Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing since I was nineteen, and as of August 2018 I have nine completed manuscripts! Most of my best work was done while I was living in Florence, Italy. My reading tastes lean heavily towards fantasy, so that of course tends to bleed into most of what I write.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A DAY OUT OF TIME is my first/latest book, and it was inspired by a Cracked article about weird calendars! Apparently in the 1740s, an English gentleman got really itchy about how the Gregorian solar calendar worked, so he tried to get it switched over to a lunar calendar (thirteen months with twenty-eight days each). This would leave one extra day every year, which he called a day out of time.
BOOM. The story was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Music is absolutely vital to my writing. I have playlists for different books, different moods, different scene styles, even different characters. It helps get me in the right headspace to write a particular scene or moment, and I don’t think I would be as effective if I wrote with white noise.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Growing up, my biggest influence (by way of osmosis) was Tamora Pierce. I devoured all of her Tortall books, and they showed me what you could really do with multiple female leads. By comparison, Neil Gaiman stands out as an adult influence because I made the conscious decision to model aspects of my work after things that I saw in his novels. You can also find elements of Terry Pratchett and Patricia C. Wright in my fantasy pieces.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in my DAY OUT OF TIME trilogy! I’m currently on the third draft, which means some serious re-arranging is going down. This book follows a couple of secondary characters from my debut novel while really expanding the world. There’s more at stake, and it deals with the direct and indirect consequences of their actions.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve actually had a lot of success on Tumblr, which is not something that I expected. I’ve been able to post mood boards and quotes without feeling like I’m overwhelming my followers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take most pieces of writing advice into consideration, but listen to your instincts. Adverbs are fine in moderation, sometimes the passive voice is the most appropriate choice, and there’s nothing wrong with using the word “said.” “Ejaculated,” for example, is not a good replacement (sorry J.K. Rowling).
And always, always, ALWAYS strive to improve. When you get lazy, you regress, and you start doing stupid things like misusing cultural habits and throwing in six “?!” on every page (lookin’ at YOU, Dan Brown).
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Oddly enough, the most succinct advice that comes to mind is a quote by Pablo Picasso: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
What are you reading now?
I’m about half way into THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert, and other than the incessant cultural references, I am loving it! Dark fairy tales are my jam.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m currently promoting my debut novel ahead of its release, so as soon as it’s out in the world I’ll turn my attention to finishing the rest of the series. I might take a break in between books to work on other projects, because I’ve been living in this world for a long time and a little perspective
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 FIFTH SEASON by N.K. Jemisin, THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss, AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman, and PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL by Tamora Pierce.
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