Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have always loved writing and have for so long wanted to share my writing with others! I love going for walks with my husband and two daughters, reading and writing book reviews for indie books, and watching ATLA over and over! I started working on my first book Lies of the Haven while teaching as a middle school history teacher. I wanted to write an exciting book that my students would enjoy! So far I have written and published Lies of the Haven (Faerie Warriors Book 1) and the accompanying prequel novella, Feud: Arius’s Story. The next book in the series Rise of the Fomori (Faerie Warriors Book 2) will be available on May 30th!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rise of the Fomori (Faerie Warriors Book 2), is the sequel to Lies of the Haven. It continues the story of Mina, Arius and Dramian as they try to survive in the aftermath of the events in book 1. They must search for the one faerie still missing and discover more about their mysterious enemy, the Fomori. I got the inspiration for the series from a dream I had one night! In my dream a dragon was chasing me inside my grandma’s home and I was running away while turning off all the lights in the house before leaving. Because you know, conserving energy is important even in life and death situations! Haha!
Anyway, that became the inspiration for the first chapter of Lies of the Haven where Mina is throwing a party at her Nana’s home and a boy with a dragon tattoo shows up, brings his the dragon tattoo to life and burns down the house!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if a lot of people do this, but I write my books like a puzzle. I write different parts in the book, skipping around and in the end I fill in the missing parts like I’m fitting all the pieces together.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
For this series I really liked Veronica Roth’s Divergent series where she portrays both strong female and male protagonists. I tried to write Mina and Arius like that. I’ve always been partial to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice style love stories so there is a bit of a slow burn, enemies to lovers feel in the first book. And great urban fantasy books like Harry Potter and Fablehaven were great to get my imagination going!
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on Book 3, the final book in the Faerie Warrior series, Battle of the Lost Fae. I’m hoping to have it out by early 2022! There’s some wild twists and turns planned for this this book so hopefully readers will enjoy the ride!
I have also recently started an Indie Book Review page on my website!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, it has been building my newsletter through sites like Story Origin. The book swaps have worked really well in increasing my reach to readers!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it and keep writing! Get lots of feedback before publishing and don’t be afraid to put yourself and your book out there! Remember, nobody cares about your book more than you!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Find ways to give back to the author community! Lasting relationships in this business matter and networking is super important!
What are you reading now?
I’m glad you asked! Currently I am reading Holly Black’s, The Wicked King. Super enjoying it! Love Elfhame and the world of Faerie and the strong protagonist Jude and enemies to lovers feel of the story is totally up my alley! I’m also currently reading Raven Born by indie author Bree More about a shifter woman searching for her brother. But she is caught and forced into a Naturalization camp. Loving the uncompromising protagonist in this book, too!
What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue writing! Haha! After the release of Faerie Warriors book 2, Rise of the Fomori on May 30th, and finishing and publishing Book 3, Battle of the Lost Fae, I will plan on moving on to some other works that have been sitting around. I have a YA romantic Sci-Fi that needs some tweaks that I would love to work on and get out to beta readers. I also have been wanting to write a middle-grade fantasy that is a mix of local history with a Once Upon A Time kind of feel.
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?
Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Alliance by Gerald Lund, and Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings (because it is awesome and super long! Haha!)
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