Author S. T. SANCHEZ: Interview with N. A. Cauldron author of Anya and the Power Crystal

Today I would like to give a warm welcome to N. A. Cauldron. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello, my name is Ms. Cauldron, and I write all kinds of books for all ages. I currently reside in eastern Cupola with 12 gramwhats, 3 cats, and a herd of domesticated moths. My favorite topics to write about are fantasy and science fiction, and I prefer humor, character conflict, and smart aleck dialogue.

Currently, what are you working on?

I’m finishing up a YA sci-fi titled Inhabitants. I plan to query this manuscript.

Ms. Cauldron, what has been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career in writing?

Myself. I have anxiety. I am unable to sit down and enjoy one thing. I need to be doing many things at the same time. Writing is a very slow process. It’s not something you can just wait out either. So my anxiety makes this more difficult in that I’m never done in time in my mind. I should always be doing more, faster. This also makes it hard to complete a manuscript. When I do “finish” it, I don’t want to take the next step and actually finish it. I have every time; I would never publish unfinished work, but it has never been easy.

What a challenge that mush be. What has been the best compliment you have received?

When a parent gets the book for their kid and winds up reading it for themselves. This has happened a lot with my recent What Does Spider Poop Look Like? Or better yet, when a mom drags her three kids to my booth claiming they want my books, but the whole time the kids are rolling their eyes and begging to go somewhere else and it’s SO obvious it’s for the mom. LOL-Those are the best!

Ms. Cauldron, what kind of research do you do before you start a new story?

This depends entirely on the book. For The Cupolian Series, I mainly just researched some Native lore and made sure any of my mythical creatures, such as gramwhats and narfels, weren’t already in use by someone else. For What Does Spider Poop Look Like?, I went to Zoo Knoxville and spent hours with the curators there, taking pictures and learning facts about their animals. For my picture book, I went through countless others beforehand, making sure they were both current and widely liked. For my current work, I am researching almost every day. It’s not fantasy. It’s based in real life and on actual beliefs and theories, so I have to spend hours looking up facts. I don’t want someone thinking it unrealistic. For example, you wouldn’t want your main character to ride an inflatable raft through bullet-proof glass. That would just be silly.

Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? How do you select beta readers?

Most certainly! My husband is one of the best at catching things. I ask around with writing groups and friends to see if anyone is willing. It differs for every genre.

I think beta readers are a powerful tool. They catch so many things I miss. Who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you design it yourself?

The Cupolian Series was designed and drawn by Mikey Brooks of http://www.insidemikeysworld.com//.

How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I listen to it. If it’s legitimate, I try to use it any way I can, to learn from it. Most of it can be thrown out. I won’t get into any debates, but let’s just say a lot of indie authors have some interesting opinions.

Is there something you learned from writing your first book?

Oh my goodness yes! I don’t remember what it was though-ha! I learn something about myself with every book. It’s usually quite personal and allows me to grow as a person. Writing is a journey of discovery for me and can often be painful.

Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or the villain? Why?

Neither really. Well, maybe the hero. The villain is usually detailed in the writing and well known. The hero is usually the main character and just there, just doing the actions and therefore not described from an outsiders point of view. (And sometimes the villain is an obstacle and not a person). As far as characterization goes, I have a harder time making “dull” characters, aka normal people as opposed to really fun ones. Take my fantasy series in Cupola. All the characters are in your face out there. You have the wacko Methuselah, the goofy smart aleck Gevin, the ridiculous King. Every one of them is so different from the others, like one part of their personality has exploded. Now my current piece is different. Its characters are more “realistic” (dull in my opinion-lol). There’s the career centered parents, the gaming teenaged boy, and their machinist uncle. Granted, you can’t get characters from me without some type of attitude and going big, but they’re nowhere near as extreme as the others. Like the difference between Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight.

How many times do you think you read your book before going to print?

I. Have. No. Idea. Let’s see… There’s the rough, first edits, second edits … aloud … um… I’d say at least 5 times or more? My process is too long to describe here, but here’s a link to it https://theburrowfarm.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/my-writing-process/.

That tells my entire process from rough to publish or query, whichever I choose to do.