Vegastarchild584 Interview Published on: 13, Jul 2023

There were many but perhaps the one that sticks out which helped to foster my love of books was my mother taking my siblings and I to the public library on the weekends and letting us borrow as many books as our little arms could carry home. As she didn’t drive we all took the bus there and back. It was such a fun time. I absolutely love reading as much as I love crafting stories because of this. I feel this loving and wise gesture of my kind and thoughtful mother helped foster this in me.

Reading fostered my love of writing. I remember reading SE Hinton’s The Outsiders and Rumble Fish as a kid in middle school and being fascinated with this world she created. I began writing in earnest soon after this which allowed my imagination, as well as my curiosity about the world beyond where I lived, to expand exponentially.

I wear a lot of different hats but the common underlying drive for me has always been to help and encourage people. Thus the fields I have chosen to explore and express myself enable me to fully do this, and meet and engage with a lot of different people from around the world with different interests and ideas. Many have even become my friends. It makes for a very exciting and fulfilled life.

Reading inspired me to write initially. Now I write whenever it flows. Writing is actually my number one passion. As an author writing about a topic you know little about spurs you to do research to get a handle on it. When I wrote my Clash at Sea series about pirates, I had to be right in the center of all the pirate action and immerse myself into their world and time period. This requires researching the era, clothing, types of food, political situation, even common pirate strategies and lifestyle were all something I had to learn about and then make it each character’s own with different and unique personalities to create an epic story for readers.

Because I am also a romance writer, even writing intimate sex scenes requires technical know how so it makes sense as the scene unfolds. Who is doing what, when and where and timing is critical. It’s really an art form with a lot of technical details and not as exciting as it seems.

Honestly, the story just flowed. I never thought I would write about space and space adventures and current earth dramas much less anything metaphysical. But my desire was to encourage Star seeds, young people, people who are wondering about why they are even here during such chaotic times. This book is about two soul mates from the planet Sirius who incarnate on earth to help humanity. One of them suffers a devastating blow in his career and becomes blacklisted in his home country leading to being accused as a traitor to his country for something most people would not think twice about. It’s loosely based on a true story that is actually happening now in China. So the background story is really quite serious. The whole premise of the story is how the two soul mates navigate this terrible reality while exposing corruption and greed in their chosen career fields in the entertainment industry. Thus, it’s really a “paean song to awakening star seeds to think about their own missions and the gifts and abilities they bring to Earth at this time”. Rather than lament the world, and feel victimized by it, my desire is to encourage others to bring and shine their light and light up the world which is exactly what our two heroes do in this series.

I read a bunch of different historical romance books and was fascinated with the era, the way people behaved, the restraint with which people conducted themselves in ordinary society, and even small things like how they dressed up even in the oppressive heat. The stories that these authors were able to craft to draw in readers like me inspired within me the idea to bring to life characters living during that period. What was sorely lacking was stories about pirates in my genre so I set out to bring to life men who lived and died by the code, to get inside their heads, to find out what drove them, their desires, and fears, and more importantly their commitment to the people they loved. It’s a wild and raucous and fun series.

Humor is a way to inject relief when the story gets to be too painful, too heavy or uncomfortable. I like to use it sometimes to pivot and even create something unexpected for the readers. It also makes my characters real, 3 dimensional and believable to put them in funny situations. I love to make people laugh anyway so injecting humor is rather natural for me.

If writing is your passion, pursue it to your heart’s content. I made the mistake of allowing my work commitments get in the way of writing. I even wrote an article about it.

https://www.yoursoulwellness.com/post/reclaiming-your-life-with-just-being-rather-than-doing

This led to a very long dry spell while I toiled away at work. When your left brain is engaged (analytical side) your right brain (creative side) disengages. I find when I am in a creative mode it flows and flows. My analytical side rests during this time and I feel restored in mind, body and spirit. I find I have more energy, and more inspiration flows. I believe there is something to this that we have been taught in society to ignore or is downplayed at least in the American culture and I suspect in other countries, too. I feel once you grasp this then you can naturally find the balance and writing while handling life’s other commitments becomes easier.

