A.K. King interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

                              

A little introduction:

My name is Amanda King, I'm a writer and artist living in BFN [Butt F*ck Nowhere aka ”rural” in polite society], Alberta, Canada with my husband and our cat. I love dark and tragic stories with supernatural or dystopian elements, and more often than not I root for the bad guys. These are the stories I prefer to read, and do my best to write. Over the years I’ve owned or helped manage a handful of small businesses, helped fabricate oil rigs, and designed custom leather clothing.

When did your love of books begin?

I honestly can’t remember. I’ve loved books all my life, but my earliest memory is probably of the enormous book of fairy tales my mother would occasionally read me a story from when I was really small, maybe three or four years old? I know I was an avid reader by the age of six, because that’s when I started trying to teach myself French with the help of Dr. Suess (I never did succeed at that endeavor, lol).

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I think I was about nine when the thought of becoming an author first occurred to me. By that age I was reading books aimed for middle school kids. When I wasn’t able to replicate the quality of writing I knew would be necessary, I gave up. I seriously considered it again shortly after high school, but I didn’t have the resources or support I needed to figure out how to actually do the work. I started a couple of different books in my early twenties that never made it past the outline stage, but over the last five years I’ve been pursuing this career seriously, with increasing focus and determination.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It’s very challenging. I had lots of technical writing skills from university papers and business communications, but I quickly realized fiction is a totally different beast. I know what good writing is like to read, and I spent several years writing book reviews for indie authors which gave me a pretty solid understanding of what kind of bad writing is out there too. (Don’t get me wrong, not all indie fiction is bad. A lot of it is really good! But it also taught me a lot about what NOT to do.)

I’m still in the early stages of my journey, but I have started seeking my audience while I grow my (admittedly tiny) catalog. Getting work traditionally published requires a lot of patience and perseverance. I tend to self-publish my short stories after only receiving only a couple rejections, but soon I’ll be looking for an agent for my first novel and I’ll have to be a lot more patient through that process.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I’d ask them why? Do you just love writing and want to get your stories out into the world (in which case a blog and occasional bit of indie publishing may be all they ever need), or do you want this to be how you make a living?

The latter requires a slightly different approach: it’s a business, and like any business, it requires a wide array of skills, dedication, and at least twice the number of hours you probably expect it to take (more like ten times 😂). Learn the craft of writing, read broadly and voraciously, and be prepared to be heavily involved in marketing (whether you go the indie or traditional publishing route).

Regardless of where you want to go with your writing, beware of scams! There are very few legitimate reasons for authors to pay to get their work published. Do your research so you don’t get taken advantage of.

Tell us about your book/books:

My first collection of flash fiction and short stories will be self-published as an ebook through Amazon in January 2022, and it’s an eclectic collection of styles representing my earliest stories I felt good enough about to put in front of other people. They’re mostly set in modern times, except for the little trilogy which is Sci-Fi set in the far future. The only real consistent thread is that the stories are dark both in content and endings (drama/thrillers), but I hope my readers will be able to walk away with different perspectives, even if they aren’t viewpoints they agree with.

Because I am pursuing traditional publishing for my novel, I don’t want to get into too much detail. I will say that book 1 of the proposed trilogy is about two “bad guys" who fall in love and find redemption.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I’m amazed and so incredibly grateful for the amount of support I’ve found among strangers who share this passion. It is difficult for me to overcome my extreme shyness and make new connections, but I’ve met so many friendly and helpful folks who work together to get everyone’s work out.



If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

I’d love to hear from them! Writing is such a solitary activity. You labor over a piece for weeks, or months (or years) before you send it out into the world, hoping beyond hope it finds those who are looking for it, but unless a reader shares their experience, it feels like it’s hanging in the void, incomplete.



Where can people connect with you?

I’m probably most active on Twitter or Facebook, but I also diligently send out a monthly newsletter with my most in-depth updates about new releases and such. They can find links to all my social media platforms and sign up for my email list here: https://pages.ak-king.com/links  (New subscribers are given access to a flash fiction story of their choice for free) or they can browse my site at www.ak-king.com