Author Interview: Kristen Martin

As we count down the last couple of days until Christmas, (and have concluded many of the other holidays that fall in December) I wanted to thank the authors who have joined me in my first Christmas Countdown series, and of course all of you wonderful Writing Desk Readers for visiting the blog!

Our final interview for the 2017 Christmas Countdown series, whose first completed trilogy you will have seen on this week's What Am I Reading Wednesday post, is: Kristen Martin!

TWD: Hi Kristen! Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview with me as part of The Writing Desk Blog's Christmas Countdown series! You've recently published the final novel in your debut trilogy, The Alpha Drive. How did if feel bringing that story to a close?

Kristen Martin: Thanks so much for having me - I'm excited to be here! I definitely experienced a range of emotions bringing The Alpha Drive to a close. I hadn't realized how deeply connected I'd become with those characters. It was sad to write those final chapters, knowing it'd be the last time I'd write from those points of view, but fortunately I had another project, Shadow Crown, that I was excited to start working on (and did so almost immediately after). 

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TWD: For those who aren't already familiar with your series, if you could describe The Alpha Drive in one sentence what would it be? 

KM: When introverted teenager Emery Parker discovers she's living in an alternate reality, her only chance for survival is to uncover her family's secret; but in doing so, Emery must decide what's real and what isn't . . . and who she can trust. And, in another sentence, it’s great for readers who are intrigued by the concepts in Divergent and The Matrix.

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TWD: You've recently published the first in a new series, Shadow Crown. (In the same year as finishing The Alpha Drive, wow!) This is a different genre from your first three novels, was it easy for your to switch from writing one genre to another?

 

KM: Publishing two books in one year was no easy feat, let me tell you! But I really wanted to have The Alpha Drive trilogy completed, in full, before attending BookCon (which was in June 2017) so that I could sell the whole set. Shadow Crown is very different from my first series. I write in varying points of view, in 1^st person and 3^rd person, and it’s definitely a much darker-themed book. It was a challenge to write, but it was actually pretty easy switching from SciFi over to Fantasy.

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TWD: As the host of a successful writing YouTube channel and webinar series, how has creating the content for your viewers impacted your experience as a writer? Do you find you're able to connect with the people who read your work on a different level? 

KM: Oh my goodness, yes! The community on YouTube is unlike any other – it’s full of supportive, like-minded writers, and I swear, they are the most positive people on the planet. Connecting with my viewers (who also happen to my readers) is a really special thing – it’s almost like they know who I am at my core and can truly appreciate the creative work I put out into the world. I have never felt so supported and loved in my whole life – and that’s really saying something because the relationships are online-based! 

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TWD: All of your novels are self-published, what made you decide to pursue this avenue of publishing versus the traditional route? 

 

KM: I actually originally wanted to go the traditional publishing route, and I did query some agents for a little while. I was told over and over again that I’d written a story that was, at that time, already over-saturated in the market (a YA scifi/dystopian). But I had a message I wanted to get out there (The Alpha Drive trilogy actually goes a lot deeper than what meets the eye), and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I started researching self-publishing, Googling everything I possibly could, and essentially created my own mini crash-course. Now I’m sitting here, 2 years later, with 4 self-published books under my belt, all of which have hit the Amazon Bestsellers list multiple times, a YouTube channel with over 1 million views, about to launch a coaching program for writers, Valiance, to help them do the same. I wake up every morning and still can’t believe that this is my life. I am forever grateful that I decided to pursue self-publishing because this is where it’s taken me!

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TWD: If there was one thing you could go back and tell yourself about self-publishing before you started the process, what would it be?

KM: To be PATIENT with myself. There were so many times where I seriously doubted myself and wondered if I was good enough and capable enough to do this. To write book. To publish them. To market them. To grow a loyal readership. To attend book conferences and plan my own book tours and connect with readers. I wanted everything to happen at the drop of a hat – waiting was the hardest part. But waiting was also the most beautiful part, because I learned to enjoy each step in my journey, each milestone hit, each goal achieved. I’ve learned that it’s truly not about the destination; it’s about all those small steps you take to get there. Once you figure this out and live in gratitude every single day, patience comes easy. You’re able to be excited for what’s next without overshadowing your present state. So yes, be patient with yourself, and just know that all good things take time – and enjoy every second of it!

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TWD: These next questions are ones I like to ask in each Writing Desk Blog interview, it’s so interesting to see the range of responses I get! 

Where do you typically work from? (Home, office, coffee shop, etc.) Is there anywhere you find you're more productive than other places?

KM: I work from all over the place, but usually in my home office, at Barnes & Noble, or at Starbucks. I find I’m most productive in my home office because I’ve made it a place I want to be. Set your environment up in such a way that you always want to be in it, and productivity and creativity will just flow.

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      TWD: If you are able to tell us, what’s next for you now that "Shadow Crown" has been released? Will we be seeing a continuation in this world, or do you have something else in the works?

KM: I originally planned for Shadow Crown to be 6 or 7 books, so yes, I’m working diligently on that series and actually just finished writing the first draft of book 2, Renegade Cruex, this past November during NaNoWriMo! I’ve also been working on the final touches for the launch of my Coaching Program for Writers called Valiance, which will be available January 15, 2018. I’ve also got another nonfiction project in the works, but can’t reveal too much about that at the current moment. :) 

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TWD: Best piece(s) of writing advice?

KM: Do not wait to start! Do not wait for the perfect time, the perfect set-up, the perfect education . . . because none of these things exist. The perfect time to start writing is right now. You have everything in you at this exact moment to be a writer. You may not feel that way, but you do. The beautiful thing about writing is that it’s an inevitable process of improvement. As with anything else, the more you write, the better you get at it. Start now and let the words just flow. Don’t be too concerned with the “rules” of writing, or how something should be formatted, or what the sentence structure should look like. Just allow yourself to write, get those words down on paper, let your story move you. Allow yourself to feel your words and the things your characters are going through. Remember, you can always fix a poorly written page, but you cannot fix a blank one!

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TWD: Something about you that people may be surprised to know?

KM: I’m very much an introvert. Many people find this surprising, especially after watching my YouTube channel. Don’t get me wrong, I love connecting with people and meeting readers and other writers; but I get my energy from being alone. It’s so easy to become influenced by society to “be a certain way” or “do certain things”, so I find that when I’m alone, I’m more grounded, and I’m better able to connect with myself and produce content that’s true to me and comes straight from my soul. I don’t want my content to be covered in layers of film and dust  – I want it to emerge straight from my heart – raw, vulnerable, and beautiful.

Thanks so much for having me! I really enjoyed answering these questions. :)

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I hope everyone has enjoyed this December post series! Would you like to see more series like these in the future? I'm planning for 2018 and would love to hear your feedback, dear Writing Desk Readers!