Author Interviews II

tangled-dreams

1) Tell us a little about yourself

Sure! I'm keeping my name redacted for privacy reasons, but I live in the U.S. and recently graduated highschool. I'm taking my sweet time to figure out a career path, but I'll definitely be doing creative work in some form. My hobbies include watching various sports, doing fun things with my family, being outside whenever possible, and... well, writing!

2) What's your favorite author? Favorite book? They can be from Wattpad or elsewhere.

You can call me basic, but I'll always be floored by Leigh Bardugos 'Six of Crows'. I've reread that book at least 5 times, and every time I find some new subplot or foreshadowing that makes me shut the book, close my eyes, and take a long inhale. Lol. Her ability to bring scenes, plots, AND characters to life will never cease to amaze me.

3) How long have you been writing?

I've been writing off and on since I was ten years old. I was the child in elementary school that LOVED taking writing prompts and running off with them. Shout out to my teachers for only stoking that love of writing.

4) Why you do write? What's your inspiration?

I write because it's an escape. I grew up reading all of the fiction books in my school library (almost literally!), so that created a natural pipeline to the need to write. I write because if I go to long without doing it, the urge will bother me like an itch that I need to scratch. This sounds stupid, but stories seem to be hard-wired into me. I find inspiration in books that are already written, songs on my playlists that are already sung. There's inspiration in the conversations my family has around the supper table and the way that the sunlight dapples the trees when I'm out walking my dog. I find inspiration everywhere!

5) What's your preferred genre?

I've always taken a liking to Young Adult, however I try to not limit myself when reading OR writing!

6) What was your first written story?

Oh, man... this is embarrassing, but if I remember correctly, my first story was about four young kids who all had elemental powers and didn't know how to handle them. It was basic as hell and I'm glad that I trashed that idea. But the characters themselves might make a comeback one day.

7) What's your writing process?

Usually I get an idea that's so forceful I have to write it down before I combust haha. I'll usually go feral for a solid four hours, writing down ideas and scrounging the internet for inspiration. This is when I'll write down a plotline draft of about 40 chapters, take a break for as long as I need, then revisit the draft when I'm in a good headspace again. After that, the magic happens! I take it day by day: I write the best if I wait for inspiration to hit me, sit in my bed for a few hours, and smash out an entire chapter.

8) What are your current writing projects? Can you give us a teaser?

The one project that actually has two chapters uploaded is my newest debut, 'Cowgirls Don't Cry'. It's a Yellowstone TV show inspired novel about a young adult woman who recently murdered her mother, on accident, and is dealing with the repercussions that follow on the family ranch. That story is being set aside until I finish my current project, 'Breaking The Rules', which is the immediate sequel to my first love, 'Rules Of The Game'.

9) Do you have any unpublished stories? If so, why and do you ever plan to publish them?

Of course I do! My brain never stops creating, lol. Naturally, I have a handful of ideas that are on the back burner... including another highschool tale about a young fostered boy who wants nothing but a record deal for his band until his middle school lover runs into him at the local restaurant in town, a crazy story about dragons that has no purpose but to feed my inner child, and a story of a girl who's pretending to be a boy, until the young king finds out. Just to name a few. All of those stories are bare bones right now. Maybe one day I'll publish them, but I need to focus on the stories that are out on my profile now.

10) As a writer, what's the most challenging aspect?

I have two things: the first is creating a plot. Piecing together all of my ideas like a jigsaw puzzle makes me want to pull my hair out, however that feeling in my stomach when I KNOW that the work is done and ready to be written is *chefs kiss*. The second is knowing when enough is enough in a story. I constantly find myself tweaking my old works.

11) Where do you see yourself in five years?

Likely settled in my career and my young adult life. And, hopefully, matured enough to keep writing killer stories.

12) Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

For sure! Again, I have two. Firstly, please don't delete those stories that you think are incredibly embarrassing. Do not. Use them as a checkpoint to look back on, and tell yourself, "Wow, I did THAT. Look how far I've come!" There's nothing better than a good ole' ego boost. Secondly, please give yourself the space you need to step away from your stories, but don't ever stop. Two years ago I was wrestling with a story so much that I almost scrapped the entire thing, but instead I put it down and walked away for six months. SIX. MONTHS. One day my inspiration came back like a bullet to the heart, and I continued. Now, that story is borderlining 4k reads on Wattpad and I've made friends with the people that it has touched. The author world is painted with bright lights, fancy colors, fun movie deals and young inspirational faces, but don't let that deter you. Writing is hard as hell, but it can be fun too. Don't let the fun die. For example, look at Leigh Bardugo, Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, J.K Rowling (don't kill me I'm just using her as an example), and all of the other "older" authors with literal world-changing books. They aren't fresh faced 25 year olds that blew their books up online within six months. Although it may take awhile to see the results that you want from your story, don't stop creating. Even if your book changes one persons life, that is one person that wouldn't have been touched without it. Keep your chin up. I'm rooting for you. Thanks for this chance, and thank you for reading my thoughts!