Goelz

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I have gone into detail about my writing process in my description of how I wrote the story Red Snow. Essentially I am a believer in “Save the Cat.” So I begin with a theme. Usually something emotionally important to me. Then figure out which characters could help me tell the story best. Here’s the link to find out more.

2. What inspires you to write?

I write to say something I consider important. I write to entertain. Inspiration comes from being in the world. Listening to the news. Paying attention to what people say. Brainstorming ideas with other writers. Or just watching the way the sun dips beneath the horizon—an everyday occurrence that is nonetheless a miracle. Life is inspiration.

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?

Professional vacationer? Does that count? Unlimited massage, cocktails, and silence so I can write.

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 started writing many years ago. And I thought, mistakenly, that it didn’t count if it wasn’t “literary.” So I began work on a very depressing novel. Eventually I gave up because I could barely make myself sit down at the computer and face the darkness.

Then about 8 years ago I had a bad accident and surgery and ended up in bed for a while. I decided it might be a good idea to get back to writing. But this time I thought—”why not write something I’d like to read?” Seems pretty obvious now!

So I here is my advice: write the story you wish was out there in the world. I guarantee there will be others who feel the same way and who will enjoy your story. Write your passion. Write to make the world a bit better. Write to make someone a little happier than she (or he) was before picking up your book.

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

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus’ Childhood Pal” by Christopher Moore. The Diana Gabaldon “Outlander” series. All the Harry Potter books. And a copy of every book I own written by a friend, because those are treasures.

Where to find her:

 

Snippet/ Teaser:

“All right. I’m ready,” I say.

He brushes my hair aside as gentle as a whisper. “You’re sure?”

“For goddesses’ sake—do it already!”

His fangs scrape my neck, then he licks me. I practically convulse and my hair sparks purple like it did that day on the beach when he kissed me the first time. When he sinks his fangs into me—

I go insane.

It feels so good, I want it to go on and on forever. The place where his fangs are piercing my neck is the center of my universe. It’s like pure energy and attraction.

I nuzzle closer to him. “Take more. Take more,” I think at him. “Please.”

After about two seconds he stops.

“No! What are you doing?”

“I said a couple of drops,” he says.

I tug on his shirt collar. “I’m pretty sure you’ll need more. Just to be safe.”

His fangs slowly retract. “Waverly, you have no idea how hard this is for me. More than anything, I want to drink your blood. I crave your blood. The very smell of you from all the way across campus drives me mad.”

“I smell?” I pout. “I shower regularly. And mermaids can’t help being part fish.”

“Waverly!”

I jump. “Yeah?”

“You smell amazing. Too amazing.”

Mermaids and the Vampires who Love Them by Debra Goelz

 

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

I am currently working on a story of love, Hollywood, and aliens called Alien Invasion: A Love Story. It’s available for free on Wattpad! Here’s the link!

 

 

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Owain Glyn

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

I tend to get the germ of an idea. I handwrite my thoughts and put it to one side for a few days. I then reread, if it continues to make sense I will develop it. I do not put it onto publish until I am completely satisfied. I throw away more than I publish.

2. What inspires you to write?

The world around me. I am an inveterate people watcher and I can find an element of humour in even the most tragic of situations.

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 think I would be an undertaker. I am extremely nosey and would take delight in what I found in people’s pockets.

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 suggest to them that if they were considering writing as a career then I could hand out a list of cheap psychiatrists.

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

Probably lots of alcohol, a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy, a copy of Dostoevsky’s The Idiot and a copy of How to overcome enthusiasm.

Where to find him:

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

My published first collection of poetry ‘Windswept’ is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or direct from OuterBanks publishing

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Trinity Hanrahan

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

Well, it generally starts with an inspiration from a song, show, movie or picture. Then I plot, plot, plot, outline, research, plot, outline, research, tag all info. At that point, I then procrastinate, writer’s block and occasionally write for the next year or so. Then, when my deadline approaches and I remember I have a deadline, I frantically vomit words onto a page and hope my betas and editor can make it readable.

31 Days of Author Madness: Morgan Rider

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

When I am plotting, I need to walk. When I get the story plotted, I break it down into chapters and plot each chapter individually. Then I write the rough draft following my chapter plots. When the draft is done, I revise. When the revision is done, I edit. When the edit is done, I edit again. When the 2nd edit is done, I use Grammarly to edit again (I save this for after the 2nd edit so I have a chance to clean up the mistakes before the machine counts them). After the 3rd edit, I proofread once more before I post the story on Wattpad.

2. What inspires you to write?

I didn’t used to read much, at least not fiction, but the Harry Potter books changed my life. I wanted to create a make-believe world like that, so I started writing fantasy stories. I guess, in a way, reality inspired me to start writing because it’s basically black and white, and I like orange and purple and crimson. And now, I could say that my imagination inspires me to write, because I can go anywhere I like and do anything I want to inside my head. I will even go so far to say Wattpad inspires me to write, because I don’t think I would have finished so many books without the support and encouragement of my Wattpad readers.

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?

Not sure if the word ‘magical’ was used to encourage outside-the-box answers, but if it was, I would say I’d like to be a teacher at Hogwarts because…well, it would be freaking awesome. If magic weren’t involved, I would definitely go in the direction of environmental activism and protecting the planet’s natural resources. If I become a famous author, I plan to use my fame to speak on behalf of the planet and the animals it serves.

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?

For me, it’s all about the characters. I would ask everyone to think about the people they know; their quirks, physical attributes, personalities, talents, etc. Then I would ask them to create characters with unique attributes, both good and bad, and make sure the stories they write include these memorable characters. I would recommend they spend time getting to know their characters, putting them in different situations and seeing how they react. Readers want real and endearing protagonists they can rally behind. With the right characters, any story can become a masterpiece.

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

Fifty Shades Trilogy, Harry Potter Series, Leviathan Trilogy, Seraphina

Where to find her:

Snippet/ Teaser:

Our affair had been like that from the beginning, feral and controlled. The mixture held us together somehow, and since my luck ran like a broken thermostat, I took every opportunity to indulge in the good stuff.

– Taken from book three of the Stone In Love series due out spring 2018.

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

Lexi’s Undoing is now available as an audiobook.

31 Days of Author Madness: Amber K. Bryant

The Fiver:


1. What is your writing process?



Put words on a page. Force them to make sense. Revise everything, from text messages to novels, a gazillion times before letting anyone else see them. Try not to be consumed with self-doubt.
I have trouble plotting in too great of detail so bare bones usually does the trick for me. It also helps if I have deadlines. I work better with a ticking clock and, like a small child being told there are consequences for not doing what they are supposed to do, I tend to accomplish more if I think I will disappoint someone else or myself if I don’t make a deadline.
I have another full-time career and a child so I write when I can and try to accept that that’s the way it is.




2. What inspires you to write?



Fame and glory. No, just kidding. Writing makes the rest of my life manageable. It’s a creative outlet I need in order to handle daily stress. It’s an escape at times, but conversely, it forces me to be present, to focus on something meaningful to me. In short, I need it or my life will become unbalanced and I will be very sad.





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?



Kitten therapist. I don’t mean I give therapy to kittens, I mean I take a bunch of kittens, give them to a person who is mentally struggling and let them play with the kittens and they would be totally healed by two hours of magic kitten therapy. I would like this job because it would heal the world and there would be no war or violence ever again. Everyone would be happy and I’d get to train magic kittens.

I’m also open to puppy therapist if the position of kitten therapist has already been filled.





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?



If you want to write, read. Read well-written books. This is the best way to learn what makes a good story. Then write. Do not assume the first thing you write will be golden. Writing is a craft. When you learn to knit, you don’t start off making intricate lace shawls, you make a garter-stitch scarf. The tension may be uneven, but you learn the basics, you accomplish something, and then you move on.

