Thanks for joining me for Sunday Speed Dates. This week I have A.J. Bakke joining me.
A. J. Bakke has always been a creative spirit, dabbling in drawing, sculpting and finally finding her true gift in writing. Not to say that she left those other artistic skills completely in the dust. They get pulled off the shelf and put to use now and then, especially when it comes to duct taping a costume together for a comic-con. Her biggest, and perhaps slightly hazardous passion, is horseback riding. She started a little late in life when she doesn’t bounce quite as well as she used to when she falls off. She is currently trying to set a very long record of ‘not falling off.’ She is the oldest of five sisters and one brother to boss around. She enjoys writing stories with a lot of comedy thrown in. Her favorite time to write is first thing in the morning with a 20oz coffee close at hand and cats piled on her lap. Cats are attracted to magical people, after all.
Welcome A.J.! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sure! My primary passion is horseback riding, a close second to that is writing books.
I just got a 6 year old Tennessee Walker last June. He’s a little on the lazy side which makes him perfect for me since I’m still a bit of a timid rider.
I also like to play Guild Wars 2 and my latest book, Crashing the Game, 3rd in the Hidden Level Trifecta, has some stuff in it that’s based off gaming in general, as well as a scene that loosely resembles a jumping puzzle that one of my cousins designed in GW2.
I am happily single and have 6 cats. Yes, I’m one of THOSE people. The cats all like to pile on the couch with me while I’m writing first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee close at hand.
My hair changes color often!
Oh! I’m totally jealous about your horse! Though the situation with the cats is familiar to me…just not in so great a number. :)
Tell us a little about your latest project.
I’m working on BWAHAHAHAHA! (er, sorry haha) Return of the Soul Devouring Parrot. Thus, the maniacal laughter. It’s the 4th book in my Worlds Akilter Series. A lot of readers really liked Yakyak, the soul devouring parrot, in the first book so I decided to bring her in for another round.
That’s interesting. I dare say, that’s a fairly accurate description of the few parrots I’ve had the (mis)fortune of meeting.
Are you an only child or do you have siblings? Tell us sbout them.
I’m the oldest of 7: 6 girls and one boy. Our poor, dear brother.
I wish they lived closer so I could torment- I mean, spend time with them more often. We all get along alright. We are a fun, goofy, quirky lot. I love my family! One of my sisters is providing all the grandchildren for our parents since the rest of us are slacking. I have three nephews and one niece. They are so adorable!
Oh my… Your poor brother, indeed!
What was the last thing (besides a book) that you bought online?
Wait, there’s things other than books?! I bought…ummm…I’m sure I bought something. My credit card bill definitely attests to buying things. Oh yea, a new blanket for my horse. Not terribly exciting, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate it when it gets colder. Or not. But he’ll wear it all the same! I wish the brand sold stuff in fun colors like pink with zebra stripes, but they only have boring ol’ blah blue and blah green. The blue and green aren’t even bright or interesting, but the type of blanket fits better so it doesn’t rub or is uncomfortable for the horse.
The practicalities are never quite as fun as we think they should be. Someone should change that…
If you could learn a new hobby or skill, what would it be? Why?
I just started up archery in order to eventually do mounted archery.
Then I can finally trick people into thinking I’m cool! Also, it occurred to me one day, I wanna do that, but then I thought, I can’t do that, and then I said, yes I can. And so I will! If there’s a hobby I’m interested in doing, I don’t dilly dally around dreaming about it anymore. If I’m really interested, I start pursuing it. I did the same with sculpting at around age 25ish, horses at age 30, and ‘serious’ writing at age 33.
Just get it done. I completely agree. Why waste time dreaming about it instead of doing it?
When did you write your first book/story?
I don’t really remember my first first stories. They were back when I was a kid/teen. That was a long long time ago in a galaxy far away.
I think we’ve all got that book! It’s both funny and cringe worthy at the same time. :)
How old were you? Do you remember what it was called or any details?
I’m gonna take a wild guess at 12. Seems like a good number.
There was a car that was programmed to talk and some kind of anime, wolf creatures, I don’t really know. I’m sure I’d keel over dead of embarrassment if I ever found it and read it again. However, it just occurred to me that I used a version of the wolf creatures on the world I created for my current books. The creatures are called trrgril and are generally a surly lot. I haven’t expanded much on their culture or anything. They have only been on the sideline so far, but eventually, I plan to have a story that involves them more.
No matter how bad those first stories are, there is always something to gain from them.
How do you set your writing goals? Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
I write every morning until the book is finished. That’s my only goal. I keep it simple. No word count requirements, no deadlines. I’m allergic to those things.
Ha! Maybe I should try that…
If you could pick one author to write a collaborative story with, who would it be and why?
Mercedes Lackey, maybe, but since she’s my favorite author of all time, I’m not sure I’d survive the whole freezing up with nerves part. I’d also consider Terry Pratchett, but he’s left Earth behind for better things.
Collaboration with a ghost would make for some interesting stories, though.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Generally, I love humor! Goofy, silly stuff with the occasional terrible pun thrown in. Certainly there is drama and adventure and action, but I really feel like things come together the best when I’m bending reality upside down and inside out. In the case of my current WIP, it’s a lot of fun writing for Yakyak. She has similar world domination dreams that I do, though I tend to avoid devouring souls. They stick in the teeth.
A little upside down reality never hurt anyone. :)
What is the most important thing that people DON’T know about your subject/genre, that they need to know?
I think right now most folks don’t know that they NEED to read my books!
Excellent!
How important are names to you in your books?
It can sometimes take me a while to come up with a name that really clicks for a character. On a scale of 1-10 (not important-very important), I’d say they are at least an 8 or 9.
I agree. Names are so important to characters. They’re personal and tell us so much about who the character is.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Guilt is over-rated. I do things guilt free! ;)
Good answer!
What was the first car you drove?
A Ford somether-er-other that was always breaking. It decided to stop running right in front of an oncoming semi once. That was fun.
OMG… how scary!
What is your writing inspiration?
Perseverance and self discipline will get you farther than whim and inspiration. Oh, whoops, sorry, that didn’t make writing sound very dreamy did it? I see a lot of ‘Oh, I’m waiting for the inspiration to hit’ and ‘my muse says I need to write ten stories at the same time, I can never get any of them finished’ a lot.
You have to buckle down and do the heavy lifting in order to finish a project. It’s not always fun, but it’s necessary if you really want to succeed.
Yes. It’s all about discipline. The muse will appear once the discipline sets in.
What is the best advice you’ve received as a writer?
To self publish. If I had waited on the ephemeral hope of getting a publisher, I probably would have given up on writing. Now, I tell me ‘yes!’ And no one can tell me ‘no.’ It’s pretty nice. :) I have 7 books out now with 2 more easily on the way to be released before in early 2017.
That’s wonderful news and great advice to those needing the extra push.
Tell us a little about what your next project will be.
M
y next project is going to be finishing up a couple of short stories so I can release a small collection of fun, whimsical stories, all of which involve cats. Cats are very important to the balance of the universe. Where there are cats, there is magic. Two of the short stories are already published in Space Kitties anthology 1 and 2. They follow the adventures of an orange kitten named Fluffybottoms.
Cats rule the world, after all. :)
Where can we find out more about you and what you write?
You can find me on my website, Facebook, and Amazon author page.