Boy oh boy, does it feel good to be back to posting new blog content! Sure, I shared the re-introduction post last month, but until I shared an actual interview again I wasn't even convinced that it was going to happen...
What's that? Oh... Yeah...
Ok, so I had to make adjustments to my schedule to make sure it DID happen. Those who tuned in last month know today's post was going to be the first part of my interview with Alex Clifford.
Well...
You see, I decided that since I spoke with Alex way back in Jan '21, and a LOT has changed since then, it was important that we had a catch up so I could include some new info.
And what do you get when you try to get the sun and the moon to show up at the same time? Well, yes, technically an eclipse... I was going for conflicting schedules...
My point is that it has taken us literal months to be able to catch up, and I squeezed in two new interviews in that time, so we did a shuffle!
The good news is, the first interview of the year is with a fellow poet- Anastasia Childers!
I love, love, love her poetry. Even though it's not my usual style, the writing was so emotional and so wonderfully wordy and expressive that I got lost in it when reading Glass Roses.
I had a chance to chat with her in January. She was so sweet and interesting to talk to.
Check out our interview below. Read my review or purchase your copy of Glass Roses here.
J: For those who don’t know you, tell me a bit about yourself.
Where are you from?
How long have you been writing?
Do you have published books?
A: I’m Anastasia. I’m 25. I live in Michigan. I’m actually Austrian/Canadian.
I started writing in 8th grade, so I guess 13 years.
I have 2 published books- Thoughts and Metaphors, and Glass Roses. I am actually in the process of republishing 1 of my books. I will be publishing my 3rd … maybe spring next year.
J: Let’s talk more about your writing. Tell me about your poetry…
What kind of poetry do you write?
Where do you get your inspiration?
When/how did your poetry writing journey begin?
A: I started my writing journey with poetry. I was in a car accident when I was 18 and my councillor recommended writing poetry. I never really read any and thought it was a dumb idea. But it helped me process and deal with the accident and some other traumas that had happened in my life.
A friend gave me a poetry book that covered similar traumas which helped. This poet [Amanda Lovelace] writes trauma as fairytales, but for adults.
I get inspiration from other poets and stories from other people around me. I find it hard to stay away from news stories and Facebook etc. I’ll even get inspiration from children’s stories.
J: I believe you have a novel in the works too. Can you tell me about that?
A: Yeah. So, it started in 2015. It is based on a plan I had with a friend for after we finished high school. We had this plan to get a van and travel around the US. We were going to pick up odd jobs along the way.
So that’s what the story is about. It’s two friends who go on a road trip. All that could go wrong does, they meet all these new people, avoid getting kidnapped… It’s a coming of age, comedy, but for adult readers too.
J: What do you want your readers to know about your books?
A: I hope that in reading my book, you come out of it feeling less alone, understand someone else more, or learn something new.
J: What do you wish more readers knew about the writing process and what it’s like to be the author rather than the audience?
A: Things take time.
I would rather trust the process than writing as fast as I can. It’s worth the wait rather than reading rushed work.
J: Your poetry books touch on the subject of abuse. I’m sure I’m not the only one to find your bravery in being so forward about your past experiences so impressive.
How do you feel your life experience has impacted your writing?
A: Basically, it goes both ways.
My writing impacts my abuse and vice versa. They impact each other regularly- in a good way.
J: Speaking of life experience…
You’ve spoken about how autism has had an impact on your life, and I wonder what kind of affect it has on your writing process.
Within reason- since we all think differently anyway- do you feel that being neurodivergent has helped or hindered your writing process?
A: I think there are both positive and negative effects.
On the plus side, I’m very focused and I hyper fixate on both my writing and my art inside my books; this makes me an extremely detail-oriented worker & helps me get things done faster. I also have a unique perspective to share with the world.
On the flip side, I worry that it’ll make me harder to relate to. The words in my head and the way I see the world around me may not be as easily understood or relatable.
It also makes my ability to handle criticisms less than ideal. Being taught and told to mask my whole life because I was too weird, I spent years of my adult life trying to unlearn that habit. Even when people are completely in the right to critique my work or tell me they didn’t like it, I have a hard time accepting it at face value. My mind tends to trigger its flight response and hide away until it’s all better. I do eventually get past that and am overall thankful for criticisms and advice because once my emotions are in check I can learn and grow from them.
J: Sticking with mental health, how does social media effect your mental health? Do you feel pressure to use it in a certain way (e.g. specific platforms, regular posting etc.) or do you just go with the flow?
A: I definitely feel the pressure. I feel guilty when I see a message and realise I haven’t posted in a while.
I’ve been trying to go with the flow and post when I’m really inspired.
J: Do you think you’d post more without that pressure to do the “right” thing?
A: Without that innate pressure, yes, I guess I would post more. But then I also think I need that pressure to want to post more.
J: What can the world expect from you in the coming years? Do you have books planned? What will your writing journey look like?
A: I’m looking into copywriting. I’m going through some material to teach myself and build on my knowledge.
It’s become such a big thing since, like, 2020, so a lot of freelance copy has come up, and I want to do that.
I will also be republishing one of my books [Glass Roses]. I had an issue with the ISBN, and I want to put it on Ingram Spark so I can reach a larger audience.
J: Lastly, what’s one fun fact about you or your writing that we don’t know?
A: I’m a cat lady- I have three.
Cats influence my poetry. They’re independent and empathetic and I aspire to be like that.
They taught me about personal boundaries and how to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to you.
Ok, guys, that's it for today. Come back next month to- HOPEFULLY- read part 1 of my interview with Alex Clifford. (I swear... One of these days... lol)