What motivated you to become an indie author?
I was first published in 2006 by a small press publisher called Samhain Publishing, which made a big splash in the publishing world for a decade or so before the marketplace changed and they - along with several other trailblazers - went out of business. In 2009, I received my first "NY" publishing contract and was quickly disillusioned with the entire traditional publishing process. I'd been hearing about self-publishing for a while before I finally bit the bullet in 2011, very tentatively. I self-published a few space opera romances and had moderate success with them, but it wasn't until I indie published my first werebear book, titled ROCKY, that I fully understood indie was the way to go! I love the freedom to try new things and work at my own pace. I felt held back or pushed at times by publishers, but as an indie, the only person pushing is me, which is quite enough. lol. And as the sole caregiver to an elderly parent, it helps to be able to make my own scheduling decisions.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Freedom. And I mean that in a number of ways. First, there's the mundane - freedom from having to work 9 to 5. I was a commuter to NYC for years, and that 45 minute train ride each way was a huge drag. By the time I got home (in the Winter I'd leave home in the dark and arrive back home in the dark!), I was wiped out and frankly, didn't have much energy or time to enjoy life itself. Next, there's creative freedom. Writing allows me to explore worlds and ideas in a way that turns daydreams into something you can share with the world. I love being able to set down in words the characters and fantastical worlds I see in my imagination. It's both a liberating and joyful experience, which most of my previous career was not. There's also the special freedom of being an indie author, which is very unlike how I started my career, writing for publishers who had the ultimate say over editing decisions, artwork and even titles. As an indie, I now have total control, which appeals to my inner megalomaniac. ;-)
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