My favorite food is Nutella (I used to eat it by the spoonful lol), but I usually go for pretzels and hummus while reading.
What is your favorite pastime?
Thinking about Everlark (Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games series) or any of my other OTPs, making fan art, studying the Bible and making art/writing about it 💖
Do you have a secret talent?
I can recite the complete lyrics of some of my favorite Christian rap songs (after listening to them many times lol). Just don’t ask me to freestyle or anything XD
What are your favorite books to read?
My favorite books in the entire history of the universe are the Hunger Games series, but a close second is Percy Jackson. I love fantasy, some sci Fi, and a little bit of contemporary. Despite being well into my twenties, I still read mostly YA books, and I’m not ashamed to say so. Good books are good books!
What authors inspire you?
Erin Philips is a Christian fantasy author whose writing was absolutely beautiful to me. Sarah Jennings wrote the most AMAZING series that was a tribute to the Princess Bride without retelling the story, and it has become my new favorite fantasy series. I’m also highly inspired by authors like Suzanne Collins and Marie Lu who do a really good job of writing thoughtful sci fi dystopian type things.
What genre do you primarily write?
I’ve been writing mostly commentary or review type things since 2020, so “Heart of the Sun” is my first fictional work in years. That one is “noblebright epic fantasy,” and the novel that will (someday hopefully) be published one day is the same genre. I’m also writing a series of Hunger Games-inspired short stories this year, which is a weird combo of fairy tale and dystopian. Such fun!
What inspired you to start writing?
I saw the application for the Caught in the Flames Anthology on Instagram, and I was like, “that’s cool! I wish I had something to submit.” And a couple days later, a fully developed story idea popped into my head, and I decided to go for it!
When do you write?
Evenings
Do you consider yourself a Plotter or a Panster?
Something in the middle
How do you go about world building for your writing?
I use a ton of index cards and rely a lot on workshopping with my MMC (Male Main Character, aka significant other) to help me picture what things I need to know about the world. I imagine this will get easier later on! I also use Obsidian to digitize all the things so I can look at them while I’m writing. Highly recommend!
What is your writing routine?
I have my scenes written out on index cards and set out to (at least) get that scene written in a session.
What is the most rewarding part of writing for you?
I had a moment during Nanowrimo when I was writing this one scene based on a passage in Isaiah and the perfect song came on at just the right time and the words that came out were a little rough, but the beauty underneath them made me tear up a little because it was just SO LOVELY!! So I guess the most rewarding part of writing for me is when my writing reflects something about what I believe in (hopefully) an inspiring way.
What’s your favorite part about being an author?
The fact that a there are entire worlds and stories in my head, and I get to make them come to life!
How have your life experiences shaped your writing?
One of the antagonists in my novel-in-progress is based on an ex and the worst heartbreak I ever had. It makes me grateful that I had real life expérience to base him on, because it’s really hard to write… but it’s gonna be so much better in the end!
What are you most excited about with being part of this anthology?
I love the fact that I’M GETTING PUBLISHED!! It’s an amazing opportunity, and I’ve already learned so much from the other authors, who have all published at least one novel.
How did you come up with the idea for your short story?
I was thinking about the idea of bringing order from chaos, and how the people of the first century who encountered Jesus when He was on earth didn’t always recognize who He was. How lots of people look for God or salvation, and ultimately it’s even more than they expected it to be. Lots of things XD
Is your story in the anthology a standalone short, or is it part of a series?
This story has inspired an entire trilogy of novels that may one day be published! I have 50,054 words of the first draft of the first book, and hopefully I’ll be able to finish it this year!
Do you have other books out that you’d like to let readers know about?
I don’t have any other books, but you can find my other writing at thefangirlfulfilled.org, and the Hunger Games stories will be available through my email newsletter!
Any final things you want readers to know?
You are loved! God doesn’t just love the World, He loves and knows you BY NAME! Including how to spell and pronounce your name! That blows my mind, and I want to shout it to the rooftops! Isaiah 43:1-4
