1)
Tell
us about your latest book:
I am very excited about my upcoming book, Alone in Paris! It will be released next year. I haven’t set a date
yet because I am still revising to make it as perfect as can be for my readers.
If you follow me on Instagram (@ashley_earley) or Twitter (@ashleyc_earley),
then you’ve seen all my editing updates. I’m so close to finishing, and I’ve
been sharing my excitement constantly!
Here is the summary:
Breathe, Taylor.
Taylor Clay's family isn't exactly perfect. They may look the part with the
nice, big house and her dad's fancy job, but that's what's tearing them apart.
That, and her dad's sudden recurring drinking problem.
Though her family is close to falling apart, she never wished for something
like this to happen. She never wished for her father to drive off a bridge.
Especially not while they were on vacation; especially not when her and her mom
were in the car with him at the time.
Breathe.
She's devastated after the fact. And it isn't helping that the papers are
gossiping about how the pristine lawyer could have driven off the bridge on
purpose. And just when she thinks nothing could possibly make things worse, she
realizes she's left alone with no relatives to care for her.
So she's alone. Her parents are dead. And she's stuck in the country her family
was visiting for their vacation. She's alone in Paris.
Just breathe.
Then Nathan walks into the picture. Funny, snarky, persistent, and sometimes,
just flat out rude, he annoys Taylor to no end. He won't leave her alone, but
Taylor doesn't know whether or not she should push him away.
2)
How
old were you when you started writing?
I was 14-years old when I started writing. At first, it sort of
started out as an experiment. I wanted to see if I could write a book—to see
how difficult it was. I ended up loving it and couldn’t stop. I wrote one book
after another!
3)
What
do you do when you are lacking inspiration?
I listen to music; I read for a little bit, or I take my writing
gear and go somewhere else for a change of scenery. I love writing outside on
my back patio!
4)
What
made you decide to publish your book(s)?
I had tried to get published the traditional way, but when that
didn’t work out, I decided that I wanted to take one of my books to the next
step myself and publish it on my own. It was very challenging to publish The Darkest Light. I ran into a lot of
bumps in the road, but I was determined to get it in print. It was all worth it
once I got to hold a physical copy of The
Darkest Light. I’m looking forward to publishing another book!
5)
At
this point in your career, what has been the most memorable experience as a
writer thus far?
Actually submitting my book to publish it. It was horrifying and
exciting all at once. I wanted to take it back as soon as I had done it because
I was worried what people would. I was really worried that no one would like
it, like every author. It’s a scary thing to share something you’ve created.
It’s even scarier to share a part of you because every book (even if it’s
fiction) holds a bit of truth. I’m not saying that dragons are real, but life
struggles or thoughts that character(s) have can be true—as well as other
things.
6)
What
would be your advice to fellow writers who want to publish their work?
Don’t give up on it. Sometimes you’re going to feel like your
book isn’t good enough to publish, and you shouldn’t feel that way. You can
always edit and revise your book to make it better. You should be proud of what
you wrote! You worked hard, whether if it was for weeks, months, or years. You
should publish your book if you feel like you’re ready for the challenge.
And do your research!
Don’t just hire anyone to do your book cover art.
7)
Share
one of your past obstacles in your writing career, and how you overcame it?
I battle with one obstacle constantly. It is one of the most
common obstacles for writers and the most difficult to overcome. Writer’s
block.
I hate writer’s block just as much as every writer. Having a
block is horrible, and pushing through it isn’t always the best solution
because you’re not doing your best writing. Sometimes, listening to music can help
me, or reading another book. Though, most of the time, I have to wait out my
block. It can take days or weeks until I’m ready to write again. But, once I
do, I usually find myself unable to stop.
8)
If
you were starting your writing career over today, what is one thing you would
do differently?
I would have done a better job at putting together The Darkest Light and done a better job
spreading the word about The Darkest
Light. I plan to do a much better job with Alone in Paris. The story is put together a lot better, and the
writing style and grammar are all much better, at least, I think so. Hopefully,
everyone else will too!
