I have loved the natural world from an early age and enjoy going to zoos and aquariums and watching animal shows on TV. One of my favorite animals is the meerkat! My stories are eco-fantasy adventures for juvenile readers (7 years and up). In my stories, the dragons and mermaids are the “good guys”, and with help from my young heroes, they rescue endangered animals. I want my readers to learn that animals have lives – families and homes – and just want to survive among the growing threats posed by humans. My books also give children a glimpse of the world from the animal’s point of view. I hope that I can encourage children to learn about, and love, nature as much as I do!
Living in Florida, it is summer most of the year. Even in winter it doesn’t get too cold, and I don’t even own a heavy coat. I raised orphan squirrels for several years and started because in 2004 we had three hurricanes within a six-week period and numerous squirrel nests were blown from the trees. I rescued two of them and contacted a local wildlife group on how to raise them. While I don’t raise the babies anymore, I have “my squirrels” now whom I feed and provide water out in the back yard. One squirrel is a character in my books (Sedric from the Jenna books). I also have two red-winged hawks that perch on my fence and screen porch on a regular basis, we can hear them calling to each other all the time. We call these two beautiful hawks Mr. and Mrs. Taylor based on Taylor’s hawk from the Taylor books.
Why did I start writing?
My daughter was an avid reader in grade school, always one of the top readers in the class. When she was in 4th grade, she was reading at a much higher level. However, as a 4th grader, I didn’t want her to be reading some of the books that are out there for high school students. So that is why my first book was written, I wanted to write a story with lots of action and adventure, dragons, unicorns and magic, but still safe for a 4th grader to read.
It hasn’t been an easy road – but I’m glad I decided to keep going! One of my favorite quotes is by Henry Ford – “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right!” When I first started writing books, I had a rocky start, and almost stopped; however, I answered the call for submissions from the 4HP and I feel great now about writing – my characters are ready to have adventures and happy to be part of my books. Some of them write their own books, and I’m just here to type them up. I really enjoy writing now and consider myself an author. Thanks, 4HP!
How do I write – am I a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser?
I’m not sure. I try and plan the facts out, but facts don’t tell the story. Sometimes you just don’t know what is going to happen. When writing Jenna and the Eyes of Fire, I remember getting about three quarters of the way through and everything was stacked against Jenna. I thought to myself – how is she going to get out of this, and I just stared at the computer screen for a several minutes. My character, Jenna, (in my head) realized she had to do something now – time was running out. She couldn’t wait for me to figure it out, so Jenna basically wrote the rest herself, letting me know how she would handle things and how the book would end. I was just there to write it down. Now that dragon Megan is in Ituria’s world, she loves adventure, so I just put her in a situation, and she takes it from there. As I told my publisher, Taylor and Megan really wanted to be in a book together, so they basically wrote Taylor and the Final Nine themselves in just a few weeks.
I learned early on that I should listen to what my characters want to do, because if I try to force them to do something they don’t want to do, whole chapters fall apart, and I have to start over. They are in control, and if they don’t get what they want, the story doesn’t work.
Ituria’s Alliance continues!
Come join me in the adventures of Knocker, Megan, Michelle (the part-time mermaid), and the other members of Ituria’s Alliance as they rescue animals and protect nature from illegal poaching and other dangers posed by humans! We are always looking for new recruits for Ituria’s Alliance!
Every author travels a unique path that is their writing journey. From the moment we first picked up a book that inspired us, to the final written (or typed) word of that first manuscript, we’ve all been there in some unique way. While my tale is not unique unto itself, perhaps my experiences somewhere between the beginning and now can shed some light on what it’s like or ease the concerns of a weary writer.
Writing, in one form or another, has always flowed through my veins. From the very first set of lyrics when I started playing guitar and poems to which no music fit, to the numerous screenplays, and finally to the novels that have led me to write this. But my background plays little importance in the story. I grew up a mile and a half outside Chicago in Niles. I had, what I considered, a fairly normal childhood. We all have our trauma to bear. That’s part of why we write.
Growing up, I read a lot of Hardy Boys. Fun detective stories to capture the imagination of youth. As I got older, I read different genres and more politically charged novels like Johnny Got His Gun. The worlds within books always held my fascination, captivating me to escape into them. When that happens, you feel the calling to write. So, here I am. Writing about myself has never been my strong point. I much prefer stories. I guess that’s why I write fiction and not non-fiction.
When an idea for a story slides into my consciousness, I let it marinate. I may start writing a few pages to see what my immediate mind brings to the table, but I let it marinate. It stews in my head for a while, thinking about whether the initial idea holds any relevance past the first bloom. Will it make for a good story or a good anecdote within some other story? If it might make a good book, what is the story about? What endings can happen? If the idea is a boy meets girl, does it end with him getting the girl? Could it be he gets a different girl from the initial crush? Or some other possibility? More importantly, I ask myself, “Why am I telling this story? What about this needs to be told?”
