Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So, I started out as a fanfiction author (I still am) but I've recently branched out into writing actual books. So far I have two being sold online, four more in progress and another three planned. All my books so far are nonfiction; I tried writing fiction but I couldn't get anything to stick.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mastering English: A Beginner's Guide to Grammar and Usage and Math Made Simple: A Comprehensive Guide for Everyday Use were written at the same time. The American Education System is an absolute joke. The literacy rate is at 79% and the numeracy rate is about 70%. About a third of my mother's graduating class couldn't read and this was in the early 2000s! And so many people working as cashiers at various stores and fast food restaurants can't count change! It's ridiculous, these are the most basic skills and yet so many people don't have them?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I constantly edit my work as I write; it saves a lot of time. And when I work on my fanfiction I draw up floorplans of the settings so I have a better understanding of where things are so I can keep my setting descriptions consistent. I also have a habit of going back and rewriting entire chapters if I don't like how they go. I even rewrote some of my works from scratch even after getting nearly to the end. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to writing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My mother ML Ruscsak, who was not only the first person I ever edited for but was the one who introduced me to fanfiction, which eventually got me started on writing actual books. Then I grew up reading the Percy Jackson series from Rick Riordan, and I had a huge Greek Mythology phase in Elementary all the way through Middle School. Other series like Harry Potter and My Hero Academia (which is a manga but still technically a book) inspired a lot of the creative liberties I take, especially thinking about the logistics and technical aspects of these fantastical settings.
What are you working on now?
Like I said earlier, I have four more books in the works and three more planned, all of them nonfiction and informational. The topics I'm writing on now are the energy crisis, the housing crisis, the foster system, the healthcare system, the public transport system, even more on the education system as a whole, and the economy. Everything is an absolute mess and we're wasting time arguing about stupid things like movie plots and beer ads.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don't have much social media; too much drama and too many stupid people. But I do have Facebook and a YouTube channel. I never use my Instagram because I forget I even have an account and Reddit's too full of trolls. And Twitter's a cesspool. So yeah, really I only use Facebook but even that's sparingly. I usually send everything over to my mom so she can pass it around her insane network of people; I'm too blunt and proud to do what she does. Traditional advertising is a little too much like begging and has way too much… flowery pandering. I either get to the point or I don't do it at all.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, practice makes purpose. If you don't like what you write, you're allowed to start from scratch as many times as it takes to get something you do like. Make sure to do actual research on things if you go the nonfiction route.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Basically what I wrote above, because I learned this from experience and have told it to many other aspiring authors I talk to. I've been working on the same fanfiction since I was 9 and it's still not done. Again, practice makes perfect and it's perfectly fine to rewrite your work several times over until you can read it without cringing.
What are you reading now?
A little bit of everything. Fanfiction, light novels, sometimes I go down to the local library and spend a few hours there rereading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, maybe some other stuff. It depends on the mood.
What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer? For books, I'll write as many of them detailing as many real-world problems as it takes for people to get off their hind ends and actually start doing something. If enough people listen, then maybe I'll have a shot at the elections after I turn 35. I wanna make a real difference in as many areas as I can and no one else seems to want to in the areas that actually need it.
For fanfiction, I'll just do what I always do and continue to work on the same story I've been writing since I was a kid and see where it goes.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Percy Jackson: Battle of the Labyrinth. At one point I misplaced half the books in the original box set I had and this one was the one I ended up reading the most out of the five. I still can't get over the fact that Percy crashed his own funeral!
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