reading – Page 3 – Kristin Houlihan, Writer

Indie Author Spotlight: It’s Launch Week for Aimee Shaye

Indie Author Spotlight Welcome to week EIGHT, which is awesome! I’m still learning so much and loving getting exposed to new indie authors on a regular basis. I’m definitely opening myself up to different genres, and I hope you will, too. My favorite part, though, is to get to know the person behind the books – what makes them tick? As I learn more about them, it’s a lot of fun to see how parts of each author emerge in their writing. There’s a lot more to come, so please keep coming back and supporting the wonderful people who have signed up to chat with me!

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Aimee's NEW NEW Logo V3.jpg Today I’m bringing you a conversation with Aimee Shaye, whose new book, The Broken Daughter, launched this past weekend after Aimee took a two-year hiatus from publishing. You’ll find Aimee to be very open about her struggles, and how they shape her life, which is so brave and encouraging to others (like me) who battle our own mental illnesses. In the spirit of full disclosure and to follow Aimee’s lead, I have to be honest and say I did not finish reading The Broken Daughter; the book has a lot of emotion tumult and dark magic, and I’m in too emotionally-vulnerable of a place right now. I felt like I was taking on all of Aymeri’s fears and insecurities, which is a testament to the fact that her character is powerfully written. So, I made the difficult decisions to DNF, but still wanted to share Aimee’s work with all of you because I am impressed by her strength and honesty. When I asked her what she wanted readers to know about her, this is what Aimee said:

I want readers to know that I am just like them. I’m not anything special. I suffer from depression and anxiety. I have made many bad choices in my life. But I stay grounded by my family, by my husband. To me, family is everything and to find friends in your family is magical. I write for myself, not for what is going to sell. I want them to read my books and get a semblance of what my life is like beyond the pages.

Wow. Thanks for joining me, Aimee, and being so candid. Can you start by telling us what genre you write?

I write fantasy, and just published The Broken Daughter. About two years ago, I published two romance books based on a previous emotionally abusive relationship because I needed it out of my system. Then I took two years off to recuperate and find my true self. I also have stories in a few anthologies; you can find all of my published works on my Amazon author page.

Have you, like many authors I’ve profiled here, always written?

I was very young when I started writing. I started making up stories when I was eight years old. One particular memory I have is going to my mom’s bank where she worked. It was summertime and it was take-your-daughter-to-work day. I was sitting at Mom’s desk and wrote a story about a girl going on an adventure with animals. Everyone in the office asked for copies so my mom taught me how to use the copy machine. I have no idea where the original copy is, though! I wish I did! Then it got really serious in high school. I published a poem and short story under my real name in a high school catalog of writers. Then in 2014, I published again. It was my first fantasy novel and I did it because my ex told me I’d never amount to anything. It got stellar 3-5 star reviews but the poor editing (due to my rush of proving him wrong) was always commented on. I finally took it down this year and I am rewriting it.

That is so brave of you, and I look forward to seeing your rewritten book! You mention that you wrote your romance novels to get things out of your system. Is writing cathartic for you? How do you fit writing time into your life?

It is. I write because it makes me happy. When I get depressed or anxious, it helps me to cope. Whenever I have free weekends, I spend as much time as I can writing. My day job is as a teacher and I plan my lessons a month in advance, making small tweaks here and there. All of my grading gets done at work. So I also write during the week when my night winds down around 9 or 10.

You clearly devote a lot of time to your writing! What else is important in your life?

I am married and live with my parents so these are two very important things in my life beside my job and writing. It’s an easy balance because my husband is a graphic designer and he helps me write (he’s a great writer who refuses to admit it). I also have three nephews who are constantly at my house since my siblings live mere blocks away!

Ok, now please tell us about your new release!

