Ask the Author: Aimee Hix
Answered Questions (8)
Aimee Hix
Hi, Eva. Thanks for your interest. Midnight Ink has all the books scheduled for released in January one year apart. What Doesn't Kill You on January 8, 2018 and then books #2 and #3 in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Aimee Hix
Oh, goodness, Elize, you were kind enough to read and review the book (and thank you for such a wonderful review) that I want you to do whatever is most convenient for you. :)
Aimee Hix
About a decade ago, I heard a news story on the radio as I was commuting to my old day job. My drive was about 45 minutes each way so I had plenty of time to play What If? What If? is the center gear to any story.
Over the course of years of commutes I kept coming back to the story and morphing it over and over until one day, the main character of my book began to talk to me about her life and her work.
About that time, my mentor presented himself to me and said, "If you have anything I'm happy to read it and talk about it with you." He was very low-key - I'm here to help and advise if you want it. It took about three months before I had the courage to send him the five-page synopsis I did up.
He called me five minutes after I sent it and told me that I had to write it, that it was a story that needed to be told. About six weeks later I started writing when I was challenged by another writer friend to the 100 words for 100 days prompt.
Ideas come from everywhere. There is a little bit of everything in the book from all different places. If I gave you the news story that this idea came from you wouldn't recognize it, at all. The beginning of the idea is less important than asking yourself What If? when you hear something that intrigues you.
Over the course of years of commutes I kept coming back to the story and morphing it over and over until one day, the main character of my book began to talk to me about her life and her work.
About that time, my mentor presented himself to me and said, "If you have anything I'm happy to read it and talk about it with you." He was very low-key - I'm here to help and advise if you want it. It took about three months before I had the courage to send him the five-page synopsis I did up.
He called me five minutes after I sent it and told me that I had to write it, that it was a story that needed to be told. About six weeks later I started writing when I was challenged by another writer friend to the 100 words for 100 days prompt.
Ideas come from everywhere. There is a little bit of everything in the book from all different places. If I gave you the news story that this idea came from you wouldn't recognize it, at all. The beginning of the idea is less important than asking yourself What If? when you hear something that intrigues you.
Aimee Hix
My inspiration for writing is it's my job. That was impressed upon me by my mentor, who's been a published writer for over twenty years.
Before I was under contract, my inspiration was wanting to be published. I have thoughts and ideas I want to share. Some days it's harder to get writing than others. Some days, when I have a cold, I want to lounge in my pjs and watch tv all day. But I still write some because you have to keep it going.
It's like a fire - as long as you feed it, it will keep burning. Sometimes it burns low and slow and that's when you have to coax it more. It will go out if you walk away. And starting a fire is harder than tending a fire.
Before I was under contract, my inspiration was wanting to be published. I have thoughts and ideas I want to share. Some days it's harder to get writing than others. Some days, when I have a cold, I want to lounge in my pjs and watch tv all day. But I still write some because you have to keep it going.
It's like a fire - as long as you feed it, it will keep burning. Sometimes it burns low and slow and that's when you have to coax it more. It will go out if you walk away. And starting a fire is harder than tending a fire.
Aimee Hix
I'm currently revising book #2 in the Willa Pennington series. I currently have a three-book deal for the series so I'm on deadline and it's my priority.
Then I will move on to book #3. Hopefully, they will want more books but if not I have lots of ideas to explore.
Then I will move on to book #3. Hopefully, they will want more books but if not I have lots of ideas to explore.
Aimee Hix
Write. Every day. Challenge yourself to write 100 words for 100 days. If you don't get 100 words in each day, you start back over at day 1. For competitive people, for self-critical people, you will push yourself to do it and not fail. I was challenged to do 100 for 100 by an author friend and it was the beginning of writing the manuscript that became What Doesn't Kill You.
Read. Every day. My mentor calls reading your MFA in writing. You learn so much from reading extraordinary works, you learn even more from bad books because you learn what you don't like.
Don't try to write something you're not interested in because it's popular or critically-acclaimed. If you didn't like reading The Girl on the Train, you won't like writing a book like it because maybe unreliable narrators aren't your thing. Write the story you want to read because you will read it a thousand times.
Read. Every day. My mentor calls reading your MFA in writing. You learn so much from reading extraordinary works, you learn even more from bad books because you learn what you don't like.
Don't try to write something you're not interested in because it's popular or critically-acclaimed. If you didn't like reading The Girl on the Train, you won't like writing a book like it because maybe unreliable narrators aren't your thing. Write the story you want to read because you will read it a thousand times.
Aimee Hix
Business attire being holey t-shirts and yoga pants. Furry co-workers who remind me to get up and stretch because they need to go out. There is always coffee when I want it. Playing with imaginary people is a real job.
The very best part is the amazing writer's community. There is so much support and people are always offering to help, advise, mentor, teach, proofread, cheerlead, butt-kick. You're only alone if you want to be.
The very best part is the amazing writer's community. There is so much support and people are always offering to help, advise, mentor, teach, proofread, cheerlead, butt-kick. You're only alone if you want to be.
Aimee Hix
This is going to end up being repeated in a few answers to questions because it's the answer to a lot about writing.
The cure for writer's block is to write. You may have to pick something different that the idea or manuscript that you're working on but you have to keep writing.
There's no way around it or over it - the only way is through.
The cure for writer's block is to write. You may have to pick something different that the idea or manuscript that you're working on but you have to keep writing.
There's no way around it or over it - the only way is through.
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