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
4th 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.
You can check out Ambrosia: An OWS Ink Anthology on Amazon
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.
