Please give a warm welcome to
Tell us a bit about yourself
I live in the Pacific Northwest in the United States of America, with my beer brewing husband, frost giant toddler, and two senior dogs. I’m an excitable introvert, which means if you put enough sugar in me, I’ll extrovert until I hit a wall and crash. I’ve got an eclectic background, from retail to pastry chef to traditional publishing, I’m like a butterfly who wants all the pretty flowers. Now I’m solidly an author and loving it. I squeeze in hiking on my days off (what are days off?) and I love to travel to new places. I’m pretty candid and I typo a lot. Like, so much.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
The first story I remember writing was in second grade with my teacher Mrs. Will. It was totally original–about these three pigs who lived in houses and had to defend themselves against a bad wolf. Yeah, I was totally writing fanfiction of Three Little Pigs. So, yes, I’ve always wanted to be an author—as well as an astronaut zoologist on the moon, still working on that one though.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
I’ve got three series in the works but for my most recent release, Raven’s Flight, I adore epic fantasy. Epic fantasy is the genre that holds my heart and I have a ton of stories waiting to be told. There’s something about a new original world with magic and romance that makes me squeal and read for days. It turns out I’ll write for days as well! I love resilient characters who go through difficult times and have to struggle with their choices in novels, so I wanted to write that.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just wrapped up book one in my The Raven and Crown series, and book two isn’t out until later 2020. Which means I’m currently working on Obsession and Fawn. Obsession is a dark bully/villain reverse harem with Mary Wollstonecraft, Frankenstein, Van Helsing, and Jekyll. It’s season one Supernatural combined with Sherlock—scary, sexy, smart. My other project, Fawn, is a co-written dark mafia shifter reverse harem (say that five times fast!). It’s so, so damn fun and Elaina Jadin and I are having a ton of fun with it.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I have to have headphones on. Something about putting headphones on tells my brain it’s “go time.” I also like to have snacks, so I’m trying to lean closer to healthy snacks. Which isn’t really working because the husband just brought home three boxes of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies. I listen to music, but it can’t have any audio or be instrumental covers of familiar songs because it’ll distract me. I try to listen to music that matches the tone of the book or scene I’m working on. I’ve got a fantasy playlist, a romantic playlist, and a suspense playlist.
What are your hopes for the future?
I mean, other than the world not dying? I’m hoping to publish nine books this year, or three trilogies. It all depends on life and how well each book is received. I’d love to become a NYT Best Seller, but I’m not holding my breath. I just want to keep writing the stories I love.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
This job is hard. I’ve been doing it for years. If you want to make this your career, you have to treat it like a job. You can’t expect to put a little bit of effort in and see the same success your favorite authors are having. You can tell the stories you have inside of you and you can make it into a career, but it’s going to take more than just writing a book and that’s something a lot of new authors don’t really understand.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I love you all! Tell everyone you know to read my books. Seriously. Stalk them until they do. Leave post-it notes everywhere. Tweet them every hour. Email them daily. Okay, don’t go that extreme. Probably. I’m not responsible for your fanatics! But seriously–I prioritize series based on interest and preorders. If you want one book series sooner than another, vote by preordering! And don’t forget to review the books you read, even if it’s the minimum word count that Amazon requires. Reviews are our bread and butter.
Helle Gade 