Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two books – one cyberpunk, one fantasy. I’m into pretty much everything included in “geek culture”, with a particular focus on anime and Star Wars.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Regrets of the Fallen: Victis Honor Book One. The name “Regrets of the Fallen” is because the main character is of a race known as “Fallen”, as well as being a former knight, who also happens to be dying. I like titles to have as many meanings as possible.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to prefer writing female main characters for various reasons, one being that I think they’re underrepresented in media and not done very well when they are there. I also enjoy writing dialogue more than anything else, so my books tend to have a lot of that.
My most unusual writing habit would probably be that I write books like they’re anime in text form, including some of the tropes like the loose physics, which I think makes things more exciting.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Drew Karpyshyn more than anyone. The way he presents characters as real people with history and flaws instead of plot figures is something I aspire to do myself.
What are you working on now?
The next book in the Victis Honor series. I intend for it to be a very long series with most books focusing on different sets of characters, so I’m pretty excited to see if I can pull it off.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My only real method is “get it out there”. You can’t be picky because the more people that see it, the better off you are, so I think pursuing every avenue available is the only real option.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take your time. Don’t try to start or finish a book, just write whatever’s in your head and go from there – if it’s something worthwhile, it’ll come together. Also, write down every single idea you ever have; most of them will look terrible to you the next day, but some will look great, and even writing down a bad idea means it’s out of your head and won’t get into your actual story.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.” – Ernest Hemingway.
The point he’s making is that you never write out everything you know into your story, but leave a bit of it open – if you empty your head onto the page, there’s nothing left in your head. But if you hold a little bit back, your mind will keep thinking it over, and more of the story will be invented.
What are you reading now?
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. I’d never read them before and finally got around to doing so.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully success. Does anyone answer differently? I can’t imagine what they say. “More writing”, maybe. Writers never stop writing, so that’s always next.
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 Hobbit by JRR Tolkein, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, an HP Lovecraft collection, and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.
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