Spotlight for our Authors to showcase books or audiobooks
Interview with Allison D. Reid
Where do your ideas come from?
A combination of experience, observation, history, and mythology. I tend to draw on all of those for inspiration when I am writing a fantasy work. Sometimes I want to get a particular message across, a feeling, or a moment. At other times I am drawn to the idea of a specific personality or an idea for a world.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?I like both for different reasons. ebooks are so convenient to carry around. I can read them right from my android phone, which I always have with me anyway. They are cheaper (which means I can buy more of them) and they don’t take up space in my house. That being said, I look at a computer screen all day, whether I am working or writing. It is a refreshing change to read from something that doesn’t require batteries! Nothing replaces the experience of getting away from all the electronic distractions and curling up with a real book. Books that have significant meaning for me, or those that I know I will read over and over, I tend to buy in paper/hard back.
Do you have a specific writing style? An editor once told me that I have an older, more European writing style, and I guess that could be true. All I know is that I write from the heart, and I tend write visually. I see with my characters’ eyes, feel what they feel, smell what they smell, and try to write those experiences down in a way that allows my readers to do the same. Some readers demand instant, heart-pounding action or they lose interest. For me, every book is a journey. While there is plenty of action along the way, I tend to start a little more slowly, giving readers a chance to orient themselves and get to know their traveling companions. I want them to experience quiet beauty, joy, magic, and mystery in the midst of the twists and trials that make up an exciting plot.
Do you suffer from writers block? Occasionally. But usually I find that I’m stuck because I’m emotionally, mentally, or even spiritually not ready to write the section I’m supposed to be working on. Even when I’m not writing, I’m constantly working things out in the back of my mind. When I’m finally ready, the words start flowing again, and I’m never disappointed that I waited. Some people say that you should just force yourself forward, and write even if you are uninspired. That doesn’t work for me at all. Patience and thoughtfulness usually serve me better, and result in a higher quality of writing even if it takes longer. While I’m waiting for my “writer’s block” to resolve itself, I work on other things; research, editing, character sketches, outlines, etc.
In your words, what defines a good story? Real, three-dimensional, lovable characters are a must. A good story also has layers of meaning, so that you can read the same book more than once and catch different things each time. There should be an element of beauty and hope, but also plenty of mystery and suspense. I want to be moved by a story without being traumatized by it. I don’t deal well with dark, graphic, or tragic stories—they haunt me without mercy to the point where I wish I had never read them. The real world has enough trauma of its own!
What is your latest book Release and where can our readers buy it?
Morganne and Elowyn’s future in Minhaven has never looked so bleak. Thieves stalk the miners, political unrest is increasing, and Morganne’s shop is empty. The Kinship is leaving, too. Glak wants the girls to come along, but Morganne isn’t ready to abandon the life she knows. Can Elowyn convince her that Aviad is calling them to follow the road beyond Minhaven, or will she be forced to go on alone?
They can buy it here
A combination of experience, observation, history, and mythology. I tend to draw on all of those for inspiration when I am writing a fantasy work. Sometimes I want to get a particular message across, a feeling, or a moment. At other times I am drawn to the idea of a specific personality or an idea for a world.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?I like both for different reasons. ebooks are so convenient to carry around. I can read them right from my android phone, which I always have with me anyway. They are cheaper (which means I can buy more of them) and they don’t take up space in my house. That being said, I look at a computer screen all day, whether I am working or writing. It is a refreshing change to read from something that doesn’t require batteries! Nothing replaces the experience of getting away from all the electronic distractions and curling up with a real book. Books that have significant meaning for me, or those that I know I will read over and over, I tend to buy in paper/hard back.
Do you have a specific writing style? An editor once told me that I have an older, more European writing style, and I guess that could be true. All I know is that I write from the heart, and I tend write visually. I see with my characters’ eyes, feel what they feel, smell what they smell, and try to write those experiences down in a way that allows my readers to do the same. Some readers demand instant, heart-pounding action or they lose interest. For me, every book is a journey. While there is plenty of action along the way, I tend to start a little more slowly, giving readers a chance to orient themselves and get to know their traveling companions. I want them to experience quiet beauty, joy, magic, and mystery in the midst of the twists and trials that make up an exciting plot.
Do you suffer from writers block? Occasionally. But usually I find that I’m stuck because I’m emotionally, mentally, or even spiritually not ready to write the section I’m supposed to be working on. Even when I’m not writing, I’m constantly working things out in the back of my mind. When I’m finally ready, the words start flowing again, and I’m never disappointed that I waited. Some people say that you should just force yourself forward, and write even if you are uninspired. That doesn’t work for me at all. Patience and thoughtfulness usually serve me better, and result in a higher quality of writing even if it takes longer. While I’m waiting for my “writer’s block” to resolve itself, I work on other things; research, editing, character sketches, outlines, etc.
In your words, what defines a good story? Real, three-dimensional, lovable characters are a must. A good story also has layers of meaning, so that you can read the same book more than once and catch different things each time. There should be an element of beauty and hope, but also plenty of mystery and suspense. I want to be moved by a story without being traumatized by it. I don’t deal well with dark, graphic, or tragic stories—they haunt me without mercy to the point where I wish I had never read them. The real world has enough trauma of its own!
What is your latest book Release and where can our readers buy it?
Morganne and Elowyn’s future in Minhaven has never looked so bleak. Thieves stalk the miners, political unrest is increasing, and Morganne’s shop is empty. The Kinship is leaving, too. Glak wants the girls to come along, but Morganne isn’t ready to abandon the life she knows. Can Elowyn convince her that Aviad is calling them to follow the road beyond Minhaven, or will she be forced to go on alone?
They can buy it here
