Today’s writer spotlight is Stevie Greenfield. Stevie is an erotica writer combining real world stories with fiction to produce fascinating literature in her chosen genre! Among writing, Stevie is a talented painter and produces some eye-catching portraits.
It was a pleasure to be able to learn a little more about the journey they have taken. Enjoy the following and be sure to show your support! Without further ado…
Where do you live?
I am very fortunate to live in a wonderful small town in northern California where art & wine rule.
Why are you a writer?
I have kept a journal of story ideas & experiences for decades. I knew someday I would sit down and write a book about one of them. But like many of us…I was too busy with life. Finally, I decided to move away from the hustle & bustle of Silicon Valley. For the last two years, I’ve immersed myself in the things I love. Writing, painting…and wine.
What do you enjoy about writing?
My first two books were from personal experiences. It was fun & easy to immerse myself as the main character. The words and the story poured out of me. My third book isn’t from personal experience and has been a little more challenging, but I still enjoy being immersed in a story.
Tell us about your most recent works
My first book (The Obsession) is about a young thirty-something man who falls in lust…then love for a young teenage girl. The story is also about the young girl’s journey in their relationship. My 2nd book is a very fun story about a young couple’s day to day experience when they decide to take a nude swingers cruise for their anniversary. (Our First Swingers Cruise). They are not swingers. Every day is full of surprises. Remember, both of these books are to some degree from my personal experiences.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
I love writing erotica. I don’t have a desire to change. But I do have a story about the true nature of reality, in which I share a very different perspective regarding Christianity & the entity referred to as Jesus. But don’t hold your breath on that one. Erotica is way more fun to write about.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
No. I’m a writer….and not much of a reader. Although a part of me says it would be good for me to read how others craft their words. I’m just too busy and not motivated.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Yes. My WIP is not derived from personal experience, thus it has been more challenging. It’s about the abduction of a man. I cannot say anymore, but don’t forget my genre is erotica.
Where can people buy your books?
My books are available on Amazon, Etsy & my own website. You can also see my artwork on Etsy & my website.
2. Editing & making it perfect will be tedious, but its essential. Assemble a small group of friends & family to help….but still pay a professional to do a final read thru.
3. And finally, if you truly want to sell books, know that it will be up to you to market your book….everyday!
Most authors list it on Amazon and wait. Trust me, nothing will happen unless you generate interest.
It was lovely to learn more about Stevies writing. As for final comments Stevie had these kind words to say:
“Thank you Thomas for allowing me to participate in your endeavor. Thank you also for being a very nice person…and a friend. I see on Twitter you have an abundance of admirers.”
Welcome to yet another wonderful and insightful author interview. This time we are allowed to meet the No. 1 Bestselling Author, of #smut!
Alexa took the time to chat to me initially over social media to discuss this interview, and I found her work titillating and somewhat wildly different to the usual as she does not have the usual alpha males in her stories but rather the geeks and gamers of our world. I found Level Up to be branding ingenuity. There also seems to be plenty to read from her too!
Alexa Sommers is a best-selling erotic fiction author with a taste for both the sweet and the nasty.
Alexa’s Philosophy: The sexual experience, be it written, read, or enacted, cannot be rushed. It must be savored and prolonged to push forth the lust and desire. It must not only be loved but lived, for only then can we reach the heights we seek.
Where do you live? I’m currently bundled up in a toasty igloo north of the border, eating poutine, watching hockey and waiting for my pet moose to deliver a Timmy’s double double.
Why are you a writer? My standard reply to this question is “to stop the voices in my head from taking over my life” and, while humorous, that’s not far from the truth. When I’m really feeling a story it plays out in my mind on repeat. Spinning constantly and forming until I finally start to put it down and let it free. Writing is cathartic, it’s a form of freeing myself and finding peace. I’ve been a writer my entire life and I always tell people that you write for yourself, you write for the art, the joy, they feeling… you publish for money. That last step was something I didn’t decide to do until early 2020.
What do you enjoy about writing? For me it is an escape, almost like meditation. I can regress internally and let the story flow, freeing my mind from all the everyday rigors and concerns of life. When it works it’s perfect. When it doesn’t it is one of the most frustrating things I know of.
