Morning peeps! Got your drinks and/or breakfast in hand? Ready for another round of Reader Questions? I am too, so let’s get started!
Q: Which character out of all of your series, is based on your best friend?
A: None. Seriously, none.
Q: I have a couple questions. If Yasmine had the abilities of any of her characters, which would she choose? If she had to choose just one of her worlds to call home, which would it be.
A: I think…probably the world of the Wild Hunt or Bewitching Bedlam, for differing reasons, but those are the two that resonate most with me.
Q: On a slightly different note, likely just cuz I’ve been both a barista and a waitress for considerable amounts of time and thus pay very close attention, likely too much so, to people’s food and beverage choices, I know Yasmine has food allergies, but do her tastes in food get reflected in her main characters? I’ve noticed a quad mocha trend. (Good choice btw. That used to be almost my exact drink when I was a barista lol.) Little things like that in her characters make me smile. I imagine I’d enjoy waiting on them if I encountered them on the job.
A: Yeah, they do. Foods–foods I miss and wish I could eat. I love take out b/c I can’t have it anymore. I love fish ‘n chips, fried chicken (I make my own allergy-safe version but…miss KFC, to be honest), macaroni and cheese, and sandwiches! It sounds rather pathetic, I guess, but I eat vicariously through my characters. *laughs* As far as caffeine–my choice used to be a quad shot peppermint soy mocha. Now, then I couldn’t have the sugar and so it because a quad shot sugar free coconut milk latte (flavors varying day to day).
Q: I have so many… However, I’ll stick with this… Does Yasmine believe being a practicioner of the Craft influences her as an Author and if so in what way.
A: Definitely. It influences my writing, my worldview, and my characters. I believe in the gods, in magick, in the Fae. They may be different in my books than I see them as in reality, but there are crossovers and connections.
Q: This question is more craft related than book related. I know Yasmine has struggled with chronic illness, as have I, although of a different sort. How do you cope with and find the energy to practice spiritually when physically feeling very unwell? Some days it’s hard for me to get out of bed and be active. I also may be going into a hospital soon and that would limit my ability to practice, no candles, oils etc in such environments and likely less outdoor time. Does she have any advice for pagans with limited ability for physical ritual or practice?
A: On days where I’m low energy, I keep my practice to meditation and intent. On days where I’ve got the time and energy, I practice ritual. I switched to beeswax candles that are unscented, and if I need to limit even that, I use a LOT of battery operated candles. Electricity is energy and adds to the ritual just as much as a flame. I can’t be outside a lot due to pollen, but I go for drives, sit by the water, tune in to the elements. Four walls and a floor and ceiling aren’t enough to keep their energy out. And if you can’t dance around the bonfire, then let the drums sweep you away into the Dream-Time. Lack of physical energy/ability doesn’t mean you can’t be a powerful witch. If you can’t have a dagger to draw the circle, use a wand, or a crystal, or just focus the energy through your hand.
Q: How difficult was going Indie and any tips for aspiring writers? When you are writing and you feel a bit stuck what do you do for inspiration or to reset yourself back into the groove? I love that you include a music list! Who do you listen to when writing the fight scenes and who is your favorite musician/genre of music to listen to?
- A: Those are questions that I could write a number of blogs about, but…to sum up:
Moving to indie from trad publishing was not easy, but not because of taking on the extra work. I had no problem with that part, nor with the self-discipline. But the hard part was making solid economic considerations like leaving the Whisper Hollow Series and Lily Bound behind, at least until I am able to get the rights back. And after that, trying to get my trad readers to accept that these are decisions I needed to make for my career and convince them to give new series a try. Honestly, I almost didn’t finish Otherworld–it’s not the best choice for me to do so–but I did feel that I was so close to the end that I should try to give the world some wrap up. - When I get stuck, it’s always because either I’m tired and need to take a little break (I work 60-70 hours a week overall), or because I tried to force the story in a direction it doesn’t want to go. So I backtrack to where it was working and rewrite from there.
- As far as music? My favorite genre is darkwave/industrial goth. Well, every playlist includes the songs that inspire the book, so fight scenes? Generally to intense songs, like Gary Numan, Marilyn Manson, other hardcore darkwave. My top three groups/singers, in order: 1. Gary Numan. 2. The Black Angels. 3. Shriekback. Here are three vids to give you an idea of what I love about them:
Anyone new to the industrial genre should also listen to Stabbing Westward and Rammstein.