Outside of the literary world, Andie is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Administration and works in International Education and Sustainability. She loves to spend time with her husband and two kitties or hang out at Disney World. Interview with Andie L. SmithThank you Andie, for taking the time to chat! When did you know you wanted to become an author?Ever since I was a child. I was always off in my own world, writing short stories and coming up with all sorts of adventures in my head (like any other child). Only for me, I decided to write them down and turn them into something else. As I got older and enhanced my reading list, I knew it was a passion I wanted to pursue. When did you first consider yourself a writer?When I was in middle school, my English class had to write a continuation story of Annabel Lee by Edward Allen Poe. A "what do you think happened next" sort of thing. That was the first time I pushed myself beyond fun little adventurous stories and wrote something heart wrenching and beautiful, the words just seemed to pour out of me. I'll never forget my conversation with my English teacher (shout out Mrs. Shumaker!) hyping up my talent and urging me to write something one day. That was the day I considered myself a writer and knew I wanted to be an author. Who is your biggest inspiration?Honestly, I have been and continue to be inspired by debut authors who kind of come out of nowhere but leave such a lasting impression for the rest of us. Anna Todd is one of my favorite authors, and her story is so inspiring to anyone looking to write--just do it, because you never know what will happen. How do you come up with your ideas?My dreams! Which I feel like happens to a lot of people, but my dreams get weird. They are so vivid, and it's almost as if I'm watching a movie of my entire book while I sleep. Then I usually wake up in the middle of the night, frantically writing everything down so I can start working on it and not forget a single thing. Are your characters inspired by or based on real-life people?A little of both! My first release was a Young Adult contemporary novel that was largely inspired by the event of losing my father at a young age. So a lot of those characters are based on important people in my life during that time. My upcoming Dystopian release, however, is full of fictional characters and I've had so much fun creating personalities and quirks from the ground up. What comes first, the plot or the characters?Plot! Most of my ideas come from dreams, and there are characters but it's mainly the plot I envision first and then create the characters from there. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?I have a weird thing with keyboards. I really have to love the way a keyboard feels/sounds as I'm "writing" or it will really throw me off my game. How did publishing your first book change your writing career?I think it showed people, especially my friends and family, that I'm serious about this. I've been "talking the talk" about being a writer for so long but once I had something out there in the world, there was this moment of "oh, she's really doing this!" which has been a wonderful time with nothing but support and love from everyone in my life. It's also propelled me forward in my writing, everything I've done since my first book I feel is so much better than the last and I'm constantly learning new things and looking to improve my work. Have you ever gotten writer's block? How did you work through it?I have, though I don't know if I would classify it as writer's block. For me, it's days when I feel a little burnt out, most often because I've been pushing myself from all different ends of the candle. Nothing good can come from a day when I'm like that, so I've learned to accept it and listen to my mind/body to take a break and know that it's okay if I don't write every single day. What are you working on now?I am working on the second book in my dystopian series, and also drafting a young adult sapphic romantasy featuring some fun legends and lore. :) What advice would you give aspiring authors?Put a pen to paper. Place your fingers on the keys and just type. However you write, just start! You never know what can happen and you might just impress yourself. Also, know that it's okay to hate your first draft. It's called a first draft for a reason, but it can only get better if you keep at it! What do you like to do when you're not writing?I'm either reading, hanging out at Disney World, or rewatching The Vampire Diaries for the billionth time. What are three things that are unique about you?1. I married my high school sweetheart. 2. I'm very passionate about climate education and the environment. 3. I could eat Asian food for the rest of my life and be perfectly content.
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7/1/2024 08:40:41 am
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AuthorArielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing. Categories
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