When did you first, without hesitation, call yourself a writer?
Back in 2012 after I published my first novel. Before that, I think I thought of my writing as just another form of art, but not something that really defined me. Now, writing is more a part of me.
What’s the earliest memory you have of writing a story?
When I was in elementary school we had to write in a daily journal. The entries were supposed to be things about what we did the day before, life experiences, etc. Well, I recently found a couple of my old journals and believe me when I say the entries were more fiction than anything else.
What is your least favorite part of the writing process? Without a doubt the editing process is my least favorite part. I know that it makes the story better and that it is essential, but I have a hard time deleting something I’ve written. That’s why I pay an editor to do it. I need someone who can be objective to tell me that making the hard changes are what is actually going to move the story along and draw the readers in.
How do you work with an editor without the pride thing getting in the way? I select editors I trust. After I’ve done my first draft I always have my friends and family do an initial reading. They give me feedback not only on the story and plot but also on grammar, spelling, flow, etc. Then, after I have done rewrites and made all the changes I can ,I send it off to a professional line/content editor to make sure that the content, flow, structure, character development, and of course spelling and grammar have all been scrutinized and correcting. What technology do you use for writing? I use a laptop. I used to use my iPad, but I had to many formatting issues going back and forth between my iPad and my PC. I also have a notebook in my purse at all times. If I think of an idea while I am away from my computer I write down my thoughts so I don’t forget by the time I get home.
How do you keep from resenting your duties and every human’s sleeping requirement when you have to stop writing to take care of them? I’m a mom, so my kids and my family come first – NO MATTER WHAT! Writing is a passion, and I love doing it, but having a family and a full-time job I understand that those responsibilities have to come first a lot of the time. It also makes me appreciate the quiet writing time when I do get it.
Describe your writing style in ten words or less. Unstructured and carefree. My characters lead the story.
When you hear from your readers, what do they say?
That they love the story and then they ask when is the next book coming out. My favorite moment as an author had to be when one of my readers sent me a photo of a school project/book report she did on Awaken, book 1 in my series. The realization that one of my readers actually enjoyed it that much, and could visualize everything so clearly, that she did a school project on it really meant a lot to me.
How do you use social media to promote your writing? Honestly, promoting my writing and advertising my books is not something I have really done in the past. With as little time as I have to write I tend to focus on the writing and not on the promotions. I know, bad idea, but I’m working on changing that. It is my goal this year to really develop a marketing plan and figure out how to get my name out there. That is one of the main reasons I decided to do a month long blog tour to promote Revenge, book 3 in the Blood Angel Series, that will be released later this month. I do have a blog http://www.ninasoden.wordpress.com where I talk about my writing process, interview other authors, and of course sell my book. I also have a Facebook page http://www.Facebook.com/BloodAngelSeries where readers and other authors can contact me. I also use that page to post about my books. How is this world a better place because of your books? Wow, tough question. I’m not really sure the world as a whole is a better place because of my books, but my world is. I wrote my books for two reasons, the first is simply that I had a story in my head that I thought others would enjoy. The second reason is because I wanted my kids to see that you can do anything you set your mind to. I am always telling them that they can be anything they want to be in life and that they an do anything they want to do. Seeing my book to completion was my way of showing them that they don’t have to be afraid to put themselves out there and follow their dreams. Tell us a little about the Blood Angel Series and your upcoming book. Well, the series takes place in Atlanta, a small town in Michigan. It follows the life of Alee, the first surviving dhampir in history as she discovers who and what she really is. Having barely survived her childhood it takes the death of her father for the truth of her true bloodline to come out. Even if it means losing her life, or at least her identity she won’t be able to escape her true destiny. Surrounded by a new world where the horror films she grew up watching have become reality and the most unlikely characters have become her lifeline, Alee struggles to find herself and her purpose.
Awaken, book 1 was released in 2012 and is available on Amazon.com in paperback and eBook.Awaken is set in a world very much like our own, yet Atlanta isn’t just an ordinary city and Alee isn’t just an ordinary girl. Having barely survived her childhood it will take the death of her father for the truth of her true bloodline to come out. Even if it means losing her life, or at least her identity she won’t be able to escape her true destiny as the first surviving Dhampir in history. Surrounded by a new world where the horror films she grew up watching have become reality and the most unlikely characters have become her lifeline, Alee will struggle to find herself and her purpose if she hopes to survive.
Awaken, book 1 was released in 2012 and is available on Amazon.com in paperback and eBook.
- Beginnings, book 2 was released in 2013 and is available on Amazon.com in paperback and eBook.Beginnings is the second book in the Blood Angel series. Having lost her family Alee has been thrown into a new life and a newworld. Camouflaged by the mundane happenings of a high school existence she would never have guessed what was happening below the surface in, “The Underground”. If Alee thought hunting in the wild and drinking blood was bad, what will she think when she becomes the hunted? Newly armed with the knowledge of being half witch and half vampire, Alee, the only surviving Dhampir in history, is forced to learn to control a lifetime of magic and vampire powers if she wants to survive. Filled with magic and paranormal delights, Beginnings will leave readers wanting more.
- Revenge, book 3 will be released later this month, and I will not say anything about it.I hope that the other two books made the readers curious enough to read them all.
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