I’m USA Today Best Selling Author, J.A. Roles, from Manchester, UK.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
I’ve loved writing ever since I can remember. I’d always sit and write in journals and notepads every chance I got. So, yes I’ve always wanted to be an author.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I was driving across the moors (hills full of myth and legend) just outside of Manchester when I was hit by a flood of inspiration, and so my Pennine Prophecies series was born.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel to my debut vampire novel “The Awakening”. It also has three spin-offs for the rehabilitation centres for each supernatural creature, known as Institutes. The Shadow Institute for rogue vampires is titled, Beyond The Shadows. Lunar Institute is for werewolves to learn restraint. And the Institute of Leather Jackets for misbehaving witches and warlocks.
Do you have any quirks while working?
One thing I never do is plan. I let my characters guide me… so even I don’t know what shenanigans they’ll get up to next.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope to expand the series and keep creating a world readers will love.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
To keep writing and never give up.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I’m grateful to all of my readers for giving my books a chance and leaving amazing reviews. It means more than they know.
I am a busy wife, mother, grandma, sister, daughter, and friend, like so many others. I live in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and work full-time with my writing. As well as adventures on the page, I enjoy adventures in life. I’ve worked with lions and tigers and bears in private reserves, hubby and I moved the kids to a rainforest in Panama, Central America for a year, and when the world allows it, we travel and collect memories.
I write what I enjoy reading, which means, fantasy/paranormal, low/medium angst, fast burn, and for the conflicts to come from obstacles more than people mistreating one another and being shitty. My characters swear and make rude comments and are quite often inappropriate. I want my books to be sexy and fun… oh, and they’re funny too.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Actually, no. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that for twenty years and about twelve years ago, while taking a year away from the bustle of north American pressures to always keep moving, pushing, taking classes, joining clubs, I learned to love a good book.
Having not been a huge reader up to that point, I didn’t take any books when we moved. My daughter, Abbey, was thirteen then and she brought a copy of Twilight. I must’ve read it 15 times (being the only book we had) and eventually, I started wondering about alternative plot directions. I thought, ‘If I wrote a book, my character would’ve said this and done that.’ My muse found me lying in a hammock in a rainforest.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Currently, I’m writing 2 series under 2 pen names. I have the Guardians of the Fae Realms polyamorous reverse harem under JL Madore and the Chronicles of the Urban Druid urban fantasy adventure series under Auburn Tempest. Same writing style, same storytelling, but JL has vivid sex and adult content, and Auburn has teasers and fade to black.
The inspiration for my RH series was being part of the FB group Reverse Harem Readers and Authors. There is a fun bunch of crazy ladies in there who aren’t shy about telling you what they like and want in a book. I was reading RH and wondered why there wasn’t more MM. It seemed to me that if there is one woman and four guys, having them all focus on their female was limiting the sexual pleasures. I watched and when I saw women asking for more MM and more of a polyamorous romance series, I decided to write it.
What are you working on now?
I alternate between pen names, so right now I’m finishing book 10 in the Urban Druid series A Dragon’s Dare (no sex) and then am starting book 9 in the Guardians series Honor Restored (lots of sex) lol. Book 9 will be the first book in Honor’s harem and the beginning of her story. She’s the third woman in the series to get her mates.
Do you have any quirks while working?
Not really. I sit. I write. I watch Netflix and Marvel at night to glean ideas. And the next day, I sit and write again. I do have a bit of an obsession about eating M&Ms while I do that, though. Which I’m trying to curb… because hello, I turned 50 this month and my metabolism seems to have forgotten to come with me over the hill.
What are your hopes for the future?
