Featured Interview With Safari Spell
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Albany, Georgia, but I escaped in my twenties and ended up about 250 miles north. I had several pets through college, but my husband is allergic to cats so I had to get rid of my sweet cat, Gandalf the gray. He went to a good home, though! I still get pictures from the foster parents. I do want a wallaby, but I’m pretty sure they’re illegal. The good news is my toddler is basically one and she’s legal.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. When the Scholastic book fair would come through, I would beg my parents to let me get at least 3 and I usually ended up with 6 or 7. I started writing my first novel when I was 14 and it was horrible! I had no idea what I was doing, how to structure a novel, or how to conduct historical research. The first draft took 4 years to write and my mom and brother are still the only people who have read it. I still remember being so excited to get home from school so I could spend hours in my own world. That’s what’s so magical about writing – the love to share stories far outweighs the fear of how terrible they can turn out.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author has to be Delilah S. Dawson. She’s so talented and funny and a consistently good read. Her work always entertains and she writes characters that feel emotionally available and real. I like anything with romance and time travel, but my favorite genre to read is probably YA Fantasy.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first published novel, LONG LIVE DEAD RECKLESS, came out in July and it was a long road to get there. It took 5 years from conception to publication and the story evolved so much in that time. It all started when my husband made this joke about how he wanted me write him as a vampire. As a journalist, I didn’t have much experience writing fiction, but I decided to try anyway. The first few chapters were so much fun to write! Apparently they were just as fun to read because readers started asking for more of the crazy vampire rock band. Now I’m prepping the sequel, FOR THE AGES, for publication in March.
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