What inspired you to pursue a career in writing, particularly in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy?
I have always written, and SFF is what I love to read, so I don’t think it was a conscious decision, that’s just what I write. As far as pursuing a career? I had all these stories and needed something to do with them. Once I decided I was going to publish, everything morphed from there, but I don’t know if I would call it a career yet. More like a very expensive hobby.
How do your diverse interests, such as operating heavy machinery, cooking, and beekeeping, influence your writing?
I think they all add authenticity. Anything you have real life experience is going to help give depth to your work. Diverse interests also send you down all these weird rabbit holes where you can find story ideas, sub plots, whatever. It’s all info to feed your imagination.
Can you share a bit about your writing process? How do you approach crafting your stories?
I usually start with a scene and things build from there. Sometimes the scene is how it starts, sometimes it ends up in the middle as both ends get padded. I don’t plot, just do a lot of “Huh. How did that happed?” And then fill in the details until I have something. I usually don’t know what until 3/4 through the book and then it’s super exciting because somehow everything comes together.
You mentioned giving up sarcasm for Lent every year. How does humor play a role in your writing, and how do you balance it with the more serious themes in your work?
It plays a huge role. A lot of what I write is pretty gritty, so inserting humor lightens things up. I think it helps to keep people engaged with heavy topics. I also just really like exploring that edge of human nature where you can either laugh at something or totally lose it. Maybe both.
Your bio mentions that you hear voices in your head. How do these voices contribute to your creative process, if at all?
Hah. Yeah. My characters talk to me, to each other… sometimes I really feel like I’m just beaming things in from somewhere, which is awesome. That’s when the best stuff comes through. I’ll sometimes just have pages of dialog and then fill in the action and details around it after the fact.
What challenges have you faced as a writer, and how have you overcome them?
Sooo many challenges. Myself is a huge one. I don’t have an issue with motivation, but I do have some very black days where everything is just so much sh*t. That’s when I usually step away and refinish a piece of furniture or garden. Beat myself up doing something physically before I come back to it. I don’t know if that’s something you overcome, but I do try to push through it.
Do you draw inspiration from any specific authors or works within the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres? If so, how do they influence your writing?
I love Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and a ton of old school SFF writers. I think you take something from everything you read. A cool word you haven’t seen before, a twist of phrase. I love the prose structure of Raymond Chandler’s writing. The economy of Cormac McCarthy. The dreamy quality of Patricia McKillip. If someone was ever bored enough to deconstruct mine, they would probably find elements of all of that with a bunch of Gormenghast thrown in.
With your background in restoring antiques, do you find yourself incorporating elements of history or vintage aesthetics into your fictional worlds?
Absolutely. I think in every book there’s something Art Nouveau, which I’m a total sucker for. In the Price of Talent series especially, Glynfyls has this whole steampunk Dickensian vibe going on.
How important is world-building to you as a writer, and what techniques do you use to create immersive and believable settings?
It is ridiculously important. When I’m crafting a scene I usually put myself in it, and try to move through the space, rotating through the senses. When I start a project a lot of my “writing time” is spent living in my head walking around and discovering things.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are just starting their journey?
Keep going, keep writing. In my opinion tenacity is more important than talent. I’ve seen so many people who are incredible writers, but they quit because this industry is so hard. And that’s okay. It’s definitely not for everyone.
How do you stay motivated and disciplined in your writing, especially during times of creative block or self-doubt?
I sit down to write everyday. I know not everyone can do that, but I’m up super early typing. If I’m not feeling it with writing my manuscript I’m working on marketing. Social media, newsletter, updating my website. Articles for blogs. Screwing around on Canva. Interviews, lol. I usually have something to edit or beta read for someone. I think all that helps because even if I'm not writing, I’m doing work related to writing. So no guilt! And I definitely have hard deadlines. If something had to get done, I do it. End of story.
Can you share any details about your current or upcoming projects?
Yeah, I just turned in the fourth book in my Maw of Mayhem PNR series, and I’m super, super excited about the release of Breaker, a dark dystopian romance coming out July 11th. That series is on a rapid release schedule and one will be coming out every other month through the end of the year on Kindle Unlimited. I’ve also got the second book in the Dae Diaries, urban fantasy series, coming out August 19th. So a lot going on. If people want to check any of it out, I’ve got a bunch of series freebees on my site aknevermore.com.
What role do you believe speculative fiction plays in exploring contemporary social or political issues?
SFF has always dealt with the issues of the day. I think we can see that with the prevalence of books around AI, climate fiction, and the resurgence of dystopian storylines. What I’m really liking is the current trend infusing more romantic plot lines, which definitely makes the future seem not as stark and cold.
How do you handle criticism of your work, and what do you find most rewarding about being a writer?
I think with criticism you really have to take the source of it into account. If a writer I really respect critiqued my work I would definitely be more inclined to take that to heart than a random review somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, they would both hurt, but I think one of the hardest things to wrap your brain around is you can write the most amazing XYZ book, but if someone doesn’t like XYZ they don’t like XYZ. If they read yours chances are they’re still not gonna like XYZ and what they say will be a reflection of that. Like I don’t care how amazing your stuffed mushrooms are. I frickin’ hate mushrooms and I’m not eating them, period. Meanwhile a dozen other people will be all over that.
That said, the most rewarding thing for me is having some random person say they loved something I wrote or identified with it. That never fails to make my day.
When did you join AllAuthor? What has your experience been like?
I joined AllAuthor not quite a year ago? It’s love the 3D mock ups you can do and the graphics. Right now I’m messing around with the tweet stuff and it’s pretty cool.