After convincing myself that my idea is worth telling, thus worth being read, I plot. I do not subscribe to the discovery method solely. Plotting on cards or within software like Scrivner will help you discover what needs to happen in order for A (the beginning) to end at Z (the end). I know that some would crucify me for saying such things against discovery writing, but it is not my jam. Of course, it isn’t all plotting. At some point, I start writing. And the writing goes well for a while until I hit a wall. I do not believe in writer’s block. I believe that being prepared for the inevitable wall is how to get around that block. I plot, I write, I hit wall. So not what? Now, I go back and plot. Figure out what within the plot caused the traffic jam. From there, it’s a rinse-and-repeat kind of thing.
Writing is the easy part. Finding the inspiration for the story can hit from out of nowhere. One day, I can be standing outside a fast food joint, waiting on my burger when I see someone who reminds me of someone and my mind starts weaving a tale of lost love and bad decisions. Another day, my inspiration spawns from the title of an X-Files episode. Not the subject matter of the episode or anything, just the title.
We all have stories to tell. Some are novels, and some are novellas. A few of us have the gift (or curse) for epic stories. But in order to write, we need to experience this thing called life in all the shades it comes in. The ecstasy, the agony, and everything between. Go live. Enjoy the moments as they pass and see what they whisper to you. Who knows? Perhaps your next moment could be what inspires you.
The idea for the Destination Murder series of travel mysteries came out of my years as a working travel writer. As the editor of a travel-industry magazine, I would take about 10-12 trips a year to cover hotels and destinations. As explained to the lead character, Samantha “Sam” Powers, in the first book in the series, these are called “press” or “familiarization” (aka “fam”) trips and are often done in a group with other writers.
One of the things I enjoyed doing when traveling was to find a book set in the place I was visiting at a local bookstore. This way I could read the book on my trip home as a way of revisiting the sites I had just seen. I particularly enjoyed finding mysteries, both because of a life-long love of mysteries and because mysteries tend to be about place, with detectives (both amateur and professional) visiting locales to glean clues to help solve the mystery. I discovered a number of authors writing series set in great places: from C.J. Box in Wyoming and Todd Borg in Lake Tahoe to Ian Rankin in Edinburgh and Sue Grafton in Santa Barbara (even if she called it Santa Teresa).
Then, about 10 years ago, I had a trip that solidified my idea of a mystery-solving travel writer. That particular press trip started at The Algonquin Hotel in New York City before traveling on a newly launched railroad created with antique cars up to Montreal and over to Portland, Maine. To begin the trip, the invited writers gathered for dinner at the Algonquin’s famous Round Table. Perfect setting for a group of writers headed out on a vintage train trip, right? As I sat at the table that opening night, it quickly became apparent that one of the writers—one of the 10 people I was going to spend the next four days with—was (and I don’t say this lightly) the most obnoxious person I had ever met.
After dinner, I went up to my room and called my husband and told him. His response — “If there’s a murder on the train, I know who it will be!” — triggered the idea for the books. The first book in the series, “Destination Maui,” recreates a bit of that same scenario of being trapped on a press trip with an obnoxious person everyone wants to kill. The differences being that the person then dies in a mysterious fashion and it’s set at a luxury resort on Maui instead of on a train.
“Destination Maui” also sets up the overall setting for the series. We learn that Sam Powers, an investigative reporter in Los Angeles, has returned home to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, (one of my favorite places in the world) to help care for her ailing father, Carmel’s former police chief. When long-time family friend Mona Reynolds, the editor-in-chief of Carmel Today magazine, asks Sam to come to work for her as the part-time travel columnist, Sam is launched into the travel industry and its various characters. On that first trip, she also meets a handsome Maui detective named Roger Kai, and romance ensues (in addition to her solving the murder, of course).
In the second book in the series, “Destination Monterey,” Sam is assigned to write about her hometown, which can be challenging for a travel writer. Sent on a solo press trip to scenic locales around the Monterey Peninsula, Sam learns to see the area in a new light — in addition to uncovering a cold case involving the strange disappearance of the previous editor of Carmel Today.
With “Destination Lake Tahoe,” Sam is invited to cover the opening of a newly restored lodge in Lake Tahoe. Like a lot of ski-related press trips, Sam is allowed to bring a guest. While briefly wondering if she should invite Roger Kai, the Maui detective she’s still seeing (as well as one can long-distance), Sam decides to bring her best friend, Lizzy, a former professional tennis player turned owner of a dog-friendly cafe in Carmel. As a blizzard hits the area, press trip participants keep disappearing and one is found dead. Sam and Lizzy — and the Scooby gang she creates with her fellow press trip attendees — have to work together to figure out whodunnit.
The upcoming “Destination New York City” will, as its name suggests, take Sam to New York City. In addition to highlighting the hustle and bustle of the city, the book will feature a luxury hotel modeled after New York’s many fabulous (and history-filled) hotels — including, of course, the one where it all began: The Algonquin.
How to Eat Like a Normal Person was the resource I needed when I was in the midst of my battle with disordered eating. For over a decade, I was so desperate to be thin that I’d consume nothing but diet books encouraging me to cut carbs, skip breakfast, and suppress my roaring appetite with a glass of warm lemon water.
