What’s the first story you remember writing?

I don’t remember what it was called but it was a short story I wrote for school when I was eight, about a family of frogs. Two of which were twins. No doubt there was a princess in there somewhere too. All my short stories through school seemed to have twins and/or princesses in them. I think my mom still has it at home somewhere.

When did you begin to pursue writing seriously?

When my first child was born, nine years ago. I’d been playing around with stories and ideas for a while – had folders full of first chapters and plotlines – but had never written beyond the first few chapters until that point. Then, I’m not sure what clicked, but I realised I had the time (thanks to my baby being a great (day) sleeper) so challenged myself to see if I could write a whole book. Turns out, I could. One book led to another and before long, I was hooked.

Who or what has influenced you most as a writer?

Reading! Especially all the Robin Jones Gunn books I read as a teen. I learnt so, so much from them about what it means to live as a Christian and not just call yourself one and, in doing so, came to realise the incredible impact novels could have on people’s lives. Not only to entertain or provide an escape from reality but to encourage, give hope and show God’s heart.

What genre do you write, and what is it that draws you to this genre?

I write Young Adult romance. Of the princess variety 🙂 I’ve always been drawn to royals – the glamor, the roles, the expectations and how they deal with them – and love coming of age stories/journeys. Not that I don’t love books about adults too (I totally do!) but there’s something about that YA age group that captivates me. It’s that moment when teens are moving out from under the umbrella of their parents and discovering the world and who they really are for themselves. As to the romance bit, well, who doesn’t love a good swoon!

What is the most daunting thing about being a debut author?

Marketing, hands down. I enjoy social media and absolutely love connecting with people but would be so much more comfortable in my blissful (completely fake) world where readers magically find me and my book without me having to walk outside my lovely little introverted self. That said, I’m getting better. 🙂

What would you say has been your steepest learning curve on your path to publication?

Again, marketing. There’s so much to learn! And the best way of doing things seems to change so quickly, especially when trying to connect with teens. The second I think I’ve got something sorted, it changes. I’m so incredibly thankful for the group of Debut 2019 authors I’m a part of who’ve been my lifeline more than once this year when I’ve felt overwhelmed. There’s something so encouraging about doing the journey together.

What has been the most encouraging thing you’ve experienced as a debut author?

God’s incredible faithfulness. My road to publication has been an almost decade-long journey, and while I’ve never considered giving up, I have had many times when I’ve wondered why I’m putting myself through this and if it’s really worth all the effort.

But every time, God’s sent someone along, right at that moment, to spur me on – be it an encouraging comment from a contest judge, a random note from a friend, a total stranger accepting me for an interview, an email from another author, even a card in the mail from my 95-year-old Grandma whose memory is failing but still prays for my writing and wanted to let me know. There are days this dream has seemed completely impossible, and then I remember… God. God is bigger than logistics and knows exactly what will encourage me in that moment. It’s so incredible to look back and see, moment by moment, his hand in every step of the journey.

Briefly share your book’s life story. When was the story conceived, and how long has its journey been to release day?

Heart of a Royal started as a dream I had one night way back in 2005, though I didn’t know it at the time. It wasn’t until 2015, when I was going into withdrawals after having read Kiera Cass’s entire Selection Series in a week, that I remembered the dream and decided it would make a great story. Even so, I wrote it more for fun than publication at that point since I was already in the process of sending out proposals for a historical fiction series I’d written (aka serious books :p).

Interest in my historical series waned but I knew I wasn’t ready to give up on the dream of publication altogether so, in 2016 sent the Young Adult princess book I’d totally fallen in love with out to several agents. To no avail. There just didn’t seem to be much interest in YA princess books. Then WhiteFire Publishers announced the opening of their YA line in mid-2017 and I jumped at the chance to send a proposal. Sixteen months and many emails later, they offered a contract, and 10 months on, the book is being released!

So, from first word written to publication day, four years.

What will you be doing to celebrate release day?

On the actual day? Probably not much different to usual given life goes on, kids still have to go to school and my family have to eat (Although kidnapping my mom and taking her out for lunch sounds like a good idea 🙂 ). But I do have a Book Dedication/Thankyou high tea planned for later in the month with twenty women who’ve been praying for me and this book since before it was even a book. I’m really looking forward to being able to both thank and celebrate with them as we dedicate this Heart of a Royal back to God.