How did you manage to have a
beautiful and alluring book
cover for your novel? What
advice can you pass on to other
writers?
My friend and artist Emma
Wakeling! My advice if you want
a unique drawing for your cover,
is to contact Emma. She’s
currently returned to uni to study
graphic design. Check out her
deviant art and Facebook pages:
My best advice I think I can give
a fellow writer is to be realistic.
Write for the joy of writing, put
your writing out there if you
want others to read it, give away
free copies, and read what other
wanabe authors have done. Treat
is as a labour of love, because it
should be. Only invest the
amount of time into it that you’re
willing to invest.
Where can readers find your
novel?All major ebook retailers!
Did you always know that you
wanted to become an author?
Or was that something you
discovered later on?
I wanted to be an author ever
since I was fifteen years old,
when I finally came to terms with
the realisation that “adventuring
archaeologist” is not a real job
and if I actually tried to become
one, I would most likely die. My
first book I wrote was about a
crime-solving bad-guy-bashing
archaeologist. I wrote it as some
sort of warped revenge on the
world for not being as awesome
as fiction, and I’ve been writing
novels ever since. However, The
Black Swan Inheritance is my
first published work.
What advice would you give to other writers in your genre?
Vampires and werewolves have been done very nearly to death. I
know it, you know it, we all know it. So if you’re going to write in this
genre, write because you love it. Anything else (readers, feedback,
money) is a bonus.
What novels do you read by other authors? And do these novels
or authors help you write?
Since I’ve opened myself up to indie reviews, I’ve been lucky to come
across new (to me) authors I can fangirl over. So far, I’ve really liked
Becky Durfee’s Jenny Watkins Mysteries series and Mae Wood’s
chick-lit romance Risking Ruin, as well as Kyion S Roebuck’s novella
thriller The Perfect Son.
I do love me some cozy mysteries and would love to try writing in
that genre someday, but it’s a long way off yet. Sue Ann Jaffarian and
Leann Sweeny are my favourites of mainstream cozy mysteries at the
moment.
In Urban Fantasy, I’ve been disappointed with Patricia Briggs’ latest,
unfortunately. Again, I was a fan of Jennifer Estep’s Elemental
Assassin series (a guilty pleasure), but I lost interest after the fifth
book. I’ve read and liked the first three Charlaine Harris’ Sookie
Stackhouse series, but I’m not as enthusiastic about it as others. I’m
not even sure why. I guess it’s just one of those things?
I read a smattering of genres and I naturally pay attention to how the
author’s constructed a story, and no, I don’t find it distracting; I find it
enlightening. There are always things to learn.
Do you have any more upcoming projects that you can briefly tell
us readers about?
I’m working hard on the next Black Swan book: Hecate. I’m
introducing a LOT more of the lore in the sequel, as you can probably
tell by the title ;)
In the next book, Anita is tackled out the sky by a wise old witch
known as The Crow, who takes Anita as an apprentice out of respect
for the old Black Swan. The monster Alphyn attempts to construct a
way to usurp his estranged father, and Anita is visited by a White
Wizard, one of the magical ruling elite.
Anita is committed to mastering her witchcraft, but can she commit to
her fellow witches when her loyalties lie with the vampires? Will she
put her life on the line to right a terrible wrong? And will she expose
the whole of magical existence to the scrutiny of the ignorant in order
to save innocent lives?
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