Ember Casey is a red hot indie author with a sexy completed series titled His Wicked Games. At the end of February '14, she published the tantalizing spinoff Her Wicked Heart. Let's learn more about Ember and her writing...
Angie: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to
indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?
Ember: I’d been writing for several years before I published
anything—you do NOT want to see those early novels I wrote! They were absolutely
terrible. I needed to get a few “practice” books out of my system before I
wrote anything worth showing other people. (Seriously. Those books were BAD.)
But I’ve been part of an amazing writing group for years now and those ladies
are constantly helping me improve as a writer.
When I did decide to self-publish, it was after several of
my author friends had already taken the leap—so fortunately, I never felt like
I was going it alone! I think a support system is really important no matter
where you are in the publishing process, but it’s especially crucial in the
self-publishing world. It’s the Wild West out there (the industry is changing
so fast that it’s hard to keep up with everything!) and I wouldn’t be where I
am today without all the support I’ve received—from critique partners, from
friends, and from the reading and blogging communities!
Angie: In 2013, you published the His Wicked Games series. Can you
explain the idea behind the series? Where did the inspiration come from?
Ember: So remember those bad books I was telling you about? Well,
back in 2012, I was writing Young Adult—more specifically, I was working on a
retelling of a Scottish version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale (I’m a
sucker for fairy tales). The problem? I was going for a very sensual, vivid
tone, but apparently it was coming off a little, uh, adult. At least according
to my critique partners. Apparently I have a habit of accidentally weaving
sexual undertones into everything (like, say, a description of the sky, of all
things).
Eventually, I decided to do an exercise and work on an adult
romance as a side project—and that “side project” eventually evolved into His Wicked Games.
Angie: Can you tell us about Lily and Calder?
Ember: Oh man, Lily and Calder are so fun to write. They’re both
stubborn, and they both hate to lose—which makes their “games” really amusing
for me. In Lily, I tried to create a girl who could hold her own against the
dominating-billionaire type, and in Calder, my goal was to create a billionaire
with a different kind of character arc (but no spoilers. ;) )
Angie: How many books were in the series?
Ember: Three—two full length novels and a novella. BUT I’m working
on a spin-off series now (starring Calder’s sister, Lou) and you definitely
haven’t seen the last of Lily and Calder.
Angie: In late February 2014, you published Her Wicked Heart. Will you tell us
about Lou and Ward?
Ember: If Calder’s the damaged one in the Lily/Calder relationship,
then Lou is the damaged one here. She and her brother definitely share some
issues! Ward is a different sort of leading man than Calder (partially because
it would be VERY creepy if Lou fell for someone with the exact same personality
as her brother) but he’s very sexy in his own way. He’s very much your rugged,
blue-collar type hero, very different from the more refined, controlled Calder.
Angie: When do you expect to publish the next book in the Her Wicked Heart series?
Ember: Right now, it’s looking like June, but I should be making an
official announcement soon. In the meantime, though, I’m planning on releasing
some bonus material (including a Lily and Calder story!) before then.
Angie: What drew you to romance as a genre? Do you plan to branch
out to other genres as your career progresses?
Ember: As I said in my answer above, my first foray into the
Romance genre began as a writing exercise, so I definitely see myself branching
out into other genres someday (though probably under other names). Young Adult,
Historical Fiction, Fantasy—I have lots of story ideas! For the time being,
though, I’m focusing solely on Romance.
Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?
Ember: Female names are usually pretty easy for me—I can usually
come up with them off the top of my head. But guy names? Those are a lot
harder. I usually spend a lot of time looking through baby name websites and
other sources before settling on something. I want something that sounds strong
and sexy and “different”—without being too weird. It’s hard! (for me, at
least.)
Angie: Chicken or the egg question. Do you create a character and
build around him/her? Or do you imagine a concept and create characters which
fit the idea?
Ember: A little of both. With His Wicked Games, I started with the
whole ‘Beauty and the Beast’ concept and created the characters from there.
With my other books, though, the characters have come first. Once you have
well-formed characters, they create their own plots!
Angie: How do you avoid writing a Mary Sue or Marty Stu when most
writers can’t help falling desperately in love with their creations?
Ember: I love flawed characters—they’re so much more interesting to
write! They create all sorts of messes for themselves. For me, it comes down to
motivations—you have to figure out what your character wants most in the world,
then take it away from them (or at least threaten to take it away from them). Back
them into a corner and see what they do. The meaner you are to your characters,
the better. Make them desperate or scared or angry and then let them run wild.
I like to take either one of two approaches: either have my
characters do the “right” thing for the “wrong” reason, or have them do the
“wrong” thing for the “right” reason. The specifics come down to the individual
character and his or her motivations. Both approaches make your character a
little more complex, a little more human. But just as important, they allow
your characters to remain sympathetic in the eyes of your readers.
