Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Hawaii. I didn’t see real snow till I was twenty and I’ve never seen the leaves change. Some people may find that strange or even sad but I’m grateful every day to wake up to sunshine and misty rainbows. As much as my home inspires me though, I’m not an obnoxiously cheerful person. I like dramatic stories with heroes who have depth and dark secrets motivating them and I tend to write that way. My dark heroines always have a sassy comedic side and perhaps that’s where Hawaii shines through. No matter what situation my character gets herself into, she faces it with bravado and a bit of snark. I like that. I want to be like that. A brave woman who rescues herself and laughs at the obstacles thrown her way.
I’ve written twenty books now and will soon publish my twenty-first. Most of them are in my Godhunter Series I’m about to release book 16) which is about a witch who battles gods for the good of mankind. I’ve also just released a new series, called The Twilight Court Series. The first book in that is entitled Fairy-Struck and is on sale on Amazon with the rest of my books. Both of my series feature strong women but I don’t ignore the men. I like my men just as strong as my women. I think they need to be in order to deal with my characters. No wimps here and no submissive males. That doesn’t do it for me and basically I write what I fantasize about. You can’t please everyone so it’s best to just make yourself happy and hope that others will appreciate it too. So far, it’s worked out pretty well for me.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the first in my new series (The Twilight Court) and it’s entitled; Fairy-Struck. I love the old fairy myths and I really wanted to put a modern twist to things while staying true to the stories. After a lot of research and a lot of daydreaming, I created a world in which fairies exist alongside us. That doesn’t sound all too original so far but I took it further. I wove a history of war between us and the fey, then a truce which would need to be policed by two military units; one of fairies (the Wild Hunt) and one of humans (the Extinguishers). My main character is an extinguisher, raised by other extinguishers to be the perfect psychic soldier. Of course things don’t remain perfect, they rarely do when fairies are involved.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m first coming up with a story, I spend a lot of time just lying around dreaming. I can’t push too hard or nothing will come. I have to just relax and allow the story to fill my head. When I actually begin to write, I’ll have an outline in my head but it’s the characters who determine what actually happens. Often, it feels like I’m a crazy person listening to voices in my head while I try to type fast enough to record everything they say.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was really influenced by Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series. I love the way he writes with humor, wit, and companionable candor, like he’s a friend telling you a story. He doesn’t write in first person but it ends up feeling that way and that’s why I write in first person. I want people to be able to put themselves into the story, to feel like you’re reading over your own diary and are remembering your past.
Laurell K. Hamilton’s earlier stuff influenced me too. I love the way she describes things in a way you can relate too. I’ve often read her books and proclaimed “Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about!” I want people to read my words and get a similar clarity from them. I want them to be able to see what I see and I don’t want to come off as pretentious in my descriptions. It annoys me when writers get too caught up in grammar. I think they lose a lot of realism that way. People just don’t speak with proper grammar so when you read a first person story, it can’t be too correct or it feels wrong.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on Book 16 in my Godhunter Series. My main character journeys through time and my readers will get a glimpse of a possible future for Vervain and her God Squad. Things have grown more and more complicated with the story but I enjoy the complications, the intricate weave of them, and I think my readers do too.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use tumblr, twitter, and facebook. The great social media super sites. But I also go through a lot of ebook websites which let people know about free books. My first book, Godhunter, is free on Amazon and that’s the main book I need to promote. One of my readers have said my series is like crack, you get the first taste free and then you’re addicted. That’s what I hope to do, addict people enough that they will continue the journey with me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Social media! Use the power of free promotion. Create a website, twitter account, and blog before you release your book. And never get discouraged by critiques. You will have negative reviews. You will. Just accept that now. Your book could be the best ever written but there will still be someone out there who doesn’t like it. We all have different tastes, it’s simple human nature. Instead of reacting badly, try to use their comments to enrich your writing. Look closely and see if there’s any helpful tips in the negativity. I actually got my cover artist through a negative comment and now I’m so glad that I reacted in a positive way instead of simply getting mad.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Before you publish, make sure you have a one to two sentence description of your book. You need to be able to tell a person what your book is about within five seconds. That’s all the time you’ll get. Five seconds. So think about what your story is and condense it until you’re able to confidently and concisely answer the question “What is your book about?” My answer: “A witch who kills god for the good of humanity.” Hopefully that one sentence will interest them enough to ask for more. Then you can go further.
What are you reading now?
Moonglow by Kristen Callihan. It’s a paranormal romance (my favorite) set in Victorian England. Ms. Callihan is very talented with building sexual tension and it fascinates me. It almost becomes too tense, like back in The X-Files when you’d scream at the screen “Damn you, Mulder, just kiss Scully already!”
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going through the arduous process of releasing an audio book. Arduous because I’ve done the recording myself and there was quite a bit of learning as I went sort of thing. I went through two mics, four studio set-ups, and dozens of recordings only to be told there was too much mouth sounds in my final piece. I had to redo the whole thing and have just resubmitted. Fingers crossed.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s joint effort: Good Omens (I prefer the old title of; Good Omens: The Right and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch)
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods
and
Laurell K Hamilton’s A Kiss of Shadows
Author Websites and Profiles
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