My biggest hope for the past decade was to retire my hubby from his high-pressure corporate job and be able to support us with my writing. He worked his ass off for the twenty years I stayed home and focused on the kids and now it’s his turn to enjoy freedoms. Goal achieved. At the time of writing this, it’s Thursday, and he’s been retired for four days. Yay! He’s an avid mountain bike rider and is looking forward to spending more time on the trails. I’m so thrilled that my fans loving my crazy stories means I can take the reins for the next twenty years. Also, we have our first grandbaby and are looking forward to spending oodles of time playing with her.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Take classes and learn the craft. It doesn’t have to be university creative writing classes but find a guild or critique group and really learn how to craft a great story.
Read tons in your genre of interest. Know what you love to write and know what readers are looking for and find a way to make those two things intersect.
Drill down to a sub-niche you think is underserved. For me, I love writing paranormal romance, then I looked into reverse harem, then specifically MM/poly, and also low/angst and fast burn.
Really think about what your brand is… Mine is found family and finding the place you belong. To my fans and followers, I’ll say what I always say. It thrills me to know that my stories resonate with you. I’m thankful
Join the 20BooksTo50K Facebook group and learn how to make money with your stories. Writing for passion and muse is great but making a living at it is better. 20Books changed everything for me and gives the indies the power to succeed.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
To my fans and followers, I’ll say what I always say. It thrills me to know that my stories resonate with you. I’m thankful for your support and read every review, taking comments to heart. Thank you for all the amazing feedback and for engaging with my characters.
USA TODAY and Award-winning Bestselling Author, Julie Morgan, holds a degree in Computer Science and loves science fiction shows and movies. Encouraged by her family, she began writing. Originally from Texas, Julie now resides in Central Florida with her husband and daughter where she is an advocate for Special Needs children and can be found playing games with her daughter when she isn’t lost in another world.
Not necessarily. When I was younger I enjoyed writing poetry and songs. I used to sing them for my grandparents. They pretended to enjoy them. LOL! I actually started writing novels about 17 years ago. Before that, it was short stories and the like. I’ve been published now for 8 years.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I’m writing two different series right now, both paranormal. One is grim reaper and the other is fallen angels. I’ve always had a love for the darker side of paranormal that involved vampires, shifters, demons and angels. There’s no real inspiration behind it other than my love for it.
What are you working on now?
Dead to the World series and Speed Dating with the Denizens of the Underworld series
Do you have any quirks while working?
I have to have music playing, a snack nearby, and a drink.
What are your hopes for the future?
To reach someone, to give them hope through one of my stories. I’ve had readers reach out that a story brought them out of a dark place before, and it completely touched me to hear that. That’s my goal, is to reach as many people as I can through my words.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Take your time and don’t rush. Find yourself a great editor, not someone who claims to love English. Also get a professional cover made. You can go indie, you don’t have to sign with a small press to get your books out there. Figure out what you want to write (contemporary, paranormal, historical, etc) and follow your dream. And never be scared to ask for help.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I love each and every one of you! You are why I continue create adventures and different worlds for us to dive into.
I’m a desert dweller, born and bred in Southern California. Before becoming an author, I was a stay at home mom, and still manage to keep my kids alive even while writing.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
I know this seems odd, but I didn’t. I’ve always written, but the idea of becoming an author didn’t occur to me until I was in my early twenties (after a few years of college where I thought go into every job possible and switched my major enough for my parents to needed to sit me down). This is funny, because when I looked back at my awards from school, I got compliments constantly on my writing. It seems I was headed that way even when I didn’t know it. Of course, the path to becoming a romance and erotica author is an even stranger one, since I went years thinking I could never write sex. I thought I’d never be good at it. It was fanfiction that enlightened me there, that taught me I was not only capable of it but good at it! Then, my interest in female sexuality, in wanting to portray a positive view of it, really pushed me into focusing on erotic romance!
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I don’t know if I have inspiration. I tend to play with what-ifs a lot, and when I’m driving, I enjoy thinking about storylines. This one spawned during one such time. I will share, at the end, a face claim for the characters! It helps to show readers how I view the characters, the images I used before writing so I could ‘see’ my characters. It’s always fun to have a face to put with the name.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the edits for Grave Concerns 3, Saving the World and Other Bad Ideas. It’s so much fun to get back into Ava’s world, but wrapping up the series has been a lot of work. This is my first ever trilogy, as opposed to stand alone stories, and tying up all the threads has proven to be a big undertaking. I am so excited to share it in September!
