
I am an up-and-coming author who just released my first book entitled Heart of Gold on Amazon. I love animals and have a saltwater fish tank. I am a laid-back girl just trying to bring happiness to others with my writing and maybe teach people a few things along the way. I am an advocate for human rights, BLM, LGBTQ+ and will always try to do my best to help in this world when human rights are involved.
Where are you from?
I am from Phoenix, Arizona
Why do you write?
I write for many reasons, the first of which is that I just really enjoy it. I also really like creating poems, short stories and things that bring others joy. It’s probably very similar to when you cook something and get to see people or hear about how people enjoyed it, it warms my heart.
What do you write about?
I try to write about several different topics, my new book is about PTSD and mental health, I also have poems about coping and healing as well. But I’m a sucker for love poems, and stories about underdogs that overcome the odds.
Do you have a specific writing style?
My writing style is probably pretty weird to most people, I just kinda sit down and right. I let my creativity flow and then format and edit after, which while I am writing is great, but the future me that edits it is never happy about it.
What are obstacles that come in the way of writing?
I think like most people today, having time and money. Our bills, responsibilities and just life make it hard to sit down and do the things that make us happy let alone having the ability to actually chase their dream. So having the ability to be able to have the extra time to write is challenging sometimes.
What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work?
I think it has to be the simple thing of having people let me know it made them smile or brought them joy.
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing poetry on and off since high school, however I started my Indy author journey about two and a half yours ago.
When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
I wanted to become a writer at a young age, as early as I can remember. I also had problems sleeping, so I would create stories in my head to entertain myself. I will admit it was never a main job choice, but I also had the dream of writing a book.
What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
I can right as the mood strikes me, I found out early on that forcing myself to write lead to unimaginative boring works. That being said I tend to write more late at night like after 11PM and can sometimes go until 5AM the next morning.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to listen to music when I work, this sometimes makes me get up and dance when a good song comes on. I try to keep my spirits in a happy creative place, so I try to have fun with it.
How long does it take to write a book?
My newly released book took me a little over 2 years, that did include several breaks where I worked on other things and also got too busy with work and life to focus on it.
Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?
Take feedback and run with it, not all feedback you get will be good. However, if your audience is telling you to work on something work on it. Get that feedback its scary, I remember always fearing showing anyone my work. Later in life though I learned from Ms. Brene Brown, that you have to get into the arena of life and take chance and be vulnerable to truly grow as a person and to achieve your dreams. That vulnerability is what allows you to fail, learn, grow and the opportunity allows you to succeed.
What challenges do you come across when writing/creating your story?
I always try to create a story that not only is interesting to read but has a message in it too. I grew up in the millennial generation, we had cartoons that taught you lessons and values. I got to see Mr. Rodgers teach us about being kind and so many other things. That inspired me to try and do the same thing with my work, and that’s the challenge being entertaining and informative you gotta try and stay away from being preachy and try to not ruin your message by glossing over it by focusing too much on entertainment.
What do you think makes a good story?
Something that makes you want to come back to it, that hook that makes you go, I gotta see what happens next. I think that we’ve all stayed up way past our bedtimes and both children and adults watching a TV show. Those late-night Netflix binges that make you need an extra strong iced coffee the next morning while you try not to fall asleep in a meeting.
What does your family think of your writing?
They always encouraged my writing, However I was very private and protective over my work for a long time, so they probably didn’t know till recently that I wrote.
Do you see writing as a career?
I really hope I can make a living off writing; I don’t need to be a rich author or anything like that. I do want to have the ability to be my own boss that writing brings. I want to be able to spend time with my family, my boyfriend and try to do some good things in the world and time is a very valuable resource for that.
Do you have anything specific you would like to tell the readers?
Yes, I would urge anyone in need of help to go and get it. The social stigma alone can scare many people away, especially men as the very wrong perception of it makes it seem like they are weak for getting help. I believe however, it is strong to get help not weak. Mental health is very important, and you need to heal from mental trauma just like physical trauma. The bottom line is, go get help if you need it. That is way I included resources in my book and will continue to always do that. There is a page dedicated to the to resources for those who need in the back of my book. Phone numbers for people to call for several different issues, hopefully by doing that it helps at least one person.
Link to my Patreon for more content including free content: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62717929