Many artists and authors are creative in multiple disciplines. What other types of art do you create?

I dabble in many artistic disciplines. Within writing, I create novels, short stories, and poetry. My other essential passion is music; I’ve been a drummer for nine years and a percussionist for six and a half. I was a Co-Drumline Captain in high school, and am currently a member of the WWU Percussion Ensemble and the drummer for the Bellingham Community Band. My favorite genre is glam-punk, and I hope to be a drummer/lyricist for a band one day. I’m also an amateur composer (primarily for percussion ensemble) and a photographer.

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How old were you when you produced your first work? How was it received?

I began writing my debut novel, Nautila, at the age of eleven. I finally finished and self-published it at the age of sixteen. Because I was young and self-published, very few people read it, but I am still incredibly proud of that achievement because over the course of that adventure, I essentially taught myself how to write. No one can teach you how to write a novel, and because I taught myself early on, I felt like I had an edge since many writers don’t complete their first novel and gain that experience until they’re a bit older.

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What is the single best sentence you've ever read?

It’s a phrase, not a sentence, but I really love this line from "Howl" (1956) by Allen Ginsberg: “... expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull…” Another favorite is from the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe’s "Eleonora" (1842): “Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence…” Both of these quotes are taped to the walls of my bedroom in vivid font to inspire insanity.

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What piece of creative advice have you received that sounded good, but was ultimately not useful to you?

“Keep the audience in mind.” This is excellent advice for the editing phase of writing a book. You should certainly think about how your audience will interpret something, if it will make sense to them, and so on. However, do not consider the audience when writing your first draft. The best work comes directly from inspiration; it’s a conversation between the writer and creativity, not between the writer and the audience (that conversation comes later). Your most genuine work will be written when you’re not writing for anyone or anything but the sake of writing itself. Don’t let an audience’s likes or dislikes hinder the breadth of your creativity.

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What change would you like to see in the publishing world?

I would like to see a shift away from blockbusters and toward quality literature. I also think the structure of the publishing industry needs to change, because it’s incredibly difficult to break into the industry, even with experience. People with connections and impeccable social skills get prioritized rather than the best writers, and I think that’s to the detriment of the literary community.

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Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?

I change my writing style to match the project I’m working on, so it varies. If I’m working on a gothic horror project, then I’ll read a bit of Anne Rice or Poe beforehand to get in the mood of the genre. For fantasy, anything from Cressida Cowell to Leigh Bardugo and V. E. Schwab. I finished a new novel rough draft a few months ago, and the inspiration for that included Cecil Castellucci’s Beige, Riordan’s Percy Jackson, and Alison Cherry’s Willows vs. Wolverines because it’s a goofy book that takes place at a summer camp and focuses on music. The deeper I got into the project, though, the more I strayed from those influences. Art begets art, so it’s great to start with inspiration and grow away from it as time passes. For poetry, I’m not sure who my influences include… There’s a bit of archaic European influence, for sure, but I feel like I channeled Green Day more than anything else in my debut collection, Killed the Clock. Because I create in multiple art forms, it’s not uncommon for my inspiration to come from a different genre than the one I’m working in.

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