About Melissa Widmaier:
Melissa is an award-winning author on the spectrum who likes to mix a little ink with her magic. Her books focus on the familial bond and exploring the natural world. When not manipulating words, she can be found camping with a camera in hand, getting lost among things green and growing. She lives in Arizona with her husband, three boys, a few ancient cats, and a rambunctious corgi.
What inspires you to write?
I find magic and mystery in all I see and in my life experiences, especially with my children and pets and out in nature. It is instinctive for me to write down those thoughts and feelings and make connections with them, even if those connections invent new characters, situations, and places to make sense of everything.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
When it comes to indie authors like me, I adore C. A. Farran, R. P. Dunwater, K. E. Andrews, Vanessa Rasanen, C. D. McKenna, Kara Douglas, A. R. Morgan, Elisabeth Wheatley, Andrew D. Meredith, E. K. Larson-Burnett, Jordyn Alexander, Elaine deBohun, H. M. Clarke, and Griffin Dool, to name a few!
But I can say I am also heavily influenced by traditionally published authors like Patricia A. McKillip, Tad Williams, Diana Wynne Jones, Anne McCaffrey, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, J.R.R. Tolkien, Johanna Spyri, Astrid Lindgren, Jane Austen, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, William Blake, Shakespeare, and Richard Adams.
I’m really into gobbling up the indie authors right now, though. I read whatever looks good at the moment, and, if it’s from an author I’ve read and enjoyed before, I’m more likely to breeze through their series (or yearn for it if it’s not yet complete).
Tell us about your writing process.
I try to keep organized when I devise my stories, but the reality is that my fantasies run wild. The stories have a basic shape, a crude outline on the screen or paper, in the beginning, but they grow and change, filling out or flowing off in other directions. I’m never quite certain how things are going to officially wrap up until my characters tell me that they are finished.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters are so much like my children, I sometimes find myself talking to them in the car or when folding laundry! They have a lot of say in how their fates play out, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I think authors that try to control the narrative instead of just letting things naturally happen are missing out. The characters show you things about yourself and about their situations that you might not have thought about before. You have to be willing to let things happen organically.
What advice would you give other writers?
Trust your instincts. It’s your story to tell and only you can tell it your way. Grammar and industry conventions are all well and good, but if you don’t have a story you stand by, all of that work and effort won’t be worth it.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
It was actually my husband’s idea to self-publish my books. He could see me pulling my hair out trying to appease the highly competitive and strict traditional market. I realized traditional publishing was fine for some, but it wasn’t for me now. I wasn’t in it for fame or fortune. I didn’t want to reshape my stories to meet market demand. I wanted to share them. So, here I am. I have no regrets.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I would like to forecast a bright future for publishing in all fields. Truthfully, however, I just don’t know. Readers are pretty voracious, and I’ve seen ardent fans in traditional and indie arenas. I don’t think publishing is going anywhere. There may be some hiccups, but what industry, especially a creative one, doesn’t have some stress. Honestly, humans live for stories. We must tell them. We must know them. Authors and readers will exist no matter what goes down.
What genres do you write?: Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Melissa Widmaier Home Page Link
Link To Melissa Widmaier Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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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.
