We caught up with the brilliant and insightful A.C. Wonderland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

A.C., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Writing has always been a huge passion of mine. When I was in elementary school, I would write short stories and illustrate them. When I was eight, I wrote and drew an entire twenty-page book for school… even though the assignment was to write one page. I’m terrible at drawing and illustrating now, but my love for writing has remained constant.

I never thought I would be good enough to make writing a career – but I continued to write for myself prior to starting <i>One Shot</i>, my debut novel. I would write anything – from songs and poems to short stories and novels – or I should say portions of novels. Prior to starting to write my debut novel in July 2024, I never actually finished a novel.

I’ve always been incredibly imaginative. I used to tell my little sister stories growing up. As I mentioned, I used to write in school too. My older sister is a psychologist and when she was in grad school, would have me take various tests for her to compile reports and essays on. Her classmates always would say “that person is so creative. I bet they are a writer” or “that person has a job in the creative field”. Story telling has always been a part of me.

Hockey has also been a huge part of me for as long as I can remember. No – I never played hockey, but I’m obsessed and in love with the sport as if I did. I went to my friends travel team games often and started being interested in NHL when I was in 8th grade. I luckily grew up at a time when the Chicago Blackhawks were a dynasty and as someone from right outside of the city, it was incredible to witness and be a part of that history.

In summer of 2024, I was looking for a new project and a creative outlet. My day job was not fulfilling for me anymore – it had become “just a job”, which is something I have always told myself I wouldn’t let happen. Earlier in 2024, my older sister got me into reading fantasy books. She literally purchased the set of Sarah J. Maas’ <i>A Court of Thornes and Roses </i>and sent it to my house in Nashville to force me to read them! I am eternally grateful for that gift, because without those books I would never have joined the Bookstagram community. I started making book stickers and meeting new friends who loved reading fantasy and romance as much as I did.

In July 2024, something just clicked into place. I enjoy writing, but I hated writing songs for fun in Nashville and sharing that I enjoy doing it. It’s not the reason I moved to Nashville; it’s just a hobby. I wanted to do something different. Why not try to write a book? I started three different book outlines, but the outline that became <i>One Shot</i> spoke to my heart the most. Within just a few hours, I had the entire outline and the first few chapters.

<i>One Shot</i> combines my love for writing and hockey into one. The story came pouring out of me. I knew it had to be told – if not for anyone else, for myself. I went into writing <i>One Shot</i> with the mindset of just wanting to positively impact one person with this story. From the spark of the idea that turned into the book, I already had. I changed my own life by finding my calling to become an author.

A.C., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

This may sound repetitive – but I truly have just always had a passion for telling stories for as long as I can remember. When I was eight, she wrote and drew an entire twenty-page book for school… even though the assignment was to write one page.

The reality is life isn’t always easy. Sometimes you need to escape from everyday life. When I started writing, that is exactly what I was looking for. That is also exactly why I read books (mostly romance, fantasy and occasionally thrillers). I found I thrive writing novels that let a reader get lost in a whirlwind romance.

I never thought I would be an author as an adult. When I was younger? Absolutely! As a child I had big dreams – I also wanted to be a famous singer. But, in July 2024, my first book came pouring out of me. I created a thirty-six-chapter outline and wrote the first three chapters of <i>One Shot</i>, my debut novel. I knew this was a story that was begging to be shared.

I took a chance on myself to become a self-published, indie author. As cliché as it is to say – only have one life to live—this is me taking my “one shot” to pursue my dreams of becoming an author.

When I’m not writing, I love traveling the country, frequenting country music concerts, and, of course, going to hockey games. I live in Nashville with my sweet dog, Guinness. I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago and I am a HUGE Chicago Blackhawks fan!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Originally, my goal was to provide an escape from reality when life can be hard. Getting lost in a love story can help take away some of the stress life brings. But as I continued to write, I knew I had a bigger goals and hopse for <i>One Shot.</i>

I want to provide a voice to those that might not have one. I want to bring attention to hard and difficult topics that <b>NEED</b> to be talked about and need more awareness.

In One Shot, domestic violence is discussed. I want to caveat; it is not between the two main characters. In the book, the character who previously experienced domestic violence keeps everything a secret to herself and it’s very swept under the rug. He/She is ashamed, frightened and traumatized. Unforunately, this is the sad reality of many victims of domestic violence. Many don’t share their story. Many don’t seek help. Many stay in the abusive relationship.

In the United States, one in four woman are victim to violence in relationships at some point in the life according to Futures Without Violence – a foundation that supports victims of domestic violence and bullying. Yes – one in four! That is an absurdly high number. More people in our country need to realize how common domestic violence is. The more we talk about the hard things, the more positive impact we can have. I hope to continue to shed light on difficult topics and to show those who have traumas from them that they aren’t alone.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a writer is when someone reaches out to me that I’ve had a positive impact on them. I have had about 100 or so advanced readers read <i>One Shot</i> ahead of the release date March 7th thus far with another 150 planned to finish prior to publication. A few have reached out to me about how much they love the book, but a few those messages in particular have stuck with me and made every second of this journey worth it.

One reader reached out to me thanking me for bringing light to domestic violence. As someone who had experienced it herself and experienced it through her mother, she confided in me much she felt understood and given a voice. She shared how thankful she was that I incorporate the difficult topic into <i>One Shot</i> in a non-triggering way.

I’ve had a few messages like this and every single time, I am blown away. I never expected to have such a positive impact on readers. My eyes brim with happy ears every single time I recieve a message that I’ve touched a reader’s heart in this way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.acwonderlandwrites.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acwonderlandwrites
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  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223081600-one-shot?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=TRqQiR7bv7&rank=1

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