1 what inspired the idea of your story?
Believe it or not, the original story was a Divergent fanfic called INSIDIOUS that's still up on my profile. I started writing the fic, and I immediately knew I wanted to rewrite the story to something original at some point. It deviated far enough from the source material that it wasn't much of a stretch, and I started writing it about a year ago.
2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?
When I started rewriting it from the fic, I followed along my original storyline and was, for the most part, intending to just build out a different world and swap out characters. But the story took a hard left in the middle of it, and by the time I got to the end of the first draft, I knew the entire first half of the book needed a full rewrite. It not only didn't match the second half of the book in tone and focus, I had to remove even more elements that I originally felt could be kept in because they just didn't fit anymore. So the rewrite is a bit more laborious than I originally thought it was going to be.
3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?
My protagonist, Lottie, is probably my favorite part of the book. She's a badass character that's really broken and morally gray and is faced with even more morally gray characters that call her own life decisions into question. Watching her interact with people has been something else, especially the two love interests, Gabriel and Jericho. I never intended for there to be two, but here we are.
4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?
Overall, everyone who's read is has loved it. They love the worldbuilding and how visceral it is. They love Lottie as a character and the situations I throw her into. They love how cagey I'm being with Gabriel and, most importantly, they're rooting for Lottie to be successful at her mission.
5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ?
Right now, it's intended to be a duology. Hopefully, it stays that way.
6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?
I want my readers to have fun reading it. I want them rooting for characters they wouldn't normally root for. I want their hearts to pound, to maybe get a little swoony, and to keep asking WTF is going to happen next?
7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?
I think a big piece of advice that writers tend to not get enough of is finish what you start. This is why I let ideas sit for so long (that, plus I'm a slow writer). I let them ferment and grow legs instead of immediately hopping on the shiny new idea train. I watch so many writers start and stop so many stories and I can't help but wonder if they ever finish anything. The first step to writing a novel is actually writing a novel. It's hard to keep focused, but when those ideas pop up, write them down somewhere or store them in a file on your computer and come back to them. At least that way you don't lose them. And this way you can still keep your eyes on the prize of finishing what you're currently working on.
8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?
Lottie probably shares my mouth and my sarcasm. Beyond that, we're pretty different.
9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?
I think HOUNDS UNLEASHED is pretty broadly appealing. It has enough romance and sex in it that it checks that box for a lot of readers. It has a dystopian/sci fi world that's light, easily accessible and reminiscient of our world, so it's still relatable. Lottie is an endearing character despite her many flaws and people will root for her throughout. It's also an action-packed thriller with subterfuge, fights, and so many secrets. It checks a lot of boxes!
10 do you have any future projects?
I'm currently editing HOUNDS UNLEASHED and once that's done, I'll start on book two. I'm also drafting book three of my San Nico Slayers series (currently untitled), so I'm trudging through that. I hope to rewrite my paranormal historical fiction novella, WHAT THEY WROUGHT, into the full novel it's supposed to be in the not-too-distant future and I have a Fear Street-like series of books I want to start writing as well. I'm certainly never bored as a writer!