The Broken Daughter (The Cursed Kingdom Book 1) by [Aimee Shaye] Of course! The newest book I am releasing is The Broken Daughter. It is the first novel in a trilogy titled: The Cursed Kingdom. This book took me six months to write and I could not be more proud of it! The main character in the book is Princess Aymeri Maudlin. She believes she is an ordinary princess, until it turns out that she is not. She’s actually the Princess of a Sentinel Kingdom, Dramolux, whose royalty has long protected the world from all magick. At the start of the novel, she finds her mother dead and things go downhill very quickly from there. I don’t want to give too much away but there is magic and strong female leads. The men take a backseat here.

All right, like I said, the emotions are powerfully written, and I think a lot of people will be able to identify with Aymeri (even though we’re not magical). Can we wrap up by hearing your author dream?

Just to sell books. As long as I sell a couple, I consider it success! I just love writing so much.

Ok friends, let’s help Aimee Shaye’s author dream come true and buy her books. You can find Aimee at the following places:

Website — Facebook — Twitter — Instagram — Pinterest

And the following cover images will take you directly to where you can purchase her books:

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Would you like to be featured, too? Please contact me at kristin@theedifyingword.com!

Indie Author Spotlight: Reina Williams ~ Sweet, Cozy Fiction from a local (to me) author!

Thanks for coming back for week seven of Indie Author Spotlight by The Edifying Word, and welcome to all of you who are newly following me! I’m really loving getting to read so many new indie authors and introduce them to you. I would love it if you would support their writing, and tell your friends about them! My list of authors is growing, so look out for more, and a continued variety of genres. Today I’m talking to Reina Williams, who writes sweet, cozy fiction.

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True to plan, I read one of Reina M. Williams’ books before writing up this post, and it was a fun, enjoyable read. Being “new” to California and living just outside the Bay Area, I selected one of her California Fairy Tales Series, and it was a lot of fun to read a story set in this general area and see how many places I could recognize. Please read on to learn about Reina and her writing!

Your website says, “cozy, sweet reads.” Can you expand for us on what genre you write in?

I write sweet, kisses-only romance, both contemporary and historical. Works in progress also include cozy mystery (historical), historical fiction, and children’s fiction. My hope when I write is to tell sweet, heartwarming, uplifting stories that leave us all with a smile.

Certain Sure definitely left me with a smile, even if I was super frustrated with some of the characters at some points of the story! Where do you get your ideas, and do you outline or plan?

Stories come to me and want to be told, so I write them; I’ve been writing since I was a child, but I only started writing novels in 2009. I don’t plot – I’m definitely a panster, though I wish I could be a better plotter!

How do you fit writing into your life?

Often, I don’t fit writing in. After ten years of indie publishing, it’s become more challenging, especially with the state of the world, my personal life, and my two sons’ challenges as they’ve transitioned to their teen years. As a single mom, I strive to put my sons’ needs first (alongside my own health and well-being), which means writing gets pushed down the priority list often. Writing also, practically, has to come behind more steady paying work, though right now I’m only working as a freelance editor, and homemaker, aside from the business of being a writer. Incorporating tiny habits into my life (like just committing to write for fifteen minutes a day) is something that has kept me writing and works best for me as a working single mother.

Despite the difficulty of fitting it in, you’ve been quite prolific – your Goodreads author page lists 20 books! I assume there are more to come; can you tell us about them?

Books four and five of The Montana Matchmakers, a contemporary sweet romance series, are in progress and will be out this summer. Return to Pemberley, an early-Victorian set Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility trilogy that follows the children of the characters from those novels, will be out at the end of 2020.

Do you enjoy reading in the same genres you write in? Do you have any favorite books you’d recommend we check out?

I have too many favorites to name! Mostly, I read sweet romance, Christian romance and fiction, gentle fiction, cozy mystery, YA, children’s fiction, and nonfiction. Favorites from 2019 include: Unmarriageable (Kamal), Other Words for Home (Warga), A Hope Divided (Cole), There’s Something About Sweetie (Menon), I Wanna Be Where You Are (Forest), Some Places More Than Others (Watson), Sugar Lake series (KM Jackson), and the Lady Sherlock series (Thomas). Also, my current favorite rereads are Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Miss Read books, and Susan Wittig Albert’s Cottage Tales.