Tell us about your most recent works: Oddly all my published work is “recent” or at least within the last 2.5 years, but I am currently working on a number of projects. I have sequels to both Terms of Service and Spiritual Awakening underway. Both of these are often requested and in the case of Paranormal Bondage (the Spiritual Awakening sequel) it’s become a running joke that I may never finish it. I have a collaborative project with 14 or 15 other authors planned for this fall which will revolve around a Comic/Game Convention and I have what I call the “epic”, which is a long term novel project I’m working on, it leans fantasy but as with all my work the sexual experience is ever present.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose? Mystery. I have always wanted to try my hand at a detective novel and may make it a priority sometime in the future.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write? I’m an avid reader so that list is long but Agatha Christie was a big influence at a young age as were Nora Roberts and Nicholas Sparks in my teens and twenties. In recent years I’ve tried to stay away from taking inspiration from other authors so as to find my own voice.
Are you working on anything at the moment? I’m aiming for a Halloween release for Paranormal Bondage and have a few small projects I’ll be working in over the summer. I just released a short “charity” project, Cucked by a Cop, which is part of my “eviscerate you in fiction” series of satire erotica.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? Write… don’t worry about everything that will follow. The first step is to get your story down, no matter how error riddled and in desperate need of editing it may be. Far too many people give up before the first draft is down because they don’t think it has value. Your draft will be a disaster. It’s supposed to be. Fixing it comes later.
Where can people buy your books? All my work can be found on Amazon at :
Alexa was happy for me to post this interview and I am humbled to have had a chance to gain insight into the authors life and works! Many thanks for reading and show your love by liking, commenting, reblogging and everything else. Have a wonderful day.
I had the pleasure of interviewing a very talented writer of erotica; Rosie Banks! She took the time to talk to me over Twitter as I began to read some of her blog posts on Medium. From there I became pretty obsessed with her work and decided to ask her on this spotlight! She said yes, I blushed, shook and went weak in the knees. I’m not going to ramble but I am so glad to be able to share this with you all, she is a wonderfully vivid writer, with a great taste and talent that will grow from seed to flower in no time, it will transform from caterpillar to butterfly before you know it.
Rosie Banks is the author, editor, and curator of kinky bitesize erotica on Medium and Amazon Kindle. She has been writing professionally for nine months, and writing erotica professionally for three. Her already extensive catalogue contains stories in the BDSM, hypnosis, and cuckoldry kinks, although this is by no means exhaustive. In addition to her erotic short stories, Rosie keeps a semi-regular blog, where she talks about her experiences as an erotic writer, advice she’d give to those interested in entering the erotica field, as well as musings on the genre in general.
Why are you a writer?
Starting with the easy questions I see. Ehm… hmm… I guess I’m a writer because I have this insatiable, and at times perverted, imagination, and writing is the only medium I’ve found that as near as possible captures what’s in my head. Writing comes fairly naturally to me, and I enjoy it. Sure, it can be a chore sometimes, and when the ideas aren’t coming it’s absolutely infuriating, but most of the time writing is fun and a little exciting—on occasion, very exciting… I love it and I wouldn’t want to do anything else with my life, and probably won’t.
What do you enjoy about writing?
Two things: One, I love that I can sit and let my imagination flow without any boundaries. I always feel such excitement when I sit in front of a blank screen, wondering where I’ll be taken to today. It’s marvellous! Two, I honestly enjoy the process of trying to convert what’s in my head into cold, hard scribbles on the page. It’s like a puzzle with no right answers. And the satisfaction of hearing your story made an impact on someone, there’s no other way to describe it: pure joy.
Tell us about your most recent works
Most recently, I’ve been writing approx. 1,200-2,500-word stories on Medium that I publish about twice a week. Almost all of these have been erotica, although a couple have been more straightforward blog posts. My erotic stories generally deal with someone who’s craving something: satisfaction, excitement, danger, ecstasy—perhaps a combination of these. I usually write from a first-person perspective, as I find it the most intimate and vulnerable. I also often write in the present, as the immediacy helps create suspense… and arousal.
