Which is your favorite childhood memory while growing up in Auckland, New Zealand?
Summer evenings playing in the neighbourhood with my sisters until the stars came out. And on the days the rain set in reading and playing games with my family.
Growing up, what did you usually write about?
I used to write tragic romantic poems and enjoyed writing essays. I wrote many short stories which were practice for what I do now. Although I will admit they were in the contemporary genre. And now of course I write in fantasy and science fiction genre.
Who introduced you into the world of literature?
My mother and grandmother they loved to read. My grandmother gifted me with a large volume of fairy-tales which I read constantly from cover to cover. Those stories fed my passion to create my own worlds where I could create my own stories.
What do you love the most about romantic fantasy? What grabbed your interest in science-fiction classics?
I love writing romantic fantasy because of the scope it allows me, with my character and world building. It is wonderful to direct conversations between people and to shape worlds. I enjoy how my characters come to life. I think, to be honest, I write to entertain myself and I am happy other people like my stories. This is the same for Science fiction except there are no limits. It is exciting writing about other worlds and how people from earth try to navigate through strange languages and customs. While trying to hold on to their own values and ethics. I find the scenarios for my characters are limitless.
What is the central theme surrounding the Daughter of Ethos series?
The central theme is to bring justice and ethics back to the universe, which over time has forgotten what it is to be ethical. Ultimately, Peyton stands between the Star Child who created the universe and the worlds that inhabit the universe. Without her, the Star Child would once again remove the universe and remake it. Peyton believes she can and will bring ethics back and, therefore, save the people and the worlds.
What was the biggest challenge while writing Raiiner and Cannon's story?
The biggest challenge in writing Raiiner and Cannon's story was building two powerful characters that could plausibly lead the world, Pride of Lions Edge.
Besides being able to do what you love for a living, what are some other perks of being a writer? Is there anything you particularly dislike?
What I love the most about being an author is the ability to travel with my husband and write in different countries. I enjoy research and learning about cultures long past. I also love incorporating what I have discovered in the worlds I build. Sorry, but I can honestly say there is nothing I dislike about being an author. Every time I sit down to write, I open up another world to learn about.
How does it feel to be an award-winning author in the top 50 Best Indie Book of 2018?
Unbelievably amazing! It was something that I hoped for, but never thought I would actually achieve. I felt so honoured to be recognized for my books.
What sort of research was involved while writing "DRAGON'S GAP: (Book 7) A Fantasy Paranormal Romance Series: Ocean & Conor's Story?"
The type of research I did for book 7 included investigating hand to hand combat and techniques used throughout history, also discovering Information that pertains to various philosophies on the afterlife.
When researching for a book, do you prefer to talk to people or read books or articles for research? Or a combination of both?
I use as many tools as are available to me, which includes talking to people, remembering people from my past. Reading and watching movies and television programs. My biggest tool is probably people watching and making up stories for their lives.
What sparked the idea for Daughter of Ethos: Deadly Betrayal Book 5?
I wanted to show in this book that no matter how much someone receives or is offered help, even taken from an abusive, degrading way of life, there are some people who will always want more. More power, more control. A bigger slice of the pie, and sadly they will cut off the hand that is helping them just to get it. I also wanted to show that betrayal doesn't have to lead to bitterness and hatred. Not every race or species has to be tarred with the same brush just because a few feel more entitled than the rest. And ultimately I wanted to show that there are always repercussions to any decision one makes, be they good or bad. Sometimes these repercussions are not seen or felt straight away, but eventually, I believe we all reap what we sow.
Who inspired the character of Fin Slorah? How do you come up with character names?
Fin Slorah was a composite of my husband and his father and my grandfather, who were all born in Scotland. I love the romance of old Scotland, the strength of the people who endured so much throughout their history. To incorporate a man who was around when the Romans invaded Scotland was challenging and fun. Fin was fun to write because he believed he could control every situation except he forgot June was more wolf than human, so strong-willed and unpredictable. Just as life is.
I choose my characters' names carefully. Sometimes they are names of people I meet or know or ones I have seen written somewhere. I will choose a name for a specific character then halfway through the book I can find the name does not suit the character so I will have to change it. Other times I will run through my list, (yes I have a list of names I like and that I frequently add to) and choose one I think will work.
What are some author milestones you've achieved so far? What more do you hope to achieve in ten years’ time?
I think although I have only been writing professionally for four years, I have passed some milestones I am proud of:
(1) Actually finishing more than one entire novel.
(2) Writing three complete series which people seem to enjoy reading.
(3) Wining some amazing awards which I never thought I would.
(4) Being able to continue to write and the stories I have to share.
What do I hope to achieve in ten years is a hard question for me. Sometimes I feel I have achieved all I can and other times I know I have still so much to give. In my personal life, I would like to travel and see more countries than I have so far. On a professional level I want to write more and bring to life many more people, worlds and create more adventures for my readers to enjoy.
What are your top five marketing and writing tips that you would like to share with the young writers?
Simple answer, get yourself a Brian... My husband has looked after all my marketing since I started down this road and he has offered these following responses.
1) Find a mentor who knows marketing. He found Mark Dawson & CJ Daniels (Adazing.com). Both are amazing at what they teach and without either, he would still be struggling.
2) Get yourself a website. Very important. They don’t need to be pretty, but MUST capture emails as it is the main purpose and also find places to join to showcase your work like AllAuthor.com, our favorite.
3) Only listen to successful marketers in your field when looking for marketing advice. So many unsuccessful authors seem hell-bent on giving advice when their own books are doing terrible.
4) Sell your books on Amazon. There are no gatekeepers there and the learning curve is not a steep one about how to do this.
5) Writing tip, easy, just write. Keep writing and write some more. Get the stories down and the editing can come later, but get them down while they are in your mind.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
I believe there is an unlimited amount of plots, so I never worry that I will run out of ideas to entertain my readers. I would love to tell you about one of the plots for my new series Lightning Dragons. This series is about the return of the Lightning Dragons to Dragon’s Gap and how they find their true loves.
On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate AllAuthor? Has this site been all that you hoped it would be or are there some things you would like to change?
AllAuthor is a terrific site to use for many reasons. They have many ways of promoting author's books, plus many, easy-to-use tools that help authors showcase their work. Also, you will find many like-minded people writing in your genre. And finally, AllAuthor will automatically tweet your books for you. Which is a great help for new authors.