From middle school to young adulthood, I couldn’t enjoy a slice of pizza or a bag of movie theater popcorn without obsessing about the calories. While I exercised daily, my routine was anything but healthy. On an empty stomach, I’d sprint, lift, and pedal on the elliptical until I was ready to pass out. Once I was home, I’d chug a protein shake and choke down dry chicken… just to later binge on an entire sleeve of low fat cookies and microwavable Lean Pockets (yuck!)
Afterwards, I’d feel immense guilt. To make up for my binge, I’d try to “eat clean,” reduce my calories to 1200, or go keto. I’d follow whatever plan for a couple of weeks and even lose a few pounds but inevitably, I’d give up and order Chinese take-out.
What’s wrong with me? I’d think but never say aloud. How come everyone else can stick to a diet, but I can’t?
Little did I know, hardly anyone was actually sticking to their diet. And nothing was wrong with any of us! We were simply led to believe eating less and moving more was the secret to losing weight and keeping it off. It was not until I ditched this mentality and began fueling my body that I was able to heal my relationship to food while reaching my goals.
As a registered dietitian with 7 years of experience, I’ve heard hundreds of stories from women who’ve also battled binge eating, emotional eating, yo-yo dieting, and body dysmorphia. They’re all-or-nothing with food- either they’re following a strict plan or completely off the rails with their eating habits. The more diets they follow, the more confused they become about how and what to eat. Unfortunately, their shame keeps many of them quiet and stuck in restrictive eating patterns until they seek out help.
Countless times an exhausted dieter has sat in my office and said, I’m done dieting-I just want to eat like a normal freakin’ person!
In an effort to help more women feel less alone in their struggles and find peace with food, I wrote How to Eat Like A Normal Person. This book is not another dry manual instructing women to “eat this, avoid that.” Rather, it’s a collection of stories and strategies that teach readers how to adopt a balanced diet they can stick to for life.
The concepts in How to Eat Like a Normal Person transformed my clients’ relationship to food as well as my own, so I wanted to bring them to women who may not have access to a registered dietitian. My mission is to help readers feel confident, boost their energy, and experience control around food for perhaps the first time in their entire lives. After applying the strategies in this interactive workbook, readers will never need to diet again!
My name is Amanda Fasciano, and I am the author of The Life After Series, as well as the upcoming Silent Sentinels Series.
If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be a published author (not just self-published, but with a publisher), I would have thought you were playing a trick on me. Not only that, but I’m learning screenwriting to adapt my books as well. I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I can remember, having always had a strong passion for crafting stories.
The Life After Series started as a mix between a “what if?” scenario, and a dream. I grew up in a haunted house and have always had a fascination with the paranormal because of it. As such, when shows like “Ghost Hunters” and “Ghost Adventures” started popping up, I devoured them.
This is where the “what is?” part comes in. I’d been watching an episode of one and of course they only got half of a shadow on camera, fragments of voice answers on EVP and such. A random thought hit me, as they so often do: What if there were rules to being a haunting spirit? What if there were ghostly officers to enforce said rules?
That was an idea I pondered over for a while, but it wasn’t until I had a certain dream that I linked the two together and it became a real story.
The dream was a female detective whose brother was killed in a college dorm, and his ghost haunted the dorm. She could see him and could try to go in and get to him but ended up in a kind of booby-trapped cave system trying to get into the house through an open basement door.
Everything clicked into place then. I suppose you could even say I was kissed by a muse.
Within six weeks I had the first drafts of books 1 and 2 done. Things sometimes work like that for me, and I get very lucky. I’ll throw myself into writing this brilliant idea and be done quickly. I recently did that with my new Silent Sentinels Series, which is a companion or sister series to The Life After Series.
Whereas The Life After Series is kind of a PG-13 to R rated Paranormal Mystery series regarding ghosts and ghost hunters, The Silent Sentinels Series is in the same universe and characters will freely cross over between the two. The Silent Sentinels is a spicy Paranormal Romance that focuses on the earthbound realm of the supernatural, vampires, shifters, gods, etc.
The funny thing is none of this would have been possible without two key people. A Power Rangers Putty and a viciously wonderful soul sister.
At Tampa Bay Comic Con I went to a panel that had R.A. Salvatore and Neo Edmund to name a few. Afterwards Neo, who had been talking about the benefits of self-publishing, was gracious enough to speak with me. I told him I had written these books, had the first one professionally edited, but I was scared to put it out there. After one hell of a pep talk by the man, I went home and pushed the publish button on Amazon. The Life After Series came to Kindle life on 8/27/2016.
In 2018 I met a woman who would end up being one of my best friends and colleagues: Amanda Byrd. In late spring of 2022, she messaged me about Four Horsemen Publishing. She told me that they were a publishing house that strictly dealt with series novels. I took the info but proceeded to sit on it for a couple more months. Finally, I got the nerve to submit the first three chapters, per the instructions. I expected, like other submissions, to either not hear back at all, or get a very nice rejection.
Within a few weeks, however, I was in an online meeting with the Senior staff of Four Horsemen (all of whom are amazing, kind, and talented people in their own right). I was signed by them, and the rest is history. The first four novels of The Life After Series have been published under their banner, and the 5th comes out in a few more months.
