Author Interview - Andrea Pearson

Today we are joined by author Andrea Pearson. You can more about her here.

Q. You are the Executive Director for Indie Author Hub. What all do your duties entail?

A. I help plan conferences, make decisions, and break up fights. The usual stuff. :-) Okay, so there haven't been any fights yet... but if one does happen, I'll be ready! :-) I also coordinate projects between other members of the committee and make sure things run smoothly in all areas.

A. You have recently started writing in a genre you call "soft horror for teens." Tell us about that and how it differs from other books in the horror genre.

Q. My newest series, Katon University, is based on and influenced by horror writers of the early 1900s and late 1800s. At that time, authors focused more on creeping their readers out by using psychological things, rather than gore and violence. I'm using those methods and am gearing this series toward teen girls - there will be romance and a guarantee that the main characters don't die in the end.

That's where my books differ from others in the horror genre. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm very excited that the first book, At the Well of Madness, will be published later this year or early next year.

Q. The Key of Kilenya, the first book in your first series, has been in the top 100 on Kindle for free eBooks in its genre for over a year. How did you achieve that amazing feat?

A. The main thing was having it be a perma-free eBook, which means it'll be free for a long time, and the other was having multiple books in the series available. Since then, I've focused on releasing books frequently, and The Key of Kilenya has done really well as a result. It's been very exciting.

Q. What are some of the things you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

A. Spending time with my hubby and baby girl! :-) I'm very blessed to be married to a man who loves what I love: reading, hiking, art, biking, music, and watching movies. I get to spend time with them while enjoying my favorite hobbies. :-)

Q. I've heard a rumor that you enjoy Doritos. Do you prefer the original Nacho Cheese, or one of the other flavors, such as the Cool Ranch? And did you ever taste the limited edition Jumpin' Jack when it came out about twenty-two years ago, and what were your thoughts about it? Were you disappointed when it was discontinued?

A. Ha ha! I LOVE Doritos. If I let myself, I'd eat a whole bag in one sitting. And funny you ask about the cheese... IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO EAT DORITOS. I remember when the Jumpin' Jack flavor came out, I was so appalled by the idea of something other than cheese being used, that I refused to try them. I still haven't tried more than two other flavors: Cool Ranch (thumbs down) and the spicy flavor (fairly decent, so long as there's cheese involved. :-)). If given the choice, I will always choose nacho cheese over every other flavor. :-)

Q. I'm saddened that you never tried the Jumpin' Jack, because it was awesome. Anyway, moving on ... What is your typical writing schedule like, and how has it changed since you had your baby? 

A. On normal days, I'm awake about half an hour before the baby is up and get in a bunch of writing. Then she wakes up and I take care of her needs. Then I put her on the floor next to me to play while I get in another hour of writing. Then we spend some time cuddling and playing together and eventually, when she goes down for a nap, I do more writing. I get in most of my work before noon. After noon, I focus on other things: household chores, dinner, church callings, etc.

Before I had my baby, I was all over the place. :-) Having her around helps me maintain a schedule - something I desperately need in order to be functional.

Thanks for interviewing me! :-)

And thank you for letting yourself be interviewed. We appreciate all you do for our group!