Do you have any quirks while working?
I have ADHD, which means focus is difficult for me. I really need routine to be successful (well, and Adderall). This means I’m very regimented. I also get up and work at 5am, so the house is quiet! Even with that, I love my noise cancelling headphones and my touchpoints to help keep me focused. I am a huge fan of lists, and I keep a bullet journal to keep myself on track. My favorite thing, though? My freewrite. It helps me to write, to stay focused and is much easier on my eyes for long hours than a regular screen.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope to continue to grow as an author, to learn more about how to reach readers (marketing is hard and scary!), to get to branch out and try to write different types of stories that are outside of my happy little rut. I’ve enjoyed writing my Grave Concerns Series so much because it was such a departure from my Alphas series. I want to keep doing that, to not be satisfied with what I know so I can try out new things even when they’re scary.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
It takes time. That’s my number one piece of advice. Too often, we writers are in love with our own work, and we go into publishing with this belief that our book will be the exception. We will write the next best thing, that it will only take that one masterpiece for the masses to recognize our brilliance. In my experience, reality is far more work and a much longer and rockier path. For most of us, success will come from the slog, from creating and putting out story after story. I don’t say this to be demoralizing, but to prepare authors, because I’ve seen (and been) an authors who puts out their first books and feels hopeless when it flounders. It is so easy to give up at that point, to feel like a failure and think writing isn’t for you. So, my advice is to stick with it, to go into it knowing your first book is just that–your first book. Keep at it to see the benefits!
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thank you so much! I couldn’t do what I love so much if it wasn’t for my amazing readers who support me. Readers are precious creatures who deserve all the praise and love!
Well, I’m in my late 40’s (that’s kind of scary) and I’m married with three gorgeous children. We live in Sydney, Australia.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Yes, but I thought it wasn’t possible. It certainly wasn’t until the Amazon self publishing path became a possibility. Prior to that, I just wrote stories and ideas in notebooks and didn’t think about them again.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Most of my stories start with a dream, I wake up with a story, a scene or two replaying in my head until I write it down. Sometimes the characters just start talking to me, usually in the shower, or when I’m hanging out the washing. Either way, not when I have my hands free to start taking notes, lol.
Jacinta’s story was a dream, but then I came across an image from NASA and things just started falling into place and I knew I had to write it. I wrote the first draft 18 months ago, and I’ve only just got around to rewriting it. (First one was absolute rubbish, lol. I like to think I’ve grown a bit as a writer since then.)
What are you working on now?
I’m working on Book 2 of Jacinta’s story. I’m rapid-releasing her trilogy. Then I’m going back to my Brotherhood series. There’s another five books to come for that. I’m also working on learning JavaScript to help my eldest son with his homework, lol.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I need silence. With three kids and a husband who works from home, that isn’t easy. I live for the three days a week when my youngest is at preschool. Next year – next year… Just watch this space. 😉
What are your hopes for the future?
Personally, I want to do this for a living. At the moment, I’m earning a part-time wage, and putting in full-time hours. I even go all night without sleep when necessary (deadlines looming). I want to prove to my husband that this is more than a hobby. I want to be able to upload all the stories in my head directly into a computer, then sit and edit. LMAO.
I’m starting up a blurb service, because I seem to be good at it. I write concepts for a cover designer (hi Tash! Shout out to DAZE-designs.com ), and doing blurbs is similar enough that I can do it with ease. (Easier to write for others than for me, lol). Anyway, I’d like for that to get off the ground.
