Author Interview: VIVIAN EARONS

I'm pleased to be back with another author interview today! 

Check it out... 

Vivian Earons grew up in Northern California, riding horses and daydreaming about adventures and places she read about in her most prized possessions – her books. She knew she wanted to start writing when there were no stories about girls and young women like her. As a fat, body-positive member of the LGBTQ community, it seemed like nothing she read featured characters she could completely connect with. After graduating from Mills College with a BA in English, she took time off of writing to recenter and refocus. Now living in Chicago, Illinois with her wife and their big family of dogs, cats, toddlers, and family members, Vivian prides herself on being able to work no matter how much chaos is involved! She is currently drafting a YA Fantasy series centered on LGBTQ characters of diverse backgrounds and representations.  Love Notes to the Broken is her first collection of poetry dealing in themes of trauma, healing, growth, and moving forward.

Find out more about Vivian here! 

​

Love Notes to the Broken is the debut poetry collection of novelist and poet Vivian Earons. A raw inner reflection of modern love gone wrong, Love Notes delivers gut-wrenching poems in a narrative style telling the story of rising above what you’ve endured. Filled with rage, sadness, and hope, this collection will stay with you no matter where your are in your own journey. 
​

Grab your copy here! 
​

The Interview...

Who are you and what do you write? 

I’m many different paradoxes wrapped up into one very awkward package. I’m cancer/leo cusp which means I’m both very introverted and very extroverted. Words that I would use to describe myself are Femme, Author, Wife, Equestrian, Graduate Student, Housewitch, Fat, Lesbian. 

I write YA Fantasy most of the time, but I also write poetry and have a couple of ideas for adult books too. I’m really interested in writing a Crime/Thriller.   


Where and when and how did the writing life begin for you? 

I was 12 and I had just had my second major ankle surgery from an injury. I had this idea for a fantasy novel with elves (thanks Lord of the Rings!). I wrote it in four weeks, by hand, 303 pages long. This first draft of what is now my current WIP, The Five Realms, helped teach me how to type. It’s undergone three different drafts and only small aspects of the original manuscript remain. I still have the printed version and keep it for nostalgia.

How has the journey to this point been?

Can you give us a basic rundown? It’s been a very long and bumpy eighteen years this December. I took a lot of time off after High School and into College to try and find myself. I found a lot of trouble instead. It really shaped my writing in beautiful ways. One of the most significant make or break moments came the day my mother died. I had been writing the morning she died and it created a major block for a long time. Poetry helped open me back up again. Love Notes to the Broken, in a lot of ways, is very much my love story to me for finding my way back to writing. 


What's been the hardest part of your writing/publishing experience so far? And the most enjoyable? 

Hardest for me has been getting into the habit of writing every day. I am really busy with school and family already, plus having two chronic illnesses has shifted my writing process significantly. I no longer write until I’m out of steam. I stick to a strict 1-3000 word limit per day. I usually come in at 1500. It helps keep me flowing. The most enjoyable has been connecting with other writers on twitter. Literary agent Naomi Davis recommended this in her rejection letter and I am so glad I listened. My manuscript wasn’t ready but now it’s something even stronger all thanks to Twitter. 


Would you go back and change anything? 

Absolutely not. I couldn’t be the writer I am today without the experiences I’ve had. I had to fight to start writing again and I think that helps make it something I refuse to quit on. 


Where would you like to be in 5 years' time? And 10? Or, what are your plans for the future? 

In five years I’d like to have my second book in my YA Fantasy series coming out, to be going on a book tour for it, and hopefully through with my PsyD program. In ten years I want to be going to big cons, having just released the fourth novel with the final novel inline edits. I want to be able to travel and meet fans of the series and have writing retreats where I get to work somewhere abroad and remote.


What's one piece of advice you'd give to new writers just starting out? 

Listen to the experts but adapt things to your own style and preference. Only you know what feels right for your process and the stories you want to tell. Be humble and gracious about feedback and don’t get into twitter fights unless its something you’re really passionate about. 


And most importantly...

Ketchup or Mayo? - Mayo, especially for fries
Night or Day? - Night 
Inside or Outside? - Both, I need fresh air and sunshine, but I like the comforts of inside. 
Dogs or Cats? - Both
Twitter or Facebook? - Twitter, I hate Facebook. 
e-book or Paperback? - Paperback/Hardcover
Sun or Rain? - Sun (but only because the second winter just hit here in Chicago)
Keyboard or Pencil & Notebook? - Keyboard, but I journal and process life in a notebook, with a pen.
Comedy or Drama? - Comedy
Chips or Chocolate? - Chocolate, but I love chips too!