Drakka Shade interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Hi! My name is Drakka Shade. I'm thirty years old and I love animals. I have a whole lot of pets including four cats, two dogs, and lots of fish. I write adult fantasy and romance novels.

When did your love of books begin?

My love of books began with my parents reading me books before I knew how. One of my earliest memories from my childhood is running about the house yelling “Stop peef!” (I couldn't say “thief” and I was quoting Peter Rabbit.)

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

I started to have the wish of becoming an author when I was six years old. I was in first grade and there was a young author's competition. I immediately began thinking of a character I could write about and submit. I never won, but I always submitted a story for that contest.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I have found the process of becoming an author rather challenging. Of course I had never written a full-length novel before and just getting the story on paper was an interesting journey, but I managed it! And now I'm in the editing stages. Next step will be to query agents, and I know I'm in for a beating, but I see it as another challenge I must overcome and I know I can do it.

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

I would tell those wanting to become an author to hone your craft. I take every available free course I can and I know I improve with each one. And keep at it. Always keep writing. Try to write something everyday, even if you're not planning on showing it to anyone or publishing it. Everything that's worth doing is worth practicing and writing is no different.

Tell us about your book/books:

I have a few books I'm working on at the moment. My first book is called Aisha, it's about a wolf shifter who must hide her shifting ability because all shifters were banished from the kingdom she lives in just after she was born. Any who remained were hunted down and killed. Aisha's mother was forced to abandon her in order to leave the kingdom with her pack. Aisha wants to be free to be who she truly is, but she doesn't want her adoptive mother to be hurt for protecting her. She's forced to leave her home and travel around, trying to just keep a low profile so she can be safe, but one of the king's men knows she's a shifter and knows she's in the country and he won't stop hunting her. When he finally catches her, Aisha is faced with a difficult choice.

Since Aisha is in the editing stages, I've been working on the second book in that series Rayne, but I'm not positive what direction that book is going to go yet. Rayne is Aisha's first born daughter. She's going to have a really interesting life!

In addition to Rayne I'm working on Requiem, which is a gay vampire romance.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

What I love about the writing/reading community is that you can find support just about anywhere. I also love that there's a way for authors to really connect with their readers. I love getting feedback on my stories, even criticism. I can't make my books better if no one will tell me where the problems are.

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

I would love to tell my readers that I hope they enjoy themselves while reading my books, and I will do my best to continue to improve. And feel free to send me feedback!

Where can people connect with you?

People can connect with me best on Twitter @DrakkaShade or by email drakkashade@gmail.com I also have a facebook page set up, but I hardly ever check it, or update it. But it can be found by searching Drakka & Kissa Shade I will begin updating it again as soon as I have anything concrete to post.