Author Interview: Morgan Wylie

What inspired you to write?

I first knew I wanted to write after reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in the seventh grade. I think I was struck by the real life (and death) stakes. My love of anti-heroes began with that story.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

Absolutely. I grew up reading everything from comics to classics. My first favorites were my mom’s Nancy Drew collection. In middle school, I fell in love with Star Wars and read every expanded universe novel I could find, including the X-Wing series (favorites) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston. In high school, I was a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series. In technical training for the USAF, a fellow airman introduced me to the DragonLance books of which the Legends trilogy are my favorites. I didn’t read Jane Austen until my twenties when Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice became favorites. Nowadays, I more often read to support fellow indie authors. Some favorites so far are The Soul Searchers Mysteries (Donn’s Hill, Donn’s Shadow, and Donn’s Legacy) by Caryn Larrinaga, Bits & Pieces by Dawn Hosmer, The Awakening by K.L. Hagaman, and Embrace the Beauty by C.N.C. Shows.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

In November/December 2020, I published Wanted, the standalone sequel to my debut, Unscrupulous. I didn’t plan to write Westerns. I had an idea to write a story in which the hero was a villain. It turned out he was a gunfighter, so I wrote a [romantic] Western (Unscrupulous). I intended it as a standalone but had so many reader reviews encouraging me to continue in the genre that I decided to write a sequel (Wanted) and a prequel. I hope to complete a first and second draft of the prequel (a classic Western) in 2021. To not neglect my romance fans, I also want to write the second draft of a regency piece (a retelling of Pride & Prejudice) for which I have a short first draft from 2017. I’d like to publish both in 2022. I’m a slow writer, I know (especially now that I have a toddler and newborn).

Do you have advice or tips for indie authors?

Know your strengths and weaknesses and decide what success looks like for you. The great thing about indie publishing is that there are many different paths to success. You control yours. Business or hobby. Rapid release or one book a year. Self-edit or hire an editor. Design your own cover or purchase one. Manage your own website and social media accounts or hire a publicist. Wear all the hats or just focus on writing. Just because some do it one way, doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the same level of success a different way (one that suits you better).

What influenced you as a writer?

The same compilation (unique to each individual) that influences all artists: inspirations, training (formal or not), and life experiences. My journey to becoming an author was one of a dream interrupted. I spent five years in the USAF before college, got an AAS in Automotive Technology before taking my first creative writing class, and worked ten years as the yard switcher at FedEx Ground before publishing my first novel. I think the delay brought greater perspective and (perhaps some disillusionment) to my writing.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

I much prefer a physical book, but the affordability of ebooks allow me to support more indie authors

Author Interview-Florence Phillips

What inspired you to write?

On New Year’s Eve 2015, I was fresh from winding down a copywriting and content creation business, because ill-health meant I could no longer work to deadlines.

I went to a drinks party, and my friend said, ‘What are you going to do with your brain now? You can’t let it completely go to waste.’

I thought, ‘What’s at the intersection of my skills and passion?’, and I came up with the plan of becoming an indie author.

It was the best decision of my life.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

Ever since the day in kindergarten when I sounded out the letters to the word ‘apple’, and a Christmas tree worth of lightbulbs came on above my head, I’ve been a voracious reader.

My tastes are very eclectic, from Science-Fiction to Classics, via Thrillers and Romance. I often have several books on the go at the same time, so that I can always pick up a book in the genre that best fit the mood of the moment.

I also switch between paperback, kindle and audiobooks to maximise my ‘reading time’.

My favourite books are Classics. I love Jane Austen (particularly Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion), and anything by William Trollope or Elizabeth Gaskell. The Silmarillion is my favourite of the Tolkien’s. I also love Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy series and Iain M.Banks’s Sci-Fi books (‘Excession’ and ‘The Player of Games’). Recently, I’ve been bowled over by Tamsyn Muir’s ‘Gideon The Ninth’ and its sequel, ‘Harrow The Ninth’.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

My most recent works are the stand-alone Romantic Comedies I wrote for my pen name, Venezia Phillips. “We’re NOT Having S.E.X!” about a Hollywood hunk and a celibate girl-next-door, was published in June 2020, and I’m currently editing “We’re NOT Having a Threesome!”, a story about an English girl’s imaginary friend coming between her and her annoying but oh-so-sexy Parisian love interest.

