Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandy L Cunningham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Brandy L thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Since I was in grade school, I have always had a big imagination and made-up stories. I attempted to write my first book in seventh grade, and completed my first full length, four hundred plus page manuscript by tenth grade. I knew I wanted to be a writer, but comments from English teachers on my spelling and grammar abilities, as well as the fact that I came from barely above a poor background held my dreams back. Getting a decent job to be able to support myself in life was always impressed upon me as the most important thing I could do. Instead, I chose to go to college and earn a degree. Writing, however, wasn’t going to pay the bills so instead I began working toward a science major. Along the way, I became a mom to my wonderful little girl, and shortly after graduating I welcomed my son. It was around this time, when I had the rare opportunity to be home with him instead of hustling and busting through a 50 plus hour work week just to pay the bills, that I began going through my old notebooks, and that old longing stirred back to life. I started writing again, and my husband told me I should try to get published.
Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done. Throwing myself into research, I learned the difference between vanity press publishing, traditional publishing, and self-publishing, which was still up and coming at the time. I felt rather dejected, there were so many aspects to becoming a published writer, most of which involved having not only talent, but money to support your dream. Money to pay for editing, formatting, covers, etc. Money wasn’t something we had. How could i spend money on something I wasn’t sure would ever make me money or even be any good, when I had two little mouths to feed?
So, after much debate, I took the risk to self-publish. I knew I wanted to write, it was my passion, and the idea of holding my very own book in my hand that I had written filled me with so much excitement. There are many pros and cons to self-publishing, and many people do not take self-published authors seriously, but there is real talent to be found out there. Eventually, I learned how to format my manuscripts for print and kindle, I found a few beta readers to help me along the way and resources for covers etc. While I cannot say I have made much money off my books, I have gotten so much joy from reading some of the reviews I’ve received, actually met people at author events who had read and loved my books, and I get to show my kids how my hard work and risk taking turned into an actual paperback book!

Brandy L, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an independent author of a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, and young adult. I currently have nine published books in Kindle and paperback, and recently just released my first audiobook. I am a mother of four, a nine-year-old son, thirteen-year-old daughter, and twin one year old girls. I am an avid animal lover, reader and artist. My Pyralis series, a 3-book paranormal romance meets urban fantasy series is by far one of my favorite works. It delves into the idea of good and evil, except that not everything is as black and white as it appears. Blending together all kinds of supernatural creatures from vampires to banshee, this series has a mind of its own. I feel like I really grew as a writer as I worked on this series. World building is something I’m still learning to do but as we grow, we continually evolve, and my writing is definitely doing that. I have several new fantasy books int the work, including my ongoing series the Walker Witches Fate, which is loosely based on my mother’s heritage.
When my world building hits a wall, I turn to my country romance books, where real life feels, and the glory of our four-legged friends abound. I like to add as much real life into my books as i can and it’s easy to learn about my love for animals, especially horses from them, as well as true struggles I have faced like the loss of my mother. I truly want my readers to feel as though they are transported into my stories, that they can relate. I want them to laugh and cry, to gasp and yell at the characters just like I do when I find a good book. That is truly the driving force behind writing and self-publishing for me, its knowing that I am bringing the story to life for my readers.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a writer is watching my ideas come to life through detail and hard work, hearing from a reader who truly enjoyed or felt inspired by the words I weave, and seeing my children watch their mother continue to follow her dreams, no matter how hard it sometimes seems to achieve them.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Through my entire writing journey, I have had to learn to do many things on my own due to financial struggles. Spending a couple thousand dollars to edit or market a book isn’t always feasible when you have one income coming in and several little mouths to feed. There have been times I have nearly given up, thought why am I doing this, my books aren’t good enough and I cannot afford the level of professional editing and covers and marketing many authors need to get their books the publicity they need, but then I remind myself, this is my dream, to see my writing in print, to share them with other people, and I cannot give up on my dreams, or I will regret it forever. So, I have found other ways, such as learning how to do much of the work myself, reading and watching videos to hone my skill as I go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blcauthor.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blcauthor
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• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BLC_Author