Please give a warm welcome to author Marie Mistry

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I’m a 25-year-old country girl from Kent in England, and I have a master’s degree in video games. I recently got engaged to my favourite adorable nerd, and we’ve been together for six years now. As a typical taurus, I love my food, my caffeine and my sleep, and I can usually be found curled up somewhere with a book or a game and a large cup of tea. My other hobbies include playing the violin, cross stitching, long walks with my dog, and baking cakes (with varying degrees of success).

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Ever since I was old enough to understand that Indiana Jones and Lara Croft weren’t career options 😉. I’ve always been a writer, but I never thought people would actually buy the books, so it was always a kind of distant dream. It always feels surreal whenever people ask what I do and I can actually say, ‘I’m an author.’

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

I was following the Rainy Day Artwork page for a while, when I saw the cover for Traitor Witch just sitting there and it was like a lightbulb moment. I bought the cover then and there, and started work on Nilsa’s book. I’ve always loved pirates ever since I saw DreamWorks’ Sinbad as a child, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to make a paranormal pirate reverse harem.

What are you working on now?

Too many things! I’m currently working on tidying up the last few bits of Liar Witch, ready for release day on June 16th. I’m also in the process of editing a novella which will feature in my Vice College for Young Demons box set which will be out in the autumn. On top of that I have a super-secret project that is the first in a new gothic paranormal reverse harem trilogy.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I talk to myself and sing along badly to whatever music is blaring in my headphones. I also can’t seem to sit at a chair correctly, so when I’m at my desk my legs are usually contorted into every position under the sun.

What are your hopes for the future?

Write enough that I finally manage to get all of the stories out of my head and onto paper! Okay, so maybe that will never happen lmao. I’d like to become a full-time author, and give book signing a go. I’m also side-eyeing the USA Today list, but that’s a little way off…

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

If I can do it, you 100% can. A lot of my journey was stumbling around in the dark, and somehow I’m still holding my own! Keep soldiering on. Don’t give up at the first hurdle. Even if your first books flop (and mine DID flop at first – I have a series of four books under a different pen name that only sold ten copies–and one of those was my mother!) keep at it. Make bad decisions. Make mistakes. It doesn’t matter. Just keep going. Everything feels worth it when you hold your own real book in your hands.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. You have made my dreams come true, and I cannot thank you enough. Really. I’d hug every single one of you if I could.