Author Clover Payne #interview

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m a mother of five asylum escapees masquerading as children and the wife of a Californian that I dragged kicking and screaming to the wilds of the Oregon west coast. I love to laugh and am addicted to coffee and Pepsi, though I may do a little dance for Reese’s cups. I’m the oldest of three girls and was always called an airhead with my head in the clouds.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

When I was young I wanted to be an author, but never felt like I was good enough since my support group wasn’t that supporting. It wasn’t until I went to Radcon in Pasco Washington and met author James K. Burke later in life that the question of being an author came up again. Because of my continued weariness, he offered to let me beta and review for him. This led to me reviewing other authors and betaing for them, then I became an editor.

It was during my time editing that I met authors BC Morgan, Rozie Marshall, Cassandra Trussell, and Melody Calder. They encouraged me to branch out into writing after reading my short, Woods. Rozie, Cassy, and Melody even offered to let me co-write with them on Deadly Desires to ‘get my feet wet’. This led to me gaining more confidence and more characters started invading my head, screaming to be written. With the support of the indie-author community and my family, I finally gained the courage to follow
my childhood dream and the rest, as they say, is history.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Death Walks with Love was inspired by J.D. Robb’s in Death series and Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather from his Discworld series. My Chosen by the Gods series is inspired by Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Darkhunters series, while my upcoming Unicorn Assassin series was inspired by my daughter and Orion Rose PA.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on Bast’s Stray, the first novel in my Chosen by the Gods series, and a short story for an Australian fire relief anthology, The Fires that Bind Us.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

In a seven person household, I have to use headphones to focus on my work, otherwise, I get distracted by all the activity around me. I also have to go to my parent’s house or wait until late at night to write adult content, since having little ones in my lap or running around isn’t helpful to adult thinking.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to continue putting out stories that people enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing, and to go to book conventions so I can meet the wonderful people I’ve been in contact with online.

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

Having a PA is essential to any author, as is a good Alpha. I know I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my writing or put out the best work that I can without Yashira Ortiz or Penny Servi in my corner. I would also advise that new authors contribute stories
to Anthologies and cowrites to help build a firmer support base with other authors and get their name out there.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

Thank you so much for reading my work! I am overjoyed and honored that you would consider my stories as something worth your time. I’m not ashamed to admit that when I read your reviews I cry tears of astonishment and joy at your words. There is no greater honor for me than reading a review, even if it contains criticism or your opinion, because it tells me that my work made you need to take time out of your life to let me know what you thought.