What first sparked your love for writing, and when did you realize you wanted to be an author?
Ever since childhood but I was in my thirties before I started seriously working on novel writing.
Your imagination leans toward the macabre and fantastical—what draws you to these themes?
I’m weird. Always have been ?
You’ve explored intriguing concepts like Heaven outsourcing paperwork to Hell. How do you come up with such unique story ideas?
I don’t really know. I’ve always tended to have an offbeat imagination.
Who are some of your biggest literary influences, and how have they shaped the idea of your novel, “The Life and Times of the Traitor Killean Onryn”?
Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Leigh Bardugo and Jim Butcher are authors whose work I’ve really enjoyed and whose worldbuilding has inspired me.
What’s your writing process like? Do you plan everything out, or do you let the story unfold as you go?
I’m a very fast writer so I used to go with the flow but I’ve started planning things out more as I’ve started publishing a series and need to maintain consistency.
“The Relics Saga” is a fantasy series—what can readers expect from it, and what inspired its creation?
Fast paced action, compelling characters, stories where heroes behave badly and anti-heroes have a lot of fun, all with a dash of humour.
You’re working on several YA fantasy novels. What do you love most about writing for young adult readers?
I find that YA fantasy is a really fertile environment for story telling, particularly after reading Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology and seeing the depth of worldbuilding and complexity she was able to work into stories aimed at a teen audience.
Your horror-fantasy short stories have won prizes and appeared in anthologies. What makes a great short story?
A really tight plot, where the characters jump off the page from the first word and the ending lands with a bang.
If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and why?
Um, considering the things my characters get up to – Killean Onryn is an ex-warlord who turns into a dragon – I’d probably run screaming from all of them in real life! Much more fun to put them through the wringer on the page! ?
Do you have a favorite scene or moment from your book, “The Life and Times of the Traitor Killean Onryn,” that stands out to you?
I enjoy writing scenes with the Sly Fox assassin clan and their memorable leader, Vilari. So any scene with him in is a favourite for me.
What has been the biggest challenge in your writing journey so far?
I’m a shy person in real life so putting my work out there in the world was a challenge. Also like most indie authors marketing continues to be an education!
Winning writing awards is a great achievement! How has that recognition impacted your confidence and career?
It’s a nice little boost to get a piece of writing accepted for any kind of publication and to place in comps is to receive a little pat on the back that my work is appreciated. ?
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring fantasy or horror writers?
Enjoy it. Set goals for yourself if that makes you happy, but mostly don’t lose the spark that makes you want to write.
If you found yourself in a zombie apocalypse, would you rather try to survive or go out in a blaze of glory?
Die fast! I do not want to live through an apocalypse. It seems like so much hard work!
How did you first come across the AllAuthor website? What do you like about the site?
I read a post by an indie author online who recommended the site. I really appreciate the gif making tools, the allauthor tweets and the support shown to authors!
