Author Interview Sanctuary
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
Jeeze, so far back I can hardly remember. It goes all the way back to when I was a little kid sitting in my fifth grade class with a notebook writing Harvest Moon fanfictions. I remember once writing a horror story (albiet a terrible one) and binding it together with cardboard I found around the house and some string. I think I tried to illustrate it with a “how to draw anime” book I had at the time but I might be getting two memories mixed up with that one.
I do remember, though, that in sixth and seventh grade I had this red notebook that I wrote (again) Harvest Moon fanfiction in, and all my friends loved it. They passed it around to each other whenever I finished a new chapter and would beg me to write more. That’s one of my fondest memories of my middle school days, and probably one of my best memories in my life so far. I’ll always be grateful to my friends for that early support.
What inspired you to write this book?
This is the second book in my Titanomachy series, and it didn’t occur to me until it was too late that maybe I should’ve done this with the first book (“The Gilded Cage” ) first, but with this book I really wanted to explore the psychological trauma Shiloh experianced thanks to the events of the first book, and how hard it can be to adjust to a new situation when you’ve been sheltered all your life. But, more than anything, I wanted to show someone overcoming that sort of thing.
What is your editing process like?
My editing process has gone through something of a metamorphosis since I started publishing again. For a while I did it just reading through the whole thing and using my best judgement, then I tried this app called “Hemmingway App” that goes through and helps you find words that could be better or sentences that sound bad or paragraphs that could be parred down. I liked that app for a while, but it stopped working for me when I had to switch to “OpenOffice” instead of paying for a full subscription to Microsoft WORD (cause at the time we weren’t making the kind of money that would allow something that expensive), so I had to go back to where I started, and that’s where I am now. I just read through the whole thing and pick out things that sound funny to me or that I think I can do better.
Is this your first book? If not, please tell us about your first book.
No, no, this isn’t my first book. This isn’t even the first book in this series (lol). No, my first book was a steampunk fantasy called “The Ruby Curse” which, although it was good at the time and I really enjoyed working on it, wasn’t a super awesomely written book. But I had fun and it was really good for an 18 year old just starting to publish for the first time in her life. I’ve just grown since then and I feel like my style has refined a little more.
Did you set any writing goals for 2018?
I did, actually! My biggest writing goal for 2018 is to just let go of my self-doubt, and learn to once again just shut my brain off when I’m writing. I don’t know how but I’ve gotten into a bad habit of massively overthinking my entire career and it’s done nothing but cause problems for me. I’ve made the decision though to knock it off and get back to where I was two years ago when all I did was write and I could zone out for hours doing it.
That’s my goal, and I feel confident I can do it!
Are you working on something right now?
I’m working on a lot of somethings right now. A couple of one-shot books that aren’t related to any of my series at all, the third book in both the Lost Angels series and the Titanomachy Series (the book after this one), and just toying around with a few other things that probably will never see the light of day.
About the Book
Title: Sanctuary
Author: Makayla Love
Genre: Steampunk / Post-Apocalyptic
Shiloh isn’t adjusting well to her new life in Ironbridge. Life isn’t how she always imagined it would be, and every day is harder than the last. Things only get worse when a small family on their way to a settlement called “Sanctuary” shows up on Shiloh’s doorstep looking for an escort the rest of the way. But Sanctuary isn’t all its supposed to be.
When they find themselves trapped, every second becomes a fight for survival. Can they find a way out before one of them falls to a mad tyrant? Or will their little group be broken up forever?
Author Bio
Makayla Love is an aspiring Harley Quinn-esque super villain who has decided to spend her time between nefarious schemes by writing paranormal novels in her lair somewhere in the general Kansas area. She enjoys sit-coms and doesn’t have enough shelf space for her ever multiplying collection of books.
Links
Instagram: @agirl_unwritten
Facebook: Facebook
Blog: Website
Twitter: @AGirl_Unwritten
Amazon: Amazon