Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in a certain small town in Pennsylvania famous for mushrooms. I’ve always been a fan of stories be they from books, tv, or how my family members used to spend their time getting into trouble. I’ve written one book, Forged Destiny: From the Ashes, the first in a trilogy I’ve been working on since college.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and first book is Forged Destiny: From the Ashes. I started getting inspiration for character tropes at random through my junior year of college. The first character I remember thinking of was Phoebe, a mage who could use healing magic but only once or twice a day. Eventually, my pool of characters grew to the point where I began thinking, “Well, how would they interact in this situation?” and from that point, I had a plot for a series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I opened a document on my laptop, wrote down the overarching plot for a chapter in a few sentences, then wrote down up to ten bullet points of what I wanted to do for that chapter. Sometimes I wouldn’t get the most out of everything or I had to spill some points over into the following chapters, but I felt like it kept me on pace with everything and let me keep up with the plot I had in mind in a very simple fashion.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book series is Croak by Gina Damico. It’s about an outcast girl who goes on to become a grim reaper. It’s funny where it needs to be, it’s plot-driven where it needs to be, and it’s overall very well-paced and kept me interested the entire time.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up work on the second installment in the Forged Destiny series. I’ve just recently gone over From The Ashes and reread my final draft a second time to make sure I was happy with it. It should be out soon!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I’m terrible at promoting books! It’s my weakness! I do have a Facebook page (@WritermanPlumley) where I have links, but that’s about it! I’m hoping to get my books in the hands of as many as possible, so who knows what the future holds?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make sure you’re having fun writing it! What’s the point of writing if it isn’t something you yourself wouldn’t enjoy? I can look at my book, smile, and be happy with what I did. I’m honestly STILL in shock that I managed to self-publish a book. If you’re still not sure, get somebody you trust (shoutout to you, mom) to go over your book and point things out. It’s fine to be your own biggest critic!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do the best you can whenever you can.”
What are you reading now?
I have the pleasure of reading the Bakemonogatari light novel series by Nisioisin currently. It’s a series of stories about different monsters and their effect on the characters introduced in them. I’m on the second book now, I’m loving it!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on publishing the second installment of Forged Destiny now so I can start on the final installment. I’ve got the basics down of what I want to do but not my patented bullet list strategy, so it might be a while longer before it’s completed. I’m already getting ideas for another book, so I have no intentions of slowing down!
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?
I’d definitely take Croak by Gina Damico, Bakemonogatari 1 by Nisioisin, and this one book my mom found she made in elementary school on printer paper, because it would make me laugh.
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