May 13 2019

Author Jacquelyn Faye #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author Jacquelyn Faye

Tell us a bit about yourself

Not much to tell. Middle aged suburbian mom of two wonderful children and several pets 😀
I’ve been working in telecommunications for the past fifteen years, but have always been an avid reader. Stumbled across the reverse harem genre and fell in love. I’ve been working for Untold Press in my spare time, doing some editing and graphic work for my friends over there. One of them, challenged me to write a book…
I didn’t think it would completely engulf my life the way it has. I love the characters that came to life in my head and the Lovin’ the Coven series was born 🙂

Have you always wanted to become an author?

No. I’ve always loved reading, but honestly I never considered being an author much. It almost felt too daunting of a task. Once you sit down to write though, and the story flows out of you, you realize you don’t have much choice in the matter!

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Witches have always fascinated me. I think that ever since I was a little girl i kind of wanted to be one. Then I read my first reverse harem story and the possibilities kind of all came together. I came up with the title of the series and then sort of wrote the books around that, but I wanted it to be fun and exciting, so i stuffed it with as much humor as I could and let the characters write themselves

What are you working on now?

Currently, I’m working on a new RH series called The Fox and the Hounds
It’s about a Kitsune who gets shipped off to an academy for magical folk to learn to blend in with humans more. There she meets her harem, but doesn’t get along with them at all in the beginning…
The first book, A Tail of Woah should be out sometime this month.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

COFFEE AND LOUD MUSIC
Seriously, without those two things, i just can’t seem to get the words out. When i get home from work, I put on my headphones, start up the Keurig and just get lost in my own little world until it’s time to go to bed.

What are your hopes for the future?

To be able to do this full time. I’d love to be able to make this my life. I’m just sorry I started so late!

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

Don’t dream about it, don’t think about it, just do it. Try to write every night, but if you can’t, don’t force it. Take some time to keep your head straight. If things around you are crazy, it WILL affect your writing.
Be careful who you trust, not everybody is your friend. Sad, but true. I’ve heard horror stories from many authors. I’ve been so damn lucky.
But the biggest piece of advice i can give you is, get to know your readers. Make friends with them on social media. They make it all worth while.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

If i could come through this screen and hug every damn one of you, I would. YOU, the readers, have made this whole crazy insane thing everything I ever dreamed it could be. Your reviews, your comments, your excitement over my stories…
I can’t thank all of you enough.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!

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Coven of the First Moon

May 7 2019

Author Miki Ward #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author Miki Ward Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m older than most of the authors that I’m friends with and am a grandmother. That’s actually a plus because I use my fantastic grandchildren as inspiration and ask them lots of questions about teens and young people’s behavior. I grew up in Carlsbad, NM, a small town in the dead middle of nowhere. It was a close-knit community and close to the Carlsbad Caverns also great inspiration for the books that I write with my brother Garrett Ward. Living in a small town we had to find stuff to do for fun and once… do you know that scene in Footloose when the female lead jumped from one moving truck to anther? They copied me. I really did that, and it was easy, again great inspiration. I’m married to a wonderful man who loves me so much I never have to question it. I’ve been a carhop, a fountain girl, a secretary, a welder, a quality control engineer, a non-destructive testing inspector, and a lead nuclear auditor. Now I have my dream job as an author. I’m not perfect and work on myself constantly. One thing I really like to do is build others up and I try hard to remember to do that instead of thinking of myself all the time.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Since I was in junior high and read SE Hinton. My brothers and I used to say constantly as kids we should write the stuff we made up down, yet never did until we got older.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Like most of my books it is based on my own experiences and family life. Many of the things in those stories are something we’ve seen first-hand or heard from passed down stories. In fact, all of our stories have a lot of real experiences in them just changed to fit in the story lines.

What are you working on now?

Four different books at once. Our Shivers series is about teens facing the paranormal and we have finished the first draft of book two and are cleaning it up for the editor. It won’t publish until September if it is still acceptable for Covey Publishing to be added to the Falling for Them anthology. I’m also finishing a short story for my own anthology called Celebration of Love. It will publish for the fourth of July and includes two wonderful new authors and a couple that are seasoned. The third is the third book in our Ceorfan Gargoyles Series called Hewn. I’m just getting into it and it will take me a while to finish. The last is a surprise anthology that I have a story I cowrote with another author friend.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I go to bed thinking of the book I’m on and dream about it. Then I get up and write the chapters I dreamed with lots of coffee and music.