Everything you write is practice. If a violinist wants to be good, they keep practicing and pretty soon, they don’t screech anymore.

If you want a career as a writer, develop a thick skin, prepare for rejection, and have a contingency plan in place if you aren’t going to rely on someone else to financially support you. I’m not saying you can’t support yourself as a writer, I’m saying it’s tough and probably won’t happen over night. At this stage, my writing supplements my income, but my day job puts food on the table and pays my mortgage.

All this is to say that there is a fair amount of business that goes with a writing career. You need to have both the right and the left hemispheres of your brain engaged. There is a place for practicality and it’s a necessary counterweight to the romanticized notion of what it means to be a writer. We are not all typing out our thoughts as we gaze through the window of our castle while our trust fund keeps us in coffee and designer shoes. I’m not knocking this–I will take a castle view, thank you–but it’s not the reality for most of us.





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 Margaret Atwood. Lathe of Heaven by Ursula le Guin. At the Wall of the Almighty by Farnoosh Moshiri. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. All of Haruki Murakami’s works, which admittedly I haven’t read yet but his stories are on my list so I want them on my emergency shelf! I am America (and So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.
Where to find her:

Any other news or updates you would like to share?

I just sent out my first newsletter! To join and receive never-seen-before content, go here.

 

31 Days of Author Madness: Matthew Thrush

The Fiver:


1. What is your writing process?



I used to think of an idea and daydream about it for a few hours or several days before writing. I write from passion and inspiration. However, writing like this can leave burn you out or sidetrack you along the way if you’re not careful.

Since I started writing novels full-time, I’ve had to adjust my approach to writing to a more “regimented” path. If you’re a writer, then you’ve heard the terms “pantser” and “outliner.” These refer to two kinds of writers. One writes like I was; from passion, inspiration, and from their “pants,” which just means going with the flow and letting the story come to you as you write it. The outliners plan the full story ahead of time before they start writing. Depending on how extensive you get, these outlines could be long.

I’ve had to take on both worlds for my career. If I continued to write without outlines, I’d get overwhelmed because of the deadlines. So, now I create brief chapter outlines before I write. This is just my way of telling myself in a few sentences to a few paragraphs what the chapter (scene) will be about, what happens, who’s involved, any quotes or dialogue I want, etc. This allows me to transition from chapter to chapter (or scene to scene; I write each chapter as a new scene) without spending too much time thinking of what comes next.

Since my deadlines are tight and I must write at least 10,000 words each day to stay on track, I need to maximize every second during the day. By creating short outlines like this for each chapter, I’m able to continue to write how I enjoy writing and let the story flow naturally, but it also allows me to see what’s next and saves me the hassle of thinking about it. This really comes in handy when you’re reaching your threshold and feeling tired.

2. What inspires you to write?

I’m not sure what inspires me to write. Ever since I was young, as far back as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. I guess you can say it’s a natural gift I was born with. Over the years I’ve learned how to strengthen that craft and continue to do so each day. We can only keep getting better with each new story we write.

I think the main idea that keeps me writing and why I enjoy it is the challenge. Most people never start, finish, or write a book. It’s hard work to write a book and even harder to write something that people like and will buy. I consider a good book something you can live off of the proceeds you receive. Until you can live off of the money you earn from your stories, it’s a hobby. That’s how I transitioned to taking my writing seriously and pushing myself.

Before, I wrote when I was inspired and for fun. I would go long periods of no writing and other stretches where I’d write an entire book in a week or so. I was not disciplined or focused. And I certainly didn’t have a plan. In March 2017 I made a goal for myself. The goal was to get good enough and dedicated enough to be able to quit my job and write novels full-time by the end of the year (10 months). I thought this was reasonable, but thought I’d also do it in six months. I’ve always achieved my goals faster than the normal person, but that’s because I’m a bit OCD, and when I focus, I’m ALL IN. I reached my goal four months later and quit my job. I was able to quit two months earlier, but I waited to make sure it would work out before quitting.

