Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing since I was twelve, and think I want to be an animator when I finish college. I became an author because I love creating new characters, worlds, and objects, and the easiest way I thought I could do that was through writing. I couldn’t draw (yet!), I didn’t know how to animate, and I couldn’t think of any other ways to spread my imagination. So… I started writing! I’m currently writing 17 books. Eight of them are part of my main series, which I call Myriad&Visionary. All of my books that don’t fall into the M&V category are labeled as ‘extras.’ Most of my characters don’t like butterflies, I subconsciously look past race and ethnicity (people are just… people), and I don’t like pineapples on pizza. I’m not amazing at writing action scenes (with people who know how to fight), but I’m reading a bunch of books to get better. I was a reader before I was a writer, and I recently found out that I don’t use all ten of my fingers when I type (more like… five or six – max). And I love interacting with people (online and in real life). I’m a huge extrovert, and I like to think that I’m patient enough to deal with people who are not. I love all my characters (even the ‘bad’ ones), and I believe that if people tried to help each other instead of shunning all the humans with bad personality traits, the world would be a much better place.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It doesn’t have a name yet, but (in my head) I’m calling it ‘I am the Grim Reaper.’ I can’t use that name because that’s the name of a Webtoon (go look it up!), but that’s what I always refer to it as when I think about it. It’s about a boy named Miles who finds out that he’s part Grim Reaper (hence the ‘title’), and it was inspired by seeing a cool-looking book cover on Goodreads.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of. I switch the page color in Word a lot, move my book to Reedsy when I need a new format, and I don’t really like to write anywhere other than my dining room. Do those count?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ooh! Well, the ‘Keeper of the Lost Cities’ series (by Shannon Messenger) inspired one of my characters, Rick Riordan’s books are helping me with some plot fixes, and Bobby Pendragon (from the ‘Pendragon’ series by D. J. MacHale) influenced my description and storytelling strategies quite a lot.
What are you working on now?
Um… a lot of things. I’ve been putting a lot of energy into one of my M&V books. It’s about a boy and a girl who have to complete several tasks to break a restraint on an old, powerful weapon. I actually finished writing the first draft of another M&V book, but it’s in need of copyediting, rewriting, rereading, rereading again, and tons of other stuff (that’s what I should be working on).
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I’m looking some up now. That’s how I stumbled upon this page, so I don’t have any good ones to suggest yet.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sure! Use Grammarly, care about all of your characters before you start writing them, and don’t be afraid to go off the rails. If the author in you (or your characters) is telling you to do something, do it. Even if it wasn’t in your timeline or storyboard, usually your instincts are highly reliable. Remember, nobody knows your books or your characters better than you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.’ (Dolly Parton) It applies to everything (not just writing), but if you want something specifically elated to book-making, then it’s ‘Don’t push through your writer’s block.’ It happens to the best of us, but one thing I’ve learned the hard way is that pushing through writer’s block does not yield good results. Though it may for some people, I find the best way to get over the block is to go out and get inspired! And if you’re not one of those people who likes outside, then go surf the internet. Watch a bad movie. Make a dumb joke on Pinterest. Go to DeviantArt. There are a ton of resources for inspiration. Don’t think, ‘Oh, I’ll just put something on the paper until I get my juices flowing again. Maybe it’ll be good!’ Trust me, unless you’re mad talented, it won’t.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently rereading the KOTLC series (I’ve already read it once). I don’t have a lot of time to read (with school, writing, projects, animating), but I’m also rereading the ‘Pendragon’ series and ‘The Missing’ series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I never finished those.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish and publish the rest of my books, and make enough money to fill my savings account. And… start a Webtoon! That counts as writing (I think).
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?
The Bible, one. But then… ‘Exile’ (Shannon Messenger), ‘The Treasure in the Sky’ (my book), and ‘Sent’ (Margaret Peterson Haddix).