Ambrosia Blog Tour: Interview With Author Stephanie Ayers

Today, I'm am pleased to be part of the blog tour for the poetry collection, Ambrosia: An OWS Ink Anthology. For this stop on the tour, I bring you a delightful interview with one of the anthology's authors, Stephanie Ayers. As well, the proceeds from this book are being donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, so I encourage you to check out the book. You'll find a blurb and an Amazon link at the end of the post.

Interview with Stephanie Ayers

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

Hello! I am Stephanie Ayers, an author of horror and fantasy. Most of my writings are short stories involving the supernatural, paranormal, and bringing inanimate objects to life. I also own half of a publishing company that debuted in November 2016 and claims 7 books under its imprint, the most recent one our annual poetry anthology, Ambrosia. I’m working at establishing myself as a graphic designer doing book covers and graphics needed to help author build their platforms. When I am not doing any of these things, I am a football, soccer, and basketball mom who avoids housework, growing up, and zombies though not necessarily in that order.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

Sept 16 launches our latest book, Ambrosia: An OWS Ink Anthology. It is a collection of poetry from 9 different writers, each with their own unique take on life. The idea behind the title is that poetry is the nectar of the gods (called Ambrosia) and the words within celebrate this feast with an incredible blend of heartache, longing, inspiration, desperation, fantasy, and more.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?

I have been writing since 4^th grade. I wrote a lot during my school years, and then switched to poetry in my mid-teens, and then to song writing in my 20s. I have one romantic horror novella of my own, along with 5 short stories published in anthologies, and 17 poems published in Ambrosia. In October, my short story collection, The 13: Tales of Illusory, will also be released.

Why did you decide to write poetry?

I’m not really sure why I started to write poetry. At first it was a challenge to write something different from the fiction I usually wrote, plus I sought fame. Everything I saw at 17 and 18 revolved around poetry, so that’s where I went, too. As I grew older, it became a method of release for me. There’s just something about weaving your tears and broken thoughts into a poetic form that makes you feel better.

You write in several genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why?

Fantasy is my favorite, though horror seems to be what I write most of. Fantasy is my favorite genre to read as well. I mean, you know unicorns. Elves. Fairies. Dragons. New worlds. I can create my own little world to escape to. Hopefully a few of you come with me.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

My greatest challenge as a writer is turning my stories into full length novels. I’m so accustomed to writing short stories that it has become a challenge to write something longer than 15,000-20,000 words and even that seems excessive to me.

Do you have a favourite author, or writing inspiration?

My bookshelf is full of everything, but I can’t pass a Stephen King book without picking it up. I would have to say that he is my favorite and has had a lot of influence on my writing style. I’m also a huge fan of James Patterson and Kristin Hannah. I’ve heard there’s a little Patterson in my writing as well.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

Oh gosh, where do I start? I know… I’ll just drop two of my personal quotes here: “One single letter cures the blank page.”
“The more you doubt your talent and strive to improve, the better the writer.”




What’s your next project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?

The 13: Tales of Illusory is set for release October 1. This is a collection of my short horror stories and contain villains from many different parts of life, and range from the supernatural to paranormal and most anything in between. My favorite story in the book is a ghostly tale titled Say Say Oh Playmate. Mere is the lone survivor of a playground shooting and grows up haunted by the incident. Things get quite hairy for her when the game the children were playing when they were slaughtered starts playing on a loop in her head. Is Meredith going crazy or is someone playing a trick on her? This was an absolute treat to write.

A published author with a knack for twisted tales, Stephanie Ayers is the Executive Creative Director of OWS Ink, LLC, a community for writers and readers alike. She loves a good thriller, fairies, things that go bump in the night, and sappy stories. When she is not writing, she can be found in Creative Cloud designing book covers and promotional graphics for authors.

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You can check out Ambrosia: An OWS Ink Anthology on Amazon

Available for Pre-order

Delight in the nectar of the gods. Feed your mind with Ambrosia

Whispers to the gods are like honey from a poet's lips. When several poets raise their voices together, it's a sacred feast of memories and dreams. Poetry is divine food for the soul, full of emotional and celestial feeling. Join us in our longing, our pain and passion, heartache, logic and insanity, fear, faith, confusion, hope, unity, solitude, daily life, political strife, and more.

From the creative minds of Eric Keizer, A.L. Mabry, Sam DeLoach, Alyssa Trivett, Mello Sakia, Stacy Overby, Phillip Matthew Roberts, Veronica Falletta and Stephanie Ayers.

The Poets of this project have partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and all royalties will be donated to this charity.

And be sure to check out the rest of the tour: Ambrosia Blog Tour