Becoming a published author was my dream goal for most of my life. I would say my new dream goal is to one day have a best selling book, or even seeing one of my stories made into a movie where I get to help out production and the music. Also, I want to visit Scotland.
I think digital books have their pros and cons in today's society. They're more convenient and affordable than traditional books. The downside is e-books are much easier to pirate online. There are a lot of arguments out there by pro-pirates, stating things about how it gets the author's work out to more people, or that not everyone can afford to purchase books or have a library nearby to borrow from. But the truth is every pirated copy takes revenue from the author. Authors spend hours upon hours working on their stories, unpaid, to provide a product that may or may not show a return on the time they've invested to bring it to life. It's like asking someone to perform a job, but not paying them for it. And for a lot of authors, that could mean they're less likely to produce stories in the future. In the end, it's stealing. Period.
Romance! Definitely romance. It's my favorite genre, but I've always felt intimidated with trying to write it. Sexy scenes are fun to write, though maybe a little awkward at times. But for me, the highly emotional scenes where characters bare their souls to each other is very difficult for me to pull off. I think it stems from unfamiliarity with such things in my own personal life, but that's a story for another time!
I've been told my style resembles Sarah J. Maas'. I hadn't read any of her works until after I was told this. I'd heard of her and knew she was popular, but hadn't thought to look into any of her work. One of my critique partners recommended I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, and after I did, I definitely noticed similarities.
There was some trauma in my childhood that didn't get addressed until a much later time. I feel if it had been addressed sooner, there would have been a lot less struggle in the years that followed. I would also probably choose a different path than traditional college. It was a good experience, but the financial stress of student loans makes it something I regret most today.
My very first book is a vampire novel, inspired in part by Interview With the Vampire. I wrote it without really understanding plot structure, and looking back on it now, it feels very messy. It was supposed to be published in 2011, but the publisher had internal issues and shut down before the editing phase even started. I was very disappointed at the time, but now I'm so glad it didn't work out. I know the story can be so much better, with more intriguing characters and a much stronger plot. I do plan to rewrite it, but it may be a while before that happens.
I love a lot of books, but one I read not long ago that really hit me in the feels is Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan. It's a new adult romance about a young woman who crosses paths with a man who can't speak. They communicate via sign language, and as he's been isolated most of his life, a lot of his experiences with her are new. It's a raw, innocent approach to falling in love for the first time, and the journey is beautiful. I can only wish I'll write something as beautiful someday.
When I first started writing, my sentences were extremely detailed with unnecessary info. They were clunky and a bit cliche in spots. My writing is completely different now, which is a good thing! But all writers have to start somewhere.
I haven't been recognized in public in the traditional sense, but sometimes someone I don't know will leave a comment on my website or send me a tweet telling me what they enjoyed about my story and/or writing. It's a pretty humbling experience, and I almost don't know how to respond. Definitely gives me warm, fuzzy feels!
In a fantastical way, sure, but not in any serious sense. I actually wanted to get into acting, and even decided to major in it in college. But after I took a creative writing class to see if I had any writing chops, I decided to switch my major to English. And I had a better connection with the students in the writing program than the theater one, so it was an easy choice.
In Successor, Evan is given a Magic 8-Ball knock-off by her best friend, Leila, as a graduation gift. This happened to me, but it was my fifth-grade teacher who gave me the toy. My graduating class was from his first teaching year, so he attended the graduation parties of all his first students. And as Leila says to Evan in Successor, my teacher told me the toy was for 'Life's tough choices.' I still have the toy to this day.
Cover and title are the author's best marketing weapon. A quality cover indicates a lot of work and thought went into the story. It conveys mood and genre, and if done correctly, it can sell a book on its own. The right title is designed to create intrigue, no matter the genre. Together with the cover, they need to pique a potential reader's curiosity enough to pick up the book and read the jacket blurb. I've bought books based on covers alone without reading the blurb. Books that can do that have hit marketing gold.
They say you shouldn't read your own reviews, but I tend not to listen to such advice. Overall my reviews have been positive, which is awesome. There are a few that sting, and I always have to remind myself that not everyone will like what I write. Some readers love certain aspects that others despise. You can't please both, so the best you can do is write what you want, and the right readers will find it. If there is a common issue brought up, then they can be helpful to learn what needs to be worked on in other projects. But in the end, as long as there are more good than bad, I consider that a win.
To become a better writer (which to me would mean faster!), I would give up sugar. As much as I love it, it's not good for me for a lot of reasons, and being a better/faster writer would totally be worth it.
I am a perfectionist. And I edit as I go, so if I can't think of a particular word or way to phrase a sentence that hits the feeling I'm going for, I'll get stuck on that spot until I get it right. I wish I was like other writers who can just open the floodgates and let everything out. But alas, I'm a word-by-word writer, so it takes me a long time to get a story down.
Men and women have very different thought processes, and as I'm not a man, I find it a little tricky to portray how I believe a man would think and react in a given situation. Though overall, I think women have it a little easier trying to portray men than when male authors try to portray women. Some male authors can pull it off, but more often than not a narrative can deviate into territory that comes across as sexist. But that's a discussion in and of itself.
Once you sign a contract with a publisher, you enter the editing phase. The standard at my publisher is three rounds with each round consisting of one month with the editor and one month with the author. These are full read-throughs of the manuscript where the editor zeroes in on things needing correcting. I did a lot of self-editing prior to my editor seeing my story for the first time, so we didn't have a lot of work to do compared to some manuscripts she's seen in the past. But through those editing rounds, I learned about what mistakes I made consistently, and the style issues I needed to adjust. The experience helped me learn to avoid those problems in future writing projects. It ultimately saves time and allows me to present a more polished manuscript to agents and editors.
~ Take breaks. Sometimes the best ideas come when you least expect them.
~ Have an objective party to go over your writing and ideas with (critique partner). They won't sugarcoat their concerns or advice, unlike family members and friends.
~ Develop a thick skin. Learn to take criticism. Expect rejection. No writer is perfect; we all need to learn and grow and develop our craft.
~ REMEMBER!! Not everyone will like what you write. There isn't one single book in existence that every person who's read it likes. Not. One. So don't take it personally.
I think movies were my primary inspiration; I wasn't a big reader when it started. My family lived in a small town when I was growing up, away from more populated areas, so there wasn't a lot to do at night. My parents had a substantial movie collection at the time, so most nights we'd watch something. I remember watching Interview With the Vampire, and I started creating my own vampire characters. I think I must've been maybe 9 or 10. I didn't really attempt to write a story until around age 12.
