Author Interview
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
For me the best part of writing is that I can create a whole new world. When I read a book, one of the things that defines it as a 'great book' to me is that it draws me into that world and lets me escape for a little while. I get to know and love the characters and the amazing world that they live in.
When I am writing it's as though I get sucked into this place where anything at all is possible. The only thing that limits what can happen is my imagination. While I love writing Paranormal books with shifters, I find that Urban Fantasy is my favorite genre to write in. I can create scenario's that would be impossible in reality. I can build worlds from scratch and bring the images to life with words. It's a great escape and I have so much fun researching, imagining, dreaming, and writing out all of the crazy things that come from my mind.
What do your fans mean to you?
My fans mean the world to me.
When I first started writing I never really expected to have it go anywhere. I did it because I had the sudden urge to write and I just wanted to get the story out of my mind and on paper.
Now three years later, I have three series in the works and every time I receive a message from a fan asking about the release date for the next book in a series, or just having them tell me how much they enjoyed my book...well it just gives me so much encouragement and pushes me to keep writing. There really are no words to adequately describe the emotions I feel when someone enjoys reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.
I have fans from the U.S, Japan, Germany, the U.K. and more. Sometimes the fact that my books are enjoyed from people all around the world is such a shock and reality check, and I'm still trying to grasp that 'this is really happening.'
While I will always write because I love it, my fans are what keep me going; especially when I'm in a writing slump or just trying to figure out what to work on next.
What are you working on next?
At the moment I have three series in the works.
Forged from Fate
Holland Broken Pack
Omens
Yes I know that seems a little crazy. While it is my intention to focus on finishing the last book in the Forged from Fate series before anything else, sometimes I just need to work on something else to recharge my creative side.
Seekers Hex: Omens is my newest series about a witch, and it hasn't been released yet, but the idea came to me in a dream one night and I just had to start it and get the main concept out there before I lost the idea. What started out as a 'rough world building' document turned into six fully written chapters that first day.
Once the Forged from Fate series is finished I also plan on doing several spin off books from that series. I just fell in love with the characters so much; especially Bates and Luke, and I know their stories aren't finished yet.
Who are your favorite authors?
I absolutely love Stephanie Hudson and her Afterlife Saga. She was such an inspiration to me.
Laura Thalassa is another great writer and I have loved every book of her's I've read so far.
I feel as though I could list dozens of well known great authors, but I also encourage my readers and friends to pick up some books by indie authors. These are the authors who self publish and aren't in big box stores. It's a fantastic way to find some truly unique stories that will just blow you away.
For indie authors I would recommend J.L. Vampa, (The Queen's Keeper) Erin Casey (The Purple Door District) and Carla Reighard (Travelers Duology), I always have more recommendations but out of the books I've read recently those were the best in my opinion.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Usually one of my two dogs telling me they have to go out.
Honestly though, I am an early riser and I don't typically sleep past 7am. I run a small farm, own my own business, and I write. I have so many things I want to accomplish and so many things to get done each day that getting out of bed is easy.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Kayaking, fishing, and gardening are some of my passions. I also love drawing and taking pictures. If I'm not working or writing it's pretty much a guarantee that I'll be outside, even in the long Maine winters. When it's warm enough I usually do my writing outside as well. For me, nature is just an amazing and peaceful place to be.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Most of the ebooks I read are books that other indie authors ask me to read. I am all about supporting new authors and do my best to read at least 4 or 5 books a month. It has been a great way to find books in the fantasy and paranormal genre's that I would probably never in a million years would have found. I'm astounded at how much my taste's have expanded, and also find it refreshing that each new book I read is so different from the last. I can go from Immortal's fighting Nazi's, to time traveling mermaids, to werebirds. Things always stay interesting and I never get stuck in a book rut.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
That one is easy to answer. I didn't start writing until 2016 and I'm still working on the Forged from Fate series, so I doubt I will be forgetting it anytime soon. I will say that for part's of the first book I was writing so fast just trying to gt all the words out that I needed to, and all the idea's in my head, that I didn't remember writing some parts. When I went back to do edits and proofreading I had one of those, 'Holy cow, I wrote this book!?!?' moments.
