Tell us a little about yourself
I am a forty-year-old poet turned novelist living in Indianapolis with her husband and three daughters. I have a pretty serious Dr. Pepper addiction. I’m loud, funny, and I prefer the term “eccentricâ€. I draw inspiration from a variety of writers including Shakespeare, Poe, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Freddie Mercury, and Don McLean. Writing stories at four is where I started my journey. When I saw Legend for the first time, I decided at five that my goal in life would be to write something Ridley Scott would be proud to direct. In second grade, I won my first writing competition. Later I won a handful of short story, poetry, and essay contests throughout my academic career and took a distance learning course at The Institute of Children’s Literature after high school. I’ve written songs and greeting cards before discovering that my genuine passion was paranormal urban fantasy novels. I published my first book in The Seventh Day Series in March 2019. Since then, I’ve released the next six books, completing the series.
Why Do you write?
Two reasons, the first being that I get stories and characters in my head and it feels like they’re clawing at my brain to get out until I write them. I know that sounds facetious, but it’s one hundred percent accurate. Not writing the stories in my head drives me crazy. The second reason is I’ve been writing since I was four. I don’t know how to not do it without being miserable.
What genre do you write and why did you pick this genre?
I mostly write urban fantasy and I think that’s because there’s freedom to fantasy, right? If I want to make the Messenger of God set fifty demons on fire with her brain while the queen of all vampires falls in love with the angel Thor was based on, who’s going to tell me I can’t? No one. Urban fantasy gives me the ability to be as creative as I want to be in a real-world setting that readers can picture clearly.
Tell us about your book
Seraphim is the first book in the complete Seventh Day Series. It’s dark and funny with lots of twists. It’s a character-driven, fast-paced story that sets up the rest of the series. The main cast comprises rowdy, human-born angels, the vampire queen, and Lucifer as a good (ish) guy.
How much time do you dedicate to your author career?
I homeschool three kids through the week so I spend between eight and sixteen hours a day on weekends locked in a room writing.
How long on average does it take you to write your books?
Usually, about six weeks from outline to editing. Once my editor’s done with a manuscript, I’ll spend a weekend or two making all the changes I need to and going over it one more time before publishing.
What is the best money you have ever spent on your author’s career?
Upgrading my covers. A friend did my originals, and they were confusing to readers. People thought the books were everything from Christian Lit. to YA romance. I hired a professional to redo them and we cleared those misconceptions up with a quickness.
What is the toughest part of being an author?
I think marketing is the most difficult thing for me as an indie author just because it takes so much money and time. It’s a job all on its own.
What is the best piece of advice you have for other authors?
Edit. Edit, edit again, then edit some more. If you can afford it, hire a professional editor. When you think the manuscript is perfect, leave it for a week and edit it again. Edit like your career depends on it because it does. You don’t want to get negative reviews over something as easily fixed as a typo.
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book right now is The Hecatomb by J. Edward Niell. It’s a super creepy horror compilation told cyclically where you don’t know in what order the events of the intertwined stories take place. I loved it mostly because it made me think about it for days after I’d finished it.
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