Other than the challenge, I love stories. And I love sharing my stories with people. Selling copies, making a living, and reaching #1 Amazon bestseller status for multiple books is a HUGE plus, but it only aids to the fuel of my passion and helps keep me going. Writing is one thing I love. Find what you love and where your deepest passion lies and do that. If you work at it and truly commit yourself to mastering it, you’ll be able to do it as your full-time career.

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?

My two greatest passions are writing and golf. When I was in the military as an Arabic linguist and intelligence analyst, I taught myself how to play golf and become a scratch golfer (someone who consistently shoots par or better) and got a scholarship in less than two and a half years. The goal was to get good enough before my enlistment was up to go back to college for a second degree and play golf on scholarship, then go pro. I was well on my way before I made some poor life choices.

So, my dream would be to play golf professionally. I’d like to do that for the challenge and prestige, but the truth is, if I could just travel and play golf. Writing would go along with that. Traveling, playing golf in competitions, and writing books along the way. That’s the dream, and I’m fortunate to be doing one of them as my full-time career.

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?

Prepare to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. If you want to make something of yourself as a writer, then you must develop a thick skin and a fighting spirit. Meaning, you must develop a mindset and belief system that “writing” is the air you breath and your “life.” You must also eradicate any sense of self-esteem, identity, and any tendency to be offended. You cannot allow yourself to be bothered by what others think, say, or do. Most people will attack your dream, criticize you, ridicule or diminish you, etc. if you’re chasing your dream. The reason? Because the majority of people in this world will NEVER go after their dreams because of fear. So if anyone “attacks” you or your dream, they aren’t attacking you, they’re projecting their own insecurities, regrets, and longings onto you, instead of doing something about it.

It’s easier to criticize, point the finger, blame, or name call. It’s much harder to buckle up and go after your dream. Dreams are hard work and sometimes it takes a long time before you reach it. The best thing you can do is wipe out your dependency on affirmation from others, including yourself, and then learn as much as you can.

The learning comes from reaching thousands of books, writing every day, and taking webinars, courses, or mentoring to better your craft. Writing is subjective up to a point, then the rest is objective. The objective part is understanding what the “market” (your perfect reader) likes reading, and then develop the foundational skills to write. The more you read and the more you write the easier and more natural this becomes. You also must have the mindset that you’re always pursuing growth and maintain a teachable spirit. You want to get five years down the road, look back at your past work, and think, “Man, that stuff was terrible! How could I have thought that was some of my best work?”

The truth is that it was your best work and it was good back then, but you and your work are better today. If you’re not better in the future than you were in the past, you’re doing something wrong. Quality must always improve. It does not diminish your skill or your past stories if your writing wasn’t as good, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you keep writing and keep getting better. This goes for any dream you chase.

If you want to write for a living, you must be stronger than anyone else and become the most learned person in your craft. If you maintain a teachable spirit and a mindset to never quit improving, you’ll reach your goals faster than you thought possible. And all of the naysayers will continue to live miserable lives of complaints, what ifs, and regret. Don’t be one of 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, my faith is important to me. I wasn’t always faithful to God, but He was always faithful to me. Because of where my life was and where I am now, my faith is stronger. I have overcome some huge obstacles in my life and experienced so many “coincidences” or “divine intervention moments” to ever believe it was not God. The things that have happened could not have happened by me or anyone else. There’s just no way. It’s not humanly possible.

But God is in the business of making the impossible possible, when you place your trust and faith in Him. So, since I’ve learned these life lessons and seen through my own experience and life how faithful God is and that I can trust Him, I would want the Bible on my shelf. Without God, there is no point to life. I had to learn this the hard way, but I’m grateful that I can now use my past to help others avoid it or overcome their own struggles.

Plus, there are way too many great fiction books to narrow it down. The Lord of the Rings kick started my reading and writing frenzy, so maybe I’d go with that one. But then again, Harry Potter was pretty fantastic, as were the thousands of books I’ve read. Maybe just give me a golf club.