Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

A showcase with @LiveLifeInTheRain, author of At Your Service

1 what inspired the idea of your story? 

I've grown up around the military my whole life, and I wanted to write a fun change on a r rated story. I like to try and push the line of right and wrong. I wanted to give a face and story to a woman who is in this lifestyle. There is always a reason for their choices, and they're treated poorly in society; I wanted to humanize them. It's not uncommon, yet it's not talked about. I wanted to develop flawed and controversial characters and see where it went.

2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?

The most difficult part was keeping rules straight. I didn't know a lot about the technical aspects of military life and I was always trying to keep ranks and protocol straight. It's a process that ever stops, there's always something to learn and add. I also struggled with balancing story line with sex scenes. They're both important, and there are clearly more sex scenes at the beginning. As the book goes on, more story comes out, and I had to make sure that I was satisfying both aspects.

 3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I know the rules when it comes to enlisted and paying for sex, and that was the basis of what I wanted to do. I like to bend and break the rules. I enjoyed writing the changes in them as they grow closer and open up. I loved writing a story where the characters are completely unrecognizable at the end.

 4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?

Usually conflicted. Both characters are flawed and their flaws seem to clash. There's a back and forth between who is right and who is wrong. Who made the biggest mistakes and who doesn't deserve who or what. In comments on Wattpad, I can see real opinions and differences in opinion. The agreement seems to be that they like the couple at the end over the people at the beginning. Also, people seem to really enjoy the sex scenes and that also makes me happy.

 5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ? 

For now, it's a stand-alone. I'd love to write a spin off one day with the children in the book grown up. Maybe when they're in college.

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

On one hand, I want them to take away that everyone has a story and everyone has flaws. You can lean on them and make excuses, or you can address them and grow into a better person by facing them head on. Also, some nice sex scenes or ideas.

 7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?

EDIT! I have a lot of work to go back and do with my Wattpad stories. I'm paying for it now with stories I really want to make better, but don't have time to edit.

Don't be shy about it. Find your group of friends who will support you always and let them read it, take their feedback into account. 

Don't bother getting upset at Wattpad comments or messages. Everyone has an opinion and someone will always hate your book, but it's not about them. It's about you, writing something you love, and always striving to grow as a person and writer. 

Pay attention to your tenses. I'm the first to admit I'm terrible at them. If someone said that to me when I started off, I could have made an effort with every chapter to focus on them, and editing wouldn't be such a nightmare. 

 8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself? 

At the time of writing it? Not at all.

9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?

Sex is always a good motivator. Also, Lalexia seems to be a key factor for current readers. She's a funny and quirky child that gives some humor to the story

 10 do you have any future projects?

On top of my studies which keep me from writing for now, I'm currently branching away from Romance for a change. I'm working on the first book of a mental health trilogy. Each book will have a goal when it comes to mental health. This book will address self-harm, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts and the process of recovery and learning to stop and/or cope with all of these issues. There's a lot of resistance and fear of change and getting better. But It's about family, friendship, and learning to be okay with yourself when you suffer from mental health issues.