Why I Left Academia to Write Fantasy Books

I'm honored and thrilled to be a Psychology Today guest blogger!

Click HERE to learn why I left academia to write fantasy books.

Don't forgot to check out the other articles on PT's College Confidential.

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Have you checked out my other articles about writing? You might enjoy these too:

• How to Write A Novel, Part 1: Let The Journey Begin 
• How to Write a Novel, Part 2: Brainstorming, Drafting, and Getting Organized 
• How to Write A Novel, Part 3: Editing Like A Pro  
• How to Be a More Productive Writer 

TBT Writer - What Is Red?

I know it's been a LONG time since I've posted a #TBTWriter, so I'll be sure to include extra photos for this post. :)

Today I'd like to share a simple story/poem that I wrote when I was 11ish about the color red.

I never realized how much I liked the color red until I re-read this. Then when I started looking at all of my old photos to share, I discovered that so many of them were of me wearing red.

Even in my stories I write now, red is very prevalent. For example, the protagonist in Strange Luck has red hair and she is frequently wearing red or a red accent.

Coincidence, or have I always just had a fondness for the color? You decide.

Here's a pic of the original poem.

Red

What is red?
Red is the color of flaming fire.
Red is the color of beautiful birds.
You can find small red creatures hiding in rocks by the ocean.
Red is the color of victory.
Red is a bright color that brings out the picture.
Red is the color of wonderful books that tune on the mind's imagination.
Red is the color of a ruby red cherry.
Red is the color of life!

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Apparently I felt very strongly about red being the color of life so much so that I included a punctuation mark. Lol.

And now for some TBT pics....

This is one of my favorite pics of me (far right). Not only am I Super Girl, I'm also posing with a giant Twinkie.  Ha ha!

Here's me at age 11 wearing my favorite red shirt.

For my entire undergraduate degree I dyed my hair red. If you're wondering what I'm holding it's a chinchilla.

Ano Nuevo in California. This area and its neighboring towns heavily influenced my stories.

Here's a pic of me from when I lived in Florida.

Here's a recent video I did where I'm wearing....you guessed it. Red!

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Do you have a writing throwback? Post it with #TBTWriter so we can all read your story. And don't forget to check out my other #TBTWriter stories and pics:

• Confessions of a Sugarholic
• A Nine-Year-Old's First Horror Story
• Good Ideas, Sometimes

Victorian Epitaphs and Horror Novels - My Interview with Fiona Mcvie

Now that I've finally finished my new book (YAY!), I have more time for interviews.

I had a blast answering Fiona Mcvie's questions. She asked me everything from what I want on my tombstone to what new authors have grasped my interest. You can check it out here.


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Have a question for me that's not posted here? Leave it in the comments and I'll respond. :)

Review Time!

It's truly a remarkable feeling when authors you admire write glowing reviews about your own books. I'm so flattered that suspense author Ingrid Foster had this to say about Strange Luck:

"As a reader, I love any book that can pull me in on page one and keep me turning pages. Strange Luck is definitely that sort of book."

And had this to say about The Nightmare Birds:

"Original plot, unusual, captivating and memorable characters and story line. A must read for fantasy lovers.

I also just got a review of Strange Luck from the talented Sarah Noffke, author of the Lucidite series. 

"This book grabbed my attention from the beginning...A great story with fantastic writing."

 

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If you're looking for something new to read, I highly recommend checking out any books by these authors. You won't be sorry :)

www.ingrididfoster.com
www.sarahnoffke.com

Don't Be Afraid to Experiment - My Interview with Ingrid Foster

What's my advice for struggling authors? 

How did my background in environmental studies influence my writing? 

Find out the answers to these questions, and more, in my interview with Ingrid Foster.

While you're there, be sure to check out Ingrid's books. I just finished reading My Father's Magic and was stunned! I didn’t know what to expect with this book, especially since it’s labeled as ‘suspense’, which is something I haven’t read much of, but I can tell you I was very pleasantly surprised.

I felt like Alice falling further and further down the rabbit hole of magic and mystery. Whenever I thought I was starting to figure out where the story was going, it would take an unexpected twist. As the story unfolded, it became darker and more haunting, and I found myself thinking about the story even when I wasn’t reading it. I especially liked the character Esme. Her charisma, stamina, and flaws made her likeable and relatable. She was painted so vividly that I felt like I was watching her in a movie. Ingrid is a talented author. Her writing is succinct and thoughtful, accentuating this fantastical suspense story.

The Little Ninja

So I'm sitting at a cafe writing a fight scene for my new book, when I get the feeling that I'm being watched.

I was right.

A ninja was watching me from the crevice!

