Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Brittany N. Gonzalez – or by my penname, Anthezar – and I’ve written one fantasy novel. I’ve also written plenty of fanfiction under the fandoms of Teen Titans and Harry Potter. I’m a huge fanfiction nerd, but I also heavily advocate it as well. You never know what gems are out there, written by young authors who only view it as a pastime. I came up with my penname when I was sixteen years old. I love to play video games; read books, fanfiction, and manga; watch anime; and take care of my newest four-legged writing assistant, Zelda.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My fantasy novel is called Beyond the Alluring Sky. There were a lot of factors that brought the whole story together, but most of them happened during the process of writing and editing. I will say that I wanted a savvy street kid and a naive sheltered kid to meet, clash, and become friends. I came up with the original concept in Oct of 2012, just a few days before Superstorm Sandy hit the coast of NJ. I wrote 47 pages by hand in my notebook while my house was without power for 9 days. The hurricane inspired a part that changed the course of the novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual writing habits… Mmmm, well, I’m super particular about formatting. I like to write in what looks like a printed book. But I also make the background of all my pages a light green, so that it’s easy on my eyes. I keep all my notes dumped in a notepad document and it’s completely disorganized. I’ll put anything and everything in there, including funny sayings, interesting points about writing, and a long list of words to delete because I use them way too often.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, so many. Patricia C. Wrede, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, Hayao Miyazaki (not a novel writer, but a huge influence nonetheless), Hiromu Arakawa, Yuki Midorikawa, Julietta Suzuki – I should probably stop.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next book in my series. I have an idea of how many books there will be. I’m not fully sure, though, so I won’t be saying exactly. But I do know that it’s longer than a trilogy. I’m also working on some fanfiction as well, because I have a number of readers who have been patiently waiting for it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning about promoting my book and getting the word out. But I’ve been telling friends, posting on Twitter and on Facebook, and submitting requests to wonderful sites like Awesomegang. Hehe!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be humble, be persistent, be vigilant, and be hopeful. It’s hard taking advice and critique. Be humble, but trust yourself. You are the writer. You are the first reader. Please yourself before you please someone else. I also, personally, wouldn’t write because you want to make money. It’s not easy to write a book. If you love it, then don’t stop writing. Keep going at it. And when people don’t like your work – because you can’t please everyone – don’t get discouraged. There are readers out there who want to read what you have to say.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The KISS principle: Keep it simple, stupid. Or a nicer way to say it: Keep it simple, sweetie.
What are you reading now?
I just picked up Brandon Sanderson’s The Mistborn Trilogy. I’m working on the first book right now.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a wonderful new adventure in book two of the Beyond Cycle. I love writing!
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?
Oh, this is always a hard one. Well, I’m a Christian, so I would start off with bringing my scriptures. Second, oh… I’m going to have to cheat here since I have a book set of Patricia C. Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Series. (Yes, I know I shouldn’t cheat; I’m so contrary, I know) Since it’s a book set, that counts as one book, right? Haha. Third, I won’t cheat here, all right, but I’d bring a volume of my favorite manga, Natsume’s Book of Friends, volume 6. Finally, I’d bring my favorite fanfiction. Of course, since it’s in digital form, I could just bring it all on a single USB drive… Hahaha. I’m kidding, mostly. One of my all time favorites is called Fate’s Favourite by The Fictionist. Some other mentions would be: Recnac Transfaerso by Celebony, Harry’s New Home by kbinnz, and The Last Gift by Keina Snape. Oh, my goodness, so hard to choose from – can’t I bring them all? They’d only last me a day or so…
Author Websites and Profiles
Brittany Gonzalez Website
Brittany Gonzalez Amazon Profile
Brittany Gonzalez’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account