Essentially, when you read my stuff, I want you to feel the same pleasure the protagonist feels: be in bed with them, feel the cord around their wrists—the gag in their mouth, whimper as someone caresses their body, lose control in the ecstasy of the moment. Whether or not I succeed in that is up to the reader to decide.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
I’d choose horror, or at least spooky (is that a genre?) Anyway, as I believe I’ve written elsewhere, I’m a big fan of classic Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories, as well as the Weird Fiction of the early twentieth-century. I regularly listen to recordings of these classic spooky stories (you can find them on YouTube), and they’re a huge influence – oddly – on my erotic writing. I won’t bore you here, but I could go on and on about how similar good horror and erotica are. To me, they’re just two sides of the same coin.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
Hm, that’s an interesting question. Yes and no. Inspired me to write? No really… My grandfather, after he retired, wrote short stories for a while. I knew about it as a kid but didn’t really care. I regret that I didn’t take a more active interest in his work, but I wouldn’t say he “inspired” me.
On the other hand, there are plenty of authors whose writing has directly influenced my work. I don’t have time to name them all, but here are the top five. Hopefully, in a future blog post, I’ll be able to go into more detail on how they’ve influenced my work.
In no particular order, except for maybe Wodehouse, my influences are:
P. G. Wodehouse
A. J. Alan (aka Leslie Harrison Lambert)
George MacDonald Fraser
M. R. James
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Are you working on anything at the moment?
At the time of this interview, I’m in the process of editing about ten erotic short stories that (fingers crossed) will be going up between now and the middle of July. I write pretty voraciously, so I’m always juggling more stories than I know what to do with. I try to follow a strict schedule, but sometimes the hypnotic call of a particularly juicy story is too good to resist.
The three that will be going up next are as follows: one about the fallout of a one night stand; another about the answer to a voyeur’s prayers; the third is… well… something a little different. It’s called, “Seduced By The Sea.” It’s a mix of erotica and… horror? Not quite sure. You can see for yourself what that one’s about when it eventually gets published.
Where can people buy your books?
If people are interested in my work, they should go to my Medium page. This is the best place to find my stories and blog posts, receive updates on upcoming projects, and support me through reading. People can (if they’d like) buy a few of my longer stories on Amazon Kindle or read them for free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Yikes, there’s so much I want to say. Hmm… well, with brevity in mind, I’d recommend that anyone interested in writing professionally should just start. Like today. Sit down with a favorite drink, maybe a little snack, and bang out some writing. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s good or not. What’s important, I’ve found, is the consistent practice of writing. Over time, with enough patience and practice, you’ll get better at translating what’s in your head to words on the screen.
And also bear in mind, there are no gatekeepers in writing—not any more. Unlike the good old days when you had to rely on publishers for your weekly bread, today, you can make money by writing and publishing directly online like I do: either on a site like Medium, or Amazon Kindle, or on your own blog.
Starting is so hard. But really, once you get going, it’s so easy to make a habit of it. Find a time that works for you, dedicate that as your “Writing Time”, and just do it every day, or every other day, or whatever. As long as you’re persistent, you’ll start seeing progress.
Writing is difficult. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t a professional writer. It’s okay to feel discouraged and angry and upset and depressed and everything else. In fact, it’d be weird if you didn’t sometimes feel that way. Just remember to keep going. And little by little… well, you know.
Oh, and have fun! Because, I mean really, if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?
Any other comments?
I’m sure I’ll think of something later, but for now I’m happy with these.
*You can find Rosie Banks work at the following. I already follow her on Medium and recommend you do the same.
Rosie, thank you again for taking the time to do this interview around your busy writing schedule. We all appreciate a good writer, and especially one who can take us deep into the erotica experience and spit us out leaving us wanting more. She had these remarks about allowing me to publish this post:
“Yes, I am; and thank you again, Thomas, for offering to do this. I really appreciate it!”
Well, there you go! Enjoy your day and as always, like, comment, follow and reblog! Go check out the writer!
