Interview: Artist Vs. Poet

I would like to start of and say that if you want to suggest an author for me to interview, please do it here. I would like to keep this directed to the author that I'm interviewing.

I got the chance to interview one of my favorite authors, Artist Vs. Poet. She has an amazing talent at writing. I don't really know how to describe it exactly. I think you need to read some of her work. Two of my favorites are When Night Breaks and Watching Airplanes. I strongly suggest reading both of them.

So here is the interview:

1. What's the meaning behind your username?
-It's the name of an indie band, but the name doesn't stem from them exactly. I thought it was a unique name, and thought it fit for writing. Writers, I think, are artists but also poets. And at times, I think that line between them gets blurred and it's a magically thing to create art and poetry all in one.

2. How long have you been on Mibba?
-I'm wanting to say around 2 and a half years.

3. When did you start writing? Why?
- It was around 5 years ago when writing became a big part of my life. I was going through some rough times, and I found writing was the best way for me to deal with things.

4. What are some of your stories and what are they about?
-"When Night Breaks" is an original fiction that's based around mystery and romance, with a touch of science fiction. It focuses around two main characters: Samantha Nayn and Jay Reese. Jay is anything but the norm, he's mysterious and stays hidden. Samantha is a young college girl living on her own. The two meet and Samantha begins to be involved in Jay's secrets. They inevitably fall in love, but that soon creates more problems and puts them both in danger. I don't want to give too many spoilers!

I have two short stories called "Watching Airplanes" that I entered for a contest. One centers around a military girlfriend and the other touches on domestic violence.

5. What's your inspiration for writing?
-I get a lot of inspiration from my own feelings. I take those feelings, or thoughts and create my own worlds and stories. Music and also other stories have a huge influence on y work.

6. What made you write When Night Breaks? (Which happens to be one of my favorite story of yours)
-It was an idea I had sort of "daydreamed" about for months. I basically wrote the whole story in my head, and one day I decided to actually write it all down and see where it took me.

7. Do you have any rituals when you write? If you listen to music, what do you listen to?
- I listen to music before I write. I listen to a lot of Ron Pope, who is an acoustic songwriter and singer. His music always puts me in a good writing mood. While I'm actually writing, however, I make sure it's totally quiet. I go in my room, typically it's on Friday or Saturday nights, and just write.

8. What is your favorite genre to write about?
-I have to say, I'm a sucker for romance!

9. What's your favorite story to read on here?
-I'm currently reading "Wildflowers" by satellite minds. It's such a well written piece.
A science fiction story I also enjoy is "Dreams" by midnight sunshine x
Both I highly recommend!

10. Which of your stories are the most fun to write?
-Definitely "When Night Breaks". I've put so much into it, and I'm actually going to be really sad when I finish it!

11. Which of your stories are the hardest to write?
-Again, probably When Night Breaks. Mainly because it is a chaptered story, and it's difficult to keep readers coming back to such a long story. Plus, for a while, I didn't have my laptop. It had crashed and I had to write everything on my phone. Which certainly wasn't easy.

12. Do you ever run into writer's block? What do you do to get over it?
-I do and I hate it! Typically if I'm having trouble coming up with ideas, I'll take some time off. I'll go back to my music and not write for a few days. Eventually, I'll just lay down, or take a shower, and envision my story as a movie. I think, "okay, what's the next scene going to be?" Once I figure that out, I ask myself "How am I going to get from where I am now, to where I want to be."

13. Is there any authors on here that inspire you to write?
-There's so many. WishingOnDeadStars, it's monroe., mlelyn, EndlessSummerNights, champion; fascination. midnight sunshine x, and even yourself! I'm sure I left a bunch out, so everyone forgive me!

14. Do you research what you write?
-I do. If there's a location in my story that I'm not personally experienced with, I like to research it and see how I should portray it. I also research any topic I'm not familiar with.

15. Do you like to experiment with your writing?
-Yes. Especially with WNB. I switched up the point of view from chapter to chapter which was totally new to me. I think it's good to experiment and see what suits you best.

16. Are there any authors that inspire you? (novels, books, etc.)
-John Green is a huge inspiration. His book "Looking For Alaska" was such an amazing novel to me, and it pushed me to keep on writing. All of his work in general inspires me.

17. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers?
I just want to thank them! My story is long, and it's taken me a long time. But to still have readers coming back chapter after chapter, it's such a humbling feeling. They've helped shape the story and have helped me grow as a writer.
To anyone who has read or commented on my blogs, that means so much to me. To know people are actually taking time to read about my life and offering advice, it means a lot.

***

I know I have thanked you a hundred times, but I'm completely grateful for taking the time to answer all of my questions.