We recently connected with Alana Oxford and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alana , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was in second grade. My teachers from then really encouraged my creative writing, and by the time I was in sixth grade, my teacher shared with me that there was a summer writer’s course for kids at our local community college and she thought I’d be perfect for it. I took that course and loved it. All of that cemented in my mind that I’d be a writer “one day.”
It wasn’t until many years later, when my daughter was an infant, that I imagined writing books that I could show her one day. Then I asked myself, “what books?” I wasn’t actively writing any, so how did I expect to have anything published when I wasn’t doing the work?
That was the wake up call I needed. From then on, I made a plan to use whatever free time I could find to work on my first novel. It took a few years, but eventually I did it! I haven’t stopped since.

Alana , 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’ve worked in libraries since I was sixteen years old. I started as a shelving page and eventually went to library school to get my Master’s in Library and Information Science so I could become a librarian.
I’ve done book reviews for a couple websites. I love to read as well as write, so I like to tell people that I’m “all books, all the time.”
I’m a lifelong Michigander, so that’s always reflected in my writing. My books are set in Michigan, or feature trips to Michigan.
I never expected to write romance novels. It wasn’t until 2020, when I was feeling depressed and anxious about all the difficult challenges that I and my family were facing, that I started to write romance. It was a safe, happy, activity where I could create kind people who would fall in love and take care of each other. They’d also, of course, live happily ever after.
My brand of romance is cozy and not spicy. Just happy, fun, stories where things work out and the couple is going to pull through.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

There are so many things people can do to support authors, even if they don’t want to spend any money to do so. For example, I’m also a librarian and having my books available through the library was very important to me. Therefore, anyone with a library card and a free Hoopla or Overdrive account can check out my books for free.
When you come across a post by an author or creative, it helps so much if you don’t just like it, but share it too. Again, it’s another small thing that costs nothing but it can make a huge difference for a creative who’s just trying to get the word out about their craft. It can feel like there’s an invisible wall that keeps you from reaching outside of your own personal circle. (Sometimes it’s like the algorithms are refusing to let you expand your reach as well.) If you can share a post, it can really help a creative to break out of that box and find a new audience.
Of course, purchasing, and never pirating, a creative’s work is necessary too. If you can’t afford to buy all the books you want, use the library. If the library doesn’t have all the books you’re interested in, ask them to purchase those books.
Once you do read a book you enjoy, consider leaving a review for that book wherever you like to read reviews.
Any one of those things helps a ton. The more you do, the better the impact any one creative can make. Please do share the love!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I didn’t realize when I started publishing that I’d be opening myself up to make some amazing friends along the way. I’ve met not only other authors who have become dear friends, but I’ve also found devoted readers who’ve also become friends.
For me, reading someone’s work is like getting a peek into their heart and head. Even if what’s on the page is fiction, it’s still filtered through the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of their author and it can forge a powerful connection between people when those words are read.
I would have thought holding the books in my hand would be the most rewarding part, but that part isn’t very emotional for me. The people I’ve come to know because of my books, that’s where the real value is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sjlomas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AlanaOxford
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxRkxlWWuFwrU_sNjWqG1w

Image Credits

All book cover designs by Purpose on Paper, except for Blue Skies, which is designed by Mariah Sinclair.