As an adult the magic stayed with her inspiring her to write stories of adventure and magic. Hawkins, at her best, brings personality to every word she writes, exciting her readers with every page.
Fun Fact
KJ Hawkins is actually a pen name taken from the initials of her real first and last name. Hawkins came from her favorite childhood film, Treasure Planet, the lead character is James Hawkins!
Connect with the Author
About Dragon Tempest
The Dragon Tempest offers a collection of short stories in a variety of fantasy genres, including dark, light, adventure, and epic. Creatures from all worlds abound: dragons, angels, centaurs, witches, gods and goddesses, and those lurking below the water’s surface. Whether you’re moved by tales of battle and bloodshed, suspense, humor, or enlightenment, The Dragon Tempest will leave you craving more from each author. Such a diversity of great fantasy tales to enjoy will leave no room for disappointment.
Judges
Allison D. Reid
KJ Hawkins
D.B. Mauldin
Joshua Robertson
1st Place Winners
Christine King
Katie Roxberry
Winter Bayne
Jane Dougherty
Wilson F. Engel, III
2nd Place Winners
Christine Haggerty
Randall Lemon
Deborah Jean Anderson
J. Abram Barneck
Louise Findlay
3rd Place Winners
Samuel Milner
Karen Brown
Buy The Dragon Tempest on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and it is also available in print on Createspace.
KJ's Other Work
Trisha's Escape: A Short Story in The Magical Muse
Get it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
A Father’s Protection
The land beyond The Forest of Ferrês belongs to the kyres mortal enemies the twin-tailed foxes. Standing on the borders DarkDeath will have to plunge into the unknown to save his adventurous pup.
Will he be able to find Digger and make it out alive? The battle to protect his own will be tested when DarkDeath faces off against an old rival. Death lingering over his pup’s head will test his strengths as DarkDeath braces himself for battle.
Now Available for Pre-order on Amazon Kindle and Nook
An Interview with the Author
Why did you decide to be a writer?
I wouldn't say I decided to be a writer. It more or less chose me. When I was younger, I loved reading and writing stories. After awhile my love of writing left me due to my issues with English courses. However, I never stopped reading, and finally, in my freshman year of high school, I found my love of writing again. Thanks to my biology teacher who asked everyone in the class one day what we wanted to be. I didn't know what I wanted to be, and he took one look at me and said I was going to be an author. That being because I had a book in my hand everyday.
Do you have a "day job"? If so, what do you do?
Yes, actually I have two. The first one is my own business, The Book Stalkers and Dragon Knight Chronicles. The second one is working as office help and as a caregiver at Visiting Angels.
I spend a lot of time between writing and my own businesses on the computer. So being able to work for Visiting Angels gets me out of the house and socializing. It is also a big plus helping those that need the assistance.
What genres do you write?
Fantasy, duh :)
Is there a genre that you've been wanting to experiment with? If so, what is it and what attracts you to it?
I would have to say that some romance/dramas have caught my attention, along with mystery and horror. But if I had to pick one I would like to dabble in I would have to say romance.
Like most women I haven't found Mr. Right. The idea that I can create a world for my character to find love really interests me. I am more career oriented right now so the idea living through my written words kind of helps me through those lonely times.
What inspires you to write?
This is a hard one...hmmm. I would say that I get inspired by life. I meet people, see wonderful places, and have animals that have me laughing. All these reasons make me want to write.
Of course I also have several characters in my head that are screaming to get out. So that doesn't help much either.
What are your goals as an author? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Like most authors, I would love to make a full time career out of my writing. I, of course, would always run my business, The Book Stalkers & DKC. They have been a big part of my advancement as an author into the indie community.
In five years I would like to have my Half-Blood Academy series going strong. Along with having the first full novel of Tarzinea on shelves. Other than that, I am looking forward to what the next five years will bring.
Does your family support you in your writing, or are you on your own?
I get support from my mother regularly. She is a big fan of my writing when I am actually able to finish something. Where my sister and I are concerned that is a different situation all together.
What made you decide to self-publish?
When I first started working on my own writing, I wanted to submit to big publishers. I grew up reading books from their businesses. When I was in the researching phase, I found several authors that self-published.
I fell in love with their books and wondered why they weren't traditionally published. So with their help, and researching some more, I made the best decision of my life, to self-publish.
Maybe one day I might try, just for the heck of it, to get published through a small press, but right now I am happy with doing it myself.
Are you a pantser or outliner?
I used to be a pantser till my author friend, Renee Scattergood, converted me into an outliner. There are still times when I am outlining that I will stop and write for awhile. Then, when I get to where I stopped in the outline, I will start figuring out the next section. I mainly do this because I get too excited or impatient to wait.
How do you come up with the titles for your books? Do you find it difficult?
When I come up with titles, I try to figure out the purpose of the book or story. It can be a bit trying, but I will make a list, sometimes small, sometimes huge. I will go through and pick my favorites then ask for feedback from other authors and friends.
I only have to do that every once in awhile when a title really stumps me. The last few titles have come easy since they run into a theme, since they are a part of a short story collection.
This is so cool thank you Renee :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :-D
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