After this, I will return to writing Dystopian Fantasy and will start the prequel trilogy to my Skyriders’ series.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

Everyone sucks at first, don’t be discouraged and learn by doing.

First drafts are meant to be rubbish!

Also, when it comes to marketing and author platforms on social media, build your following organically. No point in collecting followers who are not interested in the books you write.

What influenced you as a writer?

Being a lawyer for ten years taught me always to seek the right word for what I want to say, and to prioritise clarity over style.

The second biggest influence on my writing is the fact my mother tongue is French and not English. I structure my sentences differently, with longer clauses and more punctuation. I’ve learned English grammar at school, and I’m not afraid to use it!

Author Interview-Jillian Webster

What inspired you to write?

I’ve always been a writer. I started writing journals as a young girl and then moved on to blogging in my twenties. I started a travel blog when I was twenty-six to document my backpacking trip around the world, which I then used to turn into my first book, a memoir called Scared to Life. The vision for my second book came to me out of nowhere. It is now the opening scene of the first chapter of The Weight of a Thousand Oceans – my first and most recent fiction novel.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I do love to read. I love to read both fiction and non-fiction but prefer non-fiction. My favorite non-fiction books are Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and most books on yoga. I also loved the memoirs, Educated by Tara Westoverand A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. My favorite fiction novels are The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, to name a few.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

My newest work is called The Weight of a Thousand Oceans. It is the first book of a trilogy, so I am hard at work editing the second book. I am hoping to have the next one released by June of 2021.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

My best advice is to never give up on your dream! If you can afford an editor, it is definitely worth it. All the big names in the publishing houses have people editing their work, so why not give yourself the same safeguard (if you are able)?

What influenced you as a writer?

My biggest influence and muse is music. Most of my ideas and scenes come to me through music.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

I love them both for different reasons. I love to hold a normal book, but living on an island where books are expensive, it is much cheaper and faster to get ebooks. So, I enjoy a mix of both.

Author Interview-Debbie McQueen

What inspired you to write?

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I even have notebooks from when I was in high school of stories and poems that I wrote. I love being able to create worlds and stories that take you away from the everyday.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I love to read, though I’ve been spending so much time lately on writing, that I’ve slowed down quite a bit. My current favorites are YA/NA books. I read a lot of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, supernatural, and dystopian books.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

My most recent published book is Of Heart and Wings, the first book of my new YA Fantasy series with a mm romance between a prince and a dragon shifter. I am currently finalizing the 2nd book, Bound in Fire, to send out ARCs and get ready for its release on January 24th. I also have the 3rd book in the series written, but still editing, and I’ve written a back-story novella that will go with the series. Altogether, the series will have 4 books, plus possibly 2 novellas.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

As an indie author, one of the hardest things to do is the marketing/promotion side of it, unless you hire out a company to do it for you. I highly recommend getting connected with reader groups in your genre, and also connecting to bookstagrammers on instagram. There are a lot of readers, bloggers, bookstagrammers that are happy and eager to share, but it’s just getting your book noticed in the first place.

What influenced you as a writer?

With my current series, one of the things I really wanted to show was acceptance and love. In a lot of the YA books I read, there are great LGBTQ characters, but they generally seem to fall into the roles of sidekick or best friend. I am a proud LGBTQ+ ally and I believe that everyone deserves to see themselves as the hero of a story, and everyone deserves a beautiful love story. Deep connection and true companionship are not defined by gender.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook? I love the look, feel, smell of a print book, and sometimes I have to get them if they were books I loved, but 98% of the time I read ebooks. I typically read on my kindle app on my phone, because my phone goes everywhere with me, so I always have a book at any moment.

Andrea Marie-New Author Interview

What inspired you to write?

