Tag Archives: AM Cummins

First Love Author Interviews: AM Cummins

Posted on by

Over the next few days, this blog is celebrating the release of the First Love romantic fantasy anthology by bringing daily interviews with the other contributors (ie the ones that aren’t me). First up we have AM Cummins, whose short story Savage delves into her Native American ancestry.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

The challenge of writing a romance story. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so when I saw Dragon Soul Press had an anthology call out for a fantasy love story, I knew I just had to do it.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

My story is a dramatic recreation of a family legend that was told to me by my grandfather. He was proud of his Native American heritage.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It really depends on the story to be honest. It doesn’t matter the ending, if it can stir emotions when you read it – that’s a good story.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

My story was based on facts I’ve gathered when doing my family tree. A lot of research went into it, but not much fantasy I’m afraid.

What major theme are you exploring in this story?

My overall theme is acceptance. Something we all need more in our lives.

What inspired your story?

My brother and I sometimes talk about our research we do with our family tree. We recalled our grandfather telling us the story that he came from a full-blooded Cherokee Indian when we were young. Now we have proof of it. I just wanted to honour my Native American bloodline in the only way I know how – to write about it.

What other Dragon Soul Press anthologies have you contributed to?

My story The Harrison Farm was featured in All Dark Places. I just submitted to the Sea of Secrets anthology. I’m super pumped about that one. Fingers crossed I get the golden email that says Congratulations!

What romantic fiction do you like?

I love romantic fantasies. (The Witch Hunter Series by J.E. Feldman, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold, and The Tree of Ages series by Sara C Roethle.) But to be honest, I read all genres.

Is romance something would normally write? If so, what attracts you to the genre? If not, what challenges did you encounter in the writing process?

I’m far from a romance author. I love to write great adventures with less than perfect characters stumbling through to make it to the end. It was hard for me to interject a lot of the showing of feelings. When I write, I tend to show reactions. So, this was new for me and, I hope, the beginning of a new style.

What themes are you drawn to time and time again?

I’m a sucker for a great epic quest. Something that will take multiple books for the characters to accomplish. Dragonlance was one of my first fantasy reads. You know what they say, you compare everything to your first. This is so true.

What do you prefer writing? Short stories? Novels? Novellas? Poetry?

I prefer to write novels but have been writing a lot of short stories for anthology submissions. However, I’m taking a break from the little ones to focus on my next novel.

What is your favourite work that you have written so far?

If you are asking my favourite published work, that would be Seapod Seven in the Shadows of the Sea anthology. But unpublished, it’s a novel I keep touching every few months called Wildfire.

What is your current work-in-progress?

It’s untitled at the moment, which is odd for me. It’s a story about some competitive Gnome family houses trying to fulfill a prophecy.

What other writing plans do you have for the future?

I have plans to co-author a sci-fi novel. Not much I can tell you about it yet, but I promise it will be a huge surprise.

Discover more from AM Cummins here (on Goodreads) and here (on Amazon).

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

All Dark Places launch event this Saturday!

Posted on by

44959189_774777872882206_311558392235687936_n

As you are probably aware, my short story Once in a Lifetime has been selected for inclusion in the Dragon Soul Press horror anthology All Dark Places (out now).

This weekend, Dragon Soul Press are hosting an online launch party on Facebook, between 2pm and 7pm UK time. You are also invited!

I will be hosting between 6pm and 7pm, so dip into that hour (or any of the other hours) for Q&A, games, giveaways and more. Simply search Facebook Events with “All Dark Places release” and join the fun.

All Dark Places: AM Cummins interview

Posted on by

Last but not least in my recent series of interviews with fellow All Dark Places authors, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the unfeasibly talented AM Cummins. As well as writing, she also hunts ghosts. No, really.

Give a short tease about what happens in your short story for All Dark Places.

My story in All Dark Places is titled The Harrison Farm. It’s about a young couple that moves into an old house and must learn a few old secrets before it’s too late.

What inspired your short story?

I love a good ghost story! So much so that my husband and I go ghost hunting when we find the time (mostly on vacations).

What do you find scary?

A dark backstory that doesn’t make sense until the big reveal at the end. I love to question and theorise why something spooky is happening throughout the story. I’ll admit also that I jump at loud noises or something unexpected, but in the end, I just don’t find that scary.

Have you experienced anything at all like a horror story in real life?

I have, actually! I even wrote a short story inspired by my experience: Adoption featured in an anthology e-book, Shadows of the Spectral. I, of course, changed a few things for entertainment value. But the story of the haunting is 100% true.

Why do you think some people are drawn to horror stories, and others are repelled by them?

A good horror story will stir up emotions. Sometimes those emotions can bring back haunting memories of personal experiences. I am a horror fan! When fear is in the air and the blood starts pumping, I know I’m alive.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

In this story, not at all unfortunately. I picked random pictures of people off the web and wrote my characters based on personality traits I thought they would have. The creation of characters is what drew me into writing.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

I know what direction my story is heading. I’ve tried to be a pantser, but then you spend too much time in the editing phase to my liking to fix all the holes. So I love to have a general (and negotiable) outline and let the story lead me to get there.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

I enjoy the creating part. Starting with nothing and making something. It can be a character, a story line, or world-building.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

The second draft is the worst part for me. I have embraced the editing process completely. But once you take your baby, the manuscript you poured your heart and soul into, and give it a once over…Yikes! It can be soul crushing sometimes to realise it isn’t as perfect as you thought it was. The good news about that is you don’t have to face it alone. The writing community will give you just as much love as you show to it.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

Sure, writing what you know is easy. But nothing great came from easy. I’m a firm believer in pushing outside my comfort zone. My goal is to be the best writer I can be and you don’t do that by playing it safe. My passion is writing fantasy, but I’ve dabbled outside that genre. It was hard, but worth it.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

I am all over the place in my writing. Of course, that doesn’t mean I publish everything I write. Currently I have been published fantasy and sci-fi stories, and now horror. I’m tackling romance next.

Which writers inspire you?

All of them, even you Simon! Writing is not easy. It can be frustrating and stressful sometimes. With deadlines, writers block, and marketing being an author is a lot of work. I applaud anyone who works hard to tell a story.

What are your future writing plans?

I am currently writing my first series to submit to a publisher. I devour series as a reader but always felt intimidated of them as an author. Challenge accepted!

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Write something. The internet is full of rules and advice about writing. It can become overwhelming. To find out if you honestly enjoy the process, go through it. Put your pen to paper. Rinse and repeat!

For more about AM Cummins and her writing, check out her pages on Amazon and Goodreads here and here respectively.

All Dark Places is released on the 30th of October and can be pre-ordered here.

All Dark Places: The countdown begins

Posted on by

On the 30th of October, All Dark Places will be released by Dragon Soul Press. This horror anthology features a short story I wrote entitled Once in a Lifetime, as well as other spine-freezing gems from Hui Lang, Anna Sinjin, and AM Cummins.

Once in a Lifetime, is an existential dread short, inspired by an existential dread nightmare that troubled my sleep earlier this year. It involves a man who wakes up in a strange London flat in bed with a woman he doesn’t know, who insists he is someone else in an entirely different life. More disturbingly, memories of his former life – including his wife and children – start to fade from his mind.

Over the next few days, I’ll be interviewing my fellow contributors, so keep checking back every day to hear entertaining insights from these terribly talented wordsmiths.

All Dark Places is released on the 30th of October and can be pre-ordered here.