# Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
I’m Torri. I’m a steamy paranormal romance/fantasy author. When I’m not in author mode, I’m a mom via adoption and fostering, a painter, a wrangler of cats, and a little bit of a hippie.
My first series was a novella series called Darkling, featuring a hot werewolf, and a pretty cool monster hunting society. My newest series is a fantasy reverse harem book about a queen in a world of kings I’m releasing with Beth Brown. It’s called Blood Crown! I also have a demon romance series called Watcher, and the first book called The Ruins is out now.
# What is/are the real-life story(ies) behind your book(s)?
There’s no real life stories behind my books, but there’s definitely inspration. I was bored of reading about female characters that felt two dimensional, and didn’t have a spark. I often put my foot in my mouth, push the limits, defy what others say I can or cannot do, and I wanted to read about characters like that. Not only for myself, but for my daughter as well.
# What inspires/inspired your creativity?
Real life inspires me. Seeing real life people deal with real life problems, but knowing the beauty that thrives underneath it all is so wonderful to me. Characters don’t always do what we want them to, and it’s the same for real life. And that kind of complexity, and mistakes are so cool for me to read and write about. I channel a lot of this idea into my paintings as well!
# How do you deal with creative block?
I leave it. If I’m struggling with a book, I leave the book and jump to another WIP. If it’s just a portion of the book, I’ll skip over to another scene. Sometimes a change of scenery or music helps too!
# What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Not getting an editor!!! Pay for the editor!!! We will never catch everything looking at the same document time and time again. You need that second set of eyes.
# Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
Titles are a very emotional thing for me. If it feels right, that’s the title. I don’t second guess it. Sometimes people don’t like my titles, and that’s okay, because other people love them!
# How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
You’re never going to please everyone. And if someone is so affected by my book that they take the time to write a bad review, then I count that as a win. Inflicting an emotional response is all we can really ask for as authors.
# How has your creation process improved over time?
It’s definitely more fluid now. Writing is a job for me, so it’s difficult to be like “Okay, it’s 5PM, time to write!” I’ve learned to not force it if the motivation isn’t there, because my best writing comes when I’m in the mood.
# What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
The best has been the community. I’ve met so many wonderful friends, and I am SO grateful for all of them. The worst was realizing I had to market my book on social media. I wasn’t a social media person before this, so I really had to learn and adapt. The most surprising? Tiktok as a marketing tool. It’s done wonders for my preorders!
# What role do emotions play in creativity?
Emotions are huge. I started writing when I wasn’t able to paint, and I still had all of these emotions churning in my mind and I needed SOME way to get them out. So Darkling was born, and I never looked back. Trust your gut, and trust your creative instinct. They won’t steer you wrong.
# Do you have any creativity tricks?
Music!!! Switch up your playlist, blast it loud, don’t let yourself think. Let the story tell you where it wants to go.
# What are your plans for future books?
I release a novella every two months, so this year it will alternate between my werewolf shifter series, Darkling, and my demon romance series, Watcher. Book three of Darkling comes out in June 2021, and Book two of Watcher comes out in August 2021. I also have a fantasy reverse harem series I’m releasing with Elizabeth Brown that comes out in between these novellas — it’s called Blood Crown!
# Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
Ha! Let me think of some. I can twist my tongue into a four leaf clover which is always a fun party trick, and I can crack an egg with one hand, which is surprisingly not as popular at parties.
Links: linktr.ee/torriheat