Going from being self-published to having a company backing your books is something that a lot of authors want. Many choose to be self-published for the freedom that comes along with it- being able to pick where you sell your books to having your story stay the way you wrote it; but for others, having access to a team that is there to help on any points that you may overlook is great. Finding a company that will back you and still let you have your creative freedom is the best of both worlds- especially for our guest today, Birdy Rivers. Birdy is the author of the Shattered series which gives us the ability to follow Emmy- a young girl that upon turning seventeen, learns that she not your average teenage girl; she discovers that she is a witch. We follow her on this journey of self-discovery and where her love falls into her life as well. Today, we get to know a little bit more about the author behind this coming-of-age story with a twist.
DS&JM Reviews: I see that the Shattered series recently got picked up by a publishing company- in your opinion what would be the best and/or worst aspects of being self-published versus being published under a company?
Birdy Rivers: I think it depends on what works for you. I happen to have a great publishing company where I have a lot of creative freedom- which I know is why many authors prefer to be independently published, because some publishers will limit your creative freedom (or so I’ve heard.) For me, the best thing about being published with a company is having a team around you to help you with your writing; I’m not great at editing so having a team with someone who is, really helps.
DSJM: Has the process going from self-published to being picked up by a company changed things for you and your writing?
B.R: It hasn’t really changed much for me other than it gives me a bit more motivation to keep at writing.
DSJM: Have you always been interested in the supernatural realm? When or what was it that made the supernatural appeal to you?
B.R: Yes, I have always loved the paranormal/supernatural world, along with fantasy and sci-fi. I have to say it was Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings that made me fall in love with the supernatural/paranormal and fantasy worlds.
DSJM: So, is the Shattered series your first book(s); if so, how does it feel to have accomplished that?
B.R: This is my first published series and I’m beyond ecstatic. Being a published author has always been a dream of mine, so for it to come true feels amazing.
DSJM: In the first book, Shattered: The Awakening, it is about a 17 year old girl who finds out her life is nothing like it seems; can you relate to that and how?
B.R: I can relate in the sense that I’ve had so many things happen that I didn’t see coming. Also, at her age, I dealt with depression and so I lied to myself for a long time about what life was; and then when I got better, I realized the lies I had told myself and that life was nothing like what I thought. For Emmy, it’s similar because she’s dealing with the lie she was told her whole life. Both of us had to face the lies and find our own balance which you will see Emmy do throughout the series.
DSJM: Who is your favorite character you have written?
B.R: I’d have to say Emmy because she is based off of me and sort of what I was like at her age. Her emotions, confusion, and trying to find balance is something I’ve dealt with myself so when I was writing her, I poured a lot of myself into her. You will see in the next two books how she grows and truly finds herself. There’s another character I loved writing but I can’t talk about him yet because he doesn’t show up till book two but I’ll touch on him then.
DSJM: Sounds mysterious, I love it! What was the hardest scene for you to write?
B.R: For the first book it was the part where Emmy and Carter make love for the first time. I didn’t want to be too graphic, but I also didn’t want to the scene to feel half assed; it took a lot of rewriting before I felt I had found a balance.
DSJM: Would you say writing make you feel energized or exhausted?
B.R: It depends on why I’m writing. If I’m writing from inspiration, then I feel energized but if I’m writing from emotion, then I tend to be tired after; then there are times it’s a combination of the two.
DSJM: Being a newly published author can be hard to handle without support, what kind of support network do you have?
B.R: I have great support from my friends and family, along with my publishers. I really don’t think I could do it without them.
DSJM: For our last question, do you try to write what your readers want or do you write what you would want to read?
B.R: I’d say it’s a bit of both. I do like to write something I’d like to read because if I wouldn’t want to read my own book then I don’t see how others would want to. I have both my readers and myself on my mind while writing and editing. I try to think about what I want to happen and if it’s something my readers would want as well; it’s really about finding a happy medium. At the end of the day I want to write something amazing, something that I can be proud of, and I only hope that others will love it too.
You can get your copy of Shattered: The Awakening for Kindle on Amazon now; click the link below to get your copy today! For our review of Shattered: The Awakening, visit our Missed a Review page. Thank you for this opportunity to get to know you a little better Birdy; it has been a pleasure and we look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
Get Shattered: The Awakening on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Awakeneing-Birdy-Rivers-ebook/dp/B073TM5MSB/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502923041&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=shattered+the+awakening+birdy+rivers
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