Help us get to know you a little better and do tell us a little bit about your childhood and family.
As a child, I grew up in New York and was always outside climbing trees and catching frogs while playing imaginary games with my best friend, Matt. My sister was seven years older, so we never spent any time together and after we moved to Florida, I spent the rest of my time alone as both of my parents were always gone working. I never minded being alone though and would sit for hours looking out the window imagining amazing stories I was typically the heroine in.
How did you learn to write a novel? How did you get started? Was there a format or a set of rules and procedures you followed?
I had never written anything before Kingdom of Shadows - The Crimson Eye. Besides, a couple of poems so I was starting fresh. I used YouTube a lot initially. One of my main teachers has been the BYU classes of Brandon Sanderson. I would not say I have any really strong rules as I feel they hinder creativity, but I follow story structures. However, I do not use the same one every time. Sometimes three act. Sometimes five. I enjoy combining things like the hero’s journey with action adventure and mystery. But I only loosely follow rules if I am being honest.
What’s your morning routine? Do you get up early and do anything, or do you wake up and just start getting ready for work?
I am currently not cool enough to write full time so I have a forty-hour-a-week day job that starts at nine am and eats up most of my creativity for the day so I often write in large chunks on my days off.
What made you decide to publish your first book, and how did you go about marketing it?
I have always wanted to write one of my stories. I have created so many in my mind throughout my life. After a severe bout of depression and anxiety, I realized life goes too fast. I wanted to tell my story. I would have liked to be traditionally published, but I ended up Indie publishing. I felt like my time was short and I did not want to wait for someone to “find value” in my work. I found value in it and I truly believed others would, too. As a mother of four that I provide for by myself, I really have not had much of an advertising budget and got the most of my momentum from one lucky FB ad seeking ARC readers. Since then, it’s been a bit of an uphill climb.
How did you outline the plot of your novel, “Kingdom of Shadows”?
Well, I would have to say I was a pantser the first half before finding a software called Plottr which has been a great help with the outlines they offer. Now I use them exclusively for my outlines and keep things simple, writing in Google Docs for the rest.
What are the most common tropes and cliches in romance novels?
I don’t like to call things cliches. I know there are, but anything, even a cliche, can be great if done right. I think the bigger issue is doing things that don’t truly fit your story and characters organically. I will say though…and I am what you would call a Tomboy… I grow tired of the “tough girl” in movies and books. You know, the girl who hates cute clothes, drinks gasoline, and punches men. Lol. I think women can be strong and want to look nice. We can be strong physically but also emotionally. That is something I would like to see portrayed more.
When starting a novel do you begin with a general outline including possible endings or just let it flow?
I always know my ending. Or at least a basic idea of it. I will outline the book and characters a bit loosely but I do not rigidly stick to it. So far, none of my books have ended exactly as expected. Usually, because my idea expands and becomes greater than originally planned or I realize what I thought would work ends up not working with my character’s personalities. This being said, I guess I am a bit of a hybrid panster/plotter. If I try to rigidly stick to an advanced plot, I typically find myself frozen. So now I just write and let the story flow and hope I can stick to the plan.
How do you keep focused while writing your book?
I often write in my living room with my family and their numerous interruptions. Keeping focused like this is hard and I’m sure if I had quiet I could get more done, but I don’t want to disappear on them, so I make it work. I think the thing that works the best to push me through is giving myself deadlines and having feedback from my alpha readers. Without that, I would be an even slower writer.
Is self publishing better than traditional publishing?
To be honest, I really dislike thinking any one thing is better or worse than another. Both options have positives and negatives.
How do you handle criticism as a writer?
I have been lucky so far that I have not had a lot of it, but when I have, I just reminded myself that not everything is for everyone and used the feedback as a learning opportunity in areas I may be able to strengthen.
Which genre do you prefer more, science fiction or fantasy? Why?
Romantic Fantasy has always been my love, but I do like Sci-Fi. I will say I prefer witches and elves over aliens and space.
As an author, do you read your book once published?
I have not yet. I think I read it so much during editing I was a bit sick of it by the end lol. With that being said, I am currently plotting book three of the series, so I considered reading them to freshen things up in my mind.
Have you ever won a writing contest? What was your experience?
I have not won anything, but a girl can dream.
Are you working on anything new at the moment? Or are you playing with any new ideas of late?
I have the third book in the series in its final plotting stages and have written its first chapter. I also am just finishing a Novella from the same world called Blood of The Priestess, which predates all the current published works and gives some insight into the world and lore. Plus, it includes a few of the villains and side characters that are in the main series, so I think that would be a lot of fun for fans.
I am also working on an Urban/ Magical Realism story called Immortal City - Blood Ties, with vampires and witches. A bit of a Twilight meets Maid. And a trilogy featuring witches and demons that should be out 2024/2025 that is a Charmed meets Shadow Hunter’s vibe. So lots of things are in the works.
How long have you been with AllAuthor now? What do you think of the website so far?
I have been with All Author for about a year and have really loved all the features it offers. I have found it greatly helpful in getting my books in front of readers and other authors and definitely plan to stay with them as long as they will have me. They really made me feel like what I am doing matters and for that, I am grateful.
