Author Interview: A.J. Flowers
This is the second interview for the Blog World Tour–Fantasy Edition, and no commenter has claimed the reward* yet! If you think you’ve figured out the posting method, let me know in the comments below.
*a digitally signed ebook copy of Augment or a voucher for a free digitally signed ebook copy of any novel I publish this year or next year
Today I’ll be interviewing A.J. Flowers! A fellow fantasy writer, she wrote her first trilogy, a fantasy angel series, during college while studying to become an engineer. She now juggles both work and writing as a double career–a daunting but admirable task! She’s written 5 books, hundreds of flash and short stories, and is just now about to blossom in her career. Thank you for being here today, A.J., I’m excited to interview you!
My first question is: Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Fallen to Grace? What would you do differently the next time?
Fallen to Grace is the debut novel in the Celestial Downfall series. It started out as a completely “pantsed” novel when I first decided I wanted to write a book during college. By the time I felt I reached a satisfying ending, I realized I wrote a trilogy. It took a lot of work to split the story into thirds and revise/rewrite the first book to be something suitable for publishing. This was my learning experience, and I learned writing a book without a plan is going to leave me with a giant mess. I think the main thing I will be able to do differently is approach new novels with my gained experiences. Understanding key elements such as prose, dynamic flow, plot and character arcs, scene structures, and narrative thrust all will help me to write a successful story in less time. I think each new novel will bring its own challenges and experiences, and I’m ready for them!
That’s awesome! As a fellow pantser, I’m glad you discovered your writing through that method, even if you plan to write in a different manner in the future. I know you wrote a book on it, but do you have some brief advice for beginning writers?
Be consistent and ask yourself if you’re ready for the long haul. Writing may use creative juices, but it’s an acquired skill just as much as playing an instrument or becoming a painter. You become good at something by doing, and this means writing takes a lot of doing to become good. The generally accepted timeframe to become an expert in a field is 10,000 hours, described by Malcolm Gladwell in his New York Times Bestseller Outliers, and when it comes to writing, that doesn’t necessarily mean you just write whatever pops into your head for 10,000 hours and then you’re an expert. Writing consists of understanding the elements of prose, literary rhythm, plot structure, genre expectations, target audience, and so much more. Writers have to cover more ground than other creative fields to become good at what they do, and I feel like much of the population doesn’t understand that. If you put in the time and effort, truly delve deep into the craft, you will be successful in the end. Just be prepared for the marathon, not a sprint.
That’s great advice. Thank you for sharing it. Now it’s time to delve into the past… Do you remember the first story you ever read? What sort of an impact did it have on you?
Yes, the first story I ever read was a kid’s picture book series based on young angels who got into all kinds of mischief and had to be good, because, they’re supposed to be angels! The pages were full of glitter and adorable images, and the stories themselves were fun to read. This was probably something I read around kindergarten, and given that I am in my late twenties and just finished writing a young adult angelic fantasy series, I would agree that my first exposure to fantasy literature had a pretty big impact on me!
Sounds like it had quite the impact on you, indeed. That’s neat! I love seeing how people are influenced by what they read. Speaking of which, when reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional paperbacks/hardcovers?
I feel there’s a format for every situation. I don’t yet own an e-reader, but if I did I would reserve that for daytime reading. (Lunch breaks, evenings, weekends.) I also enjoy paperback, especially at night. But I also love audiobooks. They’re great for when I’m commuting, exercising, or even falling asleep. It’s the only instance where having someone read you a bedtime story is socially acceptable!
I’ve never been a huge fan of audiobooks myself, although I do love the full-cast version of Redwall! They definitely make a lot of sense for times when carrying/looking at a book isn’t really possible, though. *glances at clock* We have time for one more question… This one’s a bit more technical. When you publish a book, do you do a press release, a Goodreads book launch, or anything else to promote it? What sort of success have you had in the past?
When I decided to publish a writing resource guide, it was based on the positive feedback from my blog. It was definitely a hard book to market, given that my credentials are roughly zip, but in the end it shouldn’t matter. This is a compilation of everything I’ve learned from the ground up, and is based on what I learned from others, not necessarily what I have to say myself.
In order to market this book, I used my e-mail subscription list as the main jump-off point. I currently have over 500 subscribers. I released the book as free for a week to get the ball rolling, and I was shocked when I moved 1,000 units. Since the release, I’ve continued to have solid sales in both e-books and paperback, as well as consistent pages-read from people who have the Kindle Unlimited subscription. Aside from a few days of Facebook advertising, which got me only enough sales to pay for the advertisement, my email subscription fan-base was really where I had success in marketing. These are people who already like what I have to say based on my blog, and will encourage their friends to read my work as well. I can’t reinforce enough how important it is to have a platform with dedicated readers. Those are the people who will make or break you when you’re first starting out.
When I have more books released, especially my fantasy novels, I plan on using the funds raised by my writing guide to finance Goodreads and Amazon giveaways. Unfortunately, I have to purchase my own books to give them away, and after fees and shipping, royalties only give back a small percentage. I know the key to success is word of mouth. The more people who have your book on their “to-read” list means more exposure, and the likelihood that their Goodreads friends will see your book through their friends and be encouraged to try it out as well.
It sounds like you have a solid plan for marketing! That’s awesome, and something everything author who publishes needs. Thank you again for being here today, A.J.! I wish you and your novels the best.
Originally from an island a mile and a half wide named Sugarloaf Key, A.J. discovered new lands and cultures through books. Life has drastically changed since her childhood, and she currently resides in Detroit as an automotive designer, which has given her the opportunity to travel the world and experience regions and cultures she can incorporate into her work. During her free time, she saves the world from annihilation on her favorite video games side-by-side with her Dutch husband and princess Blue Russian Kitty named Mina. You can follow her writing advice, published work, and fun personal stories on her blog.
You can connect with her via:
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