What do you miss the most about growing up on the outskirts of a town of 199 people?
Honestly I don't miss any of it. The small town life just isn't for me. I do still like being in rural areas, but a place so small just wasn't big enough for me to stretch my wings. I've since upgraded to a town of 18,000. A significant jump, but still rather small.
At what age did you write your first book? Did it get published?
The first book I ever wrote was a little gem I called "Journey for a Name," which was a contemporary coming-of-age story about an orphaned boy finding family in unexpected places. Considering I write mostly urban fantasy, it's a very different tone than I normally write! I started and finished it when I was around 12 years old, and it was entirely written on notebook paper, and unfortunately I have not gone back to it since. It would be a hefty project, basically translating the story not only into a digital document but also fleshing out the writing itself from a 12-year-old experience level to an adult experience level. I do intend to do this someday, though!
As a teenager, what were you obsessed with?
Dragons! I had dragon posters on the wall, dragon figurines everywhere, numerous books on dragons, and I even painted and drew dragons myself with obsessive frequency. I studied the Dragonology Handbook by Ernest Drake like it was a bible.
Do you remember the first book you picked up to read?
What was it about? Some of the first books I remember reading on my own were the Junie B Jones books. But if we wanted to go back even further, I do remember Goodnight, Moon as a child being one of my favorites.
What sparked the idea for your book, The Un-Life of William Moore?
The Un-Life started as the simple concept of "what if a monster was normal?" What would that be like? I chose a vampire as that monster because of the over-romanticizing of vampirism in fiction at the time, and I wanted to bring back the idea that being a vampire is a curse. As much of an oxymoron as it is, I also wanted to humanize monsters as just people who are different.
Was it hard to write your first book? What challenges did you face?
Writing the book wasn't that hard. I wrote the first draft of The Un-Life (which was half as many words as it has now) in a muse-fueled flurry. However, once I decided to publish the book it became harder. I had to not only find a way to fund my own business (self-publishing is technically being an entrepreneur) and put together the final product, but I had to change significantly along the way on a personal level. I am an introvert, like most writers, and trying to network and socialize within the writing community to get the help I needed to publish was completely against my nature. I persevered, though, and came out of it with a boosted self-esteem and confidence of an extrovert!
What was your reaction when you became the president of the Hannibal Writers Guild out of Hannibal, MO?
It was like winning an award! I got passed up as president of my graduating class in high school, so I felt like in some small way becoming the president of HWG was like the universe making up for that miss. Feeling like people genuinely look up to you and put their faith in you to get things done is an amazing feeling.
Who inspired the character of Kaylah Rhodes in "The Un-Life of William Moore"?
Kaylah is an amalgamation. She looks like a friend I had in high school and she was named after (at least her first name) my roommate at summer camp.
Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
I have a handful of those. Firstly, my best friend from high school, Katie, who was my first beta reader and the subject of my dedication in The Un-Life. She's the first person who encouraged me and inspired me to pursue writing seriously. More recently, my friend, colleague, and predecessor from the Hannibal Writers Guild, Ryan P. Freeman, is the reason why The Un-Life was published at all. He supported me every step of the way with his knowledge of self-publishing, and to that I will be eternally grateful.
What is the most valuable lesson your life has taught you?
I am particularly fond of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, or mending pottery with gold. It is our flaws as human beings that make us beautiful, valuable, and moreover, infinite.
Do you ever leave book reviews on other author's books? What do reviews mean to you?
I usually only leave reviews when I have strong, positive opinions. If I particularly loved a story, I will leave a review, but if I found it lackluster I might not. But even with a more negative review, I always try to lead with something positive, because I know how much work goes into writing and publishing stories, and I also know how important good feedback is for sales. I personally read every review I receive and take all feedback very seriously. I might not be able to fix a published book, but I can apply everything I learn from my readers into my next story. Bad reviews or good reviews, there's always something to learn from your readers. What you're doing right, and what could be improved.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
My proudest achievement to date is being the president of the Hannibal Writers Guild, an office I have held for almost two years. It's an honor to serve my local writing community, and I have a blast doing it, too.
What is the best writing tip you ever received and who gave it to you?
In thinking about writing advice that has had the most impact on me, I'd have to say the Benjamin Franklin quote: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” It really helped to change my perspective on finding inspiration and motivation to keep writing. It'd driven me to want to have more experiences in my life. Go on adventures, places I've never been, journey far from home, get to know new people. Basically, live life. I might accidentally stumble upon a story that way, too.
Which is the next book you are working on? Is it a series or a stand-alone book?
The next book I'm working on is called The Blood Knight, which is the first in a potential trilogy I call Blood Knights, which in turn I'm hoping is going to be the first series in a greater universe of series while will all eventually come together at some point. It's ambitious, but exciting! The Blood Knight is currently being queried and I'm working on book two.
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
It's been a really friendly community that has had some of the most significant reach for me. A lot of marketing services fail to deliver, but All Author gives a heck of a lot of bang for the buck with just the mock-up tools alone. The people feel personal, like they give you the individual attention you deserve.
