I am delighted to announce that Kim Iverson features here today.
As you may be aware I asked authors if they would like to appear in a series to find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.
Please find the full interview below:
Hi Kim, could you tell us what started your interest to write?
Back in 2005 (at 25), I had my world turned upside down and inside out. I was raped by an ex and I lost my job, my friends, and well, everything. I had been piddling here and there with writing [since 18], but it wasn’t until then that I really grabbed hold of the interest to. It was just something to do to pass the time before then. A hobby, nothing more.
But then after that very eye-opening experience, I needed something to help me survive, to focus on because I was on the last leg of life in many ways. So I decided then to write a full length novel and with the help of some friends, gained the courage to post my writing online. It was during that period that I found the interest to write. After that, I couldn’t stop. I kept going up and up and up.
Fantastic! So tell us about your first novel?
The first novel that I wrote was the same one I first published. Dark Illusions: The Beginning. It’s not my best work by far, but it taught me a lot about the process and I discovered a love for characters and their lives. It taught me a lot about writing in general. And even how to deal with criticisms.
Dark Illusions: The Beginning is about vampires who have existed since time began but have always tried to remain invisible to humans as much as possible. They’ve tried to fit in where they could so they wouldn’t bring attention to themselves. Not because they were afraid, but because they know what they’re capable of. There is a man in charge who sets forth the rules, but other clans of vampires have always wanted that position. A woman comes into the mix because of the interest in the rival clan to make her his mate and it sets off a whole chain of events that nobody, not even that current prince was prepared for. It also leads into a whole Universe that I enjoy reading as much as exploring and writing.
Dark Illusions: The Beginning is about vampires who have existed since time began but have always tried to remain invisible to humans as much as possible. They’ve tried to fit in where they could so they wouldn’t bring attention to themselves. Not because they were afraid, but because they know what they’re capable of. There is a man in charge who sets forth the rules, but other clans of vampires have always wanted that position. A woman comes into the mix because of the interest in the rival clan to make her his mate and it sets off a whole chain of events that nobody, not even that current prince was prepared for. It also leads into a whole Universe that I enjoy reading as much as exploring and writing.
So I understand you are self-published?
I’m self-published. I don’t have anything against traditional, but I like to do things myself, and part of what got me started in writing was finding work that I could cater to my schedule, and that never interfered with my life. I didn’t think a publisher would be able to deal with my schedule (it’s a business and they have to do what’s right for their business, like I do mine) so I went self-pub soon after the self-pub revolution began). I take care of an elderly mother and anyone who’s been a caretaker knows: sometimes life gets in the way and people come first. I studied the business long before I got started though. It was important to me to understand what I was getting into. I had information on people to contact to go the traditional route, but my gut said self-publish, and it’s worked out. It’s been hard, but worth it. I worked in Avon for ten years so running the sales side of the business is something I’ve had previous experience in too, which has helped.
What genre do you write and what draws you to it?
I write in multiple genres. I started with short horror stories, then went into Paranormal Romance, from there Science Fiction, Fantasy, and on. There isn’t a genre that I won’t try or something too odd. I’m drawn to them because of the challenge. Every single story I tell is a challenge in itself. Mostly because I don’t know for sure where it may end, where it may go, or what will happen. It’s exciting and I love that challenge. I’m actually doing genre lumps in my publishing schedule currently. I have three SciFi coming out following by two Fantasy before I go back to publishing Paranormal romance. There may come a short horror story compilation in there somewhere. That way as readers find me, they’ll have options.
How many books have you written?
Wow. I am not sure I can answer that. I’ll probably forget some. I’d say I have twenty that I’ve written and are waiting in the drawer for editing. Maybe more. The ones I’ve written that I’ve published are: Dark Illusions: The Beginning, Dark Illusions: The Next Chapter, Dark Illusions: The Final Chapter, Always Consequences, Immortal Separation, Blood By Night, Don’t Go Far, The Shadow Room Files 1-5, Trust Your Instincts, and Hope of the Future.
Some great titles there! Wow! Who is your favourite character of your books?
Gosh, that is a good question. I like these questions, you’re really challenging me. That’s great. You have great ideas you come up with. I have to really think about that for a minute or so.
I think it could be Kat from Dark Illusions. From the beginning, her world is turned upside down, inside out, and then she’s thrown all over again into the void of confusion. Kat lives in a world of existence where she’s just existing. She lives in a very human world. Go to work, come home, nothing special. She wants to find love.
I think it could be Kat from Dark Illusions. From the beginning, her world is turned upside down, inside out, and then she’s thrown all over again into the void of confusion. Kat lives in a world of existence where she’s just existing. She lives in a very human world. Go to work, come home, nothing special. She wants to find love.
Suddenly she finds herself in the midst of a war of vampires where two different sides want her, and will do anything to have her. She faces trials that nobody really is prepared for and has to not only come to terms with it, but find out how to live this new life (new existence really) that is handed to her. She finds a love that feels is incredible and it’s constantly tested. Kat is forced to find a new strength she never knew existed inside of her before. I think she’s beautiful. She’s feisty and individualistic.
What challenges do you face when writing?
Focus is my biggest issue. Things come up and the focus wanes, but not only that, I think I get scared a lot because I figure the writing is going to suck. I relate to Stephen King in that way. I sometimes feel like my writing is shit. [laughs] That really can mess with someone’s brain. It wasn’t until I started to follow and read the blogs of Dean Wesley Smith and his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch that I realized no writing will be perfect and to be much easier on myself. I also read something once where a fan praised an author of their work and the author said they hated the work so the fan was impacted. The fan couldn’t look at another book of that author. I try to be more mindful of that. It’s my own issues that see my work that way, but if I’m praised, I know it’s real. They are genuine (I certainly wouldn’t praise Stephen King half-heartedly), so I’m mindful and just say thank you. If someone likes my work, I now just want to hug them like crazy and say thank you so much! It makes my day. I love my readers. More of my challenges these days end up being just getting the computer to cooperate and not freeze up.
