What are some of your favorite childhood memories?
My best childhood memories were of my mom reading books to me. My school had reading competitions and I was really motivated to win. So my single mom had to buy and find as many books for me to read as possible. Looking back on that time, I don't know how my mom did it. I know she had help, but with my book reading habits, my love for dancing, singing, and music I definitely stretched her budget to the limits.
What ignites your imagination?
Reading books and watching movies or television shows gives me ideas. Maybe it's because of my dance and choir background, but I think music really helps me see the worlds I create.
What type of romance do you enjoy reading?
I like clean romance books. I think the tension from just being hyper aware of a person you're attracted to sitting next to you is greater than having a bedroom scene described. But maybe that's just me.
What made you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
I had a choir teacher that happened to be my English teacher, too. She taught us the process of writing a book. I ended up writing a series of short stories that were in the horror genre. I thought about becoming an author then. But life took its course and it wasn't until I was laid off and caring for my dying Grandmother that I reignited my love for fiction writing.
How did you come up with the idea for your book, The Progenitor?
It was a combination of things. I was eating dinner with my husband and in the middle of our conversation my mind had this glimpse of this forest planet. Maybe it was because I was watching Star Trek at the time, but I sketched a crude map of the Six Systems that night. Then about every night for several months I was dreaming about this world and the characters slowly showed up. I can say, those were some of my favorite dreams.
What are some important elements of good writing?
Good editing is the most important element of good writing. I think it's important to remember that the rough draft is an author telling themselves the story. Story threads are dropped and story elements don't flow in the first stage of writing. I don't know about other authors, but I can say in this stage I tell more than show with these drafts. It's not until I go through the manuscript that I take the info dumps out. Really, the magic of storytelling doesn't come in until the editing starts.
How many books do you plan to write in The Progenitor Chronicles?
This particular story arc will be done with the third book which will be out later this year. I am planning to leave a few threads open to be explored later in a connected series.
This series will be launching several epic fantasy and dystopian fantasy novels in the future. It won't be necessary to read this first trilogy, but for those that do, they'll find hints of this first trilogy in my future books.
How much do you enjoy meeting and interacting with people?
I am an introvert at heart. My default is staying home with my family. I have to remind myself constantly to reach out to my friends and my community of authors. It's a struggle, but I'm trying to be better about meeting and interacting with people.
What is the most positive review you've ever received for your book, The Equinox? What about the most negative? How did you handle both?
I have received great feedback about The Equinox. I've had a few people email me to thank me for my series, my heart just soared. I didn't go into writing fiction with the intention to help people, so it was surreal to have people email me like that.
I haven't received a negative review about The Equinox yet. I have received a one-star rating for The Progenitor. But it was just a rating. While I know it's always a bummer to find a person who doesn't like your book. I know that not everyone will like my books. Since everyone will receive a negative review eventually, it actually made me feel like a "real" author. After I received that rating, I danced around my bedroom.
What was the most challenging experience on your road to becoming an author? Got any advice for an aspiring writer?
I constantly have to remind myself while I am trying to get my books out there that I did it. I wrote not just one book, but three. I've now published a short story and I am planning some charity anthologies in the future. I am currently developing an epic fantasy series. Yet despite all of this work, I still feel like I'm not as successful as I am. Imposter syndrome is real. I can see on social media that I am not the only author struggling with this issue.
Sometimes writing books can be lonely. As a person who struggles to make connections with others, it is especially difficult for me to connect with other authors and build a community. It's important to connect with your fellow authors. It's only through this connection that we can build each other up especially when imposter syndrome shows up.
Also, it's important to celebrate every win. If you finished your rough draft, treat yourself. Go have a fancy fun dinner with your family when you publish every book.
What do you think of some book marketing strategies like book trailers, giveaways, etc?
I think you have to figure out your ideal reader first. I struggled with this in the beginning, but I got this great advice from a marketing specialist that really helped me. If you market to everyone, you market to no one. Now I am focusing on finding a way to talk about my books that works for me.
While I love book trailers and giveaways, I don't think they always attract my ideal readers. I think it's more important to write more books your superfans will enjoy. Also, learning how to use things like Amazon and Bookbub ads is the most important thing for an author to learn. Readers in these areas are already looking for books, so why not advertise where the readers are.
But again, each author needs to learn what works for them.
What is the most important stuff when you go hiking?
I think it's important to relax and allow yourself to be in the moment. Hiking is not about the destination, it's about the journey. Stop regularly and take in your surroundings as much as possible. You'll never realize how much you'll miss if your constantly looking at the ground.
Do you have a specific routine for writing that you follow? Or do you prefer to like whenever and wherever?
In general, I write or edit for a few hours each day, five to six days per week. I track my routine and double check my habits. What I may feel is working is not in fact working when the numbers don't add up. I constantly adjust my routine to find what works for me. Right now, I'm writing or editing in the mid mornings, then I go off to my day job and enjoy the evenings with my family.
Are there any stories you're working on that you want to share with the world in the near future?
I have a few projects I'm working on at the moment.
Besides finishing up with The Ancients, the third book in The Progenitor Chronicles, I am also working on a four book epic fantasy series.
This new series will take place on a planet that is destroyed during the wars that happen during The Progenitor Chronicles. Some of the survivors of the disaster develop fire wielding abilities and live longer lives than those who don't develop these abilities. As you can imagine, there is a bit of tension between these two groups. It isn't long before someone figures out how to exploit the situation.
I am working on a few charity anthologies with some fellow authors. These charity anthologies will highlight adventure stories that feature elemental powers. One of my short stories for this new series will be part of the first anthology.
When did you join AllAuthor? What has your experience been like?
I joined AllAuthor in March of 2022. I was looking for a way to reach new readers. My platform was nearly non-existent when I started. It's great to feature books in the cover of the month contests. While I haven't won a cover of the month feature, I do love seeing all those books posted on their platform. I also love the weekly book image generator and the review generator. It helps save time to use these tools.