In the meantime, I found an actor who is a perfect fit for one of the characters and I’m working with him on creating a trailer from Aiden’s point of view. Another thing I never thought I would be doing, talking to actors about *my* projects.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in the part of this where it is passion, not money. I work a normal day job and live paycheck to paycheck like everyone else. But I am a very lucky woman to be able to be doing something I love that others enjoy too.
So, the next time you feel like you might be in the mood for something that is a mash up of the X-Files and Ghost Adventures, but from the ghosts’ point of view, check out The Life After Series. And if you’re more in the mood for the more flesh-based side of the universe I’ve created, check out the upcoming Silent Sentinels Series (because alliteration and spiciness are fun!) coming for your eyeballs in 2025!
I have always loved nature and wildlife and appreciate its role in providing people with everything they need, including food, water, air, clothes, housing, jobs, and physical and mental health. Throughout my career, I have worked for national nonprofit environmental organizations, the government, and in politics to protect nature.
My favorite law is the Endangered Species Act. I have worked to stop the five reasons we are in the entirely manmade 6th mass extinction: invasive species; climate change; pollution (including plastics); habitat loss; and wildlife trade. I have worked as a lobbyist, grassroots organizer, policy expert, and activist. I have even been arrested at peaceful non-violent protests. I have also been active in the anti-gun violence movement, as well as equal rights, especially for women.
As I walked the halls of Congress and organized across the country, I would often hear that we will never stop climate change, wildlife extinctions, or get rid of guns. But I remained optimistic and believed if people understood what was happening, they would change their behavior and the world would become a better place for everyone and everything.
In 2020, the climate and extinction crises were growing worse, violence and mass shootings were too common, and the courts were being filled with anti-women and anti-equality judges. Then, due to chronic abuse of animals and wildlife, a virus jumped from an animal to a human, and the world was sent home to stay safe from COVID.
Like many people, I was at home watching the news, seeing the virus spread around the world killing millions, hospitals overflowing with patients, and people turning on each other over vaccines and other issues. During that dark, scary, and hopeless period, I had time to let my imagination run wild.
The Impact Series was born and I became an author.
In the series, the characters address gun violence, pollution on Earth and in space, sexism, patriarchy, trust, racism, and environmental protection.
The series starts with The Shooting when almost every gun owner in the world turns their weapon on themselves at the same time in a global mass shooting. How on Earth could that happen? Why? A hero rises and must figure out what is happening and try to stop more catastrophic violence. In book two, The Collision, the issues of space debris, Kessler Syndrome, and unregulated and reckless exploration in the modern space race are involved. In The Judgment, book three in the series, someone is getting judged for causing so much destruction, violence, and death, but who is getting judged, and who is doing the judging?
My fourth book called The Aftermath, will be published on September 13. The story takes place five years after the mass shooting. What is the world like? Will the survivors view guns, environmental protection, and sustainability differently? Who’s in charge? Has the world fallen into dystopia or utopia? Or something in between?
I love science fiction. It often has a catastrophic event that changes everything, new and creative technology and addresses important issues involving the environment and natural resources. A recurring theme is that some people, such as scientists, are not listened to, just like in the real world. As sci-fi writer Sir Arthur Clarke said, “Science fiction is not about predicting the future. It’s about preventing and inventing the future.” These elements are in The Impact Series and foretelling events and prescient social commentary. My stories also include romance because I believe there is the possibility of love wherever people are.
I hope these books encourage people to think deeply about the problems and issues addressed in the stories and contemplate the solutions. The Earth and nature do not need humans to survive, but humans need them for survival.
I’m currently working on a novel that will be published in 2025. It’s a prequel and involves the decisions and politics that got the world into a situation where The Shooting could happen. Politics impacts everything in our lives, every day, from the control and health of our bodies to the water and food we consume, to the air we breathe. These elements, as well as extraterrestrials, are intertwined in the story. I’m eager to complete this book and get it into the world.
I see this new endeavor as an author as a continuation of what I have done as an environmentalist. Now I use entertaining and suspenseful stories rather than fact sheets and reports. So far, writing and all it encompasses has been an amazing experience and I hope readers enjoy these books.
ARF: The idea of Comics Lit actually started over 30 years ago. I was in my first year of college (University for our friends across the pond) and I was taking an interdisciplinary class where we took a look at how the humanities in general and classic works of literature in particular intersected with our lives. As a comic nerd, I thought it would be fun to start comparing comic book characters and storylines to classic characters and stories from literature.
I made all kinds of connections to tragic figures like Sisyphus as Spider-man or Empusa the shapeshifter as the inspiration for Mystique. I could see how much of the DC Pantheon was straight from Shakespeare. Lex Luthor is Richard III. Jimmy Olson is Horatio. Batman is Henry V. I wasn’t limited to just those plays of course. It was then that I first made the argument that Poison Ivy was inspired by Hawthorne’s short story “Rappicunni’s Daughter.” My ideas were not fully formed then, but I never really stopped thinking about them. I would try them out on my students and push them to make broad connections and while they often didn’t compare literature to comics, they found other amazing ways to connect the old with the new.
