Indie Author Interview - H.P. Mallory

Introducing indie Urban Fantasy author, H.P. Mallory!
She is the author of the 'Jolie Wilkins' and 'Dulcie O'Neil' series.

Q: What is an ‘Indie’ author?
A: An indie author is someone who has taken control of her own career and decided to oust agents and publishers and basically do it herself, that means no only the actual publishing of the book but also the marketing, etc.


Q: What made you decide to turn to self-publishing with ‘smashwords’?
A: Well, my books are also available on Amazon and the reason I did this is two-fold--first, I loved the autonomy of being in charge of my own career. Initially, I started out with the big New York agent and when that didn't go anywhere, I just decided this was something I could do myself so I did it! I haven't looked back since!


Q: Are you still hoping to publish with a big publishing house, or are you Indie-all-the-way now?
A: Well, I'm pretty happy with my success so far. If a big publisher wanted to take my books to the next level, I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it but it would have to be a pretty sweet offer! LOL


Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’ – from idea to final draft?
A: Um, I think it was about 6 months. Maybe a bit longer.


Q: Your books have fantastically kitsch-cute front covers. Who designs them?
A: LOL Me! Well, I purchased the images of the people and then I added the Halloweeny backgrounds and changed things like eye color and hair color, added the text and I did it all in Photoshop. I'm really excited about the covers and the response to them has been great.


Q: In ‘To Kill a Warlock’ Dulcie is writing a historical romance (of the pirate variety) when she is told by literary agents that ‘paranormal’ is the thing... was this a case of art imitating life?
A: A few people have asked me this now. It's based on my own experience as far as the whole querying agents part goes but that's where it ends. No one ever told me about paranormal novels being in. I just sort of added that in there.


Q: Were you already a fan of all things paranormal, or did you start reading and writing in the genre after you had the idea for ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’?
A: Yes, I've always been a huge fan of ghost stories, haunted houses, etc. etc. And I'd been reading in the genre prior to writing both my books.


Q: Let’s clear something up... are Jolie and Dulcie inhabiting the same universe, or are they separate series’?
A: I'm really glad you asked me this question because there has been some confusion. Jolie and Dulcie are two totally separate characters living in separate worlds. Fire Burn and Warlock have nothing to do with one another. They are each the first book in a series, neither having anything to do with the other.


Q: How many Jolie books can we expect?
A: I think about 3-5.


Q: How many Dulcie books?
A: Dulcie is a little more unlimited, I think. Probably until the series just needs to end. LOL


Q: I love Sinjin! (vampire master from ‘Fire Burn’) Is there any chance that he’ll get his own spin-off series?
A: Nope. Sinjin will figure prominently in subsequent novels in the Fire Burn series though. Course, if there still is high demand for him, maybe he could warrant his own series!


Q: Can you give us the low-down on your next book? And an expected release date?
A: I've just completed chapter 9 of the next book in Jolie's series, titled Toil and Trouble. I don't have a release date yet but I'm thinking the timeline will be in about 4 months or so. It will pick up where Fire Burn left off and solve some of the issues, though not all!


Q: Favourite book(s) of all time?
A: Pride and Prejudice


Q: Favourite author(s)?
A: I have a lot of them! I was an English major in college so I naturally have lots of favs. Quick list: Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte sisters, Nathaniel West, Oscar Wilde


Q: Any advice for budding authors who are considering self-publishing?
A: Do it! I definitely think they should try the old way, just to get an idea of what that is all about but they should definitely consider self pubbing if the traditional route doesn't go the way they hope. They must be aware though, that it's not just about writing a good book and listing it on Amazon. They also have to be responsible for marketing the book and getting the word out there which can be tough!