I’m so excited to have Kris Bird on the blog today. She just recently joined us at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Collaborative and I had so much fun getting to know her with these questions. She was incredibly generous with her time and provided some really great answers that I know you guys will appreciate. Kris has been writing for 10 years (give or take) and has plenty of knowledge to share with us. Scroll down to read the Q&A!
Eliza: Kris, I’m so glad to have you on my blog today! The first thing that I noticed about you when I was coming up with questions for this interview is how amazing your website is. You have a call-to-action, free bonuses for folks that will join your mailing list, and your website has such a great format. Do you have any tips for authors who are struggling to make their own websites?
Kris: Thanks! This is actually my second website, and Patti Zorr, my book marketing guru, really nailed my redesign! I first got my start in writing content for websites and I can tell you that even if you know a little or a lot about marketing, it’s best just to leave it to the experts! Don’t try to go it alone -hire a professional. You’re a writer, not a web developer. Other than that, make sure it reflects your personality. Janine Allen, (my talented designer friend who did my first website and cover art for THE TALISMANIC URN and THE HOME LANDING) used to say, “Just think, if you got hacked, you’d want everyone to know your voice/branding so well that they would know right away it wasn’t you.” My last website design was what I thought people wanted me to be as a professional writer; it was all dark academia and serious. This one is just for me, it’s fun and whimsical.
On Writing the Ending…
Eliza: Your novel, The Home Landing, has great reviews on Amazon and many mention the unforgettable ending. I don’t want to spoil the ending; however, could you share your process for nailing the finish line? Are you one of the authors that “starts at the end” or did you work out the story as you went along?
Kris: My little brother Dan is also a writer and he always told me, “Don’t be like J.J. Abrams in LOST, avoid the magic box.” In other words, don’t start with a cool premise because it’s cool and end up writing yourself into a corner later. I don’t know how the “pantsers” do it! I wrote the entire ending of my 5-book TIME BENDERS series before I could even consider releasing the first book. (And the ending to that is a real doozy!)
What Inspired the Story?
Eliza: What sparked the idea for this unique premise?
Kris: Dreams! THE HOME LANDING began with a dream that a friend told me about. I always write down my dreams in the middle of the night, and even started practicing the art of lucid dreaming a few years ago. Now I use it to see where I want my story plots to go in their natural succession. It’s wild!
How Long Does it Take to Write a Novel?
Eliza: How long did it take you to write your first book, from book concept to “The End”?
Kris: This is tricky because I always have an idea that I’m excited to start writing about as soon as I am done with a project. But I suppose a year/ year and a half is a good time frame to do an outline, rough draft, have my editor take a look and then do another re-write before publishing. But of course, life always gets in the way! I have been working on TIME BENDERS for over a decade, while THE HOME LANDING probably took a total of a year in between my rewrites for T.B.
Transitioning from Full-Time Job to Full-Time Writer
Eliza: Was it hard for you to transition from your job as an Event Planner to running your own business and writing full-time? What challenges did you face and what advice could you give writers that hope to leave their desk jobs behind?
Kris: It’s not going to happen overnight. When I was in my soul-crushing job working 14-hour days, I used to dream about being discovered and getting to quit my job the next day. (You’d think Fantasy writers would know a fantasy when they see one!) But it took years of transitioning into a job that would at least give me the freedom to get my writing done on the side. Now, I get writers sending me their work praying the same thing and it’s crazy to look at their desperation and its like staring through a time machine. But life isn’t about big leaps, it’s about micro-changes so set up some “mini-goals” like, “I want to get one hour of writing done today.”
Then work your way into a position or company that allows you some more freedom, then eventually you can run your own business and only take on the projects right for you. As writers we all want our ultimate goal to be the same thing and that’s making a living off our books, but you need to be okay with your day job and your novelist job having a symbiotic relationship until that happens. When you do finally get to “quit your day job” I will always be your biggest cheerleader, I’ll be waiting there with a bottle of champagne for you!
On Time Management As a Writer
Eliza: Similarly to you, I also write full-time and split my time between writing for clients in the business/marketing world and writing my books. I often find it challenging to split my attention between the two. On one hand, it’s easy to write for clients knowing there is a paycheck at the end of it (and that’s not always the case with our own novels!) but I am more creatively fulfilled from writing my own books. Do you have any advice for me and other writers who might be challenged by this?
Kris: *Tips cap to fellow marketer* If you still have that day job, look at what’s left of the hours in your day, choose your most productive time, that is now your creative time. Then from what is left of that, choose a time when you’re the most focused, that’s your “working on your business” time. Protect that time, especially with the other people in your life. You would never tell your friends to ditch work and blow off a major meeting for you, the same applies to them.
Now, my friends know that when I am in the editing stage, they will not see me at night because that’s the only time I am focused enough to edit. Protect your time, but more importantly, go easy on yourself when you don’t get a single word written during that time. I know as writers we punish ourselves for not writing, but that kind of performance anxiety only leads to writers block.
On Using Your Non-Writing Degree to Inform Your Writing
Eliza: With a degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University, how do you leverage your understanding of human emotions in your writing? Of course, emotions play a crucial role in character development. Does your experience with psychology help you with your writing?
Kris: Oh boy, you are not going easy on me! I settled with psychology because I was good at it. But first I wanted to be a scientist, then a politician, then a film director. (Any other “undecided” majors out there?) Eventually I knew I just had to get my degree and throw myself in and figure it all out later. So I did, I had over 15 jobs, and the amount of uniforms made my closet start to look like it was owned by one of the Village People. (Yes, even construction worker!)
Nothing felt quite right, and nothing fit until I started calling myself a writer. Even then it took me a few years to drop the “aspiring” before my title. I probably use psychology to pin down a character type, and my knowledge of abnormal psych to know how that character would react in that situation. Hopefully people respond to that and relate to that. (Because let’s face it, we’re all a little f***ed up) Other than that, I still have the heart of a scientist -which is probably why I became a Sci-Fi writer 🙂
The Home Landing is On Sale Now.
A huge thank you to Kris for taking the time to answer my questions and sharing her knowledge with me. You can visit her website here and check out her novel, The Home Landing, on Amazon.
If aliens landed, would you wait to be taken? Or stay and fight?
Book Description, The Home Landing by Kris Bird
Jordan is tired of waiting around for the aliens to abduct her since their landing 4 months ago. She decides to take fate into her own hands by teaming up with a rag tag group of militants. She’s planning on leaving this planet in style and facing the aliens head on, but she quickly finds the family (and love) she has been looking for her whole life and now she’s having second thoughts. Will Jordan’s curiosity get the better of her? Or will she sacrifice herself for her newfound family?
Praise for The Home Landing
Looking for a thrilling sci-fi read? Look no further than “The Home Landing”! This page-turner is a rollercoaster ride of action, suspense, and heart. You’ll find yourself rooting for Jordan as she navigates the complexities of her own desires and the bonds she forms along the way. So strap in and get ready for an adventure that’s out of this world!
Amazon Reviewer
Within a few sentences into the book I started picturing the characters, the surroundings, etc. and was pulled into the story. I couldn’t get enough and needed to know what was going to happen. I love that it has you questioning the situation and trying to figure what’s going on, my brain was working and trying to piece things together page by page. Very well written and can’t wait to read more books by the author!
Amazon Reviewer
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