Thank you so much for the Q&A, Tyff! So excited to pick up your two book babies, IMBER & TELLUS!

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU AS A WRITER & READER

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Pinterest. I will be having a perfectly productive day, tab into Pinterest for one reference image and boom. Three hours have passed, my page is still blank, the house is on fire . . . Pinterest is a gift and a curse.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I did actually. The spelling of my first name throws people off for some reason (must be the n? 😉 ) and it has honestly been the bane of my existence. But then I realized the only way I was going to be really happy releasing my stories was if my name was on them. Weird spelling or no.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Oh man. I have been gifted with the friendship of SO many talented authors, and even unpublished writers, and they’ve all pushed some part of my writing journey to a higher level. Strictly published-author wise . . . I mean, Baj, you of course. :3  My writing mentor, Jesikah Sundin, who I say in literally every book I would not be here without. She has taught me an exponential amount about the indie world. My co-author, Becky Moynihan, who taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. Chelscey Clayton, who has strengthened my worldbuilding astronomically. JM Buckler, who has a level of confidence in her career and self that I aspire to. Hanna Sandvig, who makes me want to step up my formatting game. Kate Sheeran Swed, who honestly just makes me want to write Science Fiction forever. There are others, so many others. So many that are waiting for their novels to come out, or are doing those final edits, or are just starting their next draft. Truly, I am blessed with such talented, creative friends and I hope they all see the success they deserve. 

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

So my initial instinct was to say my covers. Because truly, they’re the face of your book. When you’re not around to sell your book, your cover will. But . . . honestly, editors. I’ve seen terrible covers do amazing because the author had strong writing talent and a good editor. I’ve seen amazing covers flop from terrible editing. If you can only spend so much, put as much as you can into an editor.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

I’ve been surrounded by books as long as I can remember, minus a few years somewhere toward the middle where I drifted a bit. Life. But even as a tiny wee human, I always loved books. I inhaled them. I breathed them. When I was about 14 I realized that I could make writing a career. I realized that words on a page didn’t have to just be words. That I could tell stories, that I could write my own versions of stories I wanted to like but that didn’t quite meet the mark. (yay fanfiction!) There was a lot of power there, especially since that was a point in my life where I struggled most to have control over something. I sank into my own worlds on top of the worlds I already loved, and it was so therapeutic. I’ve said more than once that books, and words, and stories have saved my life. And it’s true. It’s so true.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Black Trillium. I will scream into the heavens for the rest of my life about that beautiful book. It was published in 1990, so it’s not even that old, but no one seems to know it. I’ve never met anyone who has, at least. Anyway it’s a high fantasy story about three sisters—who are each other’s polar opposites—and their journey to save their kingdom. There’s adventure, and action, and a ridiculously sweet romance and AHHH. I just love it so much.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Honestly I’m not sure if I have a spirit animal specific to writing, but overall, last year while writing Reagan (GCS) I realized that lions have popped up in my life over and over again. Unintentionally. (This wasn’t a revelation when I chose Reagan’s shifter form; her lion is pure coincidence, which makes me laugh still.) Even my kiddo is a Leo! I’ve come to accept that lions are my spirit animal. Like it or not. 😉

How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?

Honestly I try to pace things out appropriately. That’s actually my current struggle with Ventus, because the beginning is heavy. Really heavy. And I don’t want the reader to get bogged into that. But, I also follow my story gut without too much question. That, above all else, will tell me if I’m making the right choices.
Also, when it comes to more sensitive subjects, I take great pains to be delicate with them. Mental health issues are only used or addressed if they’re something I struggle with or know someone who can give me first hand information on. Other subjects like abuse, suicide, sexual assault, etc. are mostly the same; I try to stick to what I know and if I don’t I try to talk to friends who do. And if that’s not an option, I try to be extra delicate or don’t use them at all.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Don’t stop reading. Even after you give up on pursuing writing as a career for several years, even when life is just too busy. Don’t. Stop. Reading. I let a few years pass barely reading more than a couple books a year—and I used to clear a stack of paperbacks every Saturday morning. Not only do I think it would have helped my mental health, I would be so much stronger as a writer than I am now. Even if it’s a chapter a day, I make sure (now) that I’m reading regularly, and I can’t preach that enough. Study the craft. Even the bad. It’s the only way to improve.

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“Through good and bad times, I’ve always had these characters to fall back on[;] they’re like old friends.”

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WORK

What did you edit out of your THANATOS series so far?

Honestly? Fluff. A lot of fluff. I love adding these tiny cute moments with my OTP but more often than not they just don’t work. Or they feel a touch too similar. I actually have them saved in a doc somewhere. But I’m an underwriter, so usually the problem is that I didn’t write enough. 

How did you select the names of your cast of characters?

