I was honored to be featured in Hello! Magazine India. Here is the interview.
The Avalonia Chronicles
10 Things You Might Not Know About Launching a Book
I’m honored to be on Pixie Vixen Reviews for a guest post, 10 Things You Might Not Know About Launching a Book. Read the excerpt below and check out the full post on Pixie Vixen Reviews.
When I started my publishing journey nearly a year ago, I had no idea the hard work, determination and detail that goes into publishing a book. At that time I was so confused about what to do and where to start. I was virtually a baby in the publishing arena, looking out in wonder at the vast world before me. I didn’t understand how it all worked, but I wanted to learn more.
The task ahead seemed like an insurmountable mountain looming before me, but then I found a wonderful virtual author assistant, Kate Tilton, in October of 2014. She introduced me to the amazing Laura Zats and the wonderful team at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, and so my publishing journey began.
There are many things to consider when publishing a book. Here is my top ten list of tools and ways to think about your project as a product during production and your launch that you may not have thought about before.
1 Audience. The first thing that Wise Ink had me do was fill out an audience profile worksheet. And I was completely lost. I had no idea we needed to do this, but in hindsight it was very necessary. After all, even though I had been writing my book for myself, my ultimate goal was to get The Last of the Firedrakes into other people’s hands. Figure out who your audience is, what they like to do, and what they want in a book.
Full Post on Pixie Vixen Reviews.
Interview at Miranda’s Book Blog
I’m honored to be on Miranda’s Book Blog for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on Miranda’s Book Blog.
What inspired you to write The Last of the Firedrakes?
Every reader at some point in their lives comes across a book that inspires them to think beyond the boundaries. For me that book was Harry Potter.
The wonderful world of Hogwarts and the magical beings that lived within it made me look at the world of magic in a completely different way. I had always loved reading fantasy stories, and Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings series; along with C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series were already my favorites. These books inspired me to write a story that would combine the best of the three, and so The Last of the Firedrakes started to take shape. I started thinking about this book nearly ten years ago. Building the world of Avalonia whenever I got time. The actual world creation started with a tapestry in my grandmother’s house. One day I stood before it and wondered, what if I could step into the tapestry? Where would I end up? And so the world of Avalonia sprang into existence.
From then on, the person who stepped into the tapestry was a young sixteen-year-old girl who didn’t know who she really was, her name was Aurora, and this is her story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Nothing is impossible, and it is ultimately your choices in life, strength of character, and courage in the face of adversity, that will determine who you truly are.
I think Uncle Gabriel expresses this very well in the book, when he tells Aurora:
“When difficulties come, we must see them as what they are—opportunities and a new path to discover your potential. How will you ever know the magnitude of courage that you are capable of, if you have never experienced the hopelessness of fear?”
Interview at The Not So Public Library
I’m honored to be on The Not So Public Library for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on The Not So Public Library.
1) How old were you when you started writing?
I must have been in the sixth grade when I started writing poems. They were really quite bad. I then tried writing fiction, but I would never finish anything because of schoolwork. It was only after I finished my Master’s that I started creating Avalonia, and finished my first book
2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?
My main aim is to tell a good story. To make the reader feel involved in the world and identify with the characters. At the same time I want my readers to feel like something about the story helps them to deal with other difficult situations in life.
Nothing is impossible, and it is ultimately your choices in life, strength of character, and courage in the face of adversity, that will determine who you truly are. I think Uncle Gabriel expresses this very well in the book, when he tells Aurora: “When difficulties come, we must see them as what they are—opportunities and a new path to discover your potential. How will you ever know the magnitude of courage that you are capable of, if you have never experienced the hopelessness of fear?”
Interview at Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl Part Two
I’m honored to be on Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl for the second part of our interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I have faced writers block quite a few times, and sometimes it’s hard to get out of it. But you have to push yourself to keep writing, even if you are never going to use it, just put something on the page, and the rest will sort itself out.
How do you juggle writing & family life?
It does tend to get difficult since I have three little children and it gets hard to write at a specific time. Usually I prefer to write at night, after the children have gone to sleep and the house is quiet. But during the day when the children are at school I do research, read, and make notes about the book. Then I sit down and write when I have some time in between chores. I think I really should have some sort of schedule. I do intend to follow one from now on and try and write everyday, since I have to get going with books 2 and 3 of this series.