Interview with Romance Author Sera Bright

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Sera Bright is a new indie author of See Through Me. The romance novel was published in May 2014 and is the first of two planned for this year. Let's learn more about Sera 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?

Sera: I only started writing last year. See Through Me is my first novel ever. It was quite a steep learning curve, but I put time aside each day to work on my craft and just kept going. The biggest hurdle, though, was the constant self-doubt. Am I wasting my time? Is anyone going to want to read this? Etc. But it’s something you have to push aside and try to ignore. (I know, easier said than done.)

Angie: You published See Through Me in early May. Can you explain the idea behind the book? Where did the inspiration come from?

Sera: I was inspired by watching TV shows with all these interesting anti-heroes and villains, and began thinking about what would it be like if your parents were those characters? How would you view the world and relationships? What kind of disasters would happen in your life because of their choices? A story developed in my head about two kids growing up in that dysfunction and I ran with it.

Angie: See Through Me is the first of two books in the Lose My Senses series. When book two will be released?

Sera: Only Your Touch will be released in early August.

Angie: Katie is the heroine in See Through Me. What can you share with us about the character?

Sera: Katie returns to her hometown after taking the year off from college. She doesn’t want to be there. In fact, she doesn’t know what she wants at all out of life. She’s pretty lost as a character. Her one anchor was the boy next door, Ash. They had a brief relationship last summer, and he’s back in town looking for her.

Angie: Ash is the hero of the book and described as “tall, dark, and demanding answers.” What more can you tell us about his character?

Sera: Ash is sweet but intense. He’s struggling with his own issues. Katie was also his anchor to keep him grounded. But unlike her, he’s absolutely certain about what he wants out of life. He wants to be an artist and he wants Katie.

Angie: What drew you to romance as a genre? Do you plan to branch out to other genres as your career progresses?

Sera: Romance was a natural fit because I’ve always read romance. I snuck my mom’s bodice rippers as a kid. I like the push and pull of the relationships. The character growth that has to come before they can get their happily ever after. How they have to earn the ‘I love you’ to make it believable to a reader. And, of course, the sexual tension. I don’t exactly believe in fade to black. Lol.

I do want to branch out, though. I can see NA going in exciting directions with fantasy and paranormal, and I’m eager to try some different projects out that I’m plotting.

Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Sera: *laughs* I was writing and realized I had to name these people and pulled their names out of thin air, assuming I could change it later. When later came, I realized that it was impossible to change their names since in my head they had developed as real people and those were now their names.

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?

Sera: What I did was just write and let the characters, just to see what would happen. Then I would have to go back and think about the ‘why’ that was behind what they were doing and how it related to their character. It was an enlightening process, but also time consuming. I don’t know if I’ll do it that way again, to be honest.

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?

Sera: My main characters are deeply flawed, both because of their past and personality traits. For instance, Katie lies constantly. I am more drawn to those type of characters than anything else. A story wouldn’t be any fun if everyone made all the right decisions.

But, on the other hand, I may have fallen a little too in love with them because I can’t shake the feeling I held back in See Through Me. I didn’t truly let enough awful things happen to them. I’m working through that right now as I finish Only Your Touch. Sad to say, bad things are going to happen in the sequel because what that’s what the story demands.

Angie: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing like music or visual aids? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in particular places or at certain times of the day?

Sera: Ideas just sort of appear in my head and I scribble it on the nearest piece of paper. My husband knows not to throw any pieces of scrap paper out at this point. I do listen to music as I write, and go through different phases. Right now it’s the Divergent movie score.

Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

Sera: Write immediately, figure out where it goes and why later

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?

Sera: I recently dealt with this issue. On my early reviews, almost half of the readers expressed frustration about too many unresolved questions at the end. I do listen and appreciate all reviews, so I went ahead and added the next scene in the storyline before publishing. It did create a cliffhanger, but the response has been very positive about the changes.

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?

Sera: *groans* I struggle with this. I want to be more diverse with my characters, but I don’t want to make it their whole identity, either. I personally dislike books that use someone’s disability or sexual orientation as their main defining feature. As a new writer, one of my goals is to work on developing more complex characterization that allows for sensitive, realistic portrayal of diverse characters.

Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

Sera: See Through Me is my first official completed novel at 76K words, so I don’t have a large sample to draw from. I do know the sequel is likely going to be 50% longer, around 100-120K words.

Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?

Sera: I use Write or Die and force myself to write something, anything. It may be awful but at least there are words on the page

And I’m really more in my element when I’m revising. I actually like that part! I like expanding on ideas, mulling over word choice and phrases But none of that can happen until there are words on the page, so I do fast drafts of almost all my scenes using Write or Die.

Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?

Sera: Broken by Megan Hart. Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. Strings by Kendall Grey. Life After Death by Damien Echols.

Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?

Sera: Less dystopian, werewolves, and vampires. More unique takes on paranormal and fantasy, especially in the New Adult category. And interesting sci-fi!

Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?

Sera: Getting Only Your Touch ready for release is my immediate goal right now. But I have a stand-alone NA contemporary romance, a fantasy NA romance, and an erotic urban fantasy serial all plotted out and outlined. (Those scraps of paper come in handy!) I work on different projects when I need to recharge a bit.

******

Find See Through Me at Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.

Follow Sera at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Interview with author Trevor Tomlin

Trevor Tomlin is the cool indie author behind the new urban fantasy novel Reflection. He talked to Indie Angie about his new book and the plans for the future...

Angie: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?

Trevor: I’ve been writing for about five years now. I like the idea of indie publishing because of the control it offers. I can write whatever I want to write, choose my own cover and set my own price. However, it also means I have to do all my own marketing. And there lies the biggest hurdle – the one I always trip over.

Angie: In Feb 2014, you published Reflection. Can you explain the idea behind the book? Where did the inspiration come from?

Trevor: Well, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of clairvoyance. And I thought, what better vessel for seeing your own future than a mirror? It just made sense.

Angie: Reflection is your first urban fantasy novel. Do you plan to write more?

Trevor: Another UF story? Possibly. I want to branch out into some other types of Fantasy plots first, though.

Angie: Ben Clawson is the hero of Reflection. Can you tell us more about the character?

Trevor: Ben’s kind of an unassuming guy, a bit of an underachiever in many respects. He’s a twenty-something who kind of fell into that ‘lost’ category. He didn’t have a privileged upbringing, but he never had to work extremely hard for anything either. That leaves him feeling like he doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Enter a mirror through which he can see his own future.

Angie: What drew you to urban fantasy as a genre? Do you plan to branch out to other genres as your career progresses?

Trevor: I’m very comfortable working within city-scapes, especially big cities. I like how they’re at once full of life and hope, and also a little dystopic. As for other genres, I’ve begun writing a Victorian era Fantasy novel.

Writing in the time frame of the present seemed like a good first step.

Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Trevor: Quickly. I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on names. I kind of think about the general nature of the character and then choose between a few names that pop into my head. Ben is a down-to-earth guy from the city. He wouldn’t have friends with names like Hunter or Mason. Calvin and Jonah seemed more appropriate.

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?

Trevor: I began with the concept. It all revolves around the supernatural mirror.

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?

Trevor: Although it’s a Fantasy piece, I still wanted the main character to feel real. I wanted him to have faults and experience ups and downs. It would be pretty easy to say – hey, with a gift like that, life would be perfect – but that wouldn’t be very interesting.

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?

Trevor: I like to write while listening to music through a good pair of headphones, but that’s probably more out of necessity for focus than for inspiration. It’s hard to write with a lot of distractions going on in other rooms or even the same room sometimes.

Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

Trevor: I write first. I usually have some places I want to go with it in mind, but I also like to let the story develop as it goes along.

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?

Trevor: I always try to use critiques to improve. I try to learn from my mistakes in everything I do.

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?

Trevor: Yes, sometimes. I’m not a person of color, so of course, I write what I can relate to. However, I’d be lying to myself if I said my Urban Fantasy plot was realistic when all the characters were white. In fact, they’re not. Calvin is a black character.

Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

Trevor: It does mean something to me, and I struggle with word count. I had to push myself to get this one to two-hundred pages. The plot moves so much and there’s so much dialog that it’s difficult to have a lot of words.

Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?

Trevor: It’s not a huge deal but when it happens, I usually take a short break from writing – anything from a couple of days to a week.

Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?

Trevor: I started reading The Fault in Our Stars. Amazing writing.

Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?

Trevor: The death lottery could be buried again for a little while.

Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?

Trevor: I have a two-part YA Zombie novella that I’m planning on releasing within the next couple of weeks. It will be called Escape from Zombie High. I’m also going to try to finish my Victorian Fantasy novel this year.

*****

Trevor Tomlin is the pen name of author Jonathon Kane.

Find Reflections at Amazon.

Contact Trevor here.

Shooting the Shit with author V.J. Chambers

V.J. Chambers is a prolific young indie author who recently published Out of Heaven's Grasp. Last week, I talked to Valerie about her writing. Now, let's learn more about her as a person...

