Jul 7 2021

Author C.C. Solomon #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author C.C. Solomon

Tell us a bit about yourself…

C.C. is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and has actively written fiction since the age of eleven. She’s an avid “chick lit” reader and urban fantasy fan. During her days, she works in Civil Rights for the federal government. In her free time, she sings karaoke, travels the globe and watches too much TV… when she’s not writing of course.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

I started writing when I was around eleven years old. I wrote a short play in my english class that my classmates put on and did some other short stories as assignments. My english teacher, Ms. Weber, told me I was good and to keep writing and I have!

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

I’m a huge anime, horror and k drama fan so they allow me to think outside of the box because of the unique, non-Western storytelling. I also am a daydreamer, people watcher and avid traveler so the combination is always giving me ideas, with new settings and scenarios popping up in my head.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently a little over mid way through my sequel to my novella, Mystic Realms, in which we again focus on my character Lisa who is forced to save an elven king from a curse or else she’ll have to repay a sinister favor to him. It’s heavy paranormal romance compared to most of my other work.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Not sure I have any quirks. I have eclectic taste in music so that really helps me get into the zone. If I’m writing a fight scene I might play old school hip hop or rock. If it’s a romance scene then I’m playing something slow and emotional. Some songs inspire scenes in my head so I have a play list of different songs that I found inspirational while writing. .

What are your hopes for the future?

Well the hope is always that you build an audience that appreciates your work. My goal is to entertain and reach readers that were underserved or just wanted new points of view.

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

Keep writing. That’s the biggest thing. Especially for indie authors. A lot of our success can come from building a brand which comes from having several books published. This way you give readers something to come back to. Also writing that first draft is tough but don’t stop. Even if you know you’ll change something, just make note of it to go back to later and keep moving forward in the story. Once the first draft is done I think it gets easier and more rewarding.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

I’d love to say, thanks so much for reading! It’s really the readers that keep me going. I get encouraged by reviews and pushed to write even better. I don’t just write for myself but for the audience and I want to ensure that the hours they spend reading or listening to my books is worth it for them. So please keep reviewing and supporting and I will do my part to bring you reading entertainment that you can enjoy!

Jun 2 2021

Author Rachelle Bonifay #MoonlitFalls #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author Rachelle Bonifay

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I am a Southern girl through and through. I have lived my whole life in Alabama and at this point don’t have plans to leave. I am still teaching during the days and hopping to use the summer to knock out several first draft projects. I have two dogs: Gracie, a yorkie mix, and Luna, a Coton de Tulear/Havanese mix. When I’m not writing or reading I enjoy spending time outside: swimming, hiking, or gardening.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

I have been writing stories since high school but never thought what I wrote was worth sharing. Luckily the MDL ladies are helping me see otherwise.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Last November, one of the girls from the Silver Springs neighborhood set up a fanfiction challenge for National Novel Writing Month. I decided to join and have fun creating stories again. When the Moonlit Falls competition opened, I honestly didn’t plan to apply. One of the women in charge reached out to ask if I was planning on submitting anything because she had read my fanfiction. (Thanks Dolly!) After looking for some photo inspiration, I found a girl who had a story to be told and decided to shoot my shot. Luckily it worked in my favor this time.

What are you working on now?

I am getting the final edits of Moonlit Garnet finished as well as working on Briar’s story for the Fearless anthology (MF contemporary Romance) and want to finish All for Being Normal (PNR MF romance) this summer.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I love to watch crime shows or medical shows while I’m writing. I can’t watch trivia shows or I forget to write and just answer all the questions.

What are your hopes for the future?

I’m hoping to be able to publish multiple books a year and to one day publish a co-write with a more established author.

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

Ask all the questions. Every author I’ve reached out to has been more than willing to help recommend editors and proofers and to explain the process. I’ve also had some offer their groups to find alpha, beta, and arc readers. So don’t let the fact that they are established intimidate you, they remember what it’s like to be just starting out.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me and supporting me in this new adventure even if it leaves me feeling like a stress muffin stuck in a corner some days!

Rachelle’s Readers Cave

Moon Dust Library

Jun 15 2019

Author Wendy Potocki #interview

Please give a war welcome to author Wendy Potocki

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Yup, sure did!

It was a secret desire and I never told anyone because I never thought I would never be good enough—or have the ideas that spark good stories. Since I was a booklover, I thought authors were magical in their ability to keep me spellbound. So for more than half of my life, it remained a dream … something tickling my fancy … but nothing more. Then one day, my muse whispered an idea in my ear. Once started, I’ve never stopped.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Okay, so this is actually kind of interesting. I wrote a short story for a writing competition hosted by J. Ellington Ashton Press. The short was entitled “Fate Worse than Death,” and was about zombies. The lead character was a teenager who had to write a story for her English class using stream of consciousness. That method of writing has always fascinated me as there’s no filter on what comes out. One night, the concept got the better of me, and I decided to give it a try. I sat down and just wrote the first thing that came into my head. It was:

A liquid night.

A lucid dream.

A one-eyed girl buried in the rain.

I loved the words and the mood struck, and before I knew it, the three lines burst into an entire novel. It’s what I’m working on now and I hope it’ll be finished by Halloween. At least, that’s the plan.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I don’t think so. I do like to write in the daytime which is always a surprise to me given that I’m such a night owl. I guess the only things that would pass for quirks are: (1) I do not like to talk about ideas I’m working on, and (2) I design covers for any new work I’m about to write. The cover allows me to establish a mood and feeling. It also helps consolidate or ground the visualization so there’s a tangible representation of the creative process going on in my head. I suppose one could liken it to a mood board, but for me, it’s designing covers.

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

My main advice is: WRITE. In personal training, there’s a concept known as “ exercise specificity.” What it means is that if you want to swim, at some point, you have to get in the water and swim! Running, lifting weights, eating healthy all might contribute to conditioning the body to swim, but swimming is the key in learning to swim. And it’s the same with writing.

Just write. Write anything, everywhere, and anything. If you write novels, try a short story … or poetry. If a friend needs to write a letter, write it for them. Also, write for blogs or other outlets that require you meeting a deadline. It’s the only way you’ll get good at firing out a paragraph or two. It comes in handy when you get an opportunity—like this one, for instance.

The next piece of advice would be to continue to hone your craft. Don’t get stuck in the notion that you can’t improve or that there’s a limitation on what you do. The best way to accomplish this is to distance yourself from what you’re doing, and be as objective as you can about your work. It may require putting your work away for a few weeks or months and looking at it with a fresh eye, but stagnation is the worst sin so don’t stay where you are. Continue to flex your muscle—and wings. Yes, they’re there waiting for you to use. Never be afraid to fail; it’s in the failing you’ll learn and eventually transform.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

Yes, thank you so much for supporting me and my work. I love writing so much and I hope that it always shows.

I’m also very happy to announce that, after a long absence on the horror scene, I am coming out with two new chiller-dillers so please look for it them this fall. In the meantime, love to you all.