Welcome DelSheree Gladden, author of The Destroyer Trilogy!
Tell us a little bit about what you write and why you chose this genre.
I have tried my hand at writing several genres, but my first love in fiction has always been young adult literature. I was a very shy child and I spent a lot of time reading. Fantasies like The Enchanted Forest Chronicles drew me in and Dianna Wynn Jones' Chrestomanci stories and Diane Duane's Young Wizards Series introduced me to a rich mixture of fantasy and the real world. I think every child hopes that there is magic hiding around the corner. I guess I just never grew out of that, and it translated into a love for YA urban fantasy novels, my main writing genre.
How did you get started writing?
My love for art initially got me interested in writing. I wanted to be a children's book illustrator, but in the end, creating the story rather than the illustrations was what I really focused on. I love bringing worlds and characters to life and entertaining readers.
Have you faced any hardships/challenges as a writer?
Like many other writers, when I first started on the road to publishing I was met with many rejections letters. Agents and publishers were not eager to take on unproven writers. I self published four novels before signing with a small publisher for my next series. The first contracted book was published, but our relationship dissolved shortly thereafter due to several problems with the publisher. I returned to self publishing after the difficulties I had with my previous publisher. At the time, I did not intend to seek out a traditional publisher again, but I just recently signed on with GMTA publishing for my next book,Godling Hunger. My first round with traditional publishing did not end as I would have liked, but I learned a lot from the experience which has helped me since then and I am excited to take the next step.
How was your self-publishing journey?
I started out creating paperback copies. Figuring out how to format everything was a challenge, and it took a lot of work to make it look professional the first time. After all that, I realized that where I really needed to focus was ebooks. Formatting for ebooks can take as much time as print, but they allow so much more flexibility. I can offer my books all over the world as an ebook. I can also give away copies through email, which really saves on postage! What really takes the most effort in self publishing, is marketing. Getting your name and your books out there takes countless hours of online promoting, blogging, blog hopping, interviews, features, and just straight out asking people to buy your books. It is a lot of hard work from beginning to end, but it is also very rewarding.
I have tried my hand at writing several genres, but my first love in fiction has always been young adult literature. I was a very shy child and I spent a lot of time reading. Fantasies like The Enchanted Forest Chronicles drew me in and Dianna Wynn Jones' Chrestomanci stories and Diane Duane's Young Wizards Series introduced me to a rich mixture of fantasy and the real world. I think every child hopes that there is magic hiding around the corner. I guess I just never grew out of that, and it translated into a love for YA urban fantasy novels, my main writing genre.
How did you get started writing?
My love for art initially got me interested in writing. I wanted to be a children's book illustrator, but in the end, creating the story rather than the illustrations was what I really focused on. I love bringing worlds and characters to life and entertaining readers.
Have you faced any hardships/challenges as a writer?
Like many other writers, when I first started on the road to publishing I was met with many rejections letters. Agents and publishers were not eager to take on unproven writers. I self published four novels before signing with a small publisher for my next series. The first contracted book was published, but our relationship dissolved shortly thereafter due to several problems with the publisher. I returned to self publishing after the difficulties I had with my previous publisher. At the time, I did not intend to seek out a traditional publisher again, but I just recently signed on with GMTA publishing for my next book,Godling Hunger. My first round with traditional publishing did not end as I would have liked, but I learned a lot from the experience which has helped me since then and I am excited to take the next step.
How was your self-publishing journey?
I started out creating paperback copies. Figuring out how to format everything was a challenge, and it took a lot of work to make it look professional the first time. After all that, I realized that where I really needed to focus was ebooks. Formatting for ebooks can take as much time as print, but they allow so much more flexibility. I can offer my books all over the world as an ebook. I can also give away copies through email, which really saves on postage! What really takes the most effort in self publishing, is marketing. Getting your name and your books out there takes countless hours of online promoting, blogging, blog hopping, interviews, features, and just straight out asking people to buy your books. It is a lot of hard work from beginning to end, but it is also very rewarding.
Tell us about your latest book. What inspired you?
Right now I am in the middle of publishing my series, The Destroyer Trilogy, the story of Libby Sparks, a 16 year old girl with a destiny to destroy the world. The final book of the trilogy, Darkening Chaos, will be released March 2013. This series was inspired by a set of books I read and ended up not liking very much. I challenged myself to write something new and avoid the things I didn't like about the series while creating an alternate reality readers would enjoy.
My new series,the first book of which is, Godling Hunger, is planned for release in July 2013. This book introduces readers to Vanessa and Zander Roth, siblings cursed with an uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering, a power which can either bring them indescribable power, or agonizing death. This series was inspired by a single word, godling, mentioned in a Jim Butcher book I was reading at the time. It made me wonder if I could create a character that really didn't know whether they were a hero or villain, or even where there power came from. Would the journey to uncover the secrets behind their power define them, or would fate win out? Readers will have to read to find out!
Right now I am in the middle of publishing my series, The Destroyer Trilogy, the story of Libby Sparks, a 16 year old girl with a destiny to destroy the world. The final book of the trilogy, Darkening Chaos, will be released March 2013. This series was inspired by a set of books I read and ended up not liking very much. I challenged myself to write something new and avoid the things I didn't like about the series while creating an alternate reality readers would enjoy.
My new series,the first book of which is, Godling Hunger, is planned for release in July 2013. This book introduces readers to Vanessa and Zander Roth, siblings cursed with an uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering, a power which can either bring them indescribable power, or agonizing death. This series was inspired by a single word, godling, mentioned in a Jim Butcher book I was reading at the time. It made me wonder if I could create a character that really didn't know whether they were a hero or villain, or even where there power came from. Would the journey to uncover the secrets behind their power define them, or would fate win out? Readers will have to read to find out!
Any advice for aspiring writers out there?
Read, a lot. Reading can teach writers so much, from how to format dialog to how to create a good story arch. Not being familiar with the ins and outs of writing fiction shows not only to readers, but especially to agents and publishers. Read books from the genre you want to write. How do the characters interact with each other? Write down why you like a certain book or character and find out what kept you reading, and then use similar tactics in your book. Have other people read your writing, too. This is so scary for new writers, but it is crucial. Having a few people point out where your book may need to improve is much better than publishing and hearing it from hundreds of readers on the internet. Most of all, write, write, write. This is one area where practice really does work.
DelSheree’s Blog
DelSheree’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Wattpad
Amazon
Read, a lot. Reading can teach writers so much, from how to format dialog to how to create a good story arch. Not being familiar with the ins and outs of writing fiction shows not only to readers, but especially to agents and publishers. Read books from the genre you want to write. How do the characters interact with each other? Write down why you like a certain book or character and find out what kept you reading, and then use similar tactics in your book. Have other people read your writing, too. This is so scary for new writers, but it is crucial. Having a few people point out where your book may need to improve is much better than publishing and hearing it from hundreds of readers on the internet. Most of all, write, write, write. This is one area where practice really does work.
DelSheree’s Blog
DelSheree’s Website
Goodreads
Wattpad
Amazon
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