A New Year of Being Resilient in my Author Life…

As we close up the second year of the pandemic, albeit a more hopeful year than 2020, I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for us resilient humans in 2022. Perhaps resilience is the key. Being resilient in your chosen profession and your life. If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything it’s to truly be resilient in the face of adversity. To adapt, go with the flow, rebound, or be flexible. It’s how we’ve survived throughout the millennia, and how businesses choose to evolve instead of die. Remember Sears? If not, do a check and see what businesses survived during this pandemic. How did they adapt? What did people do to keep themselves (and their customers) safe and protected? That’s where the answers will lie.

With our hands tied these past two years, even authors have had to give up in-person events such as book signings and doing public readings or book launches. Zoom became our friend in order to reach readers. Social media continued to thrive, though we should be mindful of what content we allow into our energy system. If we keep our wits about us, we’ll thrive. That’s what I plan to do in 2022. With the release of my latest time travel young adult book (number three in the series) The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, last September I worked hard promoting it (mostly online) to become my publisher’s bestselling author in the second half of the year. I’m high fiving myself in the mirror for that achievement! However, being a resilient author (or insert a profession here) doesn’t stop there. Like the Covid-19 virus has trained us, we need to mutate into the next variant if we want to better our best. After all, that’s what evolution is all about.

 Speaking of evolution, my publisher is celebrating their eighth anniversary in the publishing biz in 2022, and have got an amazing deal for readers who love to escape into a book. So, without further ado, Mirror World Publishing is offering a discount of 20% off ebooks and paperbacks in their online store to their friends, family, and fans for the entire month of January 2022. How does it get any better than that! Use the code MWFAM22 to cash in on some really great reads this winter by visiting https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/discount/MWFAM22 to feed your need to read!

In case you never got the chance, please check out my candid interview with my publisher below as we go ‘beyond the bio’. I share some personal and professional info, as well as what’s happening next in my author life. Cheers and wishing you and your loved ones a safe and wonderful new year! Happy reading…

 Tell us a bit about yourself, your hobbies, or your background.

Only a bit? LOL! Actually, I really think my Twitter account bio nails it: Author of THE LAST
TIMEKEEPERS and MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS YA series. Lover of single malt scotch, anything arcane, and ancient mysteries.

Allow me to explain.

I’ve always loved watching shows or reading about the unexplained, supernatural, ancient mysteries, and legends throughout my life. Topics like Atlantis, the Druids, Robin Hood, Voodoo, monsters, and psychic abilities intrigue me. I’m a deep thinker, as well as an analytical thinker (in fact I’m an over-thinker) which prods me on to do the research needed to get those golden ‘fact’ nuggets I can use to make my books entertaining and educational for the reader.

Of course, the single malt scotch needs no explanation after a hard day of writing. Cheers!

What's your writing process like?

Cut a vein and write. Kidding. My writing process is always the same for every book. First, I start with the characters and build the story around them. The characters—my characters—must carry the story to completion, and give readers closure. It’s a must. In order to do this, I begin writing out character tracking sheets (stats on character appearances, clothing, likes and dislikes, etc.) which have served me well throughout the writing process. Then the fun begins. Research, research, and more research. I love this part of the process too. Only when I have enough facts, and I feel my characters are fleshed out sufficiently, then I begin to plot the novel. That’s another thing—I’m an intuitive plotter and love to outline the entire storyline. I also make sure I leave enough room for my Muse to pop in and direct me to where my imagination wishes to go.

Hindsight has taught me that I’m a little anal when it comes to managing my writing life, and love to be prepared and organized when getting to the guts of a story. Guess that’s how I’m built!

Tell us about your books and why you write in the genre that you do, or for the age market you've chosen.

A psychic once told me I’d always be a little girl at heart, so I figured why not write for her? I believe the young adult genre chose me, and not the other way around. The first book I penned was a supernatural romance thriller with shapeshifters, witches, and African folklore in the mix. When I received a critique from a dear friend who said my ‘voice’ was definitely more for the young adult crowd, I almost fell off the chair in shock. The more I thought about it, the more I knew in my heart that her constructive critique was bang-on.

Presently, I have two young adult book series on the go: The Last Timekeepers time travel adventures, and Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mysteries. Both series contain a healthy dose of humor, mystery, and the unexpected; served with a dash of inspiration, entertainment, and education on the side.

What do you have going on right now in your writing life? Anything new we should be looking out for?

Well, the third installment (fourth if you count the prequel) of The Last Timekeepers series entitled, The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave came out on September 17^th, 2021 which I was so excited about! It’s been a long time coming, as this book was put on the backburner so I could release books one and two of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. Once I caught up with those launches, it was back to the writing grindstone to complete the next time travel adventure which is set in antebellum Georgia during 1855. My poor characters are in for the rides of their lives with this Timekeeper mission!

Currently, I’m working on the next book in Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Sticks and Stones, where the main character’s latent psychokinetic ability is unleased in the most unexpected ways. So, keep an eye out for this book in the near future!   

Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series:

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries…

Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with this freakish power. There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go.

Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.

Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.