I always liked creating stories, be it writing them down or acting them out with my stuffed animals. A few years ago, I started to read a lot of romance (many subgenres. About a year ago, I thought about getting back into writing. During the beginning of Covid, and being home, I thought about it a lot more. Then, in June 2020, I sat myself down, and began to write. I had to permanently leave my job, due to immune issues in our family, and to stay home for my Autisic child who is doing online learning. The rest we say is history.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

Yes, I like to read. Some of my favorites are: Girl Bitten, Vampire Girl, Knight in Shining Suit, Twice The Growl (Really any PDA by Milly Taiden), and anything from the Flirt Club.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

My newest work is a Holiday Romance Short Story for an Author Collaboration called “The Holiday Honeys”. Cover Reveal is on Nov. 5/20. Release dates run from Nov. 17/20 – Dec. 4/20 including my book on Nov. 27/20.

Depending on Covid-19, I have signed up for my first signing next September in London, ON, Canada, called Ignite your Soul. I also have more stories to write, including another Author Collaboration releasing Feb. 2021.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

I’m going to tell you what my Author friends told me. No matter what happens, be it bad reviews or something else, make sure you keep writing. You started to write for a reason, keep doing it. Don’t let other people get you down.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

I read primarily ebooks, but I do like to collect my favorite books in Paperback.

Author Interview–Amanda Arndt

What inspired you to write?

I started writing when I was seven after my father died. I mostly wrote poems then. My mom has always had this amazing gift to put words to paper. She inspired me. Anytime something significant happens in her life she writes it down. I started keeping a journal when I was young because I wanted to be like her. My journal became stories.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I love to read. My favorite books are Jigsaw Man by Gord Rolo, Obsession by John Douglas and anything Thomas Harris writes.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

I have a new book coming out on October 31. It is the second book in the series The Devil Wore A Brown Suit. The new book is Queen of Hell. I have started working on another series Memoirs of Murder.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

1. read every day

2. write every day

3. don’t forget to make some time for yourself and your family

What influenced you as a writer?

The first book I read was Carrie. I knew I wanted to be a writer. Carrie started my love affair with books. Books are my lifesource. I cannot live without them. I wanted to give someone what had been given to me. Books are an escape pod. We pick up a book and we go on a great adventure. I hope I can do that for someone.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

Audible. I love audible books. I can listen in the car instead of the radio. I have ebooks for on-the-go reading and I have paperbacks for when I need to curl up and read. If I really love the book, I will have the ebook, the paperback and the audible.

Adam Gaffen Interview!

What inspired you to write?I think it was the book that I read as a kid – I recognized that they had invented these worlds and thought that hey, you could do that! I worked at it on and off in high school and received good response, which encouraged me to do more. I guess, then, the short answer is the reading I’ve done encouraged me to write.Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?Absolutely! My favorite author – the one I can always return to – is Robert Heinlein. I have all of his books, save two, and constantly go back to them to re-read. But I’m not stuck in the past. Some of my current favorite authors include Tanya Huff, Seanan McGuire, Douglas Adams, Elliott Kay, Clive Cussler, David R. Palmer, Donald Westlake, Spider Robinson, David Weber, Eric Flint, John Ringo…I’ll pretty much give anyone’s work a try; if I enjoy it, I’ll dive deep.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?The most recent book is The Road to the Stars, and it just came out on September 15. This is Volume 2 in The Cassidy Chronicles, which launched in May. TRTTS starts five years after Volume 1, so in 2118, and catches up with Cass (Aiyana Cassidy) and Ken (Kendra Cassidy). They’re living quiet lives, more or less, raising their children, and pursuing their passion projects when the world government reaches out to them for a little project. Things evolve from there as they’re faced with new adversaries, new challenges, and higher stakes than they’d ever faced before.The audiobook for TRTTS should be out around the first of the year, and that should coincide with the launch of Volume 3 (which I’ve started and am about 42k words in).

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?Don’t stop. Don’t stop writing.Don’t stop reading.Don’t stop marketing.Most of all, don’t stop connecting with your fans! Remember, they’re the ones who are buying your books, so give them a reason!