So, where can we get your books?

My books are available on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes and Noble—most of the ebook retail sites. Some are also available in audio on Audible, and you can request print and ebook copies from your local bookstore or library. I love libraries!

Learn more about Reina M. Williams or buy her books at the links below:

www.reinamwilliams.com

Amazon

Books 2 Read (all other sites)

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

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Would you like to be featured, too? Please contact me at kristin@theedifyingword.com!

Indie Author Spotlight: EJ Fisch ~ Science Fiction/Thriller mashup!

Welcome to week SIX of Indie Author Spotlight by The Edifying Word. We’re switching genres this week to sci-fi, with a sort of thriller twist. I used to think I didn’t read sci-fi (I wrote a post about that once), but really I find myself reading and enjoying it more and more. Doesn’t hurt that my 8yo seems to like it, so I end up reading some with her, too. I’m please to introduce you to EJ Fisch, who will talk to us a little about herself and her writing!

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One of the coolest things about putting together this series is that I’ve gotten introduced to so many new books. I’ve been doing my best to read at least one book from every author I feature, so when EJ Fisch expressed interest in participating I picked up her first book, Dakiti, which I just finished a couple of days ago. I really enjoyed it, and do plan to read the rest of the series.

So, broadly speaking you write sci-fi. After reading Dakiti, I feel like it’s a little bit of a cross with thriller, though. Are all your books a hybrid like this one?

You’re right, my sci-fi comes with a twist. My current series, of which Dakiti is the first book, is character-driven space opera with kind of a spy/military thriller twist—lots of action and intrigue, but happening in a fictional galaxy with a cast of superhuman characters. All of my future story ideas are also sci-fi but have varying subgenres like post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk.

Tell us about your books and where we can get them!

My Ziva Payvan series—the aforementioned space opera/spy thriller mashup—is currently available on all major ebook platforms and in paperback. The saga begins with an elite operative (the series namesake Ziva Payvan) being forced to team up with the brother of a man she killed in order to stop a threat to their world. Shenanigans ensue. The main trilogy consists of Dakiti, Nexus, and Ronan (+ an omnibus edition containing all three), and then there’s Fracture: Ziva Payvan Legacy, Part 1. Embers, which is part 2, is still in the works and I’m aiming for a year-end release. While all five books are technically part of the series, I consider the two Legacy books kind of a collective sequel to the main trilogy.

I really enjoyed Dakiti, and I was shocked when I heard when you wrote it! Can you share with readers when you started writing?

I’ve been writing to some extent since I was probably 10 or 11, but I didn’t really start writing “seriously” until I was in junior high and even high school. A couple of friends and I had this goofy Star Wars roleplaying game going via AOL instant messenger in 7^th and 8^th grade and I used to take our chat transcripts and novelize them. It was at that point that I started to think, “Hey, I could probably write a real novel-length story if I wanted.” I started developing some new characters and some new plots and experimented with some little one-shots. I actually wrote the majority of Dakiti during high school, then spruced it up fairly extensively a few years ago when I decided to pursue publishing.

Seems like writing has been a part of your life for a long time. Why do you write?

Frankly, I think I’d go insane otherwise. I admittedly have a very a vivid imagination and am always thinking “what if,” so creating new worlds and characters is a constructive way for me to explore all of those ideas. Writing just feels like the natural solution. It’s an outlet.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I gave pantsing my best shot when I first started developing the two Ziva Payvan Legacy books, and looking back on it, I really should have known better. I’m a plotter at heart, and I ended up wasting an enormous amount of time (we’re talking like three years—yikes) before I finally went back and wove what little material I had into a detailed outline. After that, I was able to progress much more smoothly. An outline serves as a roadmap for me, and I’ve always had to at least have a high-level list of major scenes/events before I even begin a new project. As I’ve worked on Embers, I’ve created an outline for each chapter, leaving space for extra notes because it never fails that I come up with more ideas for little details I don’t want to forget. I’ve really enjoyed using the GoodNotes on my iPad so I can sync it with my phone and jot things down wherever I am.

