Valerie Willis Interview Published on: 10, Mar 2017

Tell us a little about yourself and your life growing up. Do you use any of your personal life experiences as a foundation for writing material?

I was quite the bookworm growing up, but the more unique thing was the passion to write. In fifth grade, I filled a composition book with a journey of a girl crashing in the Congo. Later, in high school I found myself working feverishly on one story in particular, Rebirth. Granted it’s drastically improved and revised since my high school version, but I knew I had a great idea and a passion to share “we are human” and “it’s ok to ask for help” as messages to my peers at the time. Most of my material is inspired by history and mythology-type information and I the desire to have an excuse to lose myself to research on occasion.

What prompted you to take the self-publishing route and not go to a traditional publishing house/company?

I first attempted the traditional route, sending queries where I could to agents who seemed knowledgeable about the content I had used for inspiration or read a mix of genres that all reflected in my work. It was at this point I received encouraging rejections from six different agents. They were so kind to take the time to write me a personal email and explained the obstacle I hadn’t realize with my work; I mixed a lot of genre making it a difficult piece to market. With the links and advice from them I looked to Self-publishing venues and voila! I enjoy being an IndieAuthor, but I cannot lie about the difficulties I’ve had with finding an audience for my work to focus my marketing efforts. This doesn’t mean I don’t ever intend on not continuing my attempts on the traditional route, but The Cedric Series and Tattooed Angels Trilogy will have to be my two labors of love projects.

Non-fiction writers may go to the library or buy a history book for research for their work. What kind of research do you have to do as a fantasy writer? Would you say it's harder or easier?

For me, I love doing research. In fact, my book shelves are full of reference and non-fiction books on mythology, rituals, medieval history, castles, and just the other day I found one on “military cultures of the world” and can’t wait to dive into it. My research is very much the same starting point as a non-fiction or even Historical fiction writer. The difference comes down to how we use that same chunk of research. I am cherry picking what I want to include and even then I have full range on how I want to change, twist, and add my own flair or spin on those moments. It’s how I sneak in the accurate information while still creating unique and memorable characters such as Romasanta.

Of all the mythology and legends and folklore that you've read and heard, which one's your favorite and why?

Oh man, this is a really hard one. I have to say, one mythology story intrigues me a lot and it was hard to find a complete or undistorted variant of it. Much of the mythology and legends we know by heart have been Christianized, so it’s hard when you aim to find a version beyond that, before it was converted for other intentions. One such story was the original version of Apollo and Daphne. You see this tale unfold at the start of my novel Romasanta: Father of Werewolves and it’s throwing. Apollo at this point was associated with wolves even and the villain or opposing force came from two sources, Gaea and Boreas. Ironically, Boreas is also in the history books so there was some amazing discovery and research to consider when crafting this story back together in my own version of it. Gaea intervenes in Boreas jealous fit for stealing Apollo’s love away, turning her into a tree. Granted there is a Roman or Fairytale version later which involves Pan and Boreas with the love interest being Pitip. It was very peculiar that Apollo was taken out completely yet Boreas remained. Either way, I grabbed the older components and ran with them to start the story off with a bang.

According to you, what is the perfect setting for a peaceful and fruitful writing session?

Sitting at a table with fresh coffee, something cinnamon flavored to munch on, while enjoying sunlight from a large window or sliding glass doors. I look up in a daze when contemplating what to write, so it’s nice to stare outside at something than blankly at a nearby wall. Did I also mention a quiet house to myself? I am a mommy to two little boys and a husband who is always in need of my assistance for one of his projects around the house. It’s very hard to write with them home, so I often make “dates with my writing” and venture to a café where I can find all my favored elements minus the family for an hour or two.

If you had to choose, would you rather be a powerful witch or a formidable, but otherwise human, ruler of a vast kingdom? Why?

A powerful witch! I want to interact with the otherworldly and being in charge of a kingdom in general is more of a headache in my eyes. Cooking up some sort of spell and even living out in an enchanted forest as a hermit is VERY appealing to me! No pampering or a large staff of people under me. Plus, it’s easier to make true friends with no wealth or humanly power to blind them.

What, to you, are some of the most important components to sort out before writing a book?