Favorite Food and Drink

 

Anything pasta… I adore pasta

Blue Sky Root Beer—best root beer in the universe

 

Favorite Books

 

Okay, so hard, because I have too many. Let’s go with The Lord of the Rings, Wuthering Heights, Ender’s Game, The Shining, and The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

 

Favorite Music

 

I’m a big fan of eighties hair bands, and my favorite is Guns N’ Roses. More recently, I’ve been really digging on a band called Future Islands.

 

Favorite Movies

 

Ultimate favorite ever: The Princess Bride. Runners up to The Lost Boys, Fight Club, Scream, The Empire Strikes Back, and Children of Men.

Favorite TV

 

Oh man… So currently, I’m watching The Vampire Diaries, Reign, The Tomorrow People, Supernatural, The Originals, Star-Crossed (just you know whatever’s on the CW, basically) aaaand The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf, Bates Motel, Hannibal, Twisted, and True Detective (best show in the universe!!) I like other shows too, but they’re currently on hiatus or have been cancelled.

 

Best memory from childhood

Uhm… Yeah, nothing’s really sticking out. I didn’t have a bad childhood or anything, but I was always one of those kids that knew deep down I was going to be a better grownup than I was a kid.

 

Best memory from adulthood

 

Well, so when I was first getting to know my boyfriend, he came back to my house after a party and we talked until three or four in the morning, and then he slept on my couch. (I know! I was like, “Does this guy even like me? Why isn’t he trying to sleep with me?”) Anyway I remember that when I woke up, I came out into the living room, and he was still there. And I was so glad he was still there, so happy to get to spend more time with him. I think it’s my happiest memory ever.

 

Life of the party or stand back and observe?

 

I’m, you know, fairly outgoing at parties. I can get pretty introspective other times, but to everything there is a season.

 

What makes you rage?

 

Female genital mutilation. Sexism (against both genders). Hypocrisy. Atrocities committed in the name of something “noble.” Lies, especially the ones we tell ourselves.

 

What makes you giggle?

 

My cat. Mostly I laugh at my cat. Also episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

 

*****

Find Valerie's books at Amazon.

Follow Valerie on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Interview with author V.J. Chambers

V.J. Chambers is a prolific young indie author with over a dozen books already published. Her newest is the romance Out of Heaven’s Grasp. Let's learn more about Valerie 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?

 

Valerie: I’ve been writing forever. I’m one of those people who started writing as soon as she could make words. I think I wrote my first story at six years old, and it was about a hippo named Chubby.

 

I wrote as kid, I wrote as a preteen, I wrote Anne-Rice-esque vampire stories as a teenager… There was a brief period of time in college where I didn’t write at all. And then, after I graduated, I decided it was time to get serious, and I wrote my first complete novel when I was twenty-three. (It was terrible.) I wrote eight other books over the ensuing six years, shopped them around to agents and never even got a request for a partial. I started self-publishing in 2009, but primarily on my website. I would post two chapters a week of my book with a link at the end of each chapter to purchase the whole book.

 

Pretty much no one bought it. It took five more books and two more years before I started to make any real money self-publishing.

 

I guess I feel like all authors really go it alone, no matter whether you’re indie published or not. I don’t think it’s possible to really make it at this if you don’t have an irrational belief in your own greatness. So, I guess the biggest hurdle would be insecurity and doubt. Trying to keep believing in yourself when no one else does.

 

Angie: In February 2014, you published Out of Heaven’s Grasp. Can you explain the idea behind the book? Where did the inspiration come from?

 

Valerie: Well, I guess I’ve been fascinated by polygamy ever since I saw the show Big Love. I’ve been reading and watching things about it ever since. I watched Escape from the Prophet, the short-lived TLC reality show, and picked up Flora Jessup’s autobiography, detailing how she got free of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, and then I just got sort of addicted to those kinds of autobiographies. I read Rebecca Musser’s, Carolyn Jessup’s, Elissa Wall’s, etc. And I just started thinking that these were dynamite stories, and that I wanted to write a story about escaping from a cult, and I wanted there to be a romantic element.

 

So, I made up my own polygamous religion. It draws heavily on the FLDS, but it also takes its cues from The Family International, the Amish, and my own experiences growing up in a fundamentalist religious sect (which was in no way polygamous).

 

Basically, the story is about a young couple who starts to fall in love, but—before they can really even get to know each other—are punished for interfering with “God’s” plan for them. He’s kicked out and she’s forced to marry an old man with three other wives. The story is about their separate struggles, and then about the two of them finding each other and getting free.

 

Angie: What is the story behind Abigail “Abby” London?

 

Valerie: Abby is an eighteen year old girl who wants to do the right thing. She wants to please her family and please the elders in her religion and ultimately to please God. So, she’s really conflicted about her feelings towards Jesse Wallace. She thinks that it’s wrong for her to be attracted to him, and she tries to fight that attraction, but it simply proves too strong for her.

