Are
your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely
from your imagination?
I believe my main female characters
are versions of myself, the exception is Unapologetically Nessa in
which she is my character's vbest friend and so Nessa is based off of
my best friend. Of course I had her read the story for approval and I
came to her for advice on particular parts.
If your
book had a candle, what scent would it be?
Ironically I
created essential oils blends based on all my book characters and I
sell them in my shop, I Smell a Story, on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ISmellAStory
Since
Nessa is a spitfire and wildchild her candle would be cinnamon
scented. Sweet and spicy, bold and would fill the house with the
fragrance before it was even lit.
How long on average
does it take you to write a book?
Typically I would say a
month or two but with this year being the way it is, it has given me
more available time to write and edit stories and get feedback from
my Beta readers. I would say it can be a month if I really buckle
down and concentrate on a story.
Do you write one book
at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I am a
multiple story writer, all the way. I know it sounds crazy to some
people but my method is when I get stuck on one story I move to the
next until I can work out the problem. At one time I was writing four
stories at once and it worked for me, I would cycle through them
until one story really needed my attention. One of the main
reasons I had a few stories completed before I even published my
first book.
I have stories currently ready now but sometimes
other story ideas "cut the line" and move to the
front.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing
characters from the opposite sex?
I don't always want my
male characters to be macho, arrogant jerks. I wanted them to be
masculine and have some emotions. I read a lot of stories where the
men were loud, arrogant, abusive, and promiscuous and the female
would be weak and powerless and would let him talk down to her and
wouldn't be upset to see him with another woman. I would run into
this reading story after story and I finally said no, this is not how
I would handle this and this isn't how my male character would
act.
The most difficult part is to balance strong and powerful
with emotional availability.
Do you believe in writer’s
block?
Absolutely! Going through the worst bout right now
with #4 of this series, which will involve a character who shows up
in Nessa's book. I have written the story twice, the first time had
28 chapters and this scond time 5 chapters written but it's just not
flowing like I'd like. I know the ending but the beginning is
surprisingly the most difficult right now. I have put it to the side
and am working on another story that's already written until my main
character starts talking again.
Yes, my characters do talk to
me. I'm just the writer of their story.
How did
you come up with the title of your first novel?
Bound
to You came from the movie with Christina Aguilera and also the
ballad she sang in the movie. That song became the soundtrack to
their story. It also emphasizes being "bound" to someone by
love and a powerful bond between a werewolf and their mate.
Where
did you come up with the names in the story?
Usually it's
off the top of my head but I also have a list in my notes of names
because most of the time my names are not common names. A lot of
times I give them strong names and they embody their name and it
reflect their character and their attitude. I don't think their are
no weak names but for my characters I want their name to be unique to
them.
What can we expect from you in the future?
As
stated earlier I have a lot of stories and ideas readily available. I
just released my first MC (motorcycle club) on December 1st which is
my birthday, named the Black Aces MC. I would like to finish up the
Bound Series with the last two books but writer's block. So I am
currently working on a Coffee romance, I also have a mafia style
romance, and a friends to lovers romance that deals with tough issues
such as abuse, infertility and surrogacy.
Those stories
are either complete or need just a bit of work. I also have ideas on
character stories for the Aces and a story based on just a book
cover, that will be my challenge because it's also a darker genre.
I'm excited to give it a chance!
Which of your
novels can you imagine made into a movie?
Ooh that's an
interesting question. Hmmm I would say the Black Aces because who
doesn’t love bad boy bikers? Especially one who is against all
aspects of love but fate deals him a funny hand when he becomes a
hero to a down-on-her-luck bartender who stupidly followed love and
ended up in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. I would love to see
this as a movie especially with the many plot twists in the
story.
Can you, for those who don't know you already,
tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Of
course! My pen name is S Courtney but I go by Kia, it's just easier.
I am a romance writer who loves a happy ever after but I am looking
to branch away from that and explore other options. I love to read as
well, my TBR list is probably a mipe long and I love supporting my
fellow Indie writers. I consider having a very solid support system
in my circle and they keep me motivated. I having been writing since
junior high school, I've always loved to tell a story. I restarted my
passion two years ago on Wattpad just wanting feedback from people.
When Bound to You hit 10k reads on the site, a friend said, "You
should really consider publishing it." And so I did and here we
are, my first year of publishing and four books completed. I'm
shocked and proud at the same time. I look forward to the future!
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