Chasing the Dream with Weston March Author Spotlight
Our March Author Spotlight is as special as the past two. Carrie Weston is an urban fantasy author from the United Kingdom. She lives in a cottage in the Herefordshire countryside, writing books for her son.
"I have always wanted to be a writer but I never thought my dream would come true," said Weston. "I have had all kinds of jobs that I've done writing alongside without success, until a few years ago when I finally decided I needed to believe in myself and just press that scary Send/Publish button."
From a young age, Weston was drawn to adventures of the fantasy realm. She loved learning and reading about magical beings and used fiction for an escape from reality.
"I was the little girl imagining her fae Prince would appear and together we would win back his kingdom with magic," Weston recalled. "My mother always read me fairytales and made up stories to keep me and my brother entertained. I remember she was amazing at the different characters' voices and really brought the tales to life for me."
Primarily, Weston focuses on writing young adult, dark fantasy. These are dark fantasy books designed for teens. Weston stated that her target audience is 12-years-old and up. She published her first book, Xander Chase and the Unicorn Code, on November 27, 2018. Her debut novel holds a special place in her heart not only because it was her first published work, but because the inspiration behind its story is personal.
"My inspiration for Xander Chase was my son, who came to me asking for a book about unicorns that he could read and pull out of his backpack without getting picked on because it was fluffy and pink. Don't get me wrong, I love fluffy and pink too," said Weston. "So, I pondered on that [her son's request] and came up with a story that just didn't work how I wanted. So, I thought about what I wanted him to learn from my book, and then it started to come together, although it was a little above his age range."
The Xander Chase series became an important part of Weston's life and, ultimately, produced her favorite book, Xander Chase and the Lost Wing (book two of the series).
"My favorite book would have to be Xander Chase and the Lost Wing," remarked Weston. "I choose this one because it has a much darker and deeper pulse to its pages than book one and yet it still conveys an important message and moral, as most of my books do."
"I have to say I love Blaze from Xander Chase," stated Weston when asked who her favorite character was, "but I also favor Shayleigh from A Dark Fairy Tale. Both characters are not who they seem to be at first glance and their lives are much more complicated than even the other characters think. Blaze starts out as a mass murderer, driven mad by the thought of revenge that's eaten away at her sanity for years since her daughter was stolen from her by the man she loved and her archnemesis. She is a favorite of mine because she would do anything for her daughter. Anything!"
Weston continued by saying, "Shayleigh is first pictured as a curious, but not that smart, fairy, who for all good it does her, cares about other creatures. She is physically unlike any other fairy. She is not beautiful, in fact, she is often called ugly, though her heart is probably one of the purest. Shayleigh is a favorite because she is not your normal protagonist. She is scared and has lived through much even though her memories of the past are locked away. She is not beautiful in looks but her heart shines the greatest and heart is what counts."
On Goodreads I gave Xander Chase and the Lost Wing a five heart rating (which I will be posting to Amazon as soon as I find a way to get unbanned from reviewing on the site). I found the sequel of this series to be even better than the original. I liked the first book too, but I was absolutely entranced by the second one.
Xander Chase and the Lost Wing focused more on Xander than it did Blaze, even though both had their screen time. There were all sorts of creatures nestled in its pages, from unicorns to angels, to witches and leprechauns. Honestly, the leprechaun magic kind of stole the show in this one. It's not very often you find books that show leprechauns in a way that's not cheesy. This one made them seem less Lucky Charms and more like an actual powerful creature.
Also, I totally ship Xander and the detective. Something to note about Xander Chase and the Lost Wing is that Weston flips the way angels are portrayed in literature. Usually, you see them as being selfless guardians, but here they each have their own personalities. For example, in Xander Chase and the Lost Wing, we meet both an angel of light and an angel of death. The angel of light is kind of a douchebag while the angel of death is compassionate and kind. If you're a fan of any type of fantasy, you should consider picking up this series.
Weston told me that she doesn't have any particular writing routine that she follows but she loves writing at her desk, surrounded by inspirational quotes, pictures, dolls, and crystals, as well as hidden chocolate.
"I loved seeing my book in my hands for the first time," Weston reminisced. "I even cried like a baby whilst toasting my success with a glass of Sholer. When you see your dream come alive, it's as if you've taken your first breath. It's magical."
The hardest part of Weston's writing journey has been facing rejection, which I find relatable. She stated, "I always find rejections and critical reviews difficult. I imagine most writers do as we put a part of our souls upon paper for others to judge. It is like being asked to speak at assembly for the first time; daunting, scary, and yet a little exciting."
Choosing a publisher is always a challenging task for a writer and Weston picked to go the self-publishing route, making her an independent (indie) author.
"For me, I love the control," Weston explained. "Although I would be interested in hearing from a traditional publisher, they are very hard to get and they each have different but strict guidelines of what their publishing houses expect. I enjoy the freedom of writing from my heart.
The indie movement has grown over the last couple of years for the exact reason that Weston expressed. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many artists seized the opportunity to pursue their dreams of being authors, or Etsy store owners, or influencers. While the world was in lockdown artists thrived and came together virtually to support each other. Especially to support those artists who were making ends meet with full-time jobs that they could no longer go to.
The life of an indie author isn't easy. There are a lot of things that publishing companies do for their clients, which indie authors have to do for themselves, but Weston stated that young writers can gain ground by using more experienced ones as resources.
"Research," stated Weston. "Read and research some more. Talk to self-published authors, join independent publishing groups, and get a feel for what it's about. Most authors would be happy to talk about their experiences, what marketing works best, and where to get book covers from. I think with independent publishing the more heart you put in the more successful the author appears to be."
Currently, Weston is working on publishing A Dark Fairy Tale 3 and writing Xander Chase 3. She uses writing resources such as the McMillian Write-a-thon to help keep her on track.
To contact Weston you can visit her on Facebook, her Amazon author page, and Instagram.
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