Flash forward 25 ish years to a conversation I was having off the mic during the recording of an episode of my Indie Comics Spotlight podcast on the Comics in Motion network. I mentioned something about my Poison Ivy idea and he mentioned he always thought the same thing about Cyborg and Frankenstein’s Monster. We started brainstorming about making a collection of essays based on these two ideas.
I gathered a team of nerds and thankfully for me, and this project, one of them was Ms. Tonya Todd, whom I met for the first time in this life through a mutual podcasting friend Mike Burton. Unfortunately, because of some pandemic stuff, and other just crossed wires, the project sat in purgatory for years. Then Tonya was at a conference and she mentioned this project to Valerie Willis and…
TT: Before I even finished describing the pitch for the collection, Valerie was pining, eyes-wide, arms-outstretched, and reaching through the screen with gimme-gimme hands. This was a live event, so I couldn’t jump onto a call with Tony to ask his permission about sharing details for what he had in mind. My plan was to gauge their interest and possibly connect 4HP with him after the conference. But when Erika joined Val’s enthusiasm, I sent up a silent prayer that Tony would forgive me for representing his project. Dear reader, he did!
ARF: So here we are now, somehow, via her magic powers, Tonya got one of my comic book idols, Bryan Edward Hill, to do the foreword and Volume One is ready for the world. Just like the idea that Ivy was inspired by Hawthorne, the idea that Bruce Wayne and Henry V share some DNA has never left me, and so, as we gather essays for Volume 2, Tonya and I can announce that we will be writing that very essay together, in two parts. It should be epic.
Maria is the author of the Amazon best-selling series The Coal Elf Chronicles, The Altered Experience, and The Aestrangel Trinity. When not writing about dark fantasy and horror, she teaches Language Arts and Journalism to middle school students in Florida. A lover of all things dark and demented, she takes pleasure in warping the comfort factor in her readers’ minds. Just when you think you’ve reached a safe space in her stories, she snaps you back into her twisted reality.
What is your writing routine or schedule like? Walk us through a typical writing episode.
My writing process is very structured and disciplined. A typical writing episode starts with coffee. Strong and iced with lots of creamer. I sit down at about 8am and from there it’s ‘go time.’ I’ll take a few breaks throughout the day for food or bathroom or answer a text or interact with my kid for a little bit, but once I’m in the zone, I’m in the zone. I’ll burn out around 2ish, and whatever it is, it is for the day. That’s basically my life, three days a week, for two months out of the year.
Where do you get your best ideas? In the shower, driving, dreams, etc.
The best ideas always seem to come to me at two times: in the shower, or right before going to sleep. I think it’s because that’s when my brain is most relaxed and open to the ‘chatter’. Both not the most ideal settings to have to pause and write stuff down, but there definitely is something to be said for those ‘ah-ha’ moments!
Favorite fan moment? Let us freak out with you!
One of my favorite “fan” moments of all time was when I did a Tampa Bay Comic Con in 2016. A guy raced up to my table and was like, “I’m so glad I found you! I came here for you and your new book!” He said he was waiting to purchase it from me directly so I could sign it for him and talk with him about writing and publishing. It was pretty surreal to see someone, a complete stranger, get so excited over something I wrote. It was my “I feel like a celebrity” for a hot moment. I’ll never forget that.
I would say I prefer a satisfying conclusion – one that fits the tone and structure of the story at hand. And if that means the prince wakes up the princess with a kiss, or the whole world explodes into a fireball, then so be it.
What are your feelings on Happy Endings? As a reader? As a writer?
The word happy is so subjective, isn’t it? What is happy for the spider, is misery for the fly. I am not a fan of the “traditional” happy endings where the characters live happily ever after and everyone cheers because to me, that’s not real life. Life is messy. Life is complicated. And yes, there are moments of personal happiness, but not every moment has a happy outcome. Rather than happy, I would say I prefer a satisfying conclusion – one that fits the tone and structure of the story at hand. And if that means the prince wakes up the princess with a kiss, or the whole world explodes into a fireball, then so be it.
What kind of music do you listen to, if any? Why? Share a link if you have one (Spotify, YouTube, etc.).
My music taste is pretty eclectic. I tend to gravitate toward the heavy metal genre first and foremost. Bands like Chimaira, Fear Factory, and old White Zombie are always my go-tos to get my aggression out, but I do enjoy a wide range – 80s pop, 70s rock, 90s gangsta rap. I love to dance! Put me in a club or a dance floor at any party and I will tear that up!
How much research do you do for your writing? Is it for character, world, or plot? What are you researching now?
A lot of research goes into my writing because I want to keep the authenticity of the real world. I feel that’s important because if information is misaligned, it takes the reader out of the vibe of it all. Fiction is fiction, and that’s not to say you can’t bend facts and warp truths, but if I’m writing about something that happened on a particular date in 1987, and I say there was a full moon that night, well, I better be talking about the correct moment in time! Even when I write fantasy and get into the world of elves and magic – there is always some level of research and “truth” to stay faithful to. Currently, my research is taking me to the 1960s and the world of Charles Manson. I’m treading very cautiously so as to have all my ducks in a row.
Even when I write fantasy and get into the world of elves and magic – there is always some level of research and “truth” to stay faithful to.
Marketing! What has been the most useful marketing tool for you? (Social media, newsletters, paid ads, conferences, etc.)
As far as marketing goes, my favorite outlet is definitely going to conventions. Tampa Bay Comic Con, MegaCon, smaller shows… it doesn’t matter. If I can do em, I’m there. There is just something so electric about being with the crowds, meeting people, talking about books and writing. It’s even better to be able to do a panel because that open-mic platform becomes the building block of the reader/writer connection. Social media is great, for sure, but conventions are more personal and a great way to build your “life-long” audience.
How did you choose the genre you write? Was it by choice or encouragement from friends or fate aligning the stars?
I truly feel my genre chose me. From as early as I can remember, I’ve been attracted to all things weird and dark and terrifying. I can’t quite explain it – I feel like horror has always been in my blood. Other avenues just never really interested me.
What was your very first job?
My very first job was telemarketing for a construction company. I can still recite the script! It was a good job, though. I stayed with them for seven years, moved up from telemarketer to secretary to unofficial office manager. I even used the office computer to go on an online dating site where I met my husband!
From as early as I can remember, I’ve been attracted to all things weird and dark and terrifying. I can’t quite explain it – I feel like horror has always been in my blood.
Why’d you get that tattoo?
Because I wanted it! Seriously, though… all of my tattoos have a meaning, which I’m sure holds true for most people. I look at my tattoos as a visual representation of different times of my life, like an album of body illustrations. My first tattoo holds just as much value as my 20th. To me, it’s an art collection and a transformation into a literal body of art.
Cake or Pie? Defend.
There is only one answer: PIE. Pie is universal. It can be sweet or savory. It can be a meal or a dessert. Cake serves only one purpose. Pie is multifunctional. Give me pie ANY DAY!
At a young age, Deborah’s rampant imagination kept her up, lending great detail to all the terrible things lurking in the night. In desperation, her mother suggested she invent her own stories to distract her brain. She has been doing that since, channelling her ideas into mainly sword and sorcery-style fantasy novels and shorts. In her other life, Deborah is a veterinarian. She lives in Sooke with her husband of 12+ years, their two sons, and three demanding felines.
Which are you: Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser? Why?
Pantser all the way! My brain loves to get away from the day job, which is very logical and scientific. Playing and random musing are a must. I absolutely adore the high of writing something and finally seeing how it all comes together in a way I didn’t anticipate. Maybe it was there all along in my subconscious! Planning all the twists and turns takes the fun out of discovering it alongside the characters.
Favorite book and author? Why?
I’m still enamored with Patrick Rothfuss’ “Name of the Wind”. It took the idea of the hero and made them mortal, prone to errors, and very relatable. Plus it looked at how a legend forms around otherwise normal happenings. I have been fascinated with the idea of learning the true story behind the legend since, which inspired a lot of my writing.
I’m still enamored with Patrick Rothfuss’ “Name of the Wind”. It took the idea of the hero and made them mortal, prone to errors, and very relatable.
As a reader, do you have a pet peeve? Certain words, too much description, “alabaster skin,” or too many arms and legs in a fight/sex scene?
The ‘mirror trick’ just kills me; when the character pauses by a reflective surface and assesses their appearance to tell the reader what they look like. It often shows up right at the beginning, so it can toss me right out of a book early. I find horribly contrived! Who looks at their reflection and suddenly decides to comment about their short, boyish haircut and high cheekbones??
What kind of music do you listen to, if any? Why? Share a link if you have one (Spotify, YouTube, etc.).
Music is a HUGE part of my writing, as inspiration, motivation, and comfort. I go through phases but have lately been leaning towards epic music. I’ve purchased most of Tommee Profitt’s music so far! A good place to start is the Volume 1. Cinematic Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDCNEs8ij9g&list=PLDcAKor7_HojFbFSm3T2qyb2jQC_6ZQ6r
You’ll feel like you can move mountains after listening!
Share your favorite character from your stories. What made them your favorite to write?
I love Shimmer Weaver. I had to write a side story just so I could hang out more with her! She’s sexy and smooth, yet devoted and intelligent! While I like my powerhouse women, Shimmer is a nice balance of strength and vulnerability. I have so much fun getting her in over her head and seeing how she figures it out! No one else can make Kitable panic quite like she does.
I used to want publication as a final acknowledgement of my skill, but in the end it’s really the people who say they enjoyed my book that denote success in my eye.
Hardest scene you have ever written: What made it difficult? How did you get through it?
This seems petty now (I’ve killed so many characters now…) but when I first wrote Celebrant, I wrote my first death of a character. He was a fairly minor character, and he died without great battle or epic sacrifice. He just died, because people die in war. And he left a younger brother behind, which broke my heart. I grieved after losing him and still feel guilty for doing it. I often wonder what would have happened if he’d lived. I got through it by writing the brother’s grief. I was there, grieving with him. And through the story, he slowly moves on, so I could too.
What does “writing success” mean to you? How do you define your success?
Writing a story someone enjoyed. I used to want publication as a final acknowledgement of my skill, but in the end it’s really the people who say they enjoyed my book that denote success in my eye. Writing a book is hard, but if you put enough words on the page, you’ll get there eventually. Writing a good book is much, much harder.
How did you learn what you know about writing (formal education, self-taught, etc.)?
When I was young, my brother managed to delete my spell checker on the computer. I loved stories and wanted to write, so I wrote with a thesaurus on one side of the screen and a dictionary on the other. After that, it was feedback groups. While I’ve not done courses since university English, I learned a lot from conferences and presentations by other authors and editors. I love to pick up new things and improve. But more than anything, it’s the act of doing it that has gotten me to where I am.
When I was young, my brother managed to delete my spell checker on the computer. I loved stories and wanted to write, so I wrote with a thesaurus on one side of the screen and a dictionary on the other.
Why’d you get that tattoo?
I was living in Scotland, but was home briefly to, of all things, get married. I told my fiancé I was getting a tattoo of the Canadian maple leaf on my arm to honor my homeland when abroad, but I didn’t tell anyone else in my close-knit family. There was quite a shock when, three weeks after getting married, I was sporting a tattoo!
Tea or Coffee or Wine: Defend!
Tea. I’m already high strung so caffeine is a terrible idea! I’ve yet to find a wine that I enjoy more than a hot cup of herbal tea. And wine doesn’t warm your hands as you sit with a book by the fire!
J.B. Moonstar moved to Florida in her early teens and has lived there ever since, enjoying the mild weather and abundance of wildlife. She even spent several seasons raising orphan squirrels. She graduated from the University of Central Florida and has spent her working career in the legal profession. Her novels are inspired by her family and nature, as well as her need to escape from the real world once in a while.
How much do you write in day? Week? Month? Year?
At this point, I work full time at my “day job”, so writing is something I do either at night or in the morning. I find myself getting up at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning to spend a few hours writing before work.
Where do you get your best ideas? In the shower, driving, dreams, etc.
The main plot is many times based on nature/conservation magazines that discuss the plight of animals who are being pushed to the brink of extinction because of human greed or ignorance of what their actions do to wildlife. Since the purpose of Ituria’s Islands on the moon is to rescue endangered animals, I get ideas from these types of magazines for the plot or theme.
However, a lot of my stories are based on one thing, or one memory, and I build a story around it; and some even have a hidden agenda. The Russ book was an adventure to show how Jenna’s grandpa met Ituria many years ago as a teen, and it was also to rescue a “hidden voice” that I found trapped in the outdoor bathroom. I felt so sad that the small frog had somehow gotten into the bathroom and had not been able to get out, that I wanted to make sure that he finally got back into the sun again. I found him on a windowsill behind the blinds just as I started working on the Russ and the Hidden Voice, and Granger is still with me on a shelf. I have him in a glass box, just like in the book, and he is out in the light all the time, just like he asked. In the first Taylor book, Red Wolf Rescue, I had just lost my dog to cancer, and I wanted to get her to the moon to be safe – that is why Kali is in the book. In the Jan books, I used as inspiration some small figurines, and they were used as the driving point to connect the various stories together.
I will say that Michelle came to me in a dream, inspired by the beautiful artwork of my cover designer and illustrator, Jenn Kotick, who had created a wonderful mermaid and manatee portrait; I liked it so much she has agreed to let me use it for the cover of the book. Michelle was persistent, and I wrote her first book in a few weeks also (early mornings and weekends), and I am getting that finalized and to the publisher now. You will most likely be seeing Michelle again.
Which are you: Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser? Why?
I’m not sure. I try and plan the facts out, but facts don’t tell the story. Sometimes you just don’t know what is going to happen. When writing the Jenna and the Eyes of Fire, I remember getting about three quarters of the way through and everything was stacked against Jenna. I thought to myself – how is she going to get out of this, and I just stared at the computer screen for a few minutes. My character (in my head) realized she had to do something now – time was running out. She couldn’t wait for me to figure it out, so Jenna wrote the rest herself, letting me know how she would handle things and how the book would end. Now that Megan is in Ituria’s world, she loves adventure, so I just put her in a situation, and she takes it from there. As I was telling my publisher, Taylor and Megan really wanted to be in a book together, so they basically wrote Taylor and the Final Nine themselves in just a few weeks. I learned early on that I should listen to what my characters want to do, because if I try to force them to do something they don’t want to do, whole chapters fall apart, and I have to start over. They are in control, and if they don’t get what they want, the story doesn’t work.
Do you work well under pressure? How do you handle deadlines?
Working in the legal profession for many years, I have learned how to handle pressure and to meet deadlines. Sometimes deadlines even help, so you don’t think – well, I’ll get to it later, no rush.
I learned early on that I should listen to what my characters want to do, because if I try to force them to do something they don’t want to do, whole chapters fall apart, and I have to start over.
Favorite video game. Why?
