Spotlight on Changeling Press: AK Nevermore
Changeling Press turns 20 in 2024. To celebrate, we’re featuring Changeling Press authors all month at TRS.
Meet AK Nevermore
AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks. Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time. AK pays the bills writing a copious amount of copy, along with a column on SFF. She belongs to the Authors Guild, is an RWA chapter board member, volunteers for far too many committees, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.
An Interview with Holly Hewson at TRS
HH: What inspired you to start writing and how did your journey with Changeling Press begin?
AK: Changeling Press actually found me. I hadn’t been looking at digital-first publishing, but their model really intrigued me, and the staff and editors were so very helpful, I took the plunge. I’m so glad I did. I’ve only been with them for a few months, but my experience so far has been amazing, and I’ve learned so much more with them than other houses.
HH: Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you go from an initial idea to a finished manuscript?
AK: I literally just sit there and write. Whatever comes I put down, and then figure it out later. It’s a lot of “what could make this worse?” and then “how the heck do they get out of that,” followed by “Crap. That’s not what happened” and a frantic rewrite until it makes sense.
HH: How do you develop your characters? Do you draw inspiration from real-life experiences or pure imagination?
AK: They usually tell me who they are. If I start putting words in their mouths, most of them yell at me or stop talking.
HH: Of all the books you’ve written for Changeling Press, which one is your favorite and why?
AK: Grimdark is the only one they’ve published so far, but I really love the second one, Darker, because it’s pretty nuts and has a lot of unexpected twists.
HH: What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your writing career and how did you overcome them?
AK: The biggest challenge for me has always been trying to fit my books into set genre expectations. I write the books I want to read, and that doesn’t always translate into what agents think readers want. It took me a very long time to just say the hell with it and write the books I wanted to. Ironically, that’s when I started getting published.
HH: Can you share a memorable experience or feedback from a reader that particularly touched or surprised you?
AK: I think in general it’s the feedback from readers that are excited about my work. That’s what really spurs me on to write the next book.
HH: Changeling Press is known for its diverse genres. Is there a genre you haven’t written in yet but are curious to explore?
AK: I love historical but think I would be terrible at it. I’m trying my hand at a PNR Jane Austin retelling for an anthology later this year. We’ll see how that goes.
HH: Do you have any unique writing rituals or habits that help you stay focused and creative?
AK: When I wake up I usually take some time before I get up to think about what’s going on in my current manuscript. That’s usually when I get those “Crap, it didn’t happen like that” moments.
HH: What advice would you give to aspiring authors who dream of being published by Changeling Press?
AK: Keep writing and putting your work out there. You never know who’s going to see it.
HH: How do you see the future of digital publishing evolving, and what role do you think Changeling Press will play in it?
AK: I think it’s going to keep growing and with Changeling’s business model, I’d imagine that they’re going to be at the forefront of that. I’m so happy I’m along for the ride!