For my family – my eldest has learning difficulties and has just started high school. He’s really struggling. I’d love for him to settle into a pattern and find his feet. I want my middle son to keep doing what he’s doing. He’s a sweet kid – when you can get him away from minecraft, lol. He wants to be an artist. And for my youngest, she’s struggling with speech. We’re making real progress this year, but it’s a hard slog. Hubby – I want him to not work so hard, he never stops.
For the world – peace. I want peace, and more understanding, and less of the self-entitled attitude that seems to be spreading like a virus. It’s a sickness that’s destroying our planet as much as global warming is. Wow, this got dark fast!
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Yes. Treat it like a business from the start. I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out.
Protect yourself. I’ve seen authors taken for rides because of their lack of experience. Get contracts for everything. I mean it, everything. Non-disclosure, confidentiality, expectations of service (PA’s/editors etc), Have an agreement with any volunteers you work with, to protect them as much as you.
Be professional at all times. Have a laugh in private, in public – you’re a persona now. Everything you do is noted and weighed. I’ve seen books plagiarised, files held for ransom, and friendships destroyed, because people found out they weren’t on the same page. Have friends, but keep it separate from what you do.
I’m not saying become a corporate Karen. I’m saying, be sensible, prudent and most of all reliable. Have dignity, and give it to others.
Finally, reach out. The indie community, for all its flaws, can be an amazing resource. Reach out. There are very few authors who would not help you.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
You’re all nuts!
No, seriously, you’re all nuts. Ha ha ha.
Ok, this time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You encourage me, keep me going and inspire me. I can’t believe that people like my books. I keep waiting for the critics to come along and say “yeah, she’s really rubbish, here’s why”. A few have, and it’s hard to keep going when I read what they say. So, for everyone who has reached out to me with a word, or a like, or anything positive – thank you. You are a life line and a godsend.
Please give a warm welcome to wife and husband authors Jules and Hunter
Tell us about yourselves…
My husband Hunter and I have been together for 21 years, but only began writing in 2019. We live in Orange County, California. We spend a lot of time traveling, but when we’re home you can find us at the beach. I’m a coffee addict and Hunter is an adrenaline addict.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Jules: I have always wanted to be a writer, but never had the guts to get serious about it until an author I fangirl over and respect very much suggested I give it a go.
Hunter: I have never thought about becoming a writer. I got into it as something for Jules and I to do together. She’s my best friend and everything is so much more fun together. Yeah, Jules totally paid me to say that last part. ;). Lmao
What was your inspiration for your current book?
We started writing anthologies and did one–The Devil’s Playground– with BBB Publishings about a paranormal whorehouse and ended up loving our first paranormal manuscript so much that we had to turn it into a full length novel.
What are you working on now?
Apartment 29. Our first paranormal RH stand alone HEA romance. It releases on July 24th. We’re learning a lot about paranormal writing and hope readers love Jade’s story as much as we do.
Do you have any quirks while working?
Jules: When writing during the day, I snack on chewy sweetarts, and drink coffee like it’s a youth tonic. When writing at night I’m either sipping a Seven & Seven or shooting tequila. Not a lot, just enough to loosen me up. It helps me let go and really get into the multiple characters we role-playing.
Hunter: I don’t have any quirks when writing, however I’m all over our home office role-playing each character and moving naturally while Jules describes what I’m doing and types up the dialogue I’m spitting out.
What are your hopes for the future?
Jules: I hope to find out Vampires are real and super cool, become one and NEVER die! (What? A girl can dream can’t she?) Aaand I would really like to know that at least one of our stories will take a reader through all the emotions to end with them feeling like they got everything from the story they wanted and a few things they didn’t expect and being so full of different emotions that they throw their kindle saying “Jules Hunter sucks! I can’t wait for their next book.”
Hunter: I hope that we continue to learn to be better writers and put out amazing stories.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Jules: Absolutely find at least one PA you mesh well with and make sure they are knowledgeable about the writing world because they will 100 percent be your saviour, and will help you navigate the part of writing that takes you away from the actual writing.
