Interview with authors, Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
This week, I am interviewing indie authors, Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown. They wrote Tales Of The Wendy series, a retelling of Peter Pan with a whole new plot. The first book, The Wendy, is one of the book club selections in our 8-week creative writing course, Adventure Quest.
Q: Who are you? What genres do you like to write?
A: We’re Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown. You can find us online together as Dragon Authors. We usually write fantasy, but we also enjoy branching out into other genres when the mood strikes.
Q: Tell us about your book/s! What was the inspiration for your book?
A: The Tales of the Wendy series is a retelling of JM Barries’s Peter Pan that combines the warm humor of the original voice in a a brand new story. We always have ideas for new books, and this one just spoke to us the most at the time.
Q: What is your biggest tip for teen writers?
A: Start with a simple outline and put some words down. Even if you just have a small idea, write it down. Capture it. Flesh out whichever idea is speaking to you the most, turn it into a chapter-by-chapter outline, and then write.
The main thing is to finish a draft. Even if you hate parts of it, don’t stop. Finish it. Then change anything you want to. People don’t realize how much work goes into writing a book. It doesn’t start out polished. It gets there after lots of editing rounds. So start by finishing a draft. Polish it later.
Q: Why is clean fiction important for youth and young adults?
A: Clean fiction is important as an option for anyone who wants it. Some people always prefer clean fiction. Some people might be in a mood for it here and there. People read to escape, and a clean read provides a safe place for people to go who want to enjoy that.
One of the best things about the proliferation of self-publishing is the huge number of books and wide variety of books that are now available to the reading public. No matter what you want to read, there are enough choices in that genre to keep you reading for the rest of your life!
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What was a big challenge you overcame to become the writer you are today?
A: Steven started writing stories for his brothers when he was very young. He’s always told stories. One of the biggest challenges for him was moving from writing for family to writing for the general public. It takes courage to put your stories in front of so many people. If you want to do that and it feels scary, that’s a normal part of the process. Every author has to overcome that to do what they do.
Erin also fell in love with stories at a young age. When she told a middle-school teacher she wanted to write fantasy books, that teacher told her writing fantasy books wasn’t an important job. That simple statement changed Erin’s life for a long time, and she had to overcome that idea to do what she loves. Don’t ever let someone tell you that your dreams aren’t important. If that’s your dream, then that’s what you’re meant to do.
Are you a writer or parent of an aspiring author? COMMENT BELOW!
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March 1st Story Quest Academy - Why Clean Fiction Is Important + Top 10 Clean Indie Books
March 2nd Ellie Naomi - Why I Write and Love Clean Fiction + Hannah Anderson Mysteries
March 3rd Julie C. Gilbert - Many Flavors of Kid-Friendly Clean Reads
March 4th Jasmine Natasha - Author Interview with Laurie Lucking
March 5th Liz Delton - The Alchemyst's Mirror
March 6th Mark Hansen - Why We Love Fantasy
March 7th Ian Vroon - Ayphae • A World Beyond Your Imagination
March 8th Story Quest Academy - Author Interview: Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
March 9th Nicholas Kotar - Two Excellent Pirate Books Set in Gorgeous Fantasy Worlds
March 10th J.M. Hackman - Spark: Firestarting & Neurodiversity
March 11th Mark Hansen - Excerpt from A Tale Of Heroes
March 12th Courtenay Kasper - Why I Write Clean Fiction + West & Windy Book
March 13th Debbie Schreffler - Excerpt from A Farmer's Wife: A Biblical Retelling of Ruth
March 14th Story Quest Academy - Author Interview: Mollie E. Reeder
March 15th Steven Guglich - Why I Write Clean Fiction
March 16th Laurie Lucking - A Story Snippet from Traitor!
March 17th Julie Gilbert - Clean Fiction Audiobooks
March 18th Meg Dendler - Middle Grade and YA Clean Fiction
March 19th Nicholas Kotar
March 20th Courtenay Kasper - Clean Fiction Books I Love
March 21st Story Quest Academy - Author Interview with Jasmine Natasha
March 22nd Molly Casperson
March 23rd D.J. Edwardson - The Last Motley
March 24th Marty C Lee - YA fantasy with dragons, princesses, or magic
March 25th Molly Casperson
March 26th Mark Hansen
March 28th Story Quest Academy - Interview with Heather Love Fitzgerald
March 29th Debbie Schreffler - Clean Fiction Books I Love
March 30th Nicholas Kotar
March 31st Molly Casperson
What Is Story Quest Academy?
Story Quest Academy is a virtual writing and reading academy for homeschooling teens! Each course has a book club focusing on wholesome, clean, classic and indie fiction. Packed with fun activities and easy-to-understand education, we’re teaching the next generation of writers! Learn more about our courses here.