I like playing Pokemon, I know it’s a kid’s game, but I like running around and not having to kill anyone like most video games. I also like to raise my Pokemon through their different forms, sometimes until they are so powerful that no one can defeat them. When your Pokemon reaches level 100 or more, you can beat most anything that comes your way. Then you go to your box and get some smaller level Pokemon and start again.
How much research do you do for your writing? Is it for character, world, or plot? What are you researching now?
I did a lot of research for the first book in The Ituria Chronicles – several months of reading about the moon, and how I could create islands under the surface of the moon. Learning about the volcano flows, caverns, the moon’s relationship with the earth, all were taken into account to make a place that could actually exist. In my research, I learned people are now talking about making human habitats in the moon’s caverns. It would keep humans safe from the 500-degree difference in temperatures and meteor impacts on the surface. However, should they attempt this, I do need to tell them that Ituria got there first!
What’s your editing process? Describe it for us.
When I am writing a story, I always start by reading it from the beginning, or at least the past three to four chapters, so I usually catch many mistakes in spelling or punctuation as I reread them. If something doesn’t fit in the beginning because of what happens near the end, I can change it. As far as final editing, I try and focus on each word to make sure it is spelled correctly and fits. A printer once told me that to avoid typos, he would read the entire page backwards so he would only see words and wouldn’t be “reading”, since when you are reading your mind completes a sentence or adds a word that isn’t there. I don’t read it backwards, but I do still try to focus word-to-word rather than reading for context when checking for spelling and punctuation. Then I read it again at least two or three times to make sure there isn’t something missing or a loose end that needs to be resolved.
All my characters are compassionate and really care for their families and the animals that live around them.
Share your favorite character from your stories. What made them your favorite to write?
All my characters are my favorites, each in their own way.
I do admit I love working with Knocker, he has such a confident air about him, and being a very large fire-breathing dragon allows him to control any situation, even when he is in human form. He has had many years of experience dealing with humans and doesn’t get upset when confronting them anymore, he knows he has the upper hand even though the humans may think they are in control.
I like the girls – Jenna, Jan, Megan and Michelle; because they are ready and willing to stand up for themselves and not take orders from anyone; they are the ones in charge – even if they are only about 12 years old. I guess it is how I wish I would have been at 12 – when I was 12, I was told that I could either be a nurse or a secretary – that was the only thing girls could do.
Russ and Taylor also have their own backgrounds, and I have enjoyed seeing Taylor grow in confidence as he realizes that while he may have what some consider a handicap, he also has many strengths that outweigh this perceived weakness. All my characters are compassionate and really care for their families and the animals that live around them.
How did you choose the genre you write? Was it by choice or encouragement from friends or fate aligning the stars?
My daughter was an avid reader in grade school, always one of the top readers in the class. When she was in 4th grade, she was reading at a much higher level. However, as a 4th grader, I didn’t want her to be reading some of the books that are out there for high school students. So that is how the first book was written, I wanted to write a story with lots of adventure but still okay for grade school students to read. My first attempt at writing was to write a story with dragons and unicorns and magic and adventure, but still safe for a 4th grader to read.
Tell us a little bit about your life growing up. Did any of those experiences make it into your writing?
I grew up in a military family – moving every summer. So, I was kind of a loner, even though I had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. No long-time childhood friends when you move every summer. Most of my characters are loners, although Jenna’s sister does cover for her when she goes out on adventures.
I work in the legal profession, which by nature requires accuracy and ability to meet deadlines, as well as the ability to be organized, at least in your head, to know the status of numerous matters at all times.
What’s your background and how did that influence your work?
I work in the legal profession, which by nature requires accuracy and ability to meet deadlines, as well as the ability to be organized, at least in your head, to know the status of numerous matters at all times. Writing fantasy fiction is fun and allows me to get out of the fact-filled legal world, but each of the characters, even a dragon, must work within the facts surrounding them. In the first Jan book, once Megan was freed from her chains, she still couldn’t leave the cave because she was a giant dragon and couldn’t fit out the small stairway to get to the top!
How does where you live inspire your writing?
I live in Florida, where it is summer most of the year. Even in winter it doesn’t get too cold, and I don’t even own a heavy coat. I raised orphan squirrels for several years and started because in 2004 we had three hurricanes within a six-week period and numerous squirrel nests were blown from the trees. I rescued two of them and contacted a local wildlife group on how to raise them. While I don’t raise the babies anymore, I have “my squirrels” now whom I feed and provide water out in the back yard. One is a character in my books (Sedric from the Jenna series). I also have two red-winged hawks that perch on my fence and screen on a regular basis, we can hear them calling to each other all the time. (Taylor’s hawk from first Taylor book) We call the two hawks Mr. and Mrs. Taylor.
Have invisibility or flying?
I have always wanted to fly, ever since I was a child. That’s funny though because I hate being in airplanes – I avoid flying in an airplane at all costs, would much rather go by car. I want to be able to just take off into the air and fly somewhere, but I want to be in control. Maybe I got this from my dad – he was a pilot in the Marines for many years, yet he would not get into a commercial plane – he would drive across the country rather than take a commercial flight. He had to be in control of the airplane, or he wouldn’t get in. Sounds like a trust issue that I inherited from him.