A core plot, not all the details, but a good idea of where it needs to go, the climax or epic moment, and how you plan to close the story up. Even in a series, each book should close up and address the questions left in that novel. Next would be a well-rounded main character and/or cast of characters to help you navigate the plot and story. Last piece of the puzzle has to deal with worldbuilding. Have a list of to-do’s and not-to-do’s within the story, lay down some rules for the world and its characters, something I like to call world mechanics. These are the gears that all work to make the world fleshed out and define how magic works and other details. Sometimes these are made known to the characters themselves, much like “Gaea’s Law” in The Cedric Series” and drives the plot.

Kiss, marry or kill: Talib, lady Angeline and Romasanta. Who would you pick for what and why?

You’re evil! Marry Romasanta, for sure. I mean any man you can sashay into a library butt naked is amazing! The other two… oh boy. I would have to say kill Talib, only because he would be the most accepting of this fate. And kiss Angeline, for she has endured the most horrendous low-blows from me as her Author and Creator. She at least deserves some affection from me for a change!

What does writing mean to you? What do you in your spare time, when you aren't writing?

Writing is a stress reliever and a means to inspire others around me. If I am not writing, I am usually reading my work at local bars, fishing with the family, playing video games with friends, or attending author and literary events in Orlando to cheer on my fellow writers!

What are some of your favorite video games? How many hours in a day do you devote to writing/or and gaming?

I try to write in my own work for an hour a day, but that doesn’t always happen. As far as gaming goes, I am a sucker for RPG-types or those featuring some sort of humor in the dialogue. At the moment I’ve been playing Final Fantasy XV and Destiny with my pals. I don’t always get to play games, so it’s nice to put an hour or two in on the weekends.

If you had to choose one fictional world to live in (book or video game), which one would you choose and why?

Oh this is a hard one. I would have to say I would take the historical fiction route and fall back to James Clavell’s Gai-jin. Something about the era and the historical turmoil unfolding in Japan feels like anyone could forge a life and future for themselves, but would have to overcome a lot of amazing competitors and life obstacles. In a Freshman English course in college, we had to handwrite an essay on one of two prompts, and I naturally chose my favorite time period and why I would want to live there. The teacher had a hard time believing I knew that much on the time period and historical figures so I had to print out information to prove I hadn’t made any of it up. I had proven I was indeed in love with the Meji Era.

Is writer's block a problem that you have encountered? How did you get past it?

On occasion I get writer’s block. My two saviors is music and talking it out to someone face-to-face. I have playlists setup for each book and even series to help keep me moving and inspired. When this fails me, I start making calls and arrange to go out and talk through my thoughts and story. Getting feedback, or discussing it sometimes clarifies why I am stuck and what need to be done. I’ve been talking about it, stop mid-sentence, and realized I needed to back up and add missing parts to make the area work and BAM! I’m back on track again.

On what basis do you give your characters names? Do you like to follow a pre-planned storyline or let the story unfold and surprise you as you go along?

A lot of times my names come from the time period or mythology they are inspired from, but on occasion I will cling to something because it’s perfect. For example, Hotan is inspired by the Japanese word for “origin point” whereas Romasanta is derived from a historical reference where a serial killer confessed to being a werewolf. Other times, they simply tell me their names, it falls out like it’s been there all along.

Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers? What kind of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

To my readers, I hope for two things when you read my work. One, that I make you scream and shout at me, even throw the book and scramble after it to see what’s next. Two, I want to hear stories of you sitting in class or someplace, overhear a conversation about history or mythology, and realize you know a lot about it thanks to my novels! Advice for aspiring writers? Don’t give up! You’re the only one who can take you and your story to the end. The secret is put all of it down in the first draft without editing. Leave love notes for the editing process, but when you are writing the story focus on getting it all out, start to finish on paper. Getting it all out will rejuvenate your morale and prepare you for the next step!

Finally, what are some methods you use to promote your books and yourself as an author? Do you think AllAuthor has been a positive experience and would you recommend it to your fellow author friends?

I love using websites where I can see the traffic. AllAuthor shows me the views my books are getting and it makes a difference. I promote my books and writing in several ways, such as on social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and maintain a blog that I try to post on once a week. Another site I am fond of is Inkitt, a place where I share the first view chapters and short stories and have the ability to see how many reads I am gaining monthly. It’s a daily chore to promote myself and my work, whether I am sharing Blog Posts, Book links, and even teasing the readers with snippets of the project I am actively writing or editing. It’s fun to interact and attend Author events, whether I am there as a guests or attendee. I definitely recommend AllAuthor, especially those in need of a clean website to add on business cards and promote, as well as see if your catching the eye of the audience by watching the views your covers and blurbs are pulling in!

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