I'm wrapping up Chapter 14 right now and hope to have more writing updates soon. :D

Strange Luck is an Amazon Best-Seller!

I can now officially call myself an Amazon best-selling author. Strange Luck just hit #1!!! 

AHHHHH!!!!!! Pardon me while I freak out. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

I am beyond words. This is something I've been wanting and working towards for the longest time and it seriously means the world to me.

A great big THANK YOU to everyone for your support. I appreciate each and every one of you. :) Including YOU. Yeah, YOU!!!!

Roughing It In The Rockies - Saturday Symposium with K.J. Simmill

Beautiful!

Did I really complete an eight-day wilderness solo in the Rocky Mountains?

What is the one word that friends would use to describe me?

How long does it take me to write a book?

Find out the answers to these questions and more on K.J. Simmill's Saturday Symposium.

Have a question not listed? Ask me anything below. In the meantime, here are two hints to answer the first question above:

J.D. Estrada's Top Books of 2016

I love J.D. Estrada's booktube videos. They are funny, witty, no nonsense videos with a hint of quirk. Today he posted a new video of his top 10 books of 2016. Get your pen and paper ready because he has some great recommendations.

As I was watching I was delighted that he chose Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds for his list! What a truly wonderful surprise :) You can watch the video below. Don't forget to subscribe to J.D.'s channel.

Overflowing With Charm - Five-Star Review from K.J. Simmill

I'm also thrilled to share a five-star review today from K.J. Simmill, author of Darrienia: The Forgotten Legacies Series. Here's a snippet from the review:

"A vast world of fantasy and imagination is created,

overflowing with charm and adventure."

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, K.J. :)

You can read the full review here. Don't forget to check out K.J.'s awesome books while you're there.

Movie Dream Cast, Binge-Watching, and Writing - My Inteview With Mercedes Fox

Bella Thorne is the perfect Daisy Darling!

Who would be my dream cast if my books were made into a movie?

Why do I write?

What am I currently binge-watching?

I spill all in my interview with author Mercedes Fox.

The Nightmare Birds Is A Book of the Year Nominee!

The Nightmare Birds is a Fantasia Reviews Book of the Year contender!!!

I'm so incredibly honored that my book was nominated. It seriously means the world to me that people are enjoying my stories. For all of you who've supported me by reading my books, writing reviews, or even reading this blog post, a great big THANK YOU!!! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Until the winner is unveiled at the end of December (fingers crossed!), please take a look at some of the other books in contention for this prize.

Book Impressions - Fantasia Reviews The Nightmare Birds

"An impressive addition to the series."

"Fun and beautiful."

"Her use of the language, the pacing of the story, the imagination behind her imagery, each is admirable in their own right, but together pushes her strong narrative to be even greater."

Wow! I'm beyond thrilled about this review. Reading reviews like this makes it all worth it. :D

Read what else Fantasia Reviews had to say about The Nightmare Birds in their five-star review!

Book Impressions - Fantasia Reviews Strange Luck

"A fantastic story. Miss Winters has woven a tale that will enthrall readers and leave them begging for more."

"She paints in broad strokes and fine details, giving us food for thought and imagery to fawn over – we loved it."

"Miss Winters possesses and abundance of talent and imagination that she has poured onto the pages of this book to deliver something that is not only delightful, but worth reading, and that is a rare talent indeed."

I'm absolutely ecstatic about this review!!! These kind words mean the world to me :)

Read what else Fantasia Reviews had to say about Strange Luck in their five-star review.

How to Write Fantasy - The Writing Greyhound Guest Post

I'm a guest author on The Writing Greyhound! If you're curious how to write Fantasy, check out my post.

Cybils Award Nominee and Featured Guest

Happy Friday! I'm so pleased to share two pieces of exciting news today:

The first... 

The Nightmare Birds is a 2016 Cybils Award Nominee in the Young Adult Speculative Fiction category.

This is my face right about now.

This is so incredibly exciting and I greatly appreciate those who nominated my book!

Winners aren't announced until next year, but I'll be keeping close tabs on this and will definitely be posting updates.

This brings me to my next piece of news. Angela B. Chrysler, author of Broken, has graciously posted a special feature of The Nightmare Birds on her site, which includes an excerpt of the first chapter. So, if you haven't read it yet, please check it out! Coincidentally, I'm running a Kindle Countdown Deal for both Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds, which starts today, so both books will be only 0.99 cents for the next couple of days.

The 7th Question

I answer the 7th question in Simon Goodson's new interview. Check it out!

Writing, Lovecraft, and Kickboxing - My Interview With Mistral Dawn

What's the easiest part of being a writer? What am I working on now? Why is H.P Lovecraft my favorite author of all time? Am I really a kickboxer? Find out the answers to these questions and more in my interview with author Mistral Dawn.