Where do you do your writing?
I work in my bedroom. I have a desk in there since I don’t have a separate office. One day I would hope to have one, but for now, it’s just workin’ in my bedroom. I’ve taken to working with the laptop on my bed too because it’s even more comfortable for me and I get less back pain. I’m adaptable. I don’t really have any set place that I’ll work.
How many hours a day do you write?
I write every morning for an hour because it works with my schedule. So between 10 AM and 11 AM you will find me writing. It may get pushed back in the Winter from waking up late, but otherwise it’s the same time. In the afternoon is when I edit, format, market, etc., but occasionally I try to fit in writing during that time too. And if I’m really feeling frisky, I’ll write on the weekends. I know, I’m a bad girl. I always attempt “at least” an hour of writing. If I can’t do that, 500 words a day is my “at least,” but I’m averaging 1500 words a day right now. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. My goal is just an hour a day of writing and I’m golden.
How do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as you go or just write and see where it flows?
All of the above. It depends on the story. With Daughter of the Red Planet (the SciFi Horror book I’m fixing to publish soon) I outlined it. More than I ever had another book. I outlined it up to the end. After that, I let the story go where it went. It’s funny because after writing it, while I edited the story, I discovered that I had a lot of places where the details had to get reworked. It’s happened the same for stories that I went blindly into the story and didn’t know where I was going or what I wanted the story to be.
It always changes for me depending on the story. If I need a little help, I’ll play with ideas, but I seem to work best at just walking on in. The story isn’t as predictable for me too.
Any tips on what to do and what not to do?
The biggest advice I would give is to really research what you’re going to do before you do it. Don’t take the advice of anyone who hasn’t been in the business for less than ten years. It’s so easy to take advice from anyone, but if they’ve been around for more than ten years, then they are doing things to have a career as a writer, to make a living. Not to just make a quick buck. Most of the people pushing their products won’t be around in ten years. That’s how they make money. Have patience and research before jumping into anything. Even in this digital age, things will take time. You may take off right away and then things get slow. Don’t give up.
What social media platforms do you use?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimsiverson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kimsiverson
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kimsiverson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kimsiverson
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kimsiverson
What has surprised you most about writing?
I wasn’t prepared for just how great it would feel to slug away at the computer all day and then have someone contact me to tell me how much they loved the work. I cannot really explain just how incredible it is to have people read and love my work. My readers are amazing people. I’ve become friends with a lot of them.
It's great isn't it :) How much do you feel you've evolved creatively?
I’ll have to answer this one a bit through my editor’s words. She told me the other day how far I’ve come in the way I tell stories. And how much depth and richness that my stories have. I think that’s probably the biggest for me. I’ve always been good at telling stories. When you’ve grown up being abused, you learn to tell people a story that keeps you from being hurt again. You learn ways to keep them happy so you’re not harmed. You walk on eggshells. Anyone who’s been there knows exactly what I mean. Stories have come easy for me because of that, but as I write more and more, I really learn to catch the little things, those small details that bring the story to life. The smell of a character, the random piece of paper that’s been discarded on the ground. I feel like I’m getting better at that and learning how to really bring the stories to life by seeing through the character’s eyes better. It’s something that you really only learn the more you keep writing and studying the craft so I know I have a long way to go, but I’m trying my best.
Who proof-reads your work? Who is your editor?
Creech Enterprises. http://creechenterprises.com
Jeanie is not only my editor, but she is my first reader because we connect so much in the way we think and I trust her opinion. I have her go over my story in two stages. The second is editing it. The first is when I’ve added all the changes I made in paper form to digital, and I’ve quickly gone through things. The book is really raw at that point and I’ve yet to find anyone who wants to touch a story at that time besides her so it works for me. It’s a preference I have to catch any and all issues then with the story so that when I delve into the next stage of edits, I can really pinpoint the places that need help.
What do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?
I think the best stories are deep and have layers that can only be found by really focusing on the story. That’s what I love about reading work by Stephen King and George R.R. Martin. They don’t spell things out. They are not light reading. You have to focus on the story to catch all those little details. Depth is what I personally like, and what makes for good reading.
The secret to success is simple: keep going. Keep writing, keep learning. The difference between a failure and a success is that the success kept going long after the failure gave up.
Which authors do you rate highly?
I love Stephen King the most. Gotta be my top. Then I love George R.R. Martin, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Keri Arthur, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and Anne Rice just to name a few. I could go on, but those are my tops I’d say.
And what book has had the biggest influence on your work?
Stephen King – On Writing absolutely hands down.
And lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?
Practice, practice, practice. Don’t give up. Don’t trust advice from anyone who hasn’t been in the business for more than five years, ten is better. Don’t expect to learn how to tell stories from people who haven’t been writing stories for more than ten years (they have a good grasp of stories by that time whether they learn it or not). Editors don’t know everything and can be disagreed with, it’s your story you’re telling, not someone else. The fans want you to tell it how you would. Learn the rules of grammar and storytelling before you break them. Trust your gut. Write in your own voice, even if it means going against the grain. Discard any advice – including this – that doesn’t feel right. And if you need an ear, my door is always open.
Thank you so much for answering my questions, Kim - a real pleasure to connect.
