Q&A with You, My Readers <3

How do you balance between reviewing and writing? Do you not sleep... ever?



Reading and writing go hand in hand. I love reading and each book is like a mini learning experience- whether it's an exercise in "do this" or "don't do this." Reviewing is kind of a nice break from writing, too. So no, I haven't really felt the rub. It doesn't exist for me I guess! :)



Did you always know you would go indie, or did you consider the traditional publishing process first? 



For a while I wasn't thinking about publishing at all. I just didn't think I was good enough. My readers from Fictionpress were very supportive, though, and my writer friends from this group I was in all but forced me to pursue indie publishing. One of them- you might know her as Em Wolf (she's published now, too)- sent me the link and was like, "IT'S FREE. IT'S EASY. BE MY GUINEA PIG. DO ITTTT."



What aspect of being an indie writer do you enjoy most, and what's the hardest part for you?



I like the freedom of being able to write what I want without having to worry about tailoring my writing to what's popular or family-friendly. I think if you work with a traditional publisher you have the additional burden of fitting in with their "image." Also, if I finish a book early, I can publish it early and there's no red tape to cut through.



At the same time, I feel a lot of people probably don't take me- or my writing- seriously because I'm not traditionally published. Producing hard copies of my books is also very expensive and non-lucrative. I'm often asked for hard copy ARCs and I have to tell people that even I don't own any. I really wish I had some pretty copies to hand out. I also wish I could go out and do book signings and stuff. I'd love to be backed by a publisher. It's my dream to own some of my books in paperback and be able to meet my loyal and lovely fans in person. <3 



How do ideas for a book come to you? In dreams, in the news, etc?



Reading, dreams, just random brain farts, people I meet in person, on the internet...etc. Anything is fair game for a writer. Anyyyyyything. *evil laughter*



Do you only work on the story you're writing at any one time, or do you
also write ficlets/small pieces of nonsense that function to you as kind
of a refreshing sorbet?



I try to work on one story at a time but that never really pans out. Forcing things in writing is usually a bad idea, so if I feel inspired, I'll gladly swap projects.



Do you keep a physical notebook for ideas, or do you have a word doc/evernote file etc?



I have an "ideas" folder on my computer where I write down interesting snippets or ideas or even cool titles that I don't feel like working on immediately. If I'm stumped, it's always fun to open up the ideas folder and take a look.



Best place for random ideas: the shower/driving/at the movies/where else?



If I'm having trouble resolving a conflict in the story, a shower usually helps. :) If I'm lacking inspiration entirely, I'll take a nap. I always have vivid dreams and sometimes they provide me with the solution I'm looking for in a story.



How many hours a day do you write for? In one block, or split up? Is
there a maximum time you can write, and after which you find you are not
productive? Morning, evening, other?



Sometimes I'll write for, like, 18 hours. Straight- with breaks for eating and bathroom. I write best in the middle of the night because that's when everyone else is asleep and my productivity is at an all-time high. I don't know why, but things just seem more magical in the wee hours of the morning.



Do you make yourself write every day? What do you do when you just don't feel like it?



I write almost every day. If not my books, then reviews for other people's books. Any kind of writing is good writing, and potentially useful.



What is the longest time it took you to publish a book? And the shortest time? And on average? 



Some of my books took me years to write. Others, I finished in a few months. As I get older, I find it easier to write books more quickly. Endgame was written in like three days, but the revisions took me months. I finished and published Wishing Stars within two months. Bleeds My Desire took about three months to put together, but I had scraps of it pre-written in one of my "ideas" folder, so that might be cheating. :)



Are you open with your friends and family about writing?  



My family knows I write and have read some of my books. My friends know I write, but they've never seen my books. I'm very secretive like that.



Best place to write?



In bed. :3



Do you write on holiday too, or do you take a break if you go away?



I take a notebook with me when I go out just in case inspiration strikes. I've also been known to pull out my phone and write long memos to myself about potential book ideas.



Have you done any writing courses? Or did you already do creative writing at college?



I haven't taken any creative writing courses. I was always afraid that if I did, it would make writing seem more like work and less fun. I did take Advanced Composition in college, which was a very difficult course. I had to work for my A. But it opened me up to a new style of writing. 



When you write do you like silence/TV/DVD/music (playlists??) 



I like silence. I'll wear headphones when I write sometimes but mostly to blot out sound. I only listen to music while revising. :)



Do you drink alcohol when you write? 



I don't really drink alcohol in general due to health reasons.



How did you do your research for the BDSM elements in Tantalized and was professor Delacroix based on one or more real persons? 



I read several of the classics about kinky sex, like Venus in Furs and some stuff from sex blogs. I also read the CliffNotes for Marquis de Sade and The Story of O, and various other stories, and read what professors and students had to say about the books. I also Wikipedia, and then followed the references to the original sites to learn more. Google images also helped give me perspective although some of the images were a little too much for me.



Professor Delacroix is kind of based on Humbert Humbert from Lolita, and the creepy guy in Story of O. He's not a love interest and I didn't want to treat him like one. I also wanted to underscore the fact that the sex that he and Jessica engage in in the story is NOT representative of typical BDSM. This is not safe, sane, and consensual sex. BDSM is about trust and feeling safe with your partner. Tantalized is, well, not.



When/how did you come to the conclusion that you liked to write dark stuff?



I noticed at a fairly young age that the antiheroes/gamma heroes in romance novels didn't stay bad. It drove me crazy. I wanted to read about dark heroes with dark storylines that didn't turn into fluff by Act II. It turned out to be something I was pretty good at. Maybe it's because I've had a lot of angst in my life. Nothing propels a darkfic like angst. ;)



Also, do you have an overall plan, a list of goals for the year? Do you think, "In 2014 I shall write 3 x books 50,000 words+" or do you wing it and see what you produce?



Right now, I'm pretty close to being able to do this full-time. At the moment, I'm in limbo. I explained my predicament to my family, and they were sympathetic because they know how important writing is to me (it's what I've wanted to do since I was thirteen-years-old). I'll be writing and publishing as many books as I can until my birthday, because after I turn twenty-five my insurance won't be able to cover me anymore. If I can't support myself on what I make by then, I'll get another job...but I won't be able to write as much. So basically, I'm trying to do the best I can with what I have right now. :)