Name: Karli Rush
The Title of Your Work or Group:
Daylight (No Death For The Wicked Series)
Where do you create?
I was born and raised in the capital city of the Cherokee Nation.
In what genre do you write?
Paranormal Romance, Vampire Gothic Romance, Dystopian Sci-fi, and soon Contemporary Romance.
In your own words, what is your book about? If you were not the author and trying to explain this awesome book you just read to a friend, what would you say about it?
Are you kidding me? You like Vampire Romance, right? This one has a girl in it with some serious attitude, I just love her to death. So does someone else, but I’m not about to tell you the really good stuff. Reading this one was fun, I want book two but it’s not out yet. I hope it’s not too long before it comes out. I like the twists in this one, your gonna love it!
What is your writing style? Do you follow all guides and rules? Synopsis, outline etc. or do you just sit down at the computer and type to see what happens.
My books are born from dreams and then over time become complete stories inside my mind. I usually don’t start writing before the ending is complete, mentally. I often enough allow the story to unfold itself though. Sometimes it goes in directions I never see coming and that is usually when I am on the verge of a very original storyline. I wrote Daylight in a series of scenes, most of which didn’t fit together until the very end. That was more stressful on me and I hope the next installment of the “No Death For The Wicked Series” is more linear.
Have you ever written anything and thought; " The world has got to see this!" ?
I love this question. The answer is, maybe. What I mean by that is my reaction to some of what I write is, “How will the world take to my twisted imagination?” I write about love, but then I incorporate the bitter evil that is also out there and I intertwine them together. I tend to be more nervous than excited about my new releases. I cross my fingers a lot.
Do you have an editor and Cover Designer or do you do this yourself?
I am a true Indie Author. It is all on me, not that I wish it that way, but it is the circumstance. I handle 100% of my writing from cradle to grave you could say.
Who is your favorite author? Not just someone that you read allot. I wanna know whose book you read that made you suddenly know that if you didn't do this for the rest of your life then you would never be happy.
I have two that made me understand that writing is so profound, if the talent is there. Both of these men have given me questions about my own existence and beyond. It is here, in their words, that I find my compulsion to bring my own sordid tales of love and disaster together. Thank you Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
The balance. Is the dialog too much, or not enough? Do I describe the sparkling droplets of dew that cascade from the leaf and awaken the sleeping flower, or is that overdone and the crisp cool morning dew is enough. Yes, I would say the balance is the hardest. Too much and a reader is bored, too little and they don’t engage their imagination. You can lose a reader either way.
Do you write your characters or do they write themselves through you?
I have scenes in my head of a character, it might be only a few moments, but that is the defining structure that I base them on. Mattie stomping down the road, mad. Watching as her feet flash in and out of her vision as her anger fuels her movements. Everything builds from that point.
Do you ever write yourself into the characters?
No, not really. One of the things that make me love writing is to invent. To create someone that is different and more than me, with better traits, stronger wills, deeper loves. I write more about what I am not. Although I still feel a closeness to each of my characters.
Is writing your full time job or are you "Keeping your day job"? So to speak.
Full time mom with a son who is autistic is my day job and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I write full time as well and I should add juggler to this, because without that skill, nothing would get done.
If you could go back in time and meet one famous person or legend in history, who would it be?
To me this question is very personal. I never knew my mother. I was three months old when she passed and I would give all I have and more to meet her and talk to her for any amount of time.
There are millions of new books released every year. What in your mind makes yours stand out from all those millions in your genre?
To me when you look at a book and read the blurb it is too easy to pop it into a category or compare it to a well known. “Yeah, another Fifty Shades.” or “This sounds like that movie I watched last year.” And not that I do this consciously, but I want originality in my writing. I want something fresh. Drag racing Witches, Vampires being stalked by death. A Mermaid attracted to music like moths to a flame. I desire smart twists on popular topics and I look for that in what I read personally. I take each of my books and ask myself, “Would I read this if I didn’t write it?” I have stopped writing a couple of times because I couldn’t answer “Yes.” to that question.
In the world of Indie, marketing is very difficult, especially if you don't have the funds to pay for it. Have you found a great free way to market your work that you think other Indies will benefit from?
Social media creates the opportunity for exposure, but more so than that is to be different within the masses. I watch twitter, facebook, goodreads, etc and see the volume of ads being generated by authors trying to get the word out. We all fall into the trap of advertising to the same people over and over again. That is the biggest challenge. New outlets, blog tours, interviews, readers that run book clubs and actually taking off your advertising hat and let your fans get to know you. Anything that someone can connect with. I see repetitiveness too often.
Effective advertising also requires more than yourself, it requires friends that believe, and have read, and love your work. Once you have that, ask them to share and grow from that standpoint. I will give away my book in a heartbeat if I think that a reader will become a fan. Fans are the key to an author’s success. Fans brag to friends about how awesome the book is. Fans hear songs on the radio that reminds them of your book. Fans buy everything you produce. Fans require two things. Great books and lots of them. Fans don’t like to wait too long. So identify your fans, feed them your work and keep them coming back for more. I am by no means an expert, because I am constantly learning what works and what doesn’t. Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Blog, Web Pages, Twitter... and one I am learning about right now is Google Books. There are millions of books out there, but, there are Billions of readers!
Author blurb
Karli has always blazed her own trail, whether popular or not. She has three wonderful sons and is contently married to a supportive husband. Her passion outside of writing is photography and all things natural. She is an Autism advocate and enjoys hiking, bike riding and family.
Karli was born deep in Cherokee Nation Indian Territory where she grew up loving everything paranormal and has even, first hand, witnessed a womanly spirit. The sighting, as it is referred to, occurred in Eureka Springs, Arkansas one of the top ten most haunted hotels, The Crescent Hotel. This experience captured Karli in ways that have expanded her beliefs about the possibilities of other realms.
As a teen, Karli was an avid reader, she sought out solitude for her passion in nearby Indian Graveyards. Although writing was something that has pulled at her most of her life, it wasn't until a recent visit to a Shaman, who saw her spirit's need for creativity that she truly began down the path.
The Crescent Bound series is her first work which will consist of five books in all. Crescent Bound, Raven Bound, Demon Bound, Shadow Bound,and Ice Bound. Two more series will soon be available this year Daylight (The first of her new Vampire series. Pine Needles a Dystopian, Sci/fi series more details coming soon.
Karli's ideal world would be one of open-minded kindness from everyone.
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