YAlicious: Author-fest - Meet Heather Marie Adkins

I'm having so much fun this month. I love getting to know authors a little better. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Heather Marie Adkins today. I also had the privilege of working with her on the "Taste Test" sampler. She is awesome :)

Thanks for joining us, Heather!

How many books have you published altogether?

Under Heather Marie Adkins, I have published four books: The Temple, Abigail, Constant State of Disaster, and Cause & Effect.

Under my YA pen name, Nolia McCarty, I have published two: Heaven Below, and a co-write with Julia Crane, Eternal Youth.

I’m also in several anthologies, including Pink Snowbunnies in Hell (flash fiction, “It Finally Happens”), all of the Indie Chicks Indie Chicks anthologies (nonfiction, inspirational stories), and all of the Eclective’s anthologies (fictional short stories.)

What is the best lesson you've learned since starting out in the writing business?

Don’t do things halfway. You HAVE to have an editor. You HAVE to have professional, clean formatting. You HAVE to have a professional cover from someone with experience and talent in graphic design. These things are so pivotal to your success. It’s hard, yes, because it’s so expensive up front. But it’s better to have all those i’s dotted, so that later you aren’t trying to get out from under a shadow of bad reviews for editing. I'm currently doing edits on every single one of my books, and I wish I had done it to begin with.

What are you currently working on?

I have several novels in the works right now. Mother of All is the first in my Hedgewitch Mystery series. Wiccan Wars is a stand-alone YA paranormal romance (to be published under my YA pen name, Nolia McCarty). And I’m also working on the sequel to my first novel (The Temple), entitled “The Trickster”. Outside of full-length novels, I’ll have quite a few novelettes published before the end of the year, too.

What is your ultimate writing dream?

My ultimate dream is to just make a living at writing. As it is now, I work a full time day job as a police dispatcher. I also run an extremely successful ebook/print formatting business. So I just kind of stuff an hour of writing in here or there as I can, which doesn’t help me finish books. That would be why I haven’t published a book since Eternal Youth came out in April :( Ultimately, I just want my books to be the sole source of my income. I don’t want fame. I don’t want riches. I just want to be able to write!

If you could recommend any book to aspiring writers, what would it be ?

For aspiring writers: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

For aspiring writers who want to self-publish: Let’s Get Digital—How To Self-Publish & Why You Should by David Gaughran.

Five Favourites...
TV Show: Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations

Style of Music or Band: Irish music/Gaelic Storm

Movie: I don’t watch a whole lot of movies, but an all-time favorite is Boondock Saints.

Book: SO MANY. Let’s go with American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Item of clothing: Hooded sweatshirt

Thanks for the great interview, Heather. I couldn't agree more about going to full lengths with your writing. It's so important to set yourself up as a professional and produce top quality work.

If you'd like to connect with Heather online, here are the links: