Dear readers,
By now, you’ll have noticed that I haven’t published any new Monday Musings over the past few weeks. After publishing my last, I travelled to the Netherlands to support my mum through major surgery.
Unfortunately, there have been many complications, and my mum is currently in the ICU fighting for her life. As I’m sure you can imagine, I have very little brain space for anything else right now.
I’ll come back eventually, because I have lots to share with you still. Until then, enjoy the interviews. I hope they’ll inspire you.
xx Mariëlle
Welcome to The Creative Council, where I interview creatives about their lives and work and the ups and downs of being a creative soul.
Today’s interviewee is Raven Storm!
Raven is an author of fantasy and why choose romance, with some paranormal romance thrown in on the side. She has published 20 books so far that have been enjoyed in 31 countries, including her best-selling Rise of the Drakens series, which has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.
A former musician and music educator with degrees in Music Education and Conducting, when Raven isn’t writing you’ll find her performing locally, or helping coach her daughter’s softball team. She lives in the northeast of the USA with her amazingly supportive husband and three children.
The Interview
Hi Raven! I know you must be busy with your Kickstarter campaign — which is doing really well! — so let’s dive in.
· When did you start creating? Do you remember what pulled you in?
I’ve been writing since middle school, when I would write about our adventures in band. It evolved to writing fanfiction, and, during COVID, I finally sat down and wrote my first book. I have ADHD and I suspect mild autism, so my brain is always going 1,000 miles a minute. There are always scenarios and conversations playing out in my head, so it makes writing them down pretty easy!
· When did you start pursuing your current craft for real? As in, when did you begin to take yourself seriously as a creator?
2020. I wrote my first book in a few months and hit publish.
· How long does it generally take you to complete a work?
Now I try to do a book every two months or so.
· What has been your biggest ‘mistake’ thus far?
Thinking I could hit ‘publish’ without any editing!!
· The editor in me is very glad you learned that lesson! What would you tell people about to make that same mistake?
Don’t!
· Of all the milestones you’ve reached thus far, what has been your favourite?
Being able to quit my teaching job and do this full time, then it was hitting over six figures!
· When was the last time you celebrated a creative milestone?
Hitting six figures for last year was pretty big.
· Pretty big, she says… That’s huge! What do you struggle with most as a creative person?
When I do get stuck on a book or story it can be ROUGH. That’s why I usually work on 3–4 books at a time. That way, there is always something to do.
· Have you always had that struggle or has it changed over time?
Only once in a while. With so many stories going, usually I can work on something else until I get an idea for where I was stuck.
· What advice would you give to creatives dealing with the same?
Just keep creating!
· What do you do to stay inspired?
The ADHD does that for me, lol.
· What is the biggest compliment you ever received about your work?
When people tell me they were in a reading slump and my books got them back going again; that feels great.
· I bet it does! And what’s the best creative advice you ever received?
If something’s not working, pivot.
You can find Raven and her work here:
Raven’s Kickstarter campaign for the special hardcover edition of her spicy romantasy duology of Curse of the Dragons, which features why choose and reverse harem in a world of hot dragon shifters and marriage trials, runs until 31 August and can be backed here.
Are you a creative and would you like to be interviewed next? E-mail me at marielle@mswordsmith.nl and we’ll make it happen!