I had the pleasure of being able to talk to yet another talented author. This time getting to chat to a very unique individual who is converting her scripts into novels! Without further introduction please enjoy reading this post because it was a pleasure for me to meet Juliet Delta.
Juliet Delta was born in Wales, an entrepreneur, trained actor, and writer, with a love for fashion and the arts. She moved to London in 2012 where her work as a screenwriter grew, creating dramas and thrillers over the following decade. Recently converting her scripts into novels, the first, of several to come, being the crime thriller DI ADAM JAEGER: The Cleansing, in 2019, released in 2022 as an ebook and paperback.
Why are you a writer?
I started as a screenwriter due to having an imagination that acting wasn’t quite fulfilling. I then found a new path, that I could convert my decade of screenplays into novels, and found some of them would fit the medium extremely well.
What do you enjoy about writing?
I think the process of planting your imagination onto a computer screen, or be it paper, can be quite cathartic and exhilarating, especially when there’s lots of ideas speeding around your head and they slowly begin to connect. There’s real satisfaction in that part.
Tell us about your most recent works
My debut novel, DI ADAM JAEGER: The Cleansing, is a crime fiction novel based on the idea of ‘what if’…what if a persons family had been wiped out by the Nazi’s and they wished to take revenge? It’s more than just a revenge story, it’s a character reveal with sub plots, which are the real juice in this fruit.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
I’m not sure a ‘new genre’ is possible as the main stream will always bundle it in with a current genre. However, I would like to have the skills to write an action book where you can choose different paths, to go to different pages, and finish on a different ending. If you remember those books?
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
I dont have any certain authors to name, as I generally read autobiographies, but I am impressed with Neil Gaiman books. I read ‘Neverwhere’ a while ago and it was super eerie, his expressive description is quite detailed and I do envy the pictures he paints with a few well placed words!
Are you working on anything at the moment?
At the moment I am toying with the next screenplay to convert into a novel. I have a true crime story or an anti-hero fiction that I’m deciding between. I think it has to be a clever and conscious decision when following up on a debut. I am multi-genre, so I also have some dramas, action, and an apocalyptic sci-fi story to come too.
Where can people buy your books?
So far, the debut novel is self published and for sale only on Amazon as an ebook or paperback, but I am currently looking to get it onto other platforms as well.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
There’s too much advice to actually take in and utilise, so I would only ever really believe that any artist should simply learn the technicalities from others or courses. The art itself will come from the artist in which ever style they connect with. Once you’re at that stage of flowing, just go with it and put the hours in!
Thank you for reading and be sure to like, comment, reblog and follow if you enjoyed this writer spotlight! Juliet was happy for me to post this on her behalf so for her time I am very grateful. If you would show her support then that is greatly appreciated as ever. Have a wonderful day!
I had the chance to talk to an aspiring writer. She took the time to talk about her writing and her WordPress story a little. I was glad to meet her. She goes by the name LevBossBabe.
Hi there! I am a beginning writer from the Bay Area. I write during downtime at my job. I have no books out yet, but that is the dream! Currently, I am writing a satirical, fictional blog called Lev: Boss Babe. It is a comedy that plays on start-up culture and office hierarchies. I reflect often on the drama that comes when we realize how much time we spend working and what that does to how we see ourselves and how we see others. You can find it at Princessmushroom.com.
What are your favourite books?
I am a huge sci-fi nerd even though I am not writing anything related to the genre: I love Neil Gaiman, the Game of Thrones series, Harry Potter, Dune. I love productivity books like Atomic Habits, Getting Things Done, and The Life-Changing Joy of Tidying Up. I am currently reading Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
There was never a time where I didn’t want to be a writer. As a child, I was a precocious reader, starting with A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
What is your favourite part of the writing process? What is your least favourite and how do you get through it?
I love those chapters that I just seem to spit out without effort. Dialogue is important to my stories, especially inner dialogue as I jump between perspectives.
Sometimes, it can take a month to write a chapter because nothing seems good enough. I keep it pushing during those times—I made a promise to write at least 20 minutes a day, and I keep it pushing even when I feel I am putting out crap!
What is your writing routine?