So The Thanatos Trilogy is based off a book that I wrote when I was 14. (I had been really serious about writing then, and I finished a full length novel that I still have the original print-out of.) Some of my character names came from that. Natylia was Natealya but same concept. Camion has always been Camion; I came up with the name back then and loved it. I debated changing it when I started drafting Imber, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. Andimir, Valeria, Cyrus—all original draft. Meryn was originally Lauralyn, but I thought Meryn suited a nature witch better. A lot of my Titan names have meaning, most with Greek influence since I used the Titan mythos as such heavy inspiration. Eurybia was a Titaness, master of the seas. Boreas is the Greek god of the North wind. Cybele was a primal nature Goddess, considered to be the mother of all Gods. (No, there’s no spoiler there, lol) Thanatos was the personification of death. Usually I try to put some meaning into the names but to be honest, a lot of the names in my trilogy were just ones I liked.

You often mention on social media how the character Camion is closest to your heart. What makes him so?

Oh man. Cam. I could go on forever. I’ll try to keep this brief. 😛 Okay, so, I mentioned that he was in my original draft. Back then, he was actually a Prince too, and I wrote him as the Prince I would love to see in a story. I was heavily inspired by Prince Char (Ella Enchanted), but he took a LOT from Will Turner (Pirates of the Carribbean), and even had some influence from John Smith. (Disney’s Pocahontas) When I started writing Imber, I knew I didn’t want to mess with his “profile” too much. I removed the Prince title. Kept the blacksmith bit. And as I started writing him again I realized that even though my other characters had changed a fair bit since that original draft, Camion was in essence and principle exactly the same. That alone boosted him above the others; he’s the one character that has been with me most of my life. I’m very emotionally attached. Through good and bad times, I’ve always had these characters to fall back on, they’re like old friends. But Camion is the one who comes knocking with soup and blankets when you’re sick. Anyway, I realized how much of my life at the time I had poured into him, and continued to do in Imber. I always say that Camion has stolen the most pieces of me; he is my character horcrux. And don’t get me wrong, Camion isn’t me in a self-insert kind of way. But every character takes bits from their author and he took so much. My thoughts, fears, backstory, hopes, dreams. So many are woven into his fiction. Camion is sweet, loyal, stoic, enduring, courageous, patient; he’s all the things I want to be and often fail at.

What was your hardest scene to write?

I immediately want to say anything with romance ever. LOL. But that’s not true. I bawled writing the last scene of Tellus. It fell off my fingers easily enough but writing the words took an emotional toll on me that nothing else had, to the point. And I didn’t stop, I immediately started writing Ventus—that first chapter was almost as hard. I sobbed on and off for days while writing the first three chapters of book three. And then again when something unexpected happened in what is currently chapter five. This book is going to wreck me, and I haven’t yet written what I think will be the hardest scene I’ve ever written, in any book or project to date. D:

How long did it take you to complete your first drafts of IMBER and TELLUS?

Um. Okay so Imber I think took me about a year. I had that original draft but I changed so much it was basically like starting from scratch. And I was relearning how the industry works now, and how best to be productive . . . it took a while. Tellus shouldn’t have taken as long as it did. I started it in May of last year but I kept putting it aside. When I sat down and really focused, it took maybe six months. I’ve learned to power through my first drafts and just get the story skeleton down, because revisions are where I really shine, but they still take me longer than any other part of the writing process.

What’s been your favorite element to research while writing the series thus far?

This is probably going to sound a little morbid, but I’m loving researching all the different ways to kill people and how to . . . not if I don’t want to? xD It’s just fascinating how the human body responds to certain stresses, and how far you can really be pushed before your body quits on you. We might seem a bit fragile compared to some of the animals on the planet, but we’re so resilient! And that’s not even taking into account the mental strain you can survive. Humans are incredible.

In reference to THE GENESIS CRYSTAL SAGA (which is being written with co-author Becky Moynihan), what’s it like to co-write a series with someone else?

It’s very different, and I encourage everyone to co-write, even for fun, at least once in their lives. You learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses, but you also learn a lot about how to be flexible with your writing. Co-writing is all about flexibility; it won’t work if you’re not willing to bend a little. This isn’t the first time I’ve co-written, though it is the first time with an effort at publishing the work, and that brings its own challenges. But it’s fun! And make sure you find someone you can communicate with. If you don’t like something, or you do, speak up! You don’t want to build a resentment instead of a partnership, but you also don’t want your co-writer to feel discouraged if you’re only pointing out negatives. :3

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Thank you so much for the interview, Baj!!!! This was crazy fun, and your questions are great! I really enjoyed answering them all!!!! Thank you! <3

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ABOUT TYFFANY

Tyffany is an award-winning author from New York who spends her days picking up after her rambunctious four year old. At night, however, she writes — sinking deep into the fantasy worlds that nestle themselves in her heart and soul.

A writer since she was fairly young, Tyffany finished her first full length manuscript before she was sixteen, but put it down during some trying periods in her life. Over the years she’s poked at it, reworked it, and eventually turned it into The Thanatos Trilogy. She removed most of her short works from the internet to potentially rework them, but might release some shorts in the future.

Other than writing, Tyffany likes to play video games, read, and paint. Once a month she makes time to sit down and enjoy a shenanigan-filled round of D&D. Not much for TV, she still marathons the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Xena, and Parks & Rec more than she’d care to admit.

Follow Tyff online at the links below, and check out IMBER and TELLUS, the first two books in her mesmerizing fantasy adventure series, THE THANATOS TRILOGY.

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