Hunter: What Jules said. Get a PA that’s knowledgeable and then listen to them! You will also do well to find an editor you trust. Jules and I don’t know what we would do without our PA’s and our fantastic editing team. Surround yourself with a great team and there’s nothing you can’t do.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
We flove each one of you. Thank you all for your support, advice, the laughs, and reviews. And here’s the thing with reviews. We love them. Good or bad, we appreciate the good reviews and consider the bad reviews as a way to become better writers. We don’t care if they’re one star as long as they’re honest.
I’m an USA today bestselling author, writing coach and youth mentor who supports daring teens and women to discover themselves through writing. Most days you can find me writing out the stories that take over my mind, supporting people to write their way to bravery and creating empowering content.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
No, and I didn’t think it was possible. During my teen years I didn’t like reading straight away but I did fall in love with journal writing. This is where my journey to writing started. By learning to express myself through my writing, it supported me through my darkest moments and helped me to connect to myself on a deeper level. I fell in love with reading after I left school and it gave me that beautiful escape from reality.
What are you working on now?
My past three books have been in the non-fiction space which I love but I am looking forward to diving back into fiction writing. My next book is reverse harem, enemies to lovers and it’s got so many twists and turns.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I have to have a cup of green tea, playlist that relates to what I’m working on, headphones on to block out any outside noise and any distractions out of reach.
What are your hopes for the future?
To continue to empower budding authors to write their story and to heal through their writing.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Don’t let fear hold you back, start writing your story and let those words flow from within you. Remember that editing comes once you are finished, avoid editing as you go as the words won’t flow as well. Believe in yourself and know that we all have a story within us that’s ready to be unleashed.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thank you for your support and for offering your kind words. Your encouragement goes such a long way so if you love a story tell the author this. It would mean the world to them.
Please give a warm welcome to author Jeanette Lynn
Tell us a bit about yourself
I live with my Incredible Hunk of a Neanderthal with our fur babies and Small Human Child. I am at the beck and call of a Hobbit doggo and eccentric terrier mix that acts more like a cat and basically owns my buns. I enjoy artsy fartsy anything, corny b horror movies, the cornier the better, good tunes, and writing quirky but relatable characters in out of this world stories.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
No. And I can’t say I’d considered it as a child or early adulthood. It wasn’t even on my radar. I’ve always loved to read, and sort of made up my own stories in my head, or changed them if I was disappointed in something in one, but my first love has always been art. I supposed I should have figured I’d lean towards writing. I didn’t see it myself, but talking with my sisters, a few of them have said they could totally see it. I was a Barbie girl, lol, and I lived in my own little Barbie world. Barbie dated G.I. Joes and New Kids On the Block dolls(Sorry, Ken!) and lived in her ginormous plastic beach house with a giant pink and orange plastic dinosaur instead of a dog, with a few Ewoks for roommates. I made up wild stories for the whole gang and spent hours setting the stage and playing it all out. If one of my sisters happened upon me working all this out, I’d prattle on about it for as long as they were willing to stand there while I chattered. I actually took the plunge in part because of something one of my siblings said while we were talking. I’d said something like, “Maybe I should try it,” jokingly, during a convo, about writing a book, (we’d been talking books, recent reads, likes, dislikes) and they made a comment, something like, “You could do it. You should try it. I’d read it.” I mean, hey, they’d offered, right? Eventually I did, they read it, they said they loved it, then asked when I’d be writing the next book, and that’s kinda how Stellar Proportions came about.
So I’ll just slip in a thank you for my big seesters here, my Valkyrie, for always being my biggest supporters and encouraging their not-so-pixie-sized-anymore baby sister to do the things.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I work on several series/books at once, but my most current series releases are set in Mordenne, Tales of Mordenne series and Brides of Mordenne. The series intertwine. Tales is Monster Romance with heart and a pinch of horror, PNR Fantasy, and Brides of Mordenne is monster matchmaking mayhem, Cyclops, Werewolves, Trolls, Men of the Marsh, finding their Happily Ever Afters. I was inspired to write them because of my love of monsters. Monster everything, I love it. Frankenstein, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, Swamp Thing, Big Foot, Yetis, folktales, mythology, I love it all. Those poor fellas never get the girl, though, right? And it was like, but what if they did? And what if their lady loves were curvy gals?