I am fortunate in that I have a lot of downtime at work. I write at least 20 minutes a day, but I don’t hold back when I get into a flow state and can write for hours! Professionally, I am an administrator, so I am used to creating systems for work. I do the same with my writing: I have “funnels” for chapters, characters, and the plot in general.
How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?
I categorize goals and create weekly goals within those categories aka Getting Things Done by David Allen. I always bring my kit: my notebook, laptop, calendar, paper container (not a binder!), and fancy pens wherever I go. I try to gamify all my tasks and goals to make them as satisfying as possible to complete. Finally, I am a HUGE list-maker and reflect on my goals once or twice a month to see where I can grow.
What inspires you? How do you beat writers block?
To be honest, I feel that without writing and storytelling, my life is meaningless. I don’t enjoy working and don’t care about having a career. Even if I was the last person on the world, I would write: it gives purpose to my pain and accentuates delight.
How do you keep consistent/write a lot?
See 6. I have a journal where I reflect on my habits everyday. I found that 20 minutes works for me: If flow is going to happen, it will happen in that timeframe. Also, I am incredibly blessed to have a pretty slow and flexible job with a short commute.
Also, I have learned to accept bad writing days for what they are—temporary. On those days, I write on the backs of envelopes or scraps of paper just to get something out. I only require at least 20 minutes a day, so if nothing comes out after that time frame, I don’t torture myself. Self-kindness goes a long way on bad brain days!
Does anyone read or edit your work before publication? If so, how did you find them?
My boyfriend I am always up to making writing friends!
Can we have a sneaky look at your future plans?
Yes! I plan on developing the backgrounds and plots of the co-workers in the office! There is also a huge drama unfolding in the company… the only hint that I will provide is that it is inspired by true and recent controversies in Silicon Valley.
Finally, what advice would you give to other writers?
I have only 5 subscribers so far so I am not sure I would be considered an inspiration. Maybe one day! 😊 But I can’t imagine spending my free time doing anything else, and I treasure my small and humble beginning right now. I look forward to building a community of people who just love a good story.
Angela Suttner took the time to discuss her writing with me and how she wanted to raise awareness of such an important topic: bullying. I was excited to hear about her writing journey and what it meant to her as she had a unique story to tell. I’m sure you will all enjoy reading as much as I did.
Hi, my name is Angela Suttner, I’m 44 years old, a wife for almost 24 years and the mother of four wonderful sons. I grew up in a very small town ( pop 300) so creativity as a kid was a must to have fun!
My husband and I raise our children in the outskirts of a small river town, where we still reside. I love nature, animals and I have an obsession with weather. I’m one of those people who would love to go on a tornado chase!
I’m also a bereaved parent of five years & (almost) 5 months since we lost our second born son, Kenny. I now spend my time raising awareness and prevention against bullying and suicide ( bullycide). My hope is to help anyone who is dealing with bullying or knows of someone who is. To honor our son by saving a life, that is my ultimate goal.
Where do you live?
I live in a small river town, Glasgow, Missouri.
Why are you a writer?
As a young girl I wrote stories and poems a lot. Instead of a journal or diary, I expressed my feelings through creative writing.
I co-wrote this book to honour my son and I wanted his story told to help others. There are so many articles about my son available but I felt like Kenny, who he was, was never really talked about much. So I decided to write Kenny’s book! Kenny’s story needed to be told!
What do you enjoy about writing?
Writing is freeing in many ways for me!
Writing for me is like sitting with an old friend and just purging all that’s stirring in my mind. Writing has been a major outlet for me while struggling with the grief of losing my son.
Tell us about your most recent works
The book that I co-wrote with my dear friend Lindsay Schraad, Where The Trail Ends: The Kenny Suttner Story, was released October, 2020.
Telling my son’s story was extremely difficult and some days I wasn’t sure I would be able to complete it, but I knew in my heart I needed to accomplish this goal for Kenny, myself and with so much hope of helping others.
I also maintain a blog post. There I talk about day to day struggles with loss, grief and bullying /suicide.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
Supernatural
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
My biggest supporter who inspired me to share my writing with the world is my co-author, Lindsay Schraad. Without her I would have never had the courage to share my son with the world!
