Interview with Ashlee Willis

Today we have en interview with Ashlee Willis!



Hello Ashlee and welcome to Future Homeschool Authors!

Thanks so much for having me!

First could you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I grew up (and still live) in mid Missouri. Most of my childhood was spent barefoot, up a tree, with my nose buried in a book, or wandering the poky aisles of our local library. I am a homeschool graduate, and am now homeschooling my own son, which has been quite an adventure! I love God first and foremost – also reading, writing, forest walks, friends, chocolate, and time with my family.

What’s your favorite book? 

Oh – the dreaded question!  Nearly impossible to answer, I’m afraid!  Growing up I fell irrevocably in love with the Chronicles of Narnia, and I still consider them to be at the top of my list today. I also love How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn – his use of language is astoundingly beautiful and was probably one of the top influences for my desire to write not only stories, but beautifully-told stories. Also, every one of Charles Dickens’ books hold a special place in my heart – Dickens had such a way of creating characters that readers truly care about.

Who's your favorite Author?

C.S. Lewis!

If you could meet one person who would it be? (Alive or dead and other then Jesus) 

Again – C.S. Lewis. He had such a wonderful combination of intelligence and imagination – I think talking with him would have been completely fascinating.

Can you tell us anything about one of the books you’re writing?

Sure! My debut book is The Word Changers, and it’s releasing June 23. It’s about a young girl named Posy who gets lost within a fairy tale book. She finds the characters of the story planning rebellion against their Plot, and the Author of the story is nowhere to be found. Posy finds adventure, danger, love and forgiveness, and even a bit of romance!

What was the best part of writing The Word Changers?

I just loved being able to see the story I dreamed about taking shape on the page, watching characters come to life and do things I would never have suspected. Sometimes writing can be tough, but those moments of magic where things just come together make everything worth it.

What was the worst part of writing it?

Editing is never a fun process for me. By the third edit or so I started getting a definite burn-out feeling about the manuscript, and felt like I never wanted to see it again!

How did you begin writing? 

My love of writing stemmed directly from my love of reading. It just seemed a natural step for me. I wrote stories and plays and poems and songs all of my childhood – I just couldn’t help myself J I wrote my first full-length book when I was about 15, and haven’t looked back since!

What is your favorite genre? 

Fantasy is my favorite genre, but I have a definite weak spot for cozy mysteries, too!

Do you do any research for you books? If you do what are your main sources? 

My books require a little bit of research – nothing too extensive – and I normally do most of my research online via trusted websites.

What do you like most about writing? 

Well, I’m a huge plotter – I plan out as much as I possibly can before I write the first word of a manuscript. And yet one of my favorite parts of writing is when the plot that I planned suddenly takes on a life of its own and surges in a completely different direction. There are a lot of times I want to fight it, but when I just let it go and see where it takes me, it oftentimes is a much better place than I had planned on going. I just love that! I think letting go of that control has not only taught me a lot about writing, but a lot about life.

Any final thoughts? 

Feel free to stop by my blog, Finding the True Fairy Tale (http://ashleewillisauthor.wordpress.com), or find me on Twitter (@BookishAshlee), Facebook (www.facebook.com/ashleewillisauthor), or Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7849640.Ashlee_Willis).

Thank you so much for all your time!

Thanks so much to you!  I’m honored and thrilled to be a part of your lovely blog.

-Mikayla-