Interview with Kadian Thomas

Author of Sparks Fly

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m from Jamaica and I came to the US about 7 years ago.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I came here for the opportunities and new experiences, and just a different way of living.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Growing up I would write poems and songs and I always wanted to write a book but didn’t know where to start, in 2012 I started writing almost like a diary but then I started changing information around to fill like gaps in knowledge but then it turned into complete fiction. I was surprised by some of the things I came up with and how I describe scenes and expressed myself. So soon after that I decided I must do this again, and I didn’t actually get around to writing until about a couple years after. It took me awhile, but then once I started up again I didn’t stop.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

It’s about a girl who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and finds herself in another dimension where there is a brewing war and she will have to learn how to fight, to save her life. It’s for lovers of action adventure and fantasy.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I write YA fiction so it’s geared towards those readers and lovers of fiction and fantasy worlds. I plan on writing adult fiction and maybe even books for kids later in the future.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I surprised myself as to how creative my imagination can be and that I’m good at describing scenes and environment, especially fight scenes. I was also surprised by how much research I have to do to create a realistic story, even for fictional worlds. Pretty much everything you have to write about have to be researched so you can have an understanding of how it will work and what would realistically happen or not happen.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

I would tell my past self to start sooner. It’s less scary once you start vs thinking about if you can do it or if other people will think you’re a good writer. Etc..

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Ideally I would want to have millions of readers, it’s good to dream big big. Lol.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Editing is always the hardest for me, especially if you want to make it a certain quality, it takes the longest and the most energy.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Writing would be my biggest strength, at least it the most fun.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing is probably the hardest thing for self-published authors. You have to invest a lot of time and most often also a lot of money, which most self published authors don’t have a lot of.

Writing for me is fun and comes easy to me. Since I’m self-published, that’s not hard either.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m currently writing my next book. Book 2 and 3 for my debut series is already written and being edited, but I want to take a break and go back to them with fresh eyes, in the mean time I’ll plan and write as much as I can.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

My book Sparks Fly is self-published.