The Woman Behind the Words: W.A. Ashes Author Spotlight

    This is a little odd for me to be writing, but people have been reminding me to do an author spotlight on myself. They believe I should subject myself to the same questioning as our other spotlighted authors and talk a little about my works. Considering that I can't remember the last time I did an introduction post of some kind (outside of book release parties), they have a valid point. 

   Most of you know me as W.A. Ashes, which is my pen name, but some of you know me as Ashley or Ashes. I used to hide my true identity behind my pen name, but I no longer care. Originally it was a way to keep my personal life separated from my writing because people who knew me didn't want to read my books. At thirty years old, I no longer care. People who pass by me on the streets can choose whether to read my books or not. It's not going to break my heart. Nowadays, my pen name is kept simply because my fan base and other authors know me as W.A. Ashes. Plus, it is nice to keep that divide between my fiction and nonfiction writings.

  I was born in Overland Park, Kansas, grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, and currently live in the proud Swedish town of Gothenburg, Nebraska. 

  As W.A. Ashes I primarily write high and urban fantasy, but I dabble in all subgenres of fantasy and also have a clean romance series made specifically for older teens who want romance but aren't ready for spice. Books were my saving grace in high school and my favorite pastime as a kid. I've always gone to books when I encountered something I felt the need to explore. Books were my safe zone. I knew they wouldn't judge me and I could use them to explore the world without people turning their noses up at me. Thus, I eventually started writing books for younger me. 

  Originally I started writing because of my younger sister. She has dyslexia and loved reading but had a hard time doing so. I came up with a format that was easy for her to read and would spend hours reading aloud to her. I no longer use the format when I publish, but I always have a document with it saved on my laptop, just in case my sister wants it. 

  Little me and little her, are my inspiration. I write for young adults and middle-grade kids, with a splattering of new adults.

  Web of Lies is my new adult series. It has young adult themes and characters, but Xander uses language in it that isn't suitable for people under the age of 17. I've had some people request a version of the book where I remove the language, but I've refused because in Xander's case the language is an expression of his personality. It's supposed to show his background. 

Technically I was first published in 2016 with my short story, The Summer of 1956. However, I tell people that my official author anniversary is January 9, 2018. I count White Lies as my first book because The Summer of 1956 was a practice published. I never intended for it to go anywhere. I just wanted to use it to explore how Kindle Direct Publishing, independent publishing, and marketing worked. 

  I looked into traditional publishing before deciding to go independent. It's hard to tell the difference between legit publishers who are interested in publishing your books and those who are scammers. I had a couple of offers, one of which was from a questionable source, but at the time I couldn't afford the expenses that come with traditional publishing. I was fourteen, living two blocks away from the wrong side of the tracks, and going to a private school on a scholarship. I wasn't about to ask my parents to help me fund a literary agent that could get me noticed by big-name publishing companies or drop the 8 grand on the sketchy one that wanted to publish my book by Christmas of that year.

  I kept an eye out, watching companies and independent authors until I graduated college in 2015. Then

I made my move and published The Summer of 1956. Going independent wasn't an easy choice to make. Some people see it as a copout. Like I took the path because I didn't want to deal with the demands of high-end publishing. The truth is, rejection letters don't scare me. I went independent because it allows me to have more control over my work. I get to pick my editors, create my covers, work closely with other authors, and get a complete say over what is written. 

  I've published eleven books and have three more up for preorder, at the time of this writing. I hate when people ask me what my favorite book is, but since I insist on asking it of every author I spotlight, I might as well answer it for myself. The truth is, I don't have a favorite book. Each book I've written was written for a specific reason. They weren't just daydreams and voices that I needed to get out on paper. They have morals behind them. The Web of Lies series will always hold a special place in my heart because it's the first series I've completed publishing, but right now I'm obsessed with my holiday romance series. It's a new concept for me. Not my usual thing. It's been fun to mess around with.

  Tales from Morzania: The Jewel of the Wasted Glades, was written during the COVID pandemic. I
started the novella because I didn't know how I was going to make ends meet while my workplace was closed. Then the book turned into a series that's crafted in a way that young people can explore the bigger problems of life. Each novella is a short read, but they touch on themes that adults actively avoid.

  Tales from Morzania talks about racism, sexism, abuse, sexual orientation, pandemics, human trafficking, persecution, religious diversity, and politics. It's become a way for me to help my readers explore the problems of the world. I don't give cut-and-dry answers in the books. I want the readers to reach their own conclusions about the problems presented in each book. The villain of the story is even displayed in a way that some might see as a good guy.

  Juliana, from Tales from Morzania, is my favorite character. That I can say without a doubt, but don't tell the others. Shh. She's a pain in my butt. I love her, but she's very much based on me, and I'm not exactly my biggest fan. Her personality is similar to mine, and though I've never gone through human trafficking, I know what it's like to be assaulted and have to come to terms with it. I also know what it's like to live in a world of romantics when you don't want a single person to touch you. Somedays I don't know how to write her and it feels like she's hiding in a corner. On other days she's the easiest character to write. It all depends. Lately, I've been making a conscious effort of enriching her personality and story with elements of my youngest sister's life. My main focus for Juliana is to use her to help young people navigate a chaotic world.

  Like the other authors we've spotlighted here, marketing has been my least favorite part of my author journey. It's a whirlwind. It's taken a lot of trial and error to find my niche, and I still don't have it 100% figured out. What I've learned is that you need to be authentic. No one likes a car salesman. They don't want you to smile and tell them what you think they want to hear. People want to buy from people. Real people, with real personalities, and real feelings.

  Marketing is the reason I fell into my favorite part of my author journey, however. If it wasn't for trying to market I wouldn't have attended vendor events, where I've met so many interesting people. I've met women who wanted me to write vampire sex, kids who wanted me to write about exploding ink pens, and teenagers who were trying to figure out what kind of books they even liked to read. My favorite part has honestly been meeting readers.

  Meeting other authors has been a plus too. I have a group of authors I call my tribe. They're people I know I can go to with writing questions. Most of us have a side business of some sort for cover art, editing, or party planning and each of us supports the other. It's a great group of gals and guys.

  The truth of the matter is that anyone in the world can be an author. Every person on this planet can write a book, but most never will. Don't let marketing scare you off. If you don't like meeting people, then don't let vendor events scare you off. What separates a writer from a nonwriter isn't your ability to think up stories, but your ability to sit down and put them on paper. It's getting them down that matters. Don't worry about editing, formatting, covers, or publishing yet. If you're reading this and you're a baby writer, take a breath. There aren't a single one of us authors who knew what we were doing when we started publishing. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. All we knew was that there was a story inside of us dying to get out and that we felt compelled to share it with the world. The first step to becoming an author is to be a writer, and the first step to becoming a writer is to write. All the rest, you can figure out later.