Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to international bestselling and multi-award-winning author Avanti Centrae. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Avanti, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

As an author, my legacy will sit on people’s bookshelves and my stories will live on in their hearts. To date, I’ve written four thrillers that are keeping people turning pages long into the night and I have a couple more in the works. I’m hoping that my personal expiration date is far in the future so that I can pen many more unforgettable stories! I’d like to be remembered as an author who wrote fun stories that touch on serious themes. For example, my latest novel, Cleopatra’s Vendetta, looks on the surface like many other light-hearted archeological thrillers, but it deals with the history of propaganda, s*x trafficking, and religious history. I hope readers will say that I was one of their favorite authors, and, at their barbeques and book clubs, I hope they’ll tell their friends they absolutely must read my stories!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Sure thing. I’m the author of the multi-award-winning and international bestselling VanOps thriller series and a new standalone called Cleopatra’s Vendetta. These are all Da Vinci Code/Tomb Raider/Raiders of the Lost Ark type stories. As a modern Renaissance Woman and world traveler, I’ve had a life-long fascination with a variety of subjects, including psychology, mysticism, world history, science, religions, and mythology. I’m also an adrenaline junkie, so well suited to write twisty action thrillers.

My passion for writing began at the age of four when I wrote my first book. It was all of three pages long! After devouring all the tales in the neighborhood bookmobile, I didn’t find any action-oriented books with a strong female lead, and vowed to write one someday. But first, I explored Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and Central America. For several summers I worked as a raft guide, saving passengers from the rapids of the American River. One midnight, my fellow raft guides dared a moonlit run and I tagged along. The river ran high, a boat flipped, and I nearly ended up in a roaring white-water rapid aptly named Satan’s Cesspool! That adrenaline rush kept me awake all night! To fund my addiction for other adventures, and fast BMW’s, I spent years as a Silicon Valley IT Executive. Now my attention is on writing award-winning thrillers.

I live in the golden foothills of Northern California. Besides reading and writing, I enjoy my family, my German shepherd and little black dog, hiking, biking, and doing anything outdoors in the local Sierra Nevada mountain range. My favorite smell is the scent of adventure, either in real life, or in the pages of a well-worn tome.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In my first novel, a bird-like character named Edith tells our heroine that “Perception is all.”

I agree with Edith, which makes your question about reputation interesting.

As my agent was shopping my first novel with publishers, I was entering VanOps: The Lost Power in contests, and was fortunate enough to win a Genre Grand Prize at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Walking up the red carpet, I felt my heart soar over the moon! It was a big break, and I knew it would jettison my career.

Sure enough, I was able to leverage that writing prize into blurbs from New York Times bestselling authors who write thrillers in my genre. James Rollins, Steve Berry, and a co-author of Clive Cussler, Robin Burcell, provided thoughtful blurbs about my debut.

That series has gone on to win eight other awards and Cleopatra’s Vendetta has won two. In summary, I believe blurbs and awards have helped cement my reputation.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

People often wonder where creatives get their ideas.

Sometimes I get stuck while plotting out exciting twists, or adding breathtaking conflict to a chapter. During those times, instead of making my fingers bleed on the keyboard with frustration, I lean into my meditation practice and allow my mind to drift into a creative space, where white-knuckle action scenes are more likely to fountain up from the recesses of my mind.

I write about heroes who have a conscience, and in each of my books so far one of the main protagonists meditates or learns to be mindful. How do I pull that off with action thrillers? Meditation and mindfulness are taught by the U.S. military, because deployment takes a large physical and emotional toll on soldiers and covert operatives. Studies have shown that exercises in staying present can prepare warriors for combat stress, help them perform better, and allow them to recover more quickly. It works for my heroes.

It also works for me. I credit much of my success in life to my ability to be present and control my thoughts and emotions. My go-to tool when I’m upset, stressed, or stuck is always meditation.

When anyone feels stuck or is seeking more creative ideas, they can also try to get in the zone through less conventional means like taking a nap, going for a walk, or enjoying a shower. I experimented with a variety of tools before I found a technique that worked for me. It was well worth it.

Thanks for chatting with me today. Readers who want to check out my work can read the first six chapters of VanOps: The Lost Power for free at my website.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.avanticentrae.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/avanti.centrae.author
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/avanticentrae
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/avanticentrae