Are you working on anything at the moment?
I am, I have a good start on a new project about the paranormal and hauntings based mostly on my own past experiences.
Where can people buy your books?
Where The Trail Ends: The Kenny Suttner Story, is available on Amazon, paperback and kindle.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
My advice would be to just keep writing.. I know I had days when I doubted myself, questioned whether or not our book would be well received. But I can honestly say that once the book was released the sense of relief was amazing. Accomplishing something I set my mind on was an award in itself.
My hope is that Where The Trail Ends: The Kenny Suttner Story ends up in the hands of those who need to know they are not alone.
Angela was happy to be a part of this interview and I thank her for her time. I am so grateful that we have authors who are raising awareness for important issues, because we need that now more than ever. You will enjoy her book and I encourage you to support this. Thank you for reading and as usual have a wonderful day.
I’ve managed to have a chat with yet another incredible writer. This time Sandra S. Frankowska is telling me about her writing journey and about her incredibly inspiring fantasy series! I hope you enjoy what she had to say, I know I loved every minute and thank you for taking the time to read!
S.S. Frankowska
Sandra S. Frankowska is the author of the epic fantasy series Heroes Of the Shadow. When she is not writing, Sandra is either working at the ed-tech start-up, reading, painting or rock climbing.
Some of Frankowska’s favourite reads include The Lord Of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Journey to the Center of the Earth by J. Verne, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Dark Tower by S. King, Jurassic Park by M. Crichton, The Drift by C. Aufenthie and The Hunger Games by S. Collins.
Where do you live?
Recently moved out from London to a small village in Kent, UK called South Darenth.
Why are you a writer?
My passion for writing comes from my passion for reading. For as long as I can remember, I always enjoyed discovering other worlds and losing myself in them. Writing was about the same, just on the brand new levels. I plotted my series in my head long before I wrote the very first word on paper. I drew places and creatures that existed nowhere but in my mind to get them out of my head. Drawing soon wasn’t enough. I painted, sculptured, and tried other forms of expressing it, but with time, nothing worked. My characters began to appear to tell their stories, and I found myself plotting it all on paper before I even realised that this was what I was doing.
Eventually, writing became a coping mechanism for me. It was a way to take a step away from the crazy world we live in and immerse myself in the new place, which only I could explore. It became a way for me to process things I found difficult to process otherwise. To express things that matters to me, that I often felt no one else cared about.
As the first chapters formed, I realised I have a story to tell. A story that I couldn’t find anywhere else, and that I enjoyed. A story that I was looking for in other books, but it wasn’t there. How could it be there? It was inside me this whole time.
What do you enjoy about writing?
There are many things I love about writing.
First one is plotting. I spend a lot of time daydreaming, with my mind travelling across different worlds and timelines to see how the story will develop. I treasure these moments a lot. Being able to see all of that in my head makes me to realise how gifted and lucky I am. Detaching myself from excel tables, grocery planning and paying bills to figure out how the world with dinosaurs and dragons living in one place could look like makes me feel complete. I may be physically still here, but with my mind, I can be just anywhere. Isn’t human brain amazing?
Second thing I love about writing is how it makes me feel the emotions that not only are not mine but also belong to a fictional character. Yet, they are real to me. I write a scene and I catch myself smiling. I write a scene and suddenly realise that my heart is speeding up. My characters are somewhere high up and I feel dizzy. None of this happened, and yet I felt it all.
Finally, writing is self-discovery. My plot and my characters force me to ask myself questions I wouldn’t ask myself otherwise. To understand the complexity of thousands of different experiences that impact the smallest decisions we take. To see how resilient and brave I am. Writing and publishing isn’t an easy process. Many of us experience self-doubts on regular basis, struggles to be seen, and receive little to no support on the way. Realising how much strength you have to continue, nevertheless, should be a huge thing. It was for me. I never knew I had it until I started to write.