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on The Princess & The Ogre, the third book in Tales of Mordenne. Morgan and Theseus are finally going to hash this whole reluctant dragon princess thing out once and for all.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I like to listen to music more often than not. It’s not uncommon for me to make a playlist of songs that stick with me while I’m writing a book.
What are your hopes for the future?
My hopes for the future would be to keep doing this words makin’ thing. I love writing, pulling the story together, sorting it all out in my head to get it down as I see it, watching it slowly turn into a book. It’s fun. I’d like to be able to make enough as an author to be considered a livable income.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Write. Uhm, I’m horrible with advice. It’s like my brain stalls and smoke starts to slowly eep from my ears. Is that burnt toast? Why do I smell burnt toast? From personal experience, I’d say keep writing, working for it, improving. There’s always room for improvement. Aim to write a series. Newsletters are important. See what’s out there, what works for you and what doesn’t, what you’d like to see done differently? I wanted more quirky reads with relatable, if oddball, characters, with romance and heart, and that’s what I set out to write starting all of this.
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Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Hello, podly peeps! Thank you for being freaking awesome and supportive, all around fantastic human beings. You rock. You make my weird little heart happy. Y’all make all of this possible and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
Please give a warm welcome to author Jessica Grayson
Tell us a bit about yourself
Hello, World! I live in San Antonio, TX with my husband, cat and dog. I love swimming, biking and all things dark chocolate. When I’m writing, I love coffee. But when I’m reading, I love a good cup of chai.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
I’ve always loved writing, but it was more a hobby for me than anything else. But after losing my parents and oldest sister unexpectedly a few years ago, I started writing as an outlet for my grief.
Writing helps me to channel all my grief into something creative and beautiful. To be honest, I feel like it gave me my life back. It helped me to rediscover my joy after going through so much devastating loss.
I never thought I’d be an author but now that I am, I know it is something I will do for the rest of my life.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I love slow burn romance and getting lost in a beautiful love story—the kind of book that leaves you thinking about it for days after you’ve read it because the characters and emotions were so deep and intense. I also love Vampire, Alien and Elvish Romance. I kept searching for a story with all these things included in it, and wasn’t really finding what I was looking for. So, I decided to write what I wanted to read. That’s how my V’loryn Series (Vampire Alien Romance) was created. 😊
What are you working on now?
My Vampire Alien Romance (V’loryn Series), Dragon Shifter Romance (Mosauran Series), and Fae Alien Romance (Aerilon Fae Series) are all set in the same universe. Each series can be read independently, but it makes for a much more immersive experience to read each one to get a richer understanding of this universe and all the characters that live in it.
Right now, I’m working on my Aerilon Fae Alien series book: “Trace the Sky.” It is about Al’aneo (Tr’lani’s brother) and his Terran (human) mate Holly. He saved Holly from slavers in “The Shape of the Wind,” and I fell in love with the idea of giving them their own HEA.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I have to write at the kitchen table. My husband set up an office for me in one of the spare bedrooms, but for some reason the words just flow better when I’m in the kitchen, in the middle of everything going on in the house.
Also, I love listening to music when I’m plotting. It’s amazing how much music helps in my creative process. When I hear a song that inspires me, I can literally see the plot playing out in my head like a movie.
The ending of “Lost in the Deep End” was inspired by the song, “Indian” by Sleeping at Last. The scene in “Beneath A Different Sky,” when they land on Marek’s planet and then step off the ship together was inspired by “Believe with Me” by Raign.
I’m not sure why my mind works that way, but I’m glad it does. When I get stuck on a plot issue, I start listening to music and it helps me to figure it out. 😊
What are your hopes for the future?
