Today I’d like to share an interview with my friend and fellow writer, Carey Ann Starkey. Carey is the author of a fantastic supernatural New Adult series called “Witches of Coolersville”. I read the first book in the series as her beta and I’m so happy that she has since published it. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to the next books in the series.
I hope you enjoy this interview.
1) Tell us a little about your book: Witches of Coolersville is a New Adult fantasy. New Adult means the protagonist is 18-25. (Tara’s 18) She goes to live with her grandmother and discovers she’s a witch. This has been hidden from her for reasons you’ll discover when you read the book. And, she has to choose whether to follow this tradition or give it up. Chaos and romance ensue.
2) Who are some of your favorite authors? Oh, man! Definitely JK Rowling. Harry Potter is so beautiful! I also love Sarah J Maas, AC Gaughen, Philippa Greggory, just to name a few.
3) Who are some authors in your genre that inspire you? Well, I mentioned JK Rowling and Sarah J Maas. I’m still pretty new to Sarah’s work. I’ve read the first 2 in the Throne of Glass series and it was so amazing and exciting that I was exhausted after reading them. I have to catch up!
4) What are some great books you’ve read recently? I’m almost done reading “Eve- The Awakening” by Jenna Moreci. It’s her debut novel. She gives writing advice on YouTube and her book is FANTASTIC! It’s a sci-fi New Adult. She said it’s going to be 7 or 8 books total in this series. It takes place about 70 years in the future and there’s a higher evolved race of humans called Chimeras and aliens called Interlopers that are so scary. There’s too much in this book for me to explain. You have to read it.
5) What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime? I love fantasy, historical fiction, romance, the occasional sci-fi.
6) What sort of research did you do to write this book? Well, I have a private Pinterest board about spells, crystals, and herbs based on shows like Charmed when I was stuck on stuff. I haven’t really had to research this a whole lot because I have had ideas in my head for over 10 years.
7) What are you working on now? Book 2! Currently on the 3rd draft of the next book in the series.
8) Is your book a stand-alone or series? Series! I have rough notes up to book 4. On top of editing, I’m starting to outline book 3.
9) What started you down the path of writing? This particular path started when my friend Lisa and I were sitting in a little diner and we were complaining about our jobs. And we decided we were going to wo rk on what we were passionate about so we can get out of those jobs and do what we love for a living. It’s been a challenge and, unlike my friend, I haven’t been able to quit yet. Someday, though.
10) How did you break into the world of publishing? Self-publishing is a wonderful thing 🙂
11) As a new author, what is your favorite part of the writing/publishing process? Least favorite? Favorite part of the writing process is the planning and coming up with ideas. I also love writing dialogue. Flirty banter and friendly teasing.
Least favorite- Editing. I notice the most ridiculous mistakes. And then when I send it off to critique partners and they catch what I missed, that’s when the self-doubt starts to creep in. But, as long as I try to focus on that end goal, I can push through it.
12) What does your writing space look like? I share a small office with my fiancé, Joe. I use his computer until I can get a new one of my own. (Mine has been dying a slow and painful death for about 2 years)
13) What is your go-to writing snack/beverage? Coffee! With peppermint mocha creamer. That’s my boost in the morning. I also like International Delight Iced Mocha. I used to drink lots of Cherry Pepsi but I’m trying to cut that out. If I’m writing at night, I don’t want the caffeine buzz to keep me awake all night so I have herbal tea.
14) Are you a planner (detailed outline, have to know what happens) or pantser? (Flying by the seat of your pants with no plan at all) Semi-planner. I create a rough outline so I don’t become a rambling mess that I have to cut down. But, I leave some stuff open to see what my brain comes up with. I also work on 1 book at a time usually. Except the next ones. I want to try and write books 3 and 4 for NaNoWriMo this year.
15) When did you start writing? Was it something you started as a kid? When did you start seeking it professionally? I’ve always been coming up with stories since I could remember. I’d get in trouble in school because I’d write or draw stories instead of doing school work. Seeking to be a professional writer- that started in 2013? I kicked it off with my first NaNo. And, it just went from there.
16) What do you do in your free time when you’re not writing? Free time? What’s that? Haha. My free time is minimal because I do have a day job. But, I like to hang out with my friends. I go to the gym or the pool. Shopping, watching shows on Netflix.
17) What are your top three books of all time? Just three? Hmm… Diary of Anne Frank, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Little Women
18) Can you recommend any new or upcoming authors? Jenna Moreci, AC Gaughen, of course Sandy Windham 🙂 and my friend Lisa- she’s a web comic author.
19) Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?The time it takes to get a book out. I had a question on Tumblr something to the effect of “Why are you editing it and sending it to people? If you just wrote and published, you’d get three books out a year.” Yeah, but they would be full of typos and rambling descriptions and unnecessary dialogue. And I’d flop. Sure, I wrote my first draft in a month but it took another year and a half to edit it and get it to where I was satisfied. Then, I was able to share it with the world. I started this book earlier this year and I probably will be working on it for at least another 6 months before publication.
20) Do you write full time or do you have a “Day Job?” I do have a day job. In the exciting world of grocery retail! That’s not what I want to do forever, though, so it pushes me to keep writing.
21) What are some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication? Avoiding the scammers and realizing I had to do this really on my own. I almost went with a print-on-demand house that offered all these services for a seemingly great price. But, then I asked around and people said they were terrible. They also called me all the time to ask when I was going to start the process. It became so annoying. I started making excuses and then, eventually, ignoring the calls. So, I went with CreateSpace.
22) Are there any tips you can give to aspiring writers? Keep going! An author is just an aspiring writer who finished their book. There will be self-doubt. There will be outside haters and doubters. But, you have to use this as motivation. Especially the outside people. Use their doubt and hate as motivation to prove them wrong. They’re jealous, as strange as it may sound. They can’t comprehend writing a book, or something is preventing them from reaching their own dreams, so they bring down anyone who tries.
To purchase Carey’s novel you can go here:
or here:
Happy reading!
SandyShockleeWrites 