What are your hopes for the future?

I have so many, but writing has changed my little brother’s life I want to keep him busy. He finds purpose in our writing. Also, if I can touch just one person and make them have a better day or rest and if they remember to love themselves I’ll be happy.

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

So much! Do your own thing and don’t pattern yourself after anyone else, be original, and write what you know. Yes, you will need examples and mentors but be yourself. When you get a nasty review understand that the reader is usually writing about themselves. If they have had a circumstance that makes them hate chocolate and your whole book is about chocolate and they say they hated it, that comes from their own likes and really has little to do with you. There are a few reviewers who see art for art and gauge that way if they say something you can learn from use it, but the fact is you can’t please everyone. Everyone has different tastes and it’s best not to let a bad review hurt you. Rant at me for a while if you need a shoulder until you get over it. If you like your book that’s what counts. The more you write the bigger your writing muscles will be. One more thing don’t be afraid to try something new. It might surprise you that you enjoy something you didn’t think you would.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

I say it in my books and I mean it. You are my prize. You prop me up constantly when I need a lift. I love you and pray for you all. One day maybe I can meet a few of you in person and tell you, ‘Wings Up!’

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Author links

Miki & Mine, Guys and Gargoyles Group

Jan 28 2019

Author Dionne Lister #Interview @DionneLister

Please give a warm welcome to author Dionne Lister

Tell us a bit about yourself

I live in Sydney, Australia and am the happy mum of two boys. I have two Siamese cats, an associate degree in creative writing, and as well as working as an author, I’m an editor. Just over a year ago, I took up hapkido (Korean martial arts), and I love it.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was about eight. It took me a while to get there though…. lol

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

I normally write epic fantasy, but the last book I tried to write was hard work. I’m at 43,000 words and still haven’t finished it. I will finish it, but that book and all it’s problems, plus some external factors, gave me writers block. I never believed in it until it happened to me. I didn’t write for a year and a half. Instead of writing, I read. A lot. One of the genres I discovered in this time is paranormal cozy mystery. I devoured so many books, it was getting to be super expensive, and eventually, I got to the point where I was inspired to write my own series.

What are you working on now?

At the moment I’m working on book 6 in my paranormal cozy mystery series. The book is called Killer Witch in Westerham, and the series name is Paranormal Investigation Bureau. It’s set in the UK, and the main characters are witches. It’s a fun series.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I have no quirks *thinks*. Well, no more than the usual author. I laugh and cry when stuff happens to my characters, and some days I think my work is the worst thing ever, and some days, I think it’s awesome.

What are your hopes for the future?

My hopes for the future is that I make so much money from my books that I can write full time :).

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

Advice for new authors. Do you have a week or so? Ha ha. Do it because you love it. If you want the chance to make a living out of it, prepared to be professional and to work hard for as long as it takes, which could be months, or it could be years. Learn how to write well. Join Facebook groups so you can get good recommendations for editor and cover artists. The work doesn’t stop when the first draft is done. That’s when the work starts. And don’t beg friends and family to buy your books: you’ll never earn a living out of it unless you reach people you don’t know, and a lot of them. Be prepared to learn about marketing, and know you have to risk money to make money. This is all if you want to earn a living. If you just want to write, then just write :).

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Fans? I have fans? *Looks around. May have noticed movement behind the pot plant.* If any of my fans are reading this, or just anyone who has bought any of my books and read them, THANK YOU! Some people say they write for themselves, and to an extent, we do because we can’t help it. But that’s only half the fun. I’m a storyteller, and I want my stories to reach other people, so thank you for being part of my journey. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to keep producing books. I love that you (whoever you are) are out there reading my books and laughing and crying along with me, or maybe just quietly enjoying them. Thanks for taking a chance on me :). And I love hearing from my fans. Getting an email or message from someone telling me how much they enjoyed my book is like the best thing ever, and it always makes my week :).

Buy link

The Circle of Talia Fantasy Series

Paranormal Investigation Bureau Cosy Mystery Series

Author links