I have quite a few stories/HEAs I want to write in this share/expanded universe. Several side characters are speaking strongly to me and I can hardly wait to get their stories out in the world.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Write what you love and keep writing.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Thank you so much for all your kind words of encouragement. These stories and these characters mean a lot to me. You have no idea how wonderful it is to know that readers love these characters as much as I do. I cannot thank you enough.
I’m an avid reader, a grade A goofball and I love to eat. Most of my characters are spawns from pieces of my crazy brain, I’m quirky on the best of days and have an unhealthy obsession with Charlie Hunnam. I spend half of my time writing, and the other half staring into the distance wondering why my characters won’t cooperate and why I decided to write the assholes in the first place. I cuss a lot without making an apology for it, I procrastinate so hard that it’s become a disease, and I’m full of random facts that have wasted a lot of brain space that I might have needed in the past.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
There was a long period that I didn’t even think about writing. At age thirteen, I tried to follow in my mother’s footsteps, deciding to take a pen to paper and see where the ink would take me. Only, what I wrote was utter gibberish and made me cringe so hard that I threw the entire notebook away. After that failed attempt I was more focused on art, photography, and design. I thought for sure I’d end up in a career field associated with those. However, a year ago found my love for writing rekindled and I’ve not looked back since. It’s strange how that happens, but perhaps it just goes to show it was meant to be, right?
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
Pinterest. That app is a goldmine for inspiration, I kid you not. Many of my books were created based on a single art piece I found and fell in love with. One book was purely created from the love I have for my mother, wanting to put that feeling into a book with all the feels and emotions. I guess I find inspiration in all kinds of places, but my main go to is a cheeky little Pinterest board.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a few things at once. My main projects at the moment would be the third book in my series, The Fall, and a secret project I’ve only revealed in my reader group because I’m a sneaky tease like that. I have a whole bunch of other things tucked away up my sleeve that I’ve started, but I’m pretty sure they won’t see the light of day for a little while.
I have a whole bunch that have no doubt dubbed me a weirdo to my other half. My main quirks would be talking out loud, feeling out the way the sentences I write would sound before typing them. Pretty sure it looks like I have a split personality disorder since I have full out conversations with myself. Another one would be listening to music that suits the vibe of the book I’m writing, or doesn’t suit it at all and I’m forced to focus even harder to write a sad scene while Wham! plays in my ears. Guess I like a challenge LOL!
What are your hopes for the future?
My hopes would be that I continue to write what I love for as long as I can. This is a career I never thought I’d achieve but wouldn’t change for anything. Continuing down this road and finding myself still loving what I’m doing, enjoying sharing my words with others, is the dream. If I find myself still writing the ideas that spring to my mind ten years down the line, I’ll consider myself a very happy nugget.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Honestly? It’s a tough world to delve into. I’m still no where near the level a great deal of authors are at, and I’ve been writing for a year. This job takes a lot of love, dedication and perseverance. You have to push through the hard days, grow a very thick layer of skin, go at your own pace and don’t ever compare yourself to others. You’re you, your words are yours, and it’s a unique thing to be proud of. Comparing yourself will only hurt you and hinder the progress you’re heading towards. Always do a whole lot of promotion. Don’t be afraid to push your book out there, to show the world how hard you’ve worked on something you adore. And one vital piece of advice I can offer that was passed down to me: don’t read bad reviews. If you see those review stars sitting low on the chart, avoid it like the plague. I’ve been burned by many a review already, and the heart crushing ache it leaves you with is not worth it. You won’t please everyone with your books, and that’s okay. Remember that.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
The only thing I can say is that I love my followers to the ends of the earth. Their support and encouraging words are always a thing of beauty and each follower makes me honoured to have them in my corner. I wouldn’t be where I am without them and, for that, I’ll always be humble grateful. I don’t think they’ll ever know how much I value them all.
Helle Gade 