Emilia Winters is a new indie author on the romance scene. Complications is the first novella in a sexy trilogy. Let's learn more about Emilia 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?
Emilia: I’ve been writing since childhood. I’ve always been really enamored by stories and the concept of storytelling. So when I was maybe 8 or 9, I stapled some sheets of paper together and wrote a story about the tooth fairy…with pictures and everything! But I only really got serious about indie publishing once I graduated college. I researched self-publishing like crazy and wrote like mad and before I knew it, Complications was on Amazon a few months later. It’s definitely a lot of work because I was essentially doing everything a traditional publishing would do, such as editing, cover art, marketing. But it’s more than worth it in the end.
Angie: In Oct, you published your first novella Complications. Can you explain the idea behind the Rebound series? Where did the inspiration come from?
Emilia: I’m a huge fan of the “billionaire” romance erotica that’s been all the rage lately. But I wanted to make my character a bit more realistic (I mean, not every uber hot guy is a billionaire, right?) with a healthy dose of the alpha maleness of bossy billionaires. So I dreamed up Alex and, with a bit of matchmaking skills, Olivia.
Angie: How many books do you envision in the series? When do you expect the next installment to be published?
Emilia: There will be three books total in the series, each around 30-40k words in length. I’m currently working on the second book for NaNoWrMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I expect to be finished with the first draft at the end of November. Publication should happen sometime mid-December…or earlier if things go smoothly!
Angie: What drew you to romance as a genre? Do you plan to branch out to other genres as your career progresses?
Emilia: Romance is my favorite genre to read, so, naturally, I was drawn to writing romance as well. But I do have other genres I’m interested in that I would like to explore later down the road, such as historical fiction and maybe a bit of paranormal.
Angie: Olivia Ward is the heroine of Complications. Can you tell us about her character?
Emilia: Olivia is the sweetheart of the series. She’s recently come out of a bad relationship that wreaked havoc on her body image and self-worth. So when Alex takes an interest in her, she’s a little hesitant about it at first, even though the attraction is there. For Alex’s heroine, I needed a character who could be understanding and gentle with him, but also someone who could stand up to his arrogance and pushiness if needed. And I feel like Olivia does that perfectly.
Angie: The hero of Complications is Alex Matlock. What’s his story?
Emilia: Alex is nowhere near perfect. He’s bossy, he gets what he wants, he emotionally shuts down when he’s asked about something too personal. But he still allows himself to open up to Olivia. And even after a traumatic childhood bearing the rage of his father and a strained relationship with his best friend, he still wants to love and be loved.
Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?
Emilia: I look through lists and lists of names until I find one that fits perfectly for a character. I also usually try to consider the etymology of the name as well, so that it holds some meaning.
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 that fit the idea?
Emilia: Usually, I create a concept and then work from there. But in Complications, I imagined up Alex and Olivia first and then worked them into a concept.
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?
Emilia: I’ve always thought that Mary Sues (or Marty Stus) are characters who have absolutely no flaws. So, to avoid that, I simply give them flaws. When I’m reading a story, I always want to see a flawed hero/heroine. It’s a prerequisite for me to even like the book. And I like to give the same treatment to my own 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?
Emilia: I usually don’t. Music tends to distract me when I’m writing, although I will occasionally use photographs as visual aids. As for my ideas, they come at me randomly, no particular place or time. I’ll be driving, or taking a shower, or running errands and I’ll just automatically envision a scene between my characters.
Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?
Emilia: When an idea hits, the first thing I do is write it down (I have awful memory). More than once, I’ve thought up a perfect scene only to forget it a few hours later. But I’m not much of a plotter. I like to go with the flow and see where my writing and my characters take me. Whenever I’ve done outlining in the past, the finished product usually ends up dramatically different than how I originally imagined it. Or I restrict myself too much to stay within the guidelines of my outline and it turns out a bit awkward and stiff. So now I simply write.
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?
Emilia: I haven’t had any negative reviews for Complications quite yet since I only published it a few weeks ago. But I used to write original stories on fictionpress.com for years and I’ve learned that criticism can really help your writing but only if you allow yourself to be critiqued (and can take critique). Negative, bashing reviews with no feedback offer no help whatsoever, so I honestly try not to take them too personally. I figure that when it comes to my stories, there will be people who like them and people who don’t. It’s just a fact.
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?
Emilia: Not so much in Complications, but in some of my earlier stories on fictionpress, I did have more diverse characters. Personally, I’m half-Asian myself, and my experiences growing up in an ethnically diverse family have always wriggled their way into my writing one way or another. So I won’t be surprised if that happens in this series or in any of the spin offs that follow.
Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?
Emilia: My earlier writing was all over the place when it came to word count. I would write anything from short stories (2-3k words) all the way to 100k+ novels. I like the range of 30-40k, which is what I’m following for the Rebound Series, because it keeps me sane and I don’t feel bogged down by any deadlines I’ve set for myself.
Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?
Emilia: Oh, writer’s block…my oldest foe. I’ve learned that writer’s block is inevitable when I’m writing. Inspiration (or motivation, for that matter) doesn’t come easily sometimes and when that happens, I usually take a brief break from writing altogether. I force myself to take 2 or 3 days off. But then it’s important that I force myself to write again afterwards.
Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?
Emilia: I’ve discovered Susanna Kearsley this year and I can honestly say that she has become my favorite writer. I read The Winter Sea earlier this year and had a book hangover for days after. I immediately went out and bought all of her books because she’s just that good. So if you enjoy modern gothic romances complete with history and ghosts, I really, really recommend her.
Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?
Emilia: I really hope all of this 50 Shades of Grey stuff dies, but I have a feeling I won’t be so lucky. And vampires. For some reason, they won’t go away! As for new trends, I really have no preference.
Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?
Emilia: I’ll be finishing the Rebound series hopefully by February 2014. But I’ve also started writing a novel about Luke, Alex’s best friend from the series. I’m hoping to explore each of Alex’s friends actually, so I’ll have a very busy—but fun—year ahead of me!
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Be sure to check out Candy Girl's review of Complications on our sister blog Just That Good.
Check out the cover reveal for my upcoming Christian romantic fantasy novel by Dakota Shepherd. Scattered is scheduled for publication in early January 2014.
