We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wendy L. Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wendy below.

Alright, Wendy. 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.

I’ve known since I was 10 years old that I wanted to be a writer. At that age, I started writing poetry and knew then, that I wanted to do more writing; short stories and books. I never lost that desire. As my life progressed, I had to face the fact that I would never make a living as a writer and pursued a career as a paralegal to keep a roof over my head. After I married, there simply wasn’t time to write, but then as my two boys grew up, I realized if I was ever going to give writing a real shot, I’d better get busy. I went back to school at 50 years old, got my English degree and started writing poetry again. I also unearthed a short story I’d started back when I was 18 and decided to sit down and write a book. So, I did. I wrote, Of Demon Kind, a fantasy romance novel which turned out to be book one of five in my Kingdom of Jior fantasy series. Honestly, I never thought I was capable of writing an entire book, until I just sat down and did it!

I took a risk and sent it off to various traditional publishers in hopes that my work would be accepted and I’d finally get published. After many months of waiting and short “thanks but no thanks” responses. I decided if I was ever going to see my book in print, I’d have to self-publish. That was the biggest risk I took, self-publishing my book. That was terrifying as I risked failure and criticism of something I held so dear. Failure has always been my biggest fear. Now, after many tears of joy, frustration, and sadness, I have nine books self-published and have realized my life’s goal of becoming a writer!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a fantasy romance writer. I began by just writing fantasy and the romance part just insinuated itself probably because I am a romantic at heart. I felt like it was part of making my stories real and getting my readers involved with the characters and the worlds I create. I have a website which I really love as it screams fantasy! wendylanderson.com and all of my books can be found on at my store at https://wendy-l-anderson-books.myshopify.com/

It all started with Of Demon Kind, my debut novel which blossomed into a five book series about the Kingdom of Jior. These five books are all about experiencing adventure, fantasy, and magic in the Kingdom of Jior epic fantasy series. I created a race of people called the Ny-Failen and I build an entire magical world around them. Some are even winged! My fantastic characters come alive in the stories where you discover a race neither human nor demon. The Ny-Failen are from the Heavens. Led by King Forlorn Icefall of Jior, these beautiful shape changing creatures live, love and battle to survive in the world of the humankind.

Here are the Kingdom of Jior books in order:

Of Demon Kind
Redemption of the Fallen
Heirs of Jior
Iron and the Arrow
The Last Ny-Failen

Because I get a lot of my ideas from dreams and from indulging in day-dreaming, I also wrote three standalone books. A Cut Twice as Deep is a Viking fantasy romance. Ulrik is a time-travel fantasy romance that takes place on an alternate earth. Rapunzel’s Tower is a fairy tale re-write and breaks from the traditional tale, while keeping the favorite elements of the original. Rapunzel’s Tower has been chosen as a finalist in the Colorado Author’s League book awards.

The thing that sets my writing apart from other fantasy is, I strive to take my stories in unexpected and original directions. I also try and avoid the same-old tired, over done troupes seen in many fantasy books. There is a lot of good to say about those troupes, however, I always strive to be different. The theme of each story is unique as are the very real characters. I use plot twists and adventure to drive the story to a satisfying conclusion.

Recently, I launched a new spin-off series to the Kingdom of Jior. This series is titled, “Legends of Everclearing.” In these new books, I explore the theme of redemption. My main characters are all from different walks of life with unique problems. They have one thing in common, they are all Ny-Failen which is the race I created in the Kingdom of Jior series. The first book is Killian the Assassin and he is fabulous! Murderer, thief and rogue, he meets someone worth changing his life for and goes on a perilous journey to the Heavenly City of Everclearing.

Everyone who reads these books likes them for different reasons. I appreciate reviews and feedback from various sources, and I learn a lot from those reviews. Improving the writing and the stories is something I always strive for, and I think my writing gets better and better the more books I write. My goal is not just to entertain but to get your heart racing, fall in love with my characters and want to read more. An escape into fantasy is what I offer my readers and I don’t think I disappoint.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I embarked on my journey to become a self-published author, I had to overcome my fear of rejection. I always say self-publishing is like standing naked on a stool in front of millions of people and saying, “Hey! Judge me!” My stories come from my heart and by self-publishing, I am inviting the reader into my heart and mind which can be frightening. My books are like my children. I love them and I am proud of them. I strive to improve all the time because I want people to enjoy them and feel the same way.

It is not that I can’t take criticism, it is because it is so important to me to succeed that it is so challenging and hard. I learn from every review and comment on my books and on my marketing. So, I invite feedback. Even if it is negative, I learn. I feel like I have gained a few fans and that helps me keep going. This is my biggest challenge, getting reviews.

I do have to keep pushing when it comes to putting myself out there and I have to remind myself that not everyone will like what I write. It takes overcoming my fear of rejection and pushing myself to meet my goals.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am an extremely goal oriented person. I make a goal and I stop at nothing to meet that goal. That takes perseverance and is not always easy. In my goal to become an author I did not realize at the time, that I would also have to become a marketer. Marketing is hard and is way out of my comfort zone! Marketing myself is next to impossible! However, if I am to meet my goal in becoming a successful author, I have had to become a marketer. I’ve learned a lot and have more to learn. I’ve experienced wins and losses but it comes with the territory if I want to be successful.

Social media has been a chore but is one of the primary ways I promote my fantasy books. Learning the various apps and sites is daunting. I have to keep up my Facebook presence, my Instagram, Twitter, and my website. So, learning to be interesting and attractive to potential readers is something I have had to develop. I’ve also had to create a brand for myself which is daunting as well.

Additional ways I’ve had to grow as a marketer include making Facebook ads and Amazon ads and learning those is extremely difficult. Mistakes are costly. Staying up-to-date on the latest information and developments in marketing, writing and advertising are required. That is even more difficult when all I want to do is write! Marketing was not something I had thought about and so I had to venture into new territory and step out of my comfort zone to meet my goal of becoming a successful author.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://wendylanderson.com
• Instagram: wendyanderson7111
• Facebook: @wendy.l.anderson.of.jior
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/wendy-l-anderson-098286196
• Twitter: @wendylanderson3
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash https://wendy-l-anderson-books.myshopify.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-L.-Anderson/e/B01N6L2U87?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Image Credits
All cover art work done by, Tatiana Villa, Vila Designs www.viladesign.net