About Astrid V.J.:
Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author, Astrid V.J. was born in South Africa. She is a trained social anthropologist and certified transformational life coach. She currently resides in Sweden with her husband and their two children. In early childhood, she showed an interest in reading and languages–interests which her family encouraged. Astrid started writing her first novel at age 12 and now writes fantasy in a variety of genres, exploring her passion for cultures and languages. When she isn't writing, Astrid likes to read, take walks in nature, play silly games with her children, do embroidery, and play music.
Astrid writes transformation fiction: incorporating transformation principles in novels, rather than writing another self-help book. She loves exploring the human capacity for transformation and potential to achieve success in the face of adversity. Astrid is interested in minority group questions, considerations on social standards of beauty and the negative consequences these have, and would like to make the fantasy genre accessible to people of non-white, non-Christian backgrounds. Astrid feels the fantasy genre has become too restrictive with limited representations of race, ethnicity and culture. She seeks to explore other paths on this writing journey, incorporating her background in anthropology and psychology to create engaging experiences, which also provide food for thought on the diverse topics she finds most important. These include: racism, minority rights, cultural diversity, culture change, intolerance, humanity's environmental impact, the representation of people on the autism spectrum among the general populace, the human capacity for transformation, and much more.
What inspires you to write?
Writing is in my blood and thus far, I've proven I can get a story idea from anywhere, whether it's a dream, an outing with my family or reading a book, an idea will come to me and latch on, and then it grows until one day I have a fully-formed idea.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Traditionally published: Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Guy Gavriel Kay, Michael Swanwick, Michael Ende and JV Jones.
Independently published: Alice Ivinya, Susan Stradiotto, Elena Shelest, Xander Cross, Rachel Rener, David Green, and M.L. Broome.
Tell us about your writing process.
I have loads of story ideas, far more than I have time to actually write at this stage. So, most of my stories remain ideas I mull over in my mind for a very long time before I even start plotting the outline, let alone writing the story. For most of my books, I've thought them over for long enough that when I do finally sit down to write, it just flows and comes to life on its own.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
If I get stuck writing a scene, I'll often ask the character involved, "What's next?" and wait for the answer to come to me.
What advice would you give other writers?
You're the only one who can write the story in your head. It doesn't matter if it's like something that already exists. Your story is unique to you and only you can create it, so go for it.
However, don't underestimate the need for a team. A book is a group effort. Yes, you have to write it, but you'll also need editors and a cover designer to help you polish your product so it becomes viable. Don't send your book baby out into the world unprepared. We are prepared to pay a lot of money to send our kids to college so they're prepared to face the big wide world; getting a book ready should be seen the same way. You're investing in your book's future by making sure it's ready to be out there.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I'd taken almost twenty years to accept that I ought to publish my books. Having wasted so much time just learning to believe in myself, I didn't think it would be wise to spend an equal amount of time trying to convince others' of my books' worth. It seemed more sensible to seize the moment and prove through the readers that my books are worth having out there, and that has proven true.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it's a very versatile time. The traditional publishers might have been the gate-keepers of literature for an inordinate amount of time, but that power is waning fast. Self-publishing is allowing for greater diversity to stream into the industry than has previously been allowed and that will have a huge impact on the industry as a whole. We're already seeing changes in mainstream publications because of it. Story ideas that would have been put down in the past are being embraced because the readers want it.
What genres do you write?: Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Astrid V.J. Home Page Link
Link To Astrid V.J. Page On Amazon
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