Tell us about your most recent works
My debut epic fantasy novel came out last year. “Heroes Of the Shadow. Blue Scar Indeabinito” is a first book in the 24-books-long planned series. It’s a story of a soldier, Thomas McCartney, who was taken to another world called the Indeabinito. It’s a world filled with mythical creatures and other humanoid races, some of which remind him of things he knew (like mermaids and centaurs), some are completely new to him.
While the Indeabinito world has a lot to offer, Thomas actually spends most of his time trying to find a way back to his home. His father is a soldier, and so is he. Taken to another world, he’s worried that people will consider his disappearance a one thing that he would never do: a desertion.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
Based on books that I love, my first choice to try something new, would be a dystopian fiction.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
I rarely take people for role models (too easy to get disappointed). There are, however, authors whose art inspired me to write. The two key series that made me to write were The Chronicles of Narnia and Jurassic Park + Jurassic World. The first one, for the simple reason: I loved the idea of the portals that existed in our world and could take you to somewhere else. Exploring Narnia made me to fall in love with fantasy and limitless possibilities it offers. That was my “what” to write.
Jurassic Park and Jurassic World made me to realise the impact of a good story. While I enjoyed the movies, these books carried so much more in them. Particularly Jurassic Park has this one scene that explains how systems used in the park were designed with logical error, and how simple and easy to miss that error was. Everything that happened later was just a huge consequence of one wrong assumption. The way M. Crichton plotted important messages into the world that didn’t exist but felt as if it could be real, was my “why” to write.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
I’m currently working on getting my second book in the series ready to publish later this year, while also outlining book #3.
Where can people buy your books?
My books at the moment are only available on Amazon.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
First of all, you are only aspiring until you start to write. As soon as you started, you are a writer, and never let anyone take it away from you. Other than that, treat anything you hear regarding the writing process as an advice, not as a rule. Writing is an art. There is no such a thing like one size fits all. We all do it in different ways. That’s why our stories are unique. Try different things, experiment, but never force yourself into something that doesn’t work for you.
Writing is not easy, but you should enjoy it. Otherwise, what’s the point?
It was incredible to speak to such a talented author. I thank you for your continued support and for reading, so if you liked, like, comment and follow and reblog!
Writing spotlight number 2 is indie author/writer Chris. A fantasy writer predominantly on Wattpad where you can read his fantasy epic for free. I had the pleasure of talking to Christopher about his work and he wanted to sum up his writing life which is great. So without further introduction, please enjoy his story on creating his work The Search for the Eoz Potion. He had a rather philosophical and religious outlook on his work, which was different.
Everything is Temporary
I’m not a good writer. I struggle to fill in the minor details of a story and to have them amount to any kind of larger purpose. I’m also really bad with typos, but that’s not relevant to this blog pist…I mean, “post.” (I also have a cheesy sense of humor.)
About five years ago, I had an idea for a fantasy story. I had never written one before and didn’t really even enjoy reading them much, but my kids and I had just finished the Harry Potter series and were struggling to find something new to read together. Like any good father/writer, I decided I would write one for them. This is where my problem with being a bad writer becomes important. Better, I suppose, to be a bad writer than a bad father.
Frustrated, I decided to turn to the children for help. I explained the basic idea – a girl searching in a secret world for a magic potion to cure her sick friend – then gave each child a character to help develop. They came up with the personality, backstory, physical description, and all the other details. We mapped out a basic plot diagram and then I worked on fitting all the pieces together into one coherent story. Once I was able to convince them to hold off on the giant half chicken/half penguin monster until the sequel (stay on the lookout for that one, folks…), we ended up with what I thought was a pretty solid story about sacrifice and friendship that we called “The Search for the Eoz Potion.” I have been posting it free on Wattpad here.
So that took care of the specific details of the story, but what about the second part of writing I’m bad at, giving the story a larger meaning? This is something I always overthought as a writer, but this time around it kind of took care of itself.
About the same time that I was writing the book, I had the opportunity to learn from a man who is both a Jewish Rabbi and a Lutheran Pastor. Over the course of a week long lecture series, he taught about the original Hebrew text of some of the more famous passages from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible including the book of Ecclesiasties. He taught us that the famous proclamation from Solomon that “everything is meaningless” is better translated as everything is “vapor” or “breath.” The Hebrew word “chevel” that is often translated as “meaningless” is better understood, he argued, as referring to something that is temporary.
