Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My life is a crossbreed of a disaster documentary and a thriller. I moved a lot and often until I finally settled in my sixth country. Things eventually calmed down… sort of. Come on, I can’t have a peaceful life. I have to, at least, get a fixer-upper from hell with neighbors that keep things interesting. If I go a whole month without my foot going through the floor or an old, intoxicated lady asking me if I want a dead cat in a box (there was no dead cat. She hallucinated it), then it won’t be my life.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was little, but moving countries and changing languages made me think I couldn’t. That’s until I learned about those wonderful people called editors. Now I have a giant pile of first drafts and am slowly getting them edited and released. I’m currently on my third novel release.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is How to Steal a Kingdom. It’s the result of things getting out of hand with the original plan for the Doctors Without Boundaries series. It was supposed to be inspired by a love story in an app game, but by this point, it went so off the rails that I can’t say anything concrete inspired it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing and editing on the phone now. It wasn’t always this way, but having a kid changed that. The only way I can get anything done is by stealing a few minutes here and there, no matter where I am. Since my phone is always with me, that’s where all the magic happens.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
For this specific series, it was an app game (Lovestruck) that influenced the first book. After that, characters took over and wrote themselves.
What are you working on now?
I’m editing book 4, All Roads Lead to Christmas. It’s a novel about a road engineer who, unbeknown to her, starts dating a lord and a general from a parallel dimension. To make matters worse, it turns out that the guy is friends with her brothers, which she finds out about minutes before being dragged into this brave new world.
To her horror, she finds out that the world that has magic is lacking in the Christmas department. Now she must bring Christmas into this world, build roads to deliver gifts to all the children, and convince her brother that she can figure out herself who she should and shouldn’t date.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like working with other authors so we can rise together.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a group that’s willing to help each other. I learned so much about covers, blurbs, and active marketing from others. That’s years of experience working for a brand new author.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Books are like cupcakes. Bake them often. Decorate them well. Perfect your recipe.
What are you reading now?
There’s never a book I’m “currently reading” unless I’m reading it at that moment because I must finish it the same day or I won’t be able to sleep. I am making it through a mile-long TBR list made up of urban fantasy romance though.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Slavic Mythology Cr… well… I didn’t come up with the title for the next series yet, but it’s about gods and spirits from Slavic mythology. And of course, I will continue Doctors Without Boundaries series.
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 notebook. And by the notebook, I mean the laptop.
There are very few books I would consider rereading because to me that’s a thoroughly spoiled book. I can revisit how-to books because I forget things, but with fiction, I prefer reading something new every time. So, at the moment it would be the next four books on my TBR list. I don’t know if I can recommend any of them because I have never read them.
Author Websites and Profiles
Lydia Guleva Website
Lydia Guleva Amazon Profile