Author Avery Thorn #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author Avery Thorn also writing as Jennifer Natoli

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, I’m a recent college student turned full-time author. Am I going to get actual use out of that college degree? Probably not in the magical working world, but I hope to use what I sorta learned in my writing. I was born and raised in Florida (yep that means I’m naturally crazy) and I am very much a person of the arts. I’ve crafted with several different mediums (wood, clay, glass, stone, paint, pencil, photography, etc.) and played instruments throughout most of my public school years. I’m also a massive book and anime junkie who’s not afraid to admit I love terrible movies. Give me a low budget film that had horrible actors and a so-so script and I’m good to go. They are really fun to laugh at, and honestly a lot of them start out with a good premise that just didn’t go anywhere. But I wouldn’t recommend taking me to the movies with you, as I have a tendency to figure out the plot of the movie (or book) and any twists within moments of them happening, and I like being right. Though, my friends hate it when I am because it’s difficult to surprise me and I usually ruin the shock value for them.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

The funny thing is, I was very much behind everyone else when It came to reading and writing (it does reflect in my spelling and grammar still lol). For about seven years, once to twice a week I met with a tutor who taught me how to read, write, and do math. I was leagues behind other students until I picked up a book that I wasn’t assigned and fell in love with reading. I started writing my first book in 7th grade but I had never thought I would become an author; it was just something I was determined to do. That book only went so many chapters and it was a total mess but I still love it dearly. It wasn’t until my junior year in high school that I made the decision to become an author. After sitting in a group of kids who were telling the teacher what college they wanted to attend and what they wanted to do with their life. I embarrassingly was the only one who said I didn’t have anything I wanted to do. Over the next week I gave it a lot of thought, made the decision to become an author, and I never looked back.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

It might sound crazy, but it was a dream I had (I have a lot of interesting dreams). I would love to tell my fans about the dream if any want to know, but it would be a lot to go over here. But basically I had this dream, wrote it all down, and then a week later in the middle of the night after finishing several term papers I plopped down and wrote Jason’s chapter as a stress reliever. Yep, fun fact, Jason (one of my main character boys for those of you who haven’t read the book) was actually the original main character. Those lines: “The smell of brine and the sound of a seagulls call. Deep ocean currents and shimmering scales. That was the world I grew up in. But here I sat, at this desk, watching a seventy-year-old who could not care less about my education, halfheartedly teach math.” were the first lines ever written for The Nameless Syren Series. But then I really wanted to write a reverse harem and I made the hard decision to turn Jason’s story into Atalanta’s story. Ultimately it turned out very different from my dream.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the second book for The Nameless Syren Series which will be Jason’s official book. It will dive deeper into his history and character (don’t worry though, as all the other guys will still have their moments).
I’m also working on a whole other series, the first book titled “Ash To Ashes” (this one also came from a dream!). This series also did not start out as a reverse harem but then I created my main guy’s best friend and then a sexy elf professor, and well…I just couldn’t imagine my main female only choosing my original male. Discovering that I could actually write reverse harems solved that problem!

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I really wish I did, but as far as I (and everyone i’ve asked) am aware, I do not. When I write, I sit pretty quietly in any place that feels comfortable and zone out into the words. It was a bit disappointing when I realized this. I kind of want to be that author who mumbles all of the lines or stands up and acts out the scenes as my characters.

What are your hopes for the future?

I have three main goals. The first is to be able to support myself on my writing alone, or possibly my writing and my craftsmanship (such as wood and stone work). I honestly hated working in environments with schedules, a boss who constantly took advantage of my hard work ethic, and customers screaming in my face.
The second goal is that I really hope to move people with the stories I write. Reading means so much to many of us and a good story can make a difference in someone’s life. It can give us that escape or emotional release we need and I hope to give that to someone.

Finally (and this one’s a little silly but I’ve seen a few authors get a comment like this and it just became a goal), I have the goal to one day have a fan come up and ask me, “Who hurt you?”
It’s honestly really silly and makes me laugh but for someone who pours their emotions into their work, it seems like an accomplishment because I think, “I’m glad you felt that. That was what I was trying to get across.”

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

I will always have a bounty of advice for new authors, so my first piece of advice is to never be afraid to ask for it. Never be afraid to ask other authors questions on how to publish. Reach out to us, talk to us and meet us. Yes, outsiders may say, “But you’re competition, why would you help?” Well, thats because we aren’t really competing with each other. Readers don’t only read one author and never move on, they read as much as we can give them. We help each other get by in this industry, like a family. I myself have learned almost everything from other authors and I’ve helped new authors in return.
My second piece of advice for self-published authors: YOU CAN MAKE A BOOK SOOOOO INEXPENSIVELY! You can find amazing editors and cover artists for a lot cheaper than you think. You just need to ask around and do some digging. Heck, if you have friends with great grammar skills you can have them help you and save the money on an editor. Your readers would love to help as well so use them to your advantage.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

The idea that I have fans is still a crazy concept to me, so its a hard question to answer. I guess I would say: thank you for taking a chance on me. I’m so happy you actually like my books and trust me, I jump with joy at every review and every mention of my work. Also, I know it seems so scary to talk to someone you feel like you idolize but come talk to me. I’m seriously only a twenty something who loves books just as much as you and would love to nerd out with you on not only my work but others.