What is your writing process?
I am a moody writer. It's part of the reason I have three series going at the moment. While my main focus is the Forged from Fate series, sometime I'm just not feeling the characters for the day and I have to switch. The main characters in all of my series have such different personalities so I tend to work on the one I can relate to most at the moment so that my characters stay true to themselves.
For the most part I am not a bog planner. I have a general idea of where I want my story to go and I just let things flow naturally as I write. Almost everything that happens between the beginning and end of my books is not planned. Sometimes my characters get themselves into situations I could have never imagined if I tried to sit down and plan everything out ahead of time. I know it's a process that doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me and I can't see my writing style changing anytime soon.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I can't pinpoint one book over another. I've always loved reading though and still to this day I would pick a good book over TV. I know I have some books that have stayed with me throughout time such as Terry Goodkinds; Sword of Truth series, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Inkheart, and The Afterlife Saga.
How do you approach cover design?
My best friend has done the covers for the Forged from Fate series for me. I was so nervous about doing my own covers because I was worried I would never be satisfied with anything I drew up - I would keep picking it apart. So she swooped in and drew and painted those for me, working closely with me trying to get the concept I wanted down.
Lately I've been doing the covers for my other series, getting over my fear of putting my art out there.
Cover design is difficult. You have to tell a story about your entire book with one single image. Every reader looks for something different when they are book shopping and one cover won't make everyone happy. I used to worry about pleasing the masses with my covers but now I've taken the approach of just doing what I like. My covers and my stories are an expression of my personality so I can't try to make everyone happy. They'll either love it or hate it, but I'm staying true to myself.
One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that you will never find a half dressed dude on the front of my books. While I'm not particularly open with my politics I will say that if women want equal footing in this world and don't want to be objectified, then we can't do the same thing to men and expect anything to change.
For me the best part of writing is that I can create a whole new world. When I read a book, one of the things that defines it as a 'great book' to me is that it draws me into that world and lets me escape for a little while. I get to know and love the characters and the amazing world that they live in.
When I am writing it's as though I get sucked into this place where anything at all is possible. The only thing that limits what can happen is my imagination. While I love writing Paranormal books with shifters, I find that Urban Fantasy is my favorite genre to write in. I can create scenario's that would be impossible in reality. I can build worlds from scratch and bring the images to life with words. It's a great escape and I have so much fun researching, imagining, dreaming, and writing out all of the crazy things that come from my mind.
What do your fans mean to you?
My fans mean the world to me.
When I first started writing I never really expected to have it go anywhere. I did it because I had the sudden urge to write and I just wanted to get the story out of my mind and on paper.
Now three years later, I have three series in the works and every time I receive a message from a fan asking about the release date for the next book in a series, or just having them tell me how much they enjoyed my book...well it just gives me so much encouragement and pushes me to keep writing. There really are no words to adequately describe the emotions I feel when someone enjoys reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.
I have fans from the U.S, Japan, Germany, the U.K. and more. Sometimes the fact that my books are enjoyed from people all around the world is such a shock and reality check, and I'm still trying to grasp that 'this is really happening.'
While I will always write because I love it, my fans are what keep me going; especially when I'm in a writing slump or just trying to figure out what to work on next.
What are you working on next?
At the moment I have three series in the works.
Forged from Fate
Holland Broken Pack
Omens
Yes I know that seems a little crazy. While it is my intention to focus on finishing the last book in the Forged from Fate series before anything else, sometimes I just need to work on something else to recharge my creative side.
Seekers Hex: Omens is my newest series about a witch, and it hasn't been released yet, but the idea came to me in a dream one night and I just had to start it and get the main concept out there before I lost the idea. What started out as a 'rough world building' document turned into six fully written chapters that first day.
