I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with indie author Kyra Gregory. While I may only be able to read a book a week, I am honored to be able to connect with fellow authors via these interviews. Kyra has accomplished a lot at a young age, plus she is from the little island of Malta, which I hope to travel someday if I’m ever lucky enough to take another Mediterranean cruise. Enjoy!
Giveaway: Two randomly drawn commenters to this post will receive a free Kindle edition of Kyra’s novel Secrets Clad in Light.
1.Please provide a brief synopsis of your book.
Secrets Clad in Light, a historical romance novel with a tinge of mystery, follows Henry as he deals with the conflicts of his forbidden love and learns to come to terms with the situation with the help of a young stranger.
2.Tell us a little bit about what motivates or inspires your writing.
I started really getting involved in writing around the time that things in life were getting tougher. At that time, I was being told about situations of friends that, as a confidante, I couldn’t tell anyone else and, as though in order to deal with them, I wrote about similar feelings and events in stories. Written stories are something people think about more than casual conversation sometimes and it’s easier to get them to think about certain feelings, events or issues; I find that very interesting. I want to be able to show people different things, make them feel things they haven’t before or make them think about things they never really considered.
3.It’s hard to pick just one, but what do you consider your favorite novel and why?
It’s terribly difficult to pick out a favourite novel but at the moment I would have to say it’s The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Perhaps it’s a strange choice to some but I suppose I love it because it’s quite close to my ideal type of story in terms of plot and the way it’s written. The themes in it are quite complex and emotional, painful even, so I like that the writing style in itself is toned down, simple and understandable. It gives you this opportunity to get into the story and feel the emotions there without being hindered by a complex or overly-flourished writing style.
4.What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?
My blog, A Place of my Own, is used for updates on my writing, my writing-diary and also it compiles writing of mine that isn’t limited to my published books. There are articles that I wrote for magazines, reviews that I wrote that were featured on other sites etc. I also make it a point to answer the questions of other writers and readers, as well as guides to help people with aspects of the writing-process.
5.Are you traditionally published or self-published?
I’m a self-published author. I had tried traditional publishing years ago but found that I could not deal with people making decisions about my books for me. I wanted to be in complete control of my projects and do things the way I saw fit. I do my own formatting for the books also and do a number of rounds of editing myself before passing it to an editor. As for the covers, I either do them myself, although I’m not very skilled, or else I hire someone who I think will be able to create what I’m looking for in regards to that particular project.
6.Can you offer one or two helpful tips for fellow writers when it comes to marketing and publicity?
The indie scene is really quite friendly; it’s filled with people of so many different kinds of interests and plenty of them have their own strengths. I think the best advice I’ve been given is to take up all the offers I get for interviews, reviews or guest posts and not be afraid to approach people myself; the community is filled with very sweet and helpful people and if they can’t help me then they’ll probably give me recommendations of people who can. I also know to be myself throughout everything I do and let people see me as a person and not just an author.
7.Describe your writing background.
I’m mostly self-taught, having only attended a maximum of about two writing conferences in my entire life. Writing was a hobby that I kept a secret for quite a while or, at least, I never showed family that I loved it to the extent that I did until later on in life so I was never really supported. In order to improve I wrote every single day and would read about three books a month in order to learn what I liked and disliked in story-telling.
8.What does your drafting and/or editing process entail?
Immediately from the first draft I try not to leave too many errors behind and hope to get the story as close to what I have in mind; I rarely leave things for after the first draft is done. I enjoy planning my drafts but I love when my characters and plots take a life of their own and surprise me. After finishing it I tend to wait a short while before I start editing, usually doing two to three rounds of editing where I add or remove scenes and correct any mistakes. Once I’m satisfied I pass it on to one or two editors to get their opinions and I make adjustments if I agree with their feedback.
9.What future projects can we look forward?
I have a lot planned! I have more ideas than I have the time to write them but hopefully I can work things out and get things out at a steady pace. I’m currently working on a series which I hope to begin releasing in early 2013 and I can assure everyone that next year will be packed with some interesting releases!
10.Is there anything else you want your potential readers to know?
I’ve learnt of so many things in the past few years, so many beautiful things and so many sad things. I want to keep writing novels that will reach readers’ hearts and show them new things. I want to give readers new things to experience and learn about while still doing so in a comfortable and relatable way. I write from the heart and feel like I can offer an intriguing and emotional experience if given the opportunity.
You can connect with Kyra via her blog. Kyra Gregory’s eBooks can be purchased on Amazon US and Amazon UK. Her most recent novel is also available in paperback.
Is there anything else you would like to know about Kyra Gregory?
Please share responsibly. Jeri Walker, 2012.
Excellent! Another author to check out. Thank you! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing, the changes that have happened with technology and such. She sounds a bit like me with her need for control of her works. It is great to be in a time when artists have the ability to do that.
Excellent interview and yet another book to check out!
I love the fact that you’re self-published. I’d be interested to hear more about the business end of that, straight from an author. My wife has always wanted to write, but she’s stuck in this old-fashioned notion that she’s got to get a manuscript accepted by a major publishing house in order to do anything. I wish I could get her to just finish something (like the shorter novellas Tyra published) and just get it out there.
I’m also curious how the novellas sell vis-a-vis the longer novels.
I go back and forth on whether or not to self-publish or go the traditional route when it comes to my work in progress. However, it would be such a great experience for your wife to get her feet wet by publishing something smaller like a short story collection or a novella. It would help her grow her author platform, which ALL writers need. I’ve seen some novellas see like hotcakes, so long as the author can keep pace with demand.
I happened to have loved the The Kite Runner, too. I wasn’t a fan of romance mystery novels until recently. But I’ve tried a few and actually liked them. I was afraid they’d be too mushy. So I may give Kyra’s a try.
She certainly seems like a writer who knows her own mind and where she wants to go. Thanks for introducing her to me Jeri – I always enjoy your interviews.
I must admit this post was very inspiring. As I read some of Kyra’s answers I really felt like I can really reach my ultimate goal of completing my book.
Interesting, isn’t it, that she wrote to deal with what was happening with her friends. It’s actually fairly common and does work:-)
Kyra’s replies are so insightful and useful. I love how she got involved in the process of writing. The pen is indeed powerful and books can expose the readers to new experiences. Good luck Kyra. Thanks Jeri for this interesting interview.
WOW, How do you do it. Another great book review. The authors sounds way cool and the story sounds like a fun read. I now have more books to read then I have time. Space isn’t a problem thanks to the readers. 🙂
So many of us write as therapy! And then it turns out that other people want to read what we’ve written. It’s such a gift. This young woman sounds like an old soul and I admire her professionalism – to have never taken any formal training and yet achieved so much in the field of writing is impressive. Thanks for the fascinating interview!
Kyra does indeed seem like an old soul. Just think where life will lead her in years to come since she is so focused now.
Congratulations to Catarina and Brian for winning the drawing for the giveaway copy of Kyra’s novel Secrets Clad in Light. Also, thank you for your continuing support of my blog!