Seeing my books out there and getting feedback from others of how much they enjoyed the story even if the genre isn’t their usual forte. Writing for me feels very natural and when the energy flows through me it feels amazing. I much imagine other artists experience this as well while singing, playing or composing music, painting or drawing. When we create from this space we encourage others to do the same just like listening to a great piece of music inspires you in other ways or helps you to power through life. And just like how someone else’s story inspired me to create my own. We all encourage and inspire each other.

My travels through Europe led me to incorporate the things I saw there that fascinated me into my stories. Traveling helps me to build on those experiences and get creative even more. In particular I had the opportunity to visit chateaus throughout France and even stay in an ancient castle in Germany. This gave me the idea of the opulence and sometimes arrogance of the people who lived there in times past and how distant they were and believed themselves to be from the everyday people. This gave me the idea for the Marquis d’ Sévigne-Chambord, the tyrant father in The Quartermaster & the Marquis’ Son and Alain & the Duke and what it must have been like growing up in a home like this with a father who believed himself more important than everyone else.

In my latest The Star Seed Series, I wrote about the Big Island of Hawaii based on my own experiences visiting and all the beauty and powerful healing properties found in the land there. Zhang and Simon go there to heal and recuperate after their own own harrowing and difficult experiences dealing with modern day corruption, greed, even sexual harassment and abuse by the top echelons of society much like what is going on in the world today. They leave the islands refreshed and restored and are able to go back and do even more good in their home country to bring about the changes they wish to see and encourage others to do the same.

I am currently collaborating with an amazing Japanese artist and have created a Hawaii themed Oracle card deck and booklet called Hawaii Pono Oracle cards which we will be unveiling very soon. I also felt I received a lot of help with my Star Seed series in the form of what I call “downloads” including whole chapters and chunks of dialogue from the ethers. They were coming so fast often while I was driving I had to pull over and use my note app on my phone to take it all down. Thus, Book 1 of the Star Seed Series was literally written in only 30 days. To give some context, my last two books took years to write and publish and not for lack of consistent effort. Thus, the message and content of The Wild & Zany Galactic Adventures of Commander Zhang & Lieutenant Simon is very, very different from my prior books. It was even written in non-chronological order yet fits together like a giant puzzle which also adds to the intrigue behind it.

I used to write even when I didn’t feel like it because this is how I was taught traditionally to do it. But the better way for me is to just write when inspiration hits or when it flows. And it flows the happier I am, the more relaxed and not stressed out I am. So it’s both a panacea and motivation for me to avoid stressful situations which only stifles the creative process. It’s also a much more efficient way of writing.

Balancing my various professional careers hasn’t been difficult at all. The challenge has been bringing these varied and different career areas into one seamless lifestyle for myself. Once I did that which didn’t take too long, everything fell into place. Now my clients know I write as well as do energy healing and work and am spiritual without being religious. Plus I can help them using my legal acumen. I also encourage them with guidance I’ve heard or received that encouraged me. I feel my being multi-faceted and a way shower in this way also encourages them to explore other areas of their life they may have previously ignored or been afraid to pursue due to fear of what others might think or what is expected of them.

I am currently doing a Kickstarter project to get Book 2 launched and would love support. Its al short campaign that runs through July 29. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/3pdGHc5

I am also working on producing inspirational journals and affirmation cards to encourage people with everyday statements of empowerment aimed at star seeds. I am also working on finishing two more books in my Clash at Sea series. More to come!

I love all the tools available to indie authors like myself and the community it has built. The mock up banners and other great marketing tools are easy to use and look fabulous. Customer service is great and responsive too! I definitely recommend AllAuthor for indie authors! It’s easy to use and a great help in promoting the word about my books.