Reading by Deb: INTERVIEW with MORGANNA WILLIAMS

First off, I want to thank Morganna Williams for agreeing to this interview!

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have!

Please be sure to give Morganna a shout-out and FOLLOW her on her social media!

Bio:

Morganna Williams is a USA Today Best Selling Author and Internationally Best Selling Author on Amazon in BDSM, Sci-fi Erotica, Humorous Erotica, Medical Romance, Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance.

Morganna lives in Dallas with her family. She works as a social worker and does most of her writing on her lunch break. She loves interacting with her readers and is active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and of course her blog morgannawilliams.com.

When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I have always had an extremely vivid imagination with stories in my head. I started writing in 1998 when I got my first computer. I joined a story forum and began posting short stories. I submitted my first book to Stormy Night Publications in the summer of 2014 and it was published September 4, 2014.

Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

I read Charlotte’s Webb multiple times by E.B. Webb as well as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I also loved the Emily of New Moon series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I read Anne of Green Gables as well but it didn’t speak to me as much as Emily of New Moon did. I have been a voracious reader all of my life and I love words.

Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

A lot of my characters are based on real people. Everything is fair game for story fodder. I will not use someone else's life story because that’s their story to tell but I will use interactions I have with other people in my books.

Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

My book inspirations come from everywhere ... different interactions I have with people, situations I've been in personally, interactions in the world. It can come from a lyric in the song or really anywhere and suddenly an idea forms and I run with it. If something weird happens to me I can almost promise it will eventually find its way into one of my books.

Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I don’t use formal outlines. When a story idea pops into my head I mull it over for a while, generally once I start writing the basic story is in my head. From there I let the characters guide me. Sometimes they surprise me.

When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

Not usually though I do enjoy writing short stories based on pictures. It’s a good exercise to have someone give you a picture and then write a short story based on what you see. If I am doing this I try to give myself a very short time frame. It’s challenging but I feel it helps to hone my skills as a writer. When I was on the story forum board the man that ran the board often presented pictures as writing challenges. It is quite fascinating to see how many different places people on the forum went with the same picture as a catalyst.

Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

I love movies and tv shows. If I am truly just kicking-back I will binge watch whatever takes my fancy. I also enjoy floating in a pool if the opportunity arises.

Who are your favorite current authors to read?

I am currently reading the Dean Koontz Odd Thomas series. I enjoy everything from Koontz to Maren Smith and a lot of authors in between.

What are your favorite books by others?

Jinxie’s Orchids, The Suffragettes and Enemies by Maren Smith are some of my favorites book. I have read them all many times. It’s like visiting old friends.

Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

Unless we are talking science fiction or fantasy most of my stories take place in Texas. If I am writing about landscape or regional culture I like to write what I know.

Do you write in single or multiple POV?

I have written single POV and multiple POV in both third and first person. Every story tells you how it wants to be told.

What do you find to be your best research tool?

The internet

Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?

Morganna Williams is my pen for Romance. I am working on a mainstream psychological thriller that will be under a different pen name. I have also co-written books with Maddie Taylor and Jack Crosby.

What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

I write Erotic Romance in the sub-genres of Paranormal, Sci-fi, BDSM and Erotic Thrillers. Erotic Thrillers are probably my favorite. I enjoy writing creepy villains as much as I enjoy the romance part.

Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky traits....what led to you being you?

In my day job I’m a social worker. I currently case manage in a program that helps people with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities remain in the community. I have a quirky sense of humor and I love my furbabies.

If you are a duo writing team, how do you share the writing process?

When I collaborated with Maddie we each picked characters. When I write with Jack, he generally does the male hero and I write the female lead. We tend to round robin the villains. The round robin again to smooth it out the story.

Now with the Claimed Brides anthology which is my newest release and a follow up to Marked Brides, I collaborated with multiple authors; Maren Smith, Delta James, Allysa Hart, Pepper North, Lesley Clark and Golden Angel. In both Marked and Claimed Brides we all wrote stand alone stories based on a shared premise. While the stories were separate they did have to be able to mesh with our shared world.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Always pursue your dream. Never stop growing as a writer. If you think you’ve grown all that is necessary check yourself, that is the easiest way to become stagnant. In my opinion we should all grow and evolve continually no matter the endeavor. If we aren’t there is a problem.

Connect w/ Morganna:

Email:

morgannawilliams1970@gmail.com

Website:

https://morgannawilliams.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/morgannawilliamsauthor/

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641932966129906/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/morgannawilliams1970/

Twitter: