Author Interview with Kris Austen Radcliffe

Kris Austen Radcliffe is the author of the Northern Creatures urban fantasy series; the Fate-Fire-Shifter-Dragon sci-fi/romance series; and the Quidell Brothers contemporary romance series. Her novel Scent of a Dragon is included in the Fire and Fantasy eBook anthology, and is a Fate-Fire-Shifter-Dragon novel exclusive to this set.

What’s your typical writing day like?

Kris: I’m up way too early to get my daughter on the bus. Then it’s excessive caffeine to keep myself awake. I write until my daughter gets home, then it’s home chores and writing-adjacent activities until bedtime.

How do you approach a new writing project? What kind of preparations do you make?

Kris: I’m not a plotter, but I’m not a pantser, either. I work toward major plot milestones: Plot points One and Two, and the End. I let the characters map out how they respond to the major character points in between.

It’s a given that creating a book is not an easy process. What’s the most difficult part for you, and how do you push through it?

Kris: The cost is, by far, the worst part of running any small business. Writing costs emotionally, physically, financially—you name it, there’s a cost to what I do. I haven’t had a vacation, working or otherwise, since 2013. Plus, my brain isn’t wired for accounting or office management, and all of the adjacent work writers need to do—newsletters, ads, finances, promo booking, etc.—I hate. But it needs doing, so I do it.

What did you enjoy most about writing the book that went into the Fire & Fantasy anthology?

Kris: The characters are old friends, so it was nice to revisit.

Tell me about your path to publication. What process did you go through?

Kris: I started in 2013. It’s been produce and publish since then. There wasn’t really a process to it. I’m a storyteller, so I started telling and selling my stories. Not much more to say, honestly.

What would you say are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to (or websites to visit)? Which are your favorites?

Kris: I recommend following several writers you like. If you’re a decent human being, try interacting with them. Don’t be an ***hole about it. It’s the best way to network.

Where did your love of books/writing/storytelling come from?

Kris: Reading The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction when I was a kid. I got a subscription when I was nine. Then I started reading my parents’ SF Book of the Month Club books. I was reading adult science fiction from third grade on.

What’s your favorite childhood book?

Kris: A Heritage of Stars by Clifford Simak.  Not a kid’s book, but one of the first novels I ever read.

What do you like to read, or otherwise do, in your free time?

Kris: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy, and books I need for research.

Do you have a favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received or that you’ve  given?

Kris: Practice. It takes a million words written to become proficient at the craft. You’re not going to write anything readable until you hit half a million words. Your next half-million might be publishable, but doesn’t mean they’re good. Don’t get complacent. After a million, you’ll still need to learn and grow, so learn. Practice. Do the best you can.

Keep up to date on Kris and her writing at http://www.krisaustenradcliffe.com/

*book review of Scent of a Dragon coming soon*

Bio: As a child, Kris took down a pack of hungry wolves with only a hardcover copy of The Dragonriders of Pern and a sharpened toothbrush. That fateful day set her on a path traversing many storytelling worlds—dabbles in film and comic books, time as a talent agent and a textbook photo coordinator, and a foray into nonfiction. After co-authoring Mind Shapes: Understanding the Differences in Thinking and Communication, Kris returned to academia. But she craved narrative and a richly-textured world of Fates, Shifters, and Dragons—and unexpected, true love.

Kris lives in Minnesota with her husband, two daughters, Handsome Cat, and an entire menagerie of suburban wildlife bent on destroying her house. That battered-but-true copy of “Dragonriders”? She found it yesterday. It’s time to pay a visit to the woodpeckers.

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