What influenced you as a writer?At this point, everyone I’ve read has influenced my style. There are bits of Heinlein-esque prose in there; there’s a skewed view of the universe courtesy of Adams; there’s plenty of action and space travel from both Weber and Ringo. I’m always reading, so I’m always learning and changing.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook? I love my regular books. LOVE them. I have many shelves of autographed copies which I wouldn’t discard on a bet! But I have to admit that ebooks are convenient; all I need to have is my phone! Still, there isn’t anything quite like holding a book in my hands to draw me into a universe.

Author Interview-Luce Wood

What inspired you to write?

I have always loved to write. I have never considered myself “artistic” because I have never been very good at arts and crafts. My imagination, even as a child, has always been grounded in more reality than fantasy. I limited my early years of writing to keeping diaries and journals. As a young adult, I found myself in a marriage with a verbally abusive and controlling partner. I found solace in writing short stories about coping with motherhood, abusive relationships, and real life as I knew it. Because I had little control in my personal relationship, I was drawn into a career that gave me a sense of control. As I worked my way up in law enforcement and continued my education, I gained the self-assurance and strength to end my toxic relationship and took back control of my life and my future. Because of my focus on Criminal Justice, personal empowerment, and reality, my writing started to mirror own life and I was able to write about strong women, real crimes, and real life.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I started reading as a young teen. Someone gave me two large Hefty bags of Harlaquin Romance novels and crime novels. I read every single book that was in those bags. As I got older and began working in/with/around law enforcement, I found myself leaning towards crime novels where the MC struggled with or had a challenging love interest mingled into the story-line. I enjoyed Lisa Jackson novels. However, once I stumbled across Beverly Barton, I had found my literary heroine. Barton wrote Crime/Thriller novels that typically had a romantic twist. Although her I loved the plot, the writing style, and the twists in her books, the fact that most of her stories were set in the Mountain areas of North Carolina, Tennessee, and the Deep South appealed more to me because I am familiar to these areas.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

I am working on two projects. The first project is the follow-up book to Bring Our Children Home. This book is a continuation of Agent Mackenzie Miller after she moves back to her Panhandle home and reconnect with Lane and her family. The second project is a joint work project with my little angel, Pandi. She has had to deal with my focus on writing and promoting. Because of that, I decided to start working on a Children’s book that she could assist me with. I want her to see her ideas and creativity come to life in print.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

Keep working. Keep trying. Never give up. Because there are millions of books published and more being added every day, it is easy for your work to simply blend in or be pressed down to where it gets little or no daylight. It is up to YOU to promote your work. Network, advertise, and promote your work with enthusiasm. After all, if you are not enthused about your writing (and you know EXACTLY what is in your book), how can you expect others to get excited about your writing (they have no idea what is in your book).

What influenced you as a writer?

My biggest influences are: My own life experiences, My career, education, and work experiences, and innocent victims of real crimes.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

This has always been a tricky question for me. If I had unlimited funds and boundless personal space, I would own a printed copy of every book I have read and want to read. However, I am grateful to have a Kindle Fire that can hold more books than I could store in my own personal space and allows me to easily transport numerous books wherever I go. I love my Kindle! But, there will never be anything created in the digital realm that can replace to feel of an actual printed book!

Author Interview: P.G.R. Wright

What inspired you to write?

Initially as as a boy I just like making my own worlds in a story. But I had not wrote for many years, but seven years ago now I was quite stressed, and began to think of ways to relax me and that’s when I turned to writing. I began to read about how the disabled where treated in World War two, and being a support worker I had to write a story about it. And that was my first book Almighty Allmachtig. I wanted to tell the world that being different in society isn’t a bad thing, and we should all have the same opportunities.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I love to read, I mainly read Thriller books and Historical Fiction. But I also live a good children’s book to lighten the move, as I love Roald Dahl and Jk Rowling.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

My newest work is Devil’s Teufel, sequel to Almighty Allmachtig. And as I would never want to be type cast as an author. I have two children’s books coming out called Hayden and the coded coat Darkness Descends, and the Caterpillar at Christmas.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

My advice for any author is to ask yourself why are you trying to publish a book. Is it because you want to make millions of money, and be adored. Or are you doing it for the love of it. Mine will be because I love it, and hopefully people will read it.

