A.G. Silver: Yes to romance first! Haha, that is one of my favorite genres. I recently found that romance with a touch of sci-fi is actually a genre I quite like. So what first got you into writing these romance sci-fi novels?

E.S.: Oh man, quite a while ago. I actually started with fanfiction, back when I was about 14 I think. I’m pretty sure my first ever piece that I posted up into a forum for the world to see was a Harry Potter story! Something really ridiculous and spoofy, but I loved doing it so much that I just kept going, getting into more serious attempts at writing and continuing with it for years afterwards.

Here’s a secret for you – I never removed anything that I posted, so to this day you can log into fanfiction.net and if I told you my username, you’d find all my old, dodgy, horrible attempts at writing still up there. But I love my crappy writing! It’s part of my journey and I’ll never take it down.

T.C.: Aw, that’s great! Being able to accept your journey as a writer is very helpful. Like all the best characters we learn things along the way! Besides the actual writing, are you involved with or are you interested in any other aspects of the writing process? (Formatting, cover art, editing, etc.)

E.S.: I studied and graduated as a graphic designer, so I create all my own graphics to use on socials etc. I don’t really do covers though. They’re a lot of work and a bit more specialized since I write about aliens with horns and fangs and tails and all sorts of crazy things. My Photoshop skills aren’t that elite… Although I did do the Vella cover artwork for The Hot Alien King & I (available on Amazon Vella right now wink wink), and I have to say I’m pretty proud of the wings I managed to get on my alien boyfriend!

I also do my own editing, because I am a broke girl and editing is (rightfully) fairly expensive. I’m pretty good with grammar and spelling though, so I won’t be hiring an editor until I’m less poor. Besides, I have the world’s most amazing writing buddies who I absolutely could not live without, and we all help each other in every way we can.

A.G.: Yessss, supportive writing groups are the absolute best. You obviously enjoy the community aspect of writing, what else do you like about writing?

E.S.: Sometimes, when I’m really falling into the groove of writing, I can literally get into what is almost a trance, or a meditative sort of state. Everything around me disappears as I become completely engrossed in my world and my characters, and I feel like I’ve portalled away from this reality and into the one that I’m writing in.

My roommate says it's creepy to see me in that state though, because I’ll be furiously typing away but all expression will completely disappear from my face. I just sort of stare blankly at the screen with unblinking eyes, fingers whirring over my keyboard and the rest of me unmoving, as if I’m just a husk of a human – like my soul has left my body behind on autopilot while it ascends into the twelfth realm.

I’ve gotta say, it kinda feels like that! If I’m really into it, the world does fall away from me, it’s divine. Buuuut unfortunately most writing isn’t like that. Usually it’s me sobbing and raging and struggling to get every horrible word out while convinced that I’m the worst writer in the entire universe. I call it the balance of life, hah…

T.C.: Ooh those days where the words just flow are amazing! Some writers like to delve into the little details, while others prefer to keep it more general. How much research does your writing usually require?

E.S.: Generally not all that much, to be honest. Although I write sci-fi, what I do is very heavily romance first and foremost, so all the technical things aren’t important for me to describe in great detail. Like, it doesn’t matter how the “artificial gravity” works in space, all I have to do is just mention that it exists and readers of this genre are pretty happy to accept it. It’s mostly surface stuff for me; I’m generally working off my own knowledge.

A.G.: Oh lucky haha, you don’t have to do hours of research. So do you have any other hobbies and if you do, how easy is it to manage other hobbies on top of writing?

E.S.: For me, juggling everything needs to be a conscious effort. I’m not particularly good at multitasking, my brain doesn’t switch from one thing to the other easily. So I have to build habits and make deliberate efforts to push forward, otherwise it’s the easiest thing to just slip up and lose track.

T.C.: Making time for hobbies in between school and work can definitely take effort. All authors learn from others, who are some authors you look up to?

E.S.: J.R.R. Tolkien will always have the number 1 spot in my heart, no contention. But for any authors or aspiring writers looking to polish their skills and learn about the craft (I don’t care how many books you’ve written, you can always learn and improve!), I absolutely adore Brandon Sanderson and want to recommend him to everyone.

And not just his books, which are epic fantasy adventures with excellent twists and impeccable worldbuilding – but his lectures!

If you’re the type of person who learns well from lecture type content – video & audio explanations and storytelling – then 100% pop onto YouTube and search for Brandon Sanderson’s BYU lectures. I’ve taken his whole university course online for free just through watching him on YouTube. The man is so good at getting into the nitty gritty of the craft in a way that’s accessible, implementable and just makes so much sense! I’ve learned things about structure through him that I’m legitimately not sure I would have ever honed like this if it wasn’t for his lectures.

A.G.: Oh that sounds incredibly useful thank you so much for telling us about those video lessons! So you seem to know a lot of about writing. How come you chose to be an indie author instead of publish under a company if you could do so well?

E.S.: Because publishing traditionally seems like more effort than it’s worth, to be honest, and for what? You still have to do your own marketing and advertising, and you’ll get way less of the profits.

No thanks! In this new world where artists are taking control of their output and exposing their work to audiences through all these amazing platforms now available to us, why not scrap the middle man, turn yourself into a business woman, and get out there and take control of your income? It’s not easy, and it’s a long road if you want to make money from your work (and not everyone does – and there’s nothing wrong with that, by the way, so don’t let anyone tell you that your writing isn’t valid unless it’s pulling revenue).

But personally, I think it’s worth all the blood, sweat and tears of learning craft and business, marketing and storytelling, and creating something to be proud of.

T.C.: That is some great insight into the indie route! Thank you so much for joining us and we will see you Readers next week!