Amanda Meuwissen is the author of The Incubus Saga (Book 1: Incubus, Book 2: Changeling, Book 3: COMING SUMMER 2015) and the novelette The Collector. She has a Bachelor of Arts in a personally designed major from St. Olaf College in Creative Writing, and has been writing and posting online for many years, including maintaining the blog for the customer engagement company Outsell. She spent a summer writing screenplay script coverages for a company in L.A., and is an avid writer and consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games.
Amanda also serves as COO and Managing Editor for BigWorldNetwork.com, the world’s premiere episodic literary network. She oversees editing and series selection, as well as being involved in marketing and promotion, and is featured as a narrator for several BWN series.
Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their cats, Helga and Sasha (no connection to the incubus of the same name).
Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6831429.Amanda_Meuwissen
https://www.facebook.com/TheIncubusSaga
https://twitter.com/MissSuperCube
http://bigworldnetwork.com/site/series/incubus/enter
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Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
Both? I let the characters and story come to me for a while before I ever write. Once I know I have the basics in my head, I plan things very carefully. But as I write certain scenes, I really let things flow, and sometimes that natural progression takes things somewhere unexpected.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
All the time! Sometimes it surprises me what they do, how they respond, or when they go, BAM, they have to die. Always listen to the characters’ voices though; you can edit later.
What drew you to the M/M genre in particular?
It’s been my poison since I was a young teenager. I’m always more drawn to writing male characters, and male relationships (whether friendships, brothers, father-son, or romance) and I can’t seem to want to stray. I often say I have a very male-oriented mind, so maybe ‘writing what you know’ for me IS writing men. There’s just something so much hotter to me about male relationships too. Fanfiction set the groundwork.
Do you write in other genres besides M/M?
I write a lot of non-fiction, for my day jobs, and for fun. I never stop writing. I’m hoping to dabble in some YA, but that will be M/M too admittedly.
What is your favourite food?
Boneless wings. Any number of sauces depending on my mood, but always dipped in blue cheese.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl. I’m a chronic insomniac, and have always loved the night. Waking up is hard!
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
I’ve actually done a lot of traveling already in my life, so partly I want to visit some of those places again but with my husband this time, like England, Germany, and the Netherlands. I’d love to go back to Japan together (where I fell in love with him). And for places I’ve never been: Ireland, Belgium, and Hong Kong.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Not really. I prefer keeping things local to what I know well. I tend to always have characters at least stop by Minnesota, where I was born and raised, and will probably set my next book exclusively there.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Never! I need total silence.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
Changeling is the sequel to Incubus, the second book in the trilogy The Incubus Saga. It’s a Gay Paranormal Romance story told through Nathan Grier's perspective, a seemingly normal human surrounded by the supernatural: his brother Jim, a changeling; his eventual lover Sasha, an incubus; and many other forces raging against him as a powerful dark sidhe strives to claim his soul. It’s about accepting who you are and who you love, and beating the odds together with friends and family. Changeling picks up right where Incubus left off, with Nathan's dark fae bounty looming, his romance with Sasha still budding, and larger threats on the horizon.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
It’s different for everyone. The traditional route was never going to work for me. I have too niche a focus with Gay Paranormal Romance, but often write books that are too long to be accepted by genre publishers. This led me to indie publishing, as doing it myself is way beyond my capabilities. Finding BigWorldNetwork.com has been a godsend. I get to post things serialized first, just like I was used to with fanfiction, and get instant feedback. Then I still get to edit all over again before compiling the final work into a book, where everything is taken care of for me: the typesetting, cover, ISBN, the works; and I get final say on everything. Find a route that works for you and don’t let yourself settle for anything.
Is there anything you would do differently?
I wish I knew with book 1 everything I know with book 2 about marketing so I could have gotten a bigger bang in the beginning, but I can only go up from here!
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
Anne Rice was a huge influence on my early years, as I read her original Vampire Chronicles when I was 12. Fanfiction has always been a huge inspiration, because you can find so many amazing writers and ideas, some just a drabble, others more epic than a book series. Every time a read something, my writing improves, no matter what the source. My readers influence me a lot too.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Write every day. Never give up. Share your work with others, whether by handing over paper, or posting online. Feedback is important! Write what you love, and don’t let others or publishers steer you in a direction you don’t want to go.
What are three words that describe you?
Creative. Colorful. Fierce.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
I can only choose one?! Then…Good Omens. Between the authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Practhett, Gaiman is my favourite. I need to go back and read Sandman again…
Nathan Grier’s dark fae bounty looms overhead. As he faces the very real threat of becoming a slave to the bounty’s owner, his brother Jim uses his changeling abilities more and more trying to save him. Every changeling throughout history turns evil once their powers manifest, meaning time may be running out for both of them as Jim nears True Awakening.
Fae hunter and incubus, Sasha Kelly, is prophesized to save Nathan, but while Nathan has embraced his feelings for the other man, he fears their time together will be cut short—either from his impending fate…or Jim’s.
List of previous books if any
Incubus (The Incubus Saga – Book 1)
The Collector
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Incubus Saga #2
Amanda Meuwissen
Gay Paranormal Romance
Buy Changeling at BigWorldNetwork | Amazon
Nathan Grier’s dark fae bounty looms overhead. As he faces the very real threat of becoming a slave to the bounty’s owner, his brother Jim uses his changeling abilities more and more trying to save him. Every changeling throughout history turns evil once their powers manifest, meaning time may be running out for both of them as Jim nears True Awakening.
Fae hunter and incubus, Sasha Kelly, is prophesized to save Nathan, but while Nathan has embraced his feelings for the other man, he fears their time together will be cut short—either from his impending fate…or Jim’s.
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Incubus #1
Nathan only ever wanted a normal life, but for him, life, family, and love are anything but normal.
On the other side of the Veil, dark and light fae exist outside the knowledge of most humans. Nathan Grier was born human, but his twin brother Jim is a changeling. On the run since they were children, time for both of them is running out. Turning to fae hunter Sasha Kelly for help, Nathan must soon face his growing feelings for the other man while trying to save himself and his brother from a fate worse than death.
Buy at BigWorldNetwork | Amazon
Thank you so much for hosting this interview as part of my tour! Some of my favorite questions I've been asked as an author. I truly appreciate being able to stop by, and hope that some of you awesome readers out there consider checking out my titles. Thanks again!
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