TBT Writer - The Word Wizard

It's #TBTWriter! Time to share some writing throwbacks and awkward pics. If you’ve got a writing throwback, post it with this hashtag so everyone can read your story.

In elementary school, we were given a class assignment to write about our favorite words. They even gave us this nifty handout to fill in the blanks.

Check out that self portrait in the middle. I'm wearing a bow AND a pearl necklace. Fancy. I'm also labeled as "a word wizard." I like the sound of that!

Looking back now, the teacher who assigned this was awesome. What better way to learn how you feel about writing than to dissect words. I especially liked looking at which of these answers are still true, which I've noted beneath each prompt. Here we go...

Words that make me happy: Good, fantastic, great, nice job
These words do still certainly make me happy. :D

Strange or fun words I know: Ice skating, music, soccer
I must be going with "fun" words here.

Special words: Amie
Interesting answer. I probably wrote this because not a lot of people spell their name like me.

Places we find words: Paper, rooms, clothes, school, homes
Yep.

Words I say to cheer up others: Are you o.k., I'm sorry, comets
Not sure what 'comets' means here. Maybe I meant 'comments' as in giving people feedback.

Words that scare me: Croak
This is still true! There's something about this particular word that I absolutely hate.

Words that I love to hear: Piano, music, soccer, Amie
Apparently I liked people saying my name. Not sure these are still true. I think my new answers would have to be cake, Loki (he's my puppy), and I liked your book.

I use words with care because: More people will be kind and will become our friends
I can't believe I wrote this. How adorable!

Words are important because: That's how we learn how to read and talk
Agree.

These words always cause a strong reaction: Hate
Agree.

I learn new words best when: I look in a dictionary
Somewhat agree. I'm more likely to look at the thesaurus in Word than go to a dictionary. 
 
And no TBT post would be complete without a silly picture. This one is so wonderfully 90's that I had to include it. Check out that rockin side ponytail. Oh, and if you're curious about what I'm doing, I'm weaving a lanyard. Remember those? I miss the 90's :(

Have you checked out my other TBTWriter posts yet? You might find these amusing:

• Confessions of a Sugarholic 
• Good Ideas, Sometimes!  
• A Sparkling Dog Named Millie
• An OCD's Worst Nightmare

I Was An Aerial Acrobat...Well, Sort Of

As I mentioned in my secrets of Strange Luck post, I love learning secrets behind a book, like where an author got a particular idea or wrote their story. It really adds something to the whole experience. I thought long and hard about some interesting tidbits I could share about The Nightmare Birds and this is what I've come up with. I hope you enjoy them. :D

1.   I took the title ‘The Nightmare Birds’ from a poem I had written 10 years ago. It was about nightingales in my neighborhood that were chirping all night and driving me crazy. Here's a pic of my journal with the poem:

2.   While writing this book I took aerial acrobatic lessons to get a better sense of what it was like to be a circus/theater performer. It was a lot of fun, but I wasn't very good at it. Here's a goofy pic of me striking a pose:

3.   One of the working titles for this book was ‘An Evening at the Theater of Secrets.’ I didn’t want to lose that name completely, so I used it as the title of the mysterious book in the story.
 
4.   Christine is actually based on a German foreign exchange student who lived with me when I was in high school. Just like the character in the book, her real name was Christine and she was kinda odd. She would always suddenly leave the room while you were talking to her, and she was obsessed with anything orange.

5.   My real-life interest in existentialism trickled into the story, especially Daisy’s fascination with Simone de Beauvoir and Friedrich Nietzsche. They are some of my favorite philosophers.

6.   Originally the “nightmare bird” was a nightingale (like in my poem), but I've always liked owls more, so I changed it.

7.   I wrote The Nightmare Birds as a standalone title years ago and worked closely with an agent to develop it. Per the agent's guidance, the story ultimately went a direction I didn't like, so the relationship dissolved and I decided to go my own way. I wrote Strange Luck next, then decided to adapt The Nightmare Birds as the sequel.
 

8.   In the original story, the protagonist's name was 'Rune.'

9.   The reference about people who voluntarily lived in caves without light and lost all track of time is based on a real (and super scary) experiment. Look it up.

10. Arianrhod (Daisy's mom) is based on a Goddess from Welsh mythology. The Goddess shape-shifts into a wise owl which enables her to see into the dark depths of the human soul.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about The Nightmare Birds. Don't forget to check these out too:

• 10 Things You Didn't Know About Strange Luck
• Meet the Characters of The Nightmare Birds
• Visit the Real Theater of Secrets
• Read An Excerpt