Once the Forged from Fate series is finished I also plan on doing several spin off books from that series. I just fell in love with the characters so much; especially Bates and Luke, and I know their stories aren't finished yet.
Who are your favorite authors?
I absolutely love Stephanie Hudson and her Afterlife Saga. She was such an inspiration to me.
Laura Thalassa is another great writer and I have loved every book of her's I've read so far.
I feel as though I could list dozens of well known great authors, but I also encourage my readers and friends to pick up some books by indie authors. These are the authors who self publish and aren't in big box stores. It's a fantastic way to find some truly unique stories that will just blow you away.
For indie authors I would recommend J.L. Vampa, (The Queen's Keeper) Erin Casey (The Purple Door District) and Carla Reighard (Travelers Duology), I always have more recommendations but out of the books I've read recently those were the best in my opinion.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Usually one of my two dogs telling me they have to go out.
Honestly though, I am an early riser and I don't typically sleep past 7am. I run a small farm, own my own business, and I write. I have so many things I want to accomplish and so many things to get done each day that getting out of bed is easy.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Kayaking, fishing, and gardening are some of my passions. I also love drawing and taking pictures. If I'm not working or writing it's pretty much a guarantee that I'll be outside, even in the long Maine winters. When it's warm enough I usually do my writing outside as well. For me, nature is just an amazing and peaceful place to be.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Most of the ebooks I read are books that other indie authors ask me to read. I am all about supporting new authors and do my best to read at least 4 or 5 books a month. It has been a great way to find books in the fantasy and paranormal genre's that I would probably never in a million years would have found. I'm astounded at how much my taste's have expanded, and also find it refreshing that each new book I read is so different from the last. I can go from Immortal's fighting Nazi's, to time traveling mermaids, to werebirds. Things always stay interesting and I never get stuck in a book rut.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
That one is easy to answer. I didn't start writing until 2016 and I'm still working on the Forged from Fate series, so I doubt I will be forgetting it anytime soon. I will say that for part's of the first book I was writing so fast just trying to gt all the words out that I needed to, and all the idea's in my head, that I didn't remember writing some parts. When I went back to do edits and proofreading I had one of those, 'Holy cow, I wrote this book!?!?' moments.
What is your writing process?
I am a moody writer. It's part of the reason I have three series going at the moment. While my main focus is the Forged from Fate series, sometime I'm just not feeling the characters for the day and I have to switch. The main characters in all of my series have such different personalities so I tend to work on the one I can relate to most at the moment so that my characters stay true to themselves.
For the most part I am not a bog planner. I have a general idea of where I want my story to go and I just let things flow naturally as I write. Almost everything that happens between the beginning and end of my books is not planned. Sometimes my characters get themselves into situations I could have never imagined if I tried to sit down and plan everything out ahead of time. I know it's a process that doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me and I can't see my writing style changing anytime soon.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I can't pinpoint one book over another. I've always loved reading though and still to this day I would pick a good book over TV. I know I have some books that have stayed with me throughout time such as Terry Goodkinds; Sword of Truth series, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Inkheart, and The Afterlife Saga.
How do you approach cover design?
My best friend has done the covers for the Forged from Fate series for me. I was so nervous about doing my own covers because I was worried I would never be satisfied with anything I drew up - I would keep picking it apart. So she swooped in and drew and painted those for me, working closely with me trying to get the concept I wanted down.
Lately I've been doing the covers for my other series, getting over my fear of putting my art out there.
Cover design is difficult. You have to tell a story about your entire book with one single image. Every reader looks for something different when they are book shopping and one cover won't make everyone happy. I used to worry about pleasing the masses with my covers but now I've taken the approach of just doing what I like. My covers and my stories are an expression of my personality so I can't try to make everyone happy. They'll either love it or hate it, but I'm staying true to myself.
One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that you will never find a half dressed dude on the front of my books. While I'm not particularly open with my politics I will say that if women want equal footing in this world and don't want to be objectified, then we can't do the same thing to men and expect anything to change.
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