Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am currently a first grade teacher and someday I’m going to turn all the crazy, funny things they do and say into a book. While still gathering material for that one, I decided to write down all the stories of magic and romance bouncing around in my head. So far, I have written five novels and two holiday novellas.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
One Enchanted Evening is my latest book and is a spinoff of my first series, Blackstar Guardians. It’s a historical and focuses on the Oaken, a group of magical humans. When the ideas for these stories came to me, I kept picturing them in an elegant world of carriages and gaslight, where magic and the hunt for artifacts went hand in hand. Their stories are tied to events that happen in the contemporary series so it’s been a lot of fun exploring the past.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hhmmm, good question. I don’t think they’re too unusual. Atmosphere helps me a lot when writing. I’ll play music that matches the mood of a scene I’m writing, glance through a pinterest board I’ve created, light a candle. Having the right environment really helps the words flow more easily onto the page.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lynn Kurland did a series of romantic fantasy books that I re-read every year. She has a way of crafting characters who fall in love so gently that it makes me sigh happily each time I read their story. Historicals with humor or magic and light paranormals. Anything that sweeps me away from the everyday and leaves me feeling lighter and satisfied at the end of it really inspires me in my own writing.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the next Blackstar Guardians book, Willow Bellator’s story, which will hopefully be out in early spring.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Sites like this one have worked well for me. From there, word of mouth has been the best way for others to hear about my books. One reader said she gave the series to her mother, another said she recommended it to her reading group.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged if your first draft (or second or third!) doesn’t turn out the way you want. I re-wrote my first book several times until I was satisfied with the world I’d created and the characters who lived in it. Keep refining and keep writing!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write something every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a word, a sentence or a chapter. Just write every day.
What are you reading now?
Vintage regency romance anthologies. I have sets of them from Zebra and Signet that I love to re-read every year.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing Willow’s story, I have the next Oaken book percolating in my head as well as a Christmas story.
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?
That’s an almost impossible question! Princess of the Sword, Stardust of Yesterday, A Christmas Delight and Four in hand. I never get tired of reading them.
Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Smith Website
Megan Smith Amazon Profile