Debora Geary--5 Questions

Today I'm delighted to welcome Debora Geary to my blog. Her debut novel, A Modern Witch has sold thousands since its release, only a few months ago. While I have the modern witch here, I thought I'd ask a few questions.

1) You’ve had quite a stellar rise, over the past few months, as an indie author. To what do you attribute your success?

My book found its audience. A combination of giveaways, an author friend who most generously shared his readers, and some sheer luck caught my book a ride on the amazon algorithms. People got to see my book (visibility is a huge challenge for all of us!), and some of them chose to give it a chance.

Sounds simple, but it isn't. Not every good book takes off like mine did, and I'm eternally grateful to every single one of my readers. Even the ones threatening to duct tape me to my chair so I'll write faster...

2) Okay, I have to ask, are you a witch? If so, how do your beliefs influence your stories? If not, what drew you to the topic?

I believe we all have a little witch in us (or a little magic, if you like), but I don't have a bigger share than anyone else :-). I'm not a practicing witch, but several of my readers are - and I'm delighted they embrace the spirit of the very fictional witches I've created.

What drew me to the topic? The seeds of A Modern Witch sprouted one night while I was sleeping. I'm a bit of a geek, and I've always loved books about witches, so it's probably not a surprise my dreams headed that direction.

3) What advice can you give to other writers?

I've been a writer for less than nine months. I don't think I'm qualified to be handing out advice yet!

The most important lesson I've learned in this short time? Find your readers. Talk with them, hang out with them, treasure them.

4) Please talk about the Pink Snowbunnies from Hell Flash-Fiction anthology: What inspired the idea? What are your hopes for the collection?

I was on Kindleboards, in a thread on grammar and taxes. Isn't that how all great anthologies are born :-)? I responded to some point made in the thread with a "fat chance" reply - only I'd had no sleep for a couple of days, and my exhausted mind melded pink pigs flying and snowballs in hell and who knows what else, and my response came out as "pink snowbunnies will ski in hell, first". Two hours later, one of our resident pranksters posted the graphic that will be the anthology's cover. I take no responsibility for what happened after that...

The stories in the anthology are a wonderful showcase of Kindleboards and indie talent, and the really oddball stuff writers can come up with given a silly enough story prompt. I hope readers will laugh, roll their eyes a time or two, and discover some new authors to explore.

5) What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Sleep. It used to be that only my kids and my cat disrupted my sleep on a regular basis. Now my characters do, too.

                                                                      ***

Thanks, Debora! Only nine months as a writer--and she doesn't claim to be a witch. Check out Debora Geary's Amazon Page. Aside from her novel, A Modern Witch, Debora also offers "nibbles," her shorter work.

And be sure to watch for The Pink Snowbunnies from Hell -- Flash Fiction Anthology!