Angie: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing?
Music, visual aids, etc? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in
particular places or at certain times of the day?
Ember: I listen to a LOT of Lana Del Rey while I write. It’s a bit
of an obsession, really. I think it’s because I’m naturally a very upbeat
person, and I need a little moody inspiration to get me in the right headspace
to write dramatic or emotional scenes.
In general, I find I get a LOT more done if I’m not at home.
There’s a coffee shop around the corner from me where I work several times a
week (they have GIANT slices of cake there, which is perfect for my more
stressful days… mmm, red velvet!). But I’ve also had some amazing marathon
all-night writing sessions sitting on my bed. So it really depends.
Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or
plot it out first?
Ember: I’m a pantser. I’ve tried outlining, but I just can’t work
that way. I can’t tell whether something is going to work or not until I’ve
written it out. Usually I just sit down and write—and by the time I’ve made it
about ¾ of the way into the novel, just before the climax, I can tell what’s
coming together and what isn’t. Then I go back to the beginning and work
through it again, revising and rewriting as needed, and only on the second go
do I actually write the climax and ending.
Angie: When you read less than fawning reviews, how do you know
when to use the critique to improve your future writing and when do you chalk
up the criticism as different strokes for different folks?
Ember: Actually, I’ve reached the point now where I try not to read
any reviews. (It doesn’t always work that way, but I’m getting better.) Why?
Because for me, I find that ALL reviews, bad or good, have a way of sticking in
my head. I’d read a good review that would say something like, “I really loved
x, y, and z! I really hope there’s more x, y, and z in the next book!” And then
I’d go into a panic because there wasn’t even a little x, y, and z in my
work-in-progress. It became an anxiety spiral for me.
Of course, I do keep an (only slightly obsessive) eye on my
general ratings. If I see a rash of low ratings pop up, then I might skim a few
to make sure they aren’t all complaining about the same thing (or making any
other comments otherwise indicative of a larger problem). Otherwise, I try to
focus mainly on the comments of my beta readers, critique partners, etc. (and
even then, sometimes they offer conflicting opinions) to keep myself sane. Focusing
on everyone’s opinion and trying to make everyone happy is, in my experience, a
path to a major headache. And a book that’s scattered and unfocused.
In general, I’m of the mind that reviews are for other
readers, not for the authors. They help other readers find books they’ll
enjoy—and avoid those they probably won’t. Not everyone’s going to love my
writing style or sense of humor or portrayal of a sexy billionaire, and that’s
okay!
Angie: I’ve read criticism from particular bloggers (Fangs for the Fantasy being one) about the lack of people of color and different sexual
orientations in fiction. Do you take this lack of diversity into consideration
when creating plots and characters?
Ember: It’s something I definitely intend to take better consideration
of in the future. I’m as guilty as many other authors for not featuring as much
diversity as I could, and it’s definitely something I’m working on changing (I’ve
been bouncing around an idea for a new series that would feature an interracial
romance). My most recent book, Her Wicked Heart, initially had an entire
subplot revolving around a gay supporting character, but it wasn’t working for
me—essentially the character’s sexuality became a plot device, and in the end,
I felt that was just as problematic (more so, even) then not having the
character’s sexuality come up at all. That was one of the main reasons I ended
up cutting that subplot.
But yes—romance could definitely use more diversity and it’s
something I’m actively working on going forward.
Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books
top out at around the same lengths?
Ember: It’s a little scary how close in length all of my novels are
(right at 70,000 words, every time!). Sometimes when I’m drafting, a book will
be 10k more words than usual (or 15k fewer), but somehow, after that first
major round of revisions is done, it always ends up at 70k again. Don’t ask me
how.
Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do
to shake it off?
Ember: I try to be very structured about my writing, and that means
sitting down to write whether I’m feeling it or not. Some days it’s torture
getting the words out, but I push through (and funny enough, those are often
the scenes that other people love best). Now that writing is my job, I try to
treat it like one.
Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?
Ember: Hmm, that’s a tough one! I would have to say the Sevenwaters
books by Juliet Marillier (technically not published in 2013, but that’s when I
read them so I’m counting it!). Those books contain some of the most beautiful
love stories I’ve ever read. EVER. They tore up my soul and made me cry so many
times.
Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope
take off?
Ember: Whenever I think I’m sick of a trend, some new amazing book
comes along and changes my mind! As for trends I’d like to see more of… I’m a
huge fan of light-hearted erotic romance. Stuff that’s less angsty and more
funny (but just as sexy, of course!).
Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?
Ember: Write, write, write! I have five more books on the tentative
schedule for the year (only one of those—Lost and Found—has been officially
announced), but we’ll see how things go! ;)
*****
Find Ember's books at Amazon.
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