So where is the connection, you may ask. Well, I have always shied away from stories about fantasy worlds because of how complex they can be to write (again, see opening line about my writing ability), but also because as a reader myself I often found them to be far fetched and removed from reality. I preferred stories that spoke to what I saw around me, but when I would try to write them, they were too boring to even force my closest friends and family to read.
Chevel solved these problems. It gave me a better appreciation of how books that create fantasy worlds that exist parallel to our own reality can help us to better understand the world. What we experience everyday is meaningless, it is temporary, it is a vapor that exists only briefly. There is, in fact, something more. Obviously when we put it in its biblical context it means something much more complex than a simple blog post could uncover, but I’ve learned that fantasy writing is far more consequential than I ever truly appreciated.
In “The Search for the Eoz Potion,” for example, the main characters’ time in the “fantasy world” gives them a deeper sense of purpose in the “real world.” There is a moment when one of the characters has a flashback to her life back home. She remembers the pressures her parents put on her to be the best at school, in her extracurricular activities, and in sports. She recognizes that her inability to ever live up to their expectations is crippling her, and she then comes to the following realization:
“School, student council, softball, none of it mattered in the Garden. She liked that. She had one goal, one thing to focus on – finding the Eoz Potion.”
I recently had the pleasure of talking to self published author Dani Puteri, who has so far self published 3 books. She had a lot of interesting things to say about her writing process and gave some helpful tips for aspiring writers. Here’s what this young, talented lady had to say about her work, after I put a series of questions to her.
Dani Puteri
Where do you live?
My country is known as an archipelagic country and has a lot of beautiful tourist spots and must be visited. Tourist attractions also include nature tourism, cultural tourism and historical tourism. The nature tourism itself is in the form of mountains, beaches, islands and much more. I like my country which only has two seasons, hot and rainy.
Why are you a writer?
I guess at first by chance. I never thought that I could write a book. Two years ago a friend told me that he had the belief that I could write a book. At the time I just thought it was a joke. It took a lot of effort and a long time. But here I am, I have self-published three books and I am satisfied that in the end, I was able to achieve that dream.
What do you enjoy about writing?
I can forget everything, distract myself from all my problems, just focus on my writing. I don’t know why, but every time I write something, it just flows and I can’t hold it in.
Tell us about your most recent works
“Another Mistake” is my first book that I wrote. My own experience, as well as my experience as a mental health volunteer, influenced me a lot when I wrote this book. This book is about Sara, young women who have dark past. This book is about her life story in the past and how she can finally go through it all and come to terms with her trauma. Heartbroken because she was dumped by her first love, she was severely traumatized. Her friendship with Ray and Andre, her Dad’s love for her and her childhood friend, all of that helped her through all the troubles in her life. In this book I want everyone who reads knows that even though in life we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean that we can’t fix those mistakes. That all decisions will have consequences, whether it’s ultimately the right decision or we make another mistake.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
I am interested in writing children’s stories. It was really a challenge for me. I hope someday I can make it happen.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
My Dad. He inspired me when I wrote Another Mistake. He’s already passed away and maybe this book without me knowing, I just want to show him that I really miss his presence.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
For a while I focused on being a mental health volunteer and sometimes blog.
Where can people buy your books?
They can get my book on Amazon.com, Rakuten Kobo
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Never give up, everything is not easy, sometimes it takes a long time and a long process. If you sincerely do what you love, then one day you will definitely get good results, or maybe even more beautiful than what you have imagined.
I’m glad I got to do this interview for psychedelicwizard.org !
I appreciate you taking the time to read this author interview with the Dani Puteri, who has been quite successful so far in her writing journey and I wish her all the best for her future works. Let’s show her some support by liking, commenting, reblogging and anything else you might think could help her. I am grateful for her for her time she gave to talk to me.
For further upcoming interviews with writers stay tuned. If you would like a chance to be in my writer spotlight then please email psychwizard@yahoo.com or alternatively use the contact page.
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