The Author Interviews, Round 2: #8: Shakyra Dunn

The Author Interviews mini-series continues with an interesting interview withSkahyra Dunn, author of The One Left Behind: Magic.Where do you get your ideas from?-I draw my inspiration from my past experiences as well as dreams. More commonly, I also take inspiration from people around me. In terms of characters, I tend to have each one portray a trait of my own—I like to leave a part of myself in others. That has always been my rule as a writer.Why do you write?-I write because I have always wanted to inspire someone else to follow their dreams. As a child, my original goal was medicine, but writing was a talent I had always possessed. As a teenager, I looked back at my old works from around age seven and decided to try again. Plain to say, my mother wasn’t happy when I decided that I wanted to be a writer. But after convincing her, I took the plunge into this messy and amazing field. Through that strive and goal, I feel that no matter what stands before you, you shouldn’t abandon your dreams at any cost. It makes it all worthwhile.What do you find most appealing about your chosen genre?-I dabble in several genres, but I have settled myself into fantasy and coming-of-age stories. There are truly no limits with what actions you can take in fantasy—that’s the beauty of it all.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?-I think there’s a limit to criticism that I can handle, because some of it is blatant arrogance. I’m accustomed to bad reviews and rejection, and I’ve always seen the bright side of it. There’s someone out there that is reading my stories, someone telling me exactly what they think, and as a writer, that’s all that I can ever ask for.What do you find difficult about writing?-Right now, it has to be the writing itself. I work a night shift job to pay the bills, and it eats away a lot at my motivation to work on my novels. So in the meantime, I’ve been keeping up with a lot of side-projects, working on reviews, reading more until I can gain the momentum again. Or quit my job. Whatever comes first.Do you ever outsource your work?-Nope, but it sounds like a curious topic.What is your opinion on indie vs traditional publishing?-I’m currently self-published, but after all of the stress of trying to promote my novel, I think that I’ve done myself more harm than good, so I plan to polish up my novel better and try to seek traditional publishing.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.-Ooh, that’ll be fun! Normally, I begin my structure with characters. They tend to scream at my brain, aching to tell the story that has yet to be shaped. I take great passion in making sure that they are understood as accurately as possible. From those characters, their world shapes, the place where they were created, and where they want to make their journey’s end. And in between all of that comes the plot. Simple, complex, the range matters not, as long as it is something born.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?-It might sound cliché, but never stop trying. Writing and putting yourself out there is terrifying. The process of writing in any form is stressful. But let me tell you this: the instant that you start and finish those sentences, hear the voices in your head… the moment that you hold that document in your hands, the moment that you hit submit, the very second that you see your first novel in front of you… it makes it all worthwhile. That is the passion that exists within you. Seek it out with open arms. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks of you, or says of your work. That dream is yours alone.If you could go back in time 12 months, what would you advise yourself?-Personally, I don’t regret publishing my book earlier than I should have. But I feel like I could have done better planning in advance with more research. I know more now about what to do for a novel in nurturing your marketing than I ever could have imagined. I guess I would have told myself to do more research.I was also lucky enough to find our about this author's reading habits.Would you agree a good book must withstand more than one read?-I wouldn’t say that’s true. There are novels that have stuck in my mind as an inspiration that I can only gather from one read. Like “Catcher in the Rye.” I read that book in high school, and I can still remember the details of it that made me find such resonance in the story. There are some books that only need one read to stay with you forever.What do you look for when shopping on Amazon for a Kindle book? Highlight those you would consider. Are any of the below more important to you than others?Cover / Title / Author / Price / Description / Publisher / Sample Chapter / Reviews-I find myself most drawn to the descriptions of the novels I search for, but I also see myself peering more into certain genres over others.Who is your favourite author and why?-This might sound silly, but Lemony Snicket is my favorite. His novels from “A Series of Unfortunate Events” are the spark that ignited my passion for writing from a young age. I found myself drawn to the aura of mystery behind his characters, and I devoured them.Do you shop for indie books online? If not, why?-I do! I prefer it that way!What would it take for you to leave a review on Amazon/ Goodreads?-I try to review everything that I read these days in some form or another because, for one, I’d like the same treatment. And I’d like for other authors to know of their thoughts on their novels.After downloading book one for free/ 99p or 99c on Amazon, do you ever return and pay more for book two? If not, why?-I think for me it depends if I like the novel or not. If I’m not thoroughly interested by the first novel, rarely do I try the second and hope for an improvement.Do you ever visit an author's website and if so, why?-I do, mainly because I want to see if it is of any interest. It also gives me some interest on how to structure my own website.What would it take for you to sign up to a mailing list?-I sign up for mailing lists if the media presented on the website intrigues me.Do you ever enter giveaways and/ or order signed copies?-I’ve entered a few giveaways on Goodreads and also hosted my own before not long after my debut. I’ve only won once in a giveaway there, the first one that I ever entered. I generally order signed copies if the series interests me too. Actually, my first signed copy of anything came from a friend of mine that has been getting pretty popular in her field.What would it take for you to recommend a book to a friend?-I recommend any book that I like to friends that I know would be into reading (which is actually rare for me, I have few friends that read as extensively as I do), but what I tend to present more would be the plot and characters. Reading in hindsight still exists, guys! There’s a lot of great stories out there!Thanks so much for this interview and we wish you all the best with your work. To find out more about the author and to offer your support, please find them on social media. Thanks!