What influenced you as a writer?

probably reading Roald Dahl as a boy, and enjoying all the different worlds he created. But really just being a bit of a day dreamer, and putting it down on paper.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

I would always prefer paperback, every night when I go to bed I read. Having it on a screen distracts me and I don’t take the story in.

New Author Interview: Tahani Nelson

This week for my author interview, I decided to interview someone I have met via social media who writes fantasy like myself. She has 2 books out in her series. The Second book just came out not too long ago. May I present Tehani Nelson:

What inspired you to write?

I’ve always loved reading, but I never really felt like classic fantasy offered enough of the heroines I wanted to follow. I wanted strong, amazing women leading armies. I was tired of damsels in distress and bikini mail. I was tired of love triangles and watching romance take center stage. So, I started writing the women I wanted to see. I started crafting matriarchal societies where girls are raised to forge their own swords rather than to wait for a glass slipper. I wasn’t afraid to hold back from gruesome, epic battle scenes and true military fantasy just because there was a woman at the helm. Apparently, I wasn’t the only person craving that world, because my readers have really responded well to the books so far.

Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?

I love reading, and while I write fantasy, most of my favorite books are in other genres. Fahrenheit 451 will probably always be my favorite book, and I read it a couple times each year. I also love To Kill a Mockingbird. I think I’ve read Beowulf more times than any other book, however. Probably because it’s such a short read. But I love the poetic language of the poem and the use of kennings. Plus, there’s a dragon.

What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?

I just put out Faoii Betrayer, the second full-length novel in the Faoii Chronicles. It’s been doing really well, and I’m glad I got to explore a more urban side of Imeriel. It also drew a lot of influence from modern issues, and I think it was important to explore those issues in a different light.

I’m currently working on Faoii Ascended, the last of the trilogy, but I also have another Faoii short story coming out in an anthology later this year. Passageways will be a collection of short stories from Indie authors, with each tale taking place in a unique universe. It’s a great chance to get a glimpse at 10 unique literary worlds without diving into a full novel or series. My story “The Teeth of Justice” gives the first look at Faoii outside of Imeriel.

Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?

Don’t compare yourself to other authors. There will ALWAYS be someone who writes more than you each day or who makes more sales or who found a better agent or who can spend more on ads. There will ALWAYS be people who seem like they’re doing better than you are, and it’s discouraging. So the best thing I know how to teach you is this: Don’t compare yourself to them. Compare yourself to YOU. Look at the You from 5 years ago. How proud would they be of what you’ve accomplished? How much have you learned since then? How amazed do you think current you would be if you could see where you’ll be in 5 years? Focus on that. There are MILLIONS of books out in the world. Thousands more are being published each week. It is so easy to get lost in that literary sea. So create your rock now. Remember where you’ve started and how far you’ve come. No matter how much it might feel like you’re drowning, you’ll always have that to come back to in order to ground yourself.

What influenced you as a writer?

I take a lot of influence from the world around me. Even if I don’t mean for it to happen, I draw heavily on current events and social issues, and they find their ways into the Faoii Chronicles. But that’s good. Literature should be a reflection of the world. It needs to be relatable and realistic, even if it’s Fantasy. The best way to do that is to draw from what you know and see.

Do you prefer a normal book or ebook?

I mostly read paperbacks, but I don’t have any sort of aversion to ebooks. I don’t know why so many people loft one above the other. Let people read in whatever manner suits them. In a society where reading is becoming less and less common, how dare we decry any version of it out of some misplaced sense of superiority. Reading expands your mind. Who cares how the new thoughts get into your head? This applies to audiobooks, too. The world needs to stop looking down on other people over arbitrary things. Books are books are books. The Faoii Chronicles are available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. They’re available on KU and Audible. No version is inherently better or worse than any of the others. Just read because you love the story. Pick whichever medium brings you the most convenience and joy.