Today's guest in My Writing Corner comes to us from Canada. That's a place that has always been very special to me. From my very first trip to Vancouver, B. C. many years ago, I've always tried to get back to visit our neighbors to the north every couple of years. Covid put a stop to my visits, but Canada is first on my travel list.
Our guest today, Everlyn Thompson was born and raised on the beautiful Canadian prairies. She prefers to spend her time outdoors with her family kayaking, skating, fishing, and hunting. She says she loves reading and writing about vampires, witches, fae and zombies that get to find their own version of happily ever after.
Welcome Everlyn. Tell us about your road to publication.
During the co-vid lockdown, I had three different library cards under different names. I maxed out the digital downloads every single month, so when I found myself without any books to read, I decided to write my own. Once A Flock of Vampires was written, I paid a copy-editor $440 to clean it up and then I queried 28 different publishers. I was rejected 11 times, and received no response from the other 16. One of the very last companies I contacted was Burton Mayers Books in the UK. They had a lot of vampire books listed on their website and were willing to take a chance on mine. While they were considering my novel, I wrote a second one, Grave-Reaping Hermit, that was accepted by the Wild Rose Press in the US.
What do you enjoy about being an author?
My favorite part of being an author was signing the contracts for each book; it was a validation that someone else had enjoyed my story and believed that other readers would too.
What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?
Finding time. I’d spend all my time lost in imaginary worlds if I could, but I’m needed in the real world more than I’d like to acknowledge.
Tell us about your latest book and how did you come up with the idea to write it?
The latest book I’ve written is Grave-Reaping Shrew. It’s the second book in my Grave Reaper Series. I came up with the idea because I spend a lot of time during the summer at our family cabin in Northern Saskatchewan. It’s occurred to me a few times that it would be super cool to discover a hidden world in the surrounding forest – my stories just evolved from there.
Today we're featuring your first book, A Flock of Vampires. Let's get a blurb:
As an elite Warrior for the Vampire King, Stu's only mission in life is to wipe out the Rebels' Army, and maybe destroy a few Soul Eaters along the way. That all changes the night a Witch stumbles into the crossfire, using her healing powers to save one of his Warriors.
Keltti, a lone Witch in the big city, is elated to start working as a healer for the King's Army. While using her magic for a good cause, she has finally found the sense of belonging that has been eluding her for years. Working alongside the Warriors to protect Calgary's Supernatural community, Keltti finds an unlikely family in the brotherhood of Vampires-along with an unexplainable desire for one sexy, dangerous Vampire in particular.
Stu realizes that Keltti is his one true life mate. But war is no place for a life mate, so he refuses to complete the mating bond-a refusal which makes Keltti wonder if she ever really belonged in the first place.
Let's get a quick excerpt:
Anytime now… Yet he was still here, the icy rain dripping down his neck and soaking into his clothes beneath his coat. And she was still in there, stacking her things into the bags tetris-style, not even aware that tucked in amongst the socks and sweaters, she had a stowaway; because somewhere along the way she’d managed to capture his heart. And now that she had it, it would go wherever she did. Metaphorically of course, since the big lump of muscle and flesh was still thumping away in his chest; but for all intents and purposes it was hers.
Letting the grief and sorrow dance under his skin, he gave up pretending he was hunky-dory with letting her go.
How do you develop characters?
I develop characters that I’d like to read about. Sometimes I ask myself, “How has nobody already invented these guys? They’re awesome!”
How do you come up with your plots?
I visualize stories as a roadmap. I know where the characters are starting from, and where I want them to end up, then I find the best way to get them there. I love when a book can surprise me or make me laugh, so I aim for that response.
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Keep writing. Even if nobody else recognizes the beauty of your work, keep writing. As long as you enjoy doing it, keep writing. Find supportive beta readers or critique partners that will lift you up rather than tear you down. And most of all, keep writing.
What’s your next project?
The third (and final) book in my Grave Reaper Series. In the first book, my MC discovered and then lost her love interest, in the second book she got him back, and now I’m giving her chance to discover her version of happily ever after.
Thank you, Everlyn, for being my guest today. Following are Everlyn's buy links to get her book and her social contact information to learn more about her.
Buy Links:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-flock-of-vampires-everlyn-c-thompson/1143006322?ean=9781739630973
Social Links:
https://www.instagram.com/everlyncthompsonauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24009324.Everlyn_C_Thompson
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087506825434
Any comments or questions for Everlyn?
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Thank you so much for having me here today! It's an honor to be featured next to the other great authors on your site 😊
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