How do you fit writing into your life?

I have a day job, so it can sometimes be tricky to fit writing into my schedule. When I’m really on a roll, I usually don’t have much trouble finding the time, but more often than not, writing is competing with several other hobbies for the limited free time I have. I’ve gotten to where I do all my drafting in Google Docs so I can access my work from pretty much any device at any time, and I think that has really helped. Even if I’m not actively working on the story, I’m still connected to it.

It’ll take me a bit to get through the books you’ve already published, but can you share anything about your upcoming projects?

Embers is definitely my primary project right now and I’m planning on it being the final installment in the Ziva Payvan saga (with “planning” being the keyword—I wasn’t originally “planning” on Fracture and Embers even existing, but here we are). One of my future ideas is for a semi-comedic sci-fi adventure/heist story I’m describing as “Ocean’s Eleven in space,” and then I’ve got a space-opera-meets-post-apocalyptic story idea that will involve a bounty hunter guild and a character who belongs to another race featured in my current series. Then there’s kind of a near-future-Earth cyberpunk/psychological thriller idea I’ve actually had longer than the others, but it’s not as big of a priority as they are.

Currently, one of my biggest dreams is to have my books adapted into graphic novels. I’ve been really into the Lazarus graphic novel series by Greg Rucka, and every time I read it, I think my material would be perfect for that sort of thing and I imagine how cool it would be to see it visualized on the page. It’s one of those things that I could probably do myself if I tried, but it would take me a thousand years and I’d have to devote all my time solely to that project. And if someone else was developing it, I’d be hovering constantly to make sure it was done the way I wanted. So while it’s a nice dream to have, I’m not taking it super seriously at the moment.

I don’t tend to read graphic novels, but I can see how your books would fit really well, and it would be really neat to see visual representations of the different species and their characteristics. You mention you’d do it yourself – are you an artist as well? What other hobbies do you have?

Yes! Digital art is a big hobby of mine. I do all of my own cover art and concept art, so even when I’m drawing instead of writing, chances are it’s still somehow related to the story. I’m also a sucker for story-based RPGs, but gaming is dangerous because if I get caught up in a new game, I typically don’t get anything else done, regardless of how much I want to. I keep saying I’ll have to make myself finish Embers before Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla comes out this holiday season or it’s never going to get done. Ha! And, of course, reading, but that tends to fall by the wayside a lot.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Favorite books?

They say write what you like to read, so it should come as no surprise that I enjoy reading a) sci-fi and b) thrillers (bonus points for a combination). Space opera is definitely my favorite sci-fi subgenre, but I’ll read most types of sci-fi if a given book’s premise grabs my attention. I love Hugh Howey’s Silo trilogy and have enjoyed a number of space opera works by other indie authors, such as G.S. Jennsen’s sprawling Amaranthe saga and Joel Shepherd’s Spiral Wars series (which I’ve fallen miserably behind in, I fear). My CP T.A. Hernandez also has a great dystopian thriller trilogy with a dash of sci-fi. On the purely thriller side, I’ve really enjoyed David Baldacci’s Will Robie series (government assassins, anyone?). The plots feel a little far-fetched at times, but the two protagonists are wonderfully written.

What do you want readers to know about you?

I’m always up for connecting on social media (links below). I’m happy to discuss my books, characters, or just chat about writing and reading in general. And it’s always fun to connect with people over other random mutual interests. Sometimes it feels like I spend more time tweeting about video games and cats than I do about books.

Thank you so much to EJ Fisch for taking the time to answer my questions! Please check out her website and find her on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Also, buy her books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play.

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Would you like to be featured, too? Please contact me at kristin@theedifyingword.com!