Q: Will there be more books?
A: Always.
More FAQ’s to come! Feel free to submit questions via the blog or my email.
Q: Are Wednesday’s Book and Oak and Ivy standalone novels?
A: Yes, and no. They are standalone novels compared with each other and will never overlap. But there will be more books in each of their respective worlds, with characters we already know and love.
Q: What is your genre?
A: My first love will always be fantasy. It’s where my brain goes 99% of the time. Every once in a while I’ll reach out and scoop into Science Fiction or Contemporary Fiction, but my primary concern with any story I write is that it’s a good story.
Q: Why do you Indie (Independently) Publish?
A: First and foremost, I’m not against traditional publishing. I think they’re an amazing resource, and there are certain of my projects that I probably will submit for publication. However, I choose to Indie publish because I have a vision for the entire book. Whereas cover art and often even the titles are something that the publishing house decides (based on current trends and what will sell, mostly) I usually know what I would like those to be from very early on in the process, and I guess I’m just too much of a control freak to want to give that up most of the time, haha. Currently, however, I will most likely try to publish my planned contemporary fiction novel traditionally. If nothing else to see what the process is like.
Q: Are you a plotter or pantser?
A: I swing wildly between both. Wednesday’s Book wasn’t formally planned until about 2/3rds of the way through the book (although I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to happen) but Oak and Ivy had a specific plot for quite a while. I find plotting works better for my mysteries and my more structured suspense stuff, versus pantsing for my more whimsical, straight-up fantasy writing. Rule of thumb: if it’s generally funny (hi, Wednesday!) odds are I didn’t plot it.
Q: Do you write full-time?
A: No, I have a day job, and I currently like having one. I’m more of a hobbyist at the moment, because I like what I do, and I like helping people. If there comes a time that I can’t manage both, or my day job isn’t as satisfying as it used to be, then I’ll probably make the transition to going full time.
Q: What is your favorite dinosaur?
A: Diplodocus. It’s fun to say. If not that, then probably a Tyrannosaurus Rex. #RespectTheClassics.
Q: How do I best support you?
A: Buy my books! If you’ve already done that, please rate and review! Ratings and Reviews are often what drive algorithms, and I just can’t control that. Any help is well, WELL appreciated.
Q: What is your favorite book?
A: Today?
Q: What is your biggest suggestion to beginning writers?
A: WRITE! You don’t become an experienced author just because you pick up a pen. It’s sticking through the long hours and the writer’s block and the “I don’t write this, maybe I should just go paint dots on dice.” Experience brings a lot to the table. I’ve been writing longer projects consistently for almost 20 years. Cut yourself some slack. If you keep on practicing, you’ll get there.
(Side note: One of my favorite things to do is look at some of my beginning writing to make me feel better about myself. If you want to see some of MY beginning writing, and also feel better about yourself, I have a Batman FanFiction called The Guise of Reason, linked here: THE LINK I wrote it about 4 years into my writing journey, when I was 15-17 years old. I think it’ll make you feel better about yourself, too.)
(Other side note: Write what you love! I’ve written all of my books because I love the story, and I love the characters. Trillion and Margot are my best buds, and you’ll meet some of my other best friends very, very soon.)
Q: When is your next book coming out? Tomorrow?
A: Sadly no. I’m currently in the process of building up a buffer of novels. I’m currently writing a Sci-Fi Novella series (which eagle-eyed followers of Instagram might already know the title of, but I won’t announce here until I have a release date). Next year, I’m hoping to write a Cinderella retellings with Dragons, two books in the world of Wednesday’s Book, and a contemporary mystery. If I’m really, REALLY fast, I might be able to fit in the first in a companion series to Oak and Ivy. However, because of time constraints with The Day Job, I can either write full time, or edit full time. I don’t have the brain power (or split personality) to be able to do both in a day. If all goes well, my next publication will be in 2023.
Q: When is your next book coming out? Tomorrow?
Q: Explain “Split Personality” from the previous question?
A: My Editing Brain (“EB”) and Creative Writing Brain (“CWB”) are very, very different from each other. While EB needs to be able to see mistakes, critique plot, create whole character arcs, and get rid of extemporaneous content, EB is actually very damaging to my CWB. My CWB needs free rein to do whatever it wants, and to be able to experiment and have fun, and EB is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. Because of that, unlike a lot of authors, I can’t switch back and forth when I’m editing, because the two tend to bleed into each other, and my writing is worse off because of it. I can either have a technically perfect, super flat new creative piece, or a very sloppy finished product. Hopefully in the future I’ll be able to reconcile the two.
The Writing Peasant 