 

Angie: How about Jesse Wallace?

 

Valerie: Jesse’s also eighteen. He’s not as well positioned in the community as Abby is. His father only has two wives, which means he’s not as favored by the elders (and they claim, by God). His father is also physically abusive to his children and his wives. Everyone in the community knows this, but no one does anything about it. So, Jesse knows that it’s really important that he follow the rules as closely as he can, because he risks his father’s rage, and he risks lowering his family even further out of favor. So, he really should stay away from Abby. But… he can’t resist her either.

 

Angie: You write in many genres. Can you tell us what draws you to your subjects?

 

Valerie: It seems as if all of my ideas come from television shows or books or movies. I always see things, and I think… “Oooh, if I were doing that, I would do it this way.” And then before I know it, I’ve got some crazy idea that barely resembles the thing that inspired it. But the genesis usually comes from some other form of entertainment.

 

Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

 

Valerie: I use baby names books. Oh, and I usually search my hard drive to make sure I haven’t already named someone important that before.

 

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?

 

Valerie: Generally, the concept comes first. The characters, for me, anyway, fit the story and not the other way around.

 

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?

 

Valerie: Honestly, I think that Mary Sue concept is something best worried about if you’re writing fan fiction, which is where the idea first originated. Obviously, if you’re reading fan fiction, then you want to read about the characters in the show, not the author’s wish fulfillment fantasy of inserting herself into Star Trek or something.

 

In actuality, I’d say some of the most compelling characters are ones that make it easy for the reader to sort of graft themselves onto. We all want to be able to identify with the main character of a story and vicariously experience things through them. I’d say characters like Harry Potter, Bella Swan, Bilbo Baggins, and Luke Skywalker are all “Mary Sue/Marty Stus.” And that’s probably a good thing.

 

In my case, though, I tend to write really flawed characters, and that’s mostly because I feel flawed as a person. I like stories about imperfect people because I feel imperfect. And so I naturally write about people who drink too much or have too much sex or are compulsive liars or what have you. I haven’t actually been imperfect in all those ways, but I feel like I can easily identify with weaknesses in characters.

 

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?

 

Valerie: I do like to make specific playlists for certain books. I’ve also been known to procrastinate seek inspiration by making Pinterest boards.

 

Time of day and/or place is totally irrelevant to me. But I do need to have my super awesome Kinesis Advantage keyboard if I’m going at it for a while, or it’s tough on my hands and wrists.

 

Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

 

Valerie: Usually plot it out.

 

I think that I plot out books because I get scared that I’m not going to be able to figure out the whole story, make it long enough, unravel the plot, or a host of other things. Writing an outline soothes my fears. Sometimes, though, I don’t outline at all—or at least very little. Those are stories that I’m less afraid of, ones that tend to just flow right out of me.

 

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?

 

Valerie: When they say something that I have already worried was a problem, then I know I was right and it is a problem.

 

Anything that has to do with being offended by the language or horrified by character’s actions, I ignore. (Actually, I think those reviews are funny.) Anything that speaks to the way the story is crafted, and does it in a way that provides some clue as to what’s wrong, I listen to. (Sometimes people just say, “This is stupid.” And there’s not much to discern from that, you know?)

 

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?

 

Valerie: I have to admit I have trepidation about trying to write from the point of view of African American characters. It feels so… I don’t know, great-white-hope and condescending of me. What right do I have to think I can truly understand that struggle? That means, of course, that most of my black characters are in supporting roles, which creates another sort of issue of relegating people of color to the fringes or something, so it’s not great in any respect.

 

I do deal a lot with sexual orientation in my series The Helicon Muses. There’s a main character in that series who’s an androgyne. He’s biologically male, but doesn’t fully identify with either gender and thus struggles to determine whether or not he’s straight/gay/bisexual or anything. I also dream of writing some m/m romance, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

 

Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

 

Valerie: Yes, I totally make goals and write to them. I sometimes come up short, but mostly I succeed at making the book the length I want it to be.

 

Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?

 

Valerie: I think writer’s block stems from trying to make writing into work instead of play. The best way to shake it off is to throw out all the rules and give yourself permission to have fun.

 

Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?

 

Valerie: Um, probably Gillian Flynn’s books. Especially Dark Places.

 

Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?

 

Valerie: I guess I really wish that trends themselves would die off. It would be cool if there weren’t this glut of same-old-same-old trailing in the wake of every hot new thing. 

 

Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?

 

Valerie: To rule the world, of course. J

*****

Find Valerie's books at Amazon.

Follow Valerie on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Interview with Romance Author Ember Casey

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! ;)

 

*****

 

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