Interview With Author Tava Baird
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written three books in the series (which will probably have 8-9 books in it total) and am working on the fourth. I write FAST…the first three were all completed this year. I’ve been a playwright for fifteen years and have worked as an archaeologist, among other things. The audio book of the first book will be out next year, and as I am also a painter an Oracle Deck based on the series is in development.
Also, I’ve been a practicing Witch for over thirty-five years, so when my characters say they’re Pagan, I have firsthand knowledge of that community.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Deck of Crows came out in September. Without giving anything away, I developed a completely new (as far as I know) structure for the Faerie realms in my series, and several of the main characters are in the family tree of The Morrigan. There’s a lot of raven-crow-corvid symbolism in the books, and book three is where we really start to have the structure of Faerie explained. A “Deck” in the world of the Spiral Pathways Series is a royal house. So, The Deck of Crows is about the Morrigan’s family.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t really plan anything out. I’ve written plays for so long that I come up with the characters and toss them on an empty stage in my head and then just write down what they say and do. I will frequently be COMPLETELY surprised by the turn a story took. I have little notebooks now to jot down names, dates, etc. so I can keep the whole web straight.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, gosh, I think Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon was my first influence. It was the first time I ever saw a Pagan character as a central character in a book. I like how it sort of…reaches across to people who don’t have experience with belief systems far outside of their own and lets people see how we’re all still just people. And she did it DECADES ago, when things were not as open as they are now. She sort of…encouraged me to come out of the broom closet with her writing, so to speak.
What are you working on now?
A LOT, it feels like! I got asked to start a prequel to the current series, so I’ve started that. I’m trying to get Book 4 out in December, and I’m working on 50+ paintings for the Oracle Deck to go with the series. And I have to get final notes on Book 1 together for my lovely audio book narrator by the end of the month, and I need to finish the cover art for Book 4. I am so, so grateful for the wonderful, positive responses I have gotten on the series, so now I want to keep those readers happy as we continue forward together!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love awesome gang and have used Fussy Librarian as well. I also run ads on Pinterest and on Amazon…just started doing that, actually.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be afraid to self-publish. I went to a writer’s conference a few weekends ago and there were all these writers who had written five novels and they’re just sitting in a drawer. Your readers ARE out there, but you’ll never get to meet them if you don’t put the book out. I was shocked at the incredible response I got when I just DID IT.
You are someone’s favorite author. You are. They are looking for you. Put yourself out there so they can find you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Act like you already have the job you want, and others will start to see you in that role.
Act like you’re a writer. And write. Before you know it, you are.
What are you reading now?
I review books for Cannonballread.com, and I am currently reviewing a slew of divination books. I read one, test out the method described, and share my results with readers. I’m getting into tea leaf reading now!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am just learning the publishing and promotion business. While I’m writing I am trying out every suggestion I come across to get my books into reader’s hands. It takes more time than writing! I have to keep a balance.
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?
I’m just going to bring three blank sketchbooks and Watership Down, I think. Because I need somewhere to write.
I’d like to reread A Prayer for Owen Meany, so maybe that.
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