Your poetry collection, Cracked Open, has recently been published. What was its genesis?
I started a blog Debatably Dateable two years ago that is a mix between my poetry and dating related articles. Nearly all my poetry is about love and relationships so the two mix well. Cracked Open was born from that blog and heavily follows my own dating history craving a journey from failed love to a deep and healthy love. I had planned on my first collection being something else but Cracked Open had already begun to wite itself.
Is there a second book in the works? What do you find most influences your current writing?
There was a second book in the works as soon as I had categorized my current poems for my first collection. I found some common themes and keep them in mind when writing new poetry in order to complete my next book. I’ve also begun thinking of some non poetry book ideas as well that will hopefully come to fruition in the future. I’ve always loved Love which heavily influences the topic of my poems. I also have a big hang up on honesty so I try to always share my work even if it is sad, embarrassing, or hard to hear.
Where does this book fit into your career as a writer?
Of course I had a pipedream to publish a poetry book but I actually never thought it would happen. It was always something far in the future, a possible hobby in retirement. I’ve written poetry as a hobby for over a decade now and for the past two years have published those poems on my blog. The more support I received online, the more seriously I thought about publishing in print. I eventually pushed myself out of my comfortable zone and decided to go for it.
Cracked Open has given me the confidence to put myself out there. It’s given me the knowledge and passion for the book creating process in order to grow my book shelf. It will help me grow my audience and familiarize people to my work and writing style. I’m glad to have started my career when I did instead of waiting.
How do you handle a bad review of your work?
Being such a new writer, I actually don’t mind bad reviews. In fact, I actually kind of like them because then I get an honest critic and can see where I can improve. I’m also aware that everyone can’t love my book and a bad review doesn’t mean it’s a bad book so I take it with a grain of salt. I’m happy that my book is starting to reach a large enough audience that its reaching past the fan base.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as a writer?
My biggest mistake as a writer was probably not believing in myself and taking so long to put myself out there. I never thought I’d be writing past high school and I definitely didn’t think my blog Debatably Dateable would last more than a few, short months. It took me a long time to start promoting my work and grow my audience. It’s hard to promote yourself, it feels a bit unnatural. Don’t be afraid to try all means of marketing – social, email, print, and networking.
LINK: http://bit.ly/crackedopen
