Author Interview of the Week
Meet Tasha Gwartney, author of the True Witch saga.
 |
| Photo: Tasha Gwartney |
Tasha Gwartney is a Military wife and mother. She is currently living at Fort Polk in central LA with her family and two huskies. Tasha has always had a passion for words. She started writing at the young age of ten. With first short stories, then she moved onto writing Poetry. Her poetry has won many awards both in Germany and within the United States. Tasha has always had a passion for children which moved her to attain a degree in Early Childhood Education.
In her spare time, Tasha loves to paint landscapes and dabble in photography. Her family has always told her that she got all the “artistry genes” in the family. Besides spending time with her family, you would probably never catch Tasha without a book, or her ever handy kindle attached to her hand.
Tasha is currently having her first novel published September 2013. Tasha doesn’t have just one genre that she writes in. She loves to read and write in every genre. Her dream is to reach her readers on a deep and personal level. Tasha wants to take her readers on a journey where they will feel what the characters they are reading about are feeling. Experience the character’s joys, triumphs, and pain.
“If I can take someone on such an epic journey through my writing that they actually connect with my characters on a deep emotional level. Then my dreams of being a writer are realized.”
Tasha always has characters banging around in her head wanting their stories to be told. So keep an eye out for her work. She is sure to enlighten your imaginations.
What made you want to be an author?
I have been writing for a very long time. I started roughly at the age of ten, just short stories here or there. I would write them down on anything I could get my hands on. Worksheets at school, much to the dismay of my teachers, scraps of paper, and sometimes things that weren’t meant to be written on. Much to my mother’s disappointment. That led her to buying me my very first journal. Since then I have written anything that has caught my fancy. I haven’t stopped since.
Who has inspired you the most?
Other Indie Authors. We struggle and pour our hearts and souls into our words that we put down on paper in the hopes of touching a reader or a fan on a deep and personal level. My friend Author Lara Burge especially. She is so dedicated to her craft, that even though she is having health issues that is effecting her ability to type. She ordered the ‘Dragon Program’ so she can continue to write. Using voice commands. Now that is inspiring.
Can you tell us about some of your earlier days of writing?
During my teens and early Twenties I was published as an award winning Poet. My writing style isn’t to everyone’s taste. My poetry is dark. But it has touched someone’s fancy out there. Since it has been published.
How has your life considerably changed since you've been published?
Trying to balance what I call “writing time” and “family time” is difficult. I work as well as write. I am also a mom to a gorgeous little man and a Military wife. So balance is a tight rope that I walk daily. But I am making it work. One thing I never expected was the fan base that has been built around me. I love all of my fans and followers. They rock my heart hard!
You're first book, Fated Truth, comes out this September via Amazon.com. Are you excited? Nervous? Anxious?
Brilliantly excited. I am being published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterflies. They are one of the leading Indie Publishers out there. I am so lucky to have had them take me and my work on. Through them, this has been a fabulous experience. But yes, I am nervous. My book is my baby. I am sending it out into the world to be judged. That is an anxious feeling.
What kind of poetry did you write before? Is it something you would pursue later?
Dark and gut wrenchingly honest. I am still writing poetry. My poetry touches on something very personal to me. But if sharing my painful experiences through my poetry helps to let someone know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, then I have succeeded in my dreams where my poetry is concerned.
What has been the best experience so far on your journey as an author?
Meeting and conversing with other Authors. We are a very eclectic bunch. So many very talented and creative personalities. It’s a joy to know them.
Can you give us some insight on any upcoming projects?
Well, Fated Truth (Volume One in The True Witch Saga) is going LIVE via Amazon.com on September 10,2013. The next book in The True Witch Series is in the final revisions process. It is titled Unbroken Truth. Other than that specific series. I have six other works in progress going right now. I flitter from book to book. I get bored easily so I work on a lot of different novels at once. J
What advice can you give to any upcoming authors?
Before you decide to publish, whether it be self-publishing or through a publishing house, build a fan base. Network and get your name out there. You need an audience to market yourself and your work to. Use beta readers for feedback, and never scrap anything that you have written. You might come back to it. Tweak it a bit and make it great.
Thanks so much, Tasha for interviewing with us! Don't forget to follow her many outlets below!
Listed below is the cover and synopsis for Tasha's first book, Fated Truth!
 |
| All Rights Reserved to Tasha Gwartney |
Synopsis
Ella Reese has never been a normal girl. She grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else’s business. In the home she grew up in she was despised for everything that she is. Ella didn’t fit into the mold that her parents desperately wanted her too. She learned early on to keep her head down and try to fit into a world that was never really meant for her. All Ella wants is to live a normal life and spend time with her two best friends. Maybe even make it through her senior year of High School without being maimed. But when Fate intervenes, picks up your roots, and sends your life in a new direction. You can’t exactly say no. Ella finds herself on a journey where she discovers herself to be a Goddess Touched True Witch with unequaled powers, falls madly soul deep in love with her chosen life mate, experiences horrific tragedies, reunites with those she thought she had lost forever, and discovers along the way that she has found a family that accepts her for who she truly is. But Fate doesn’t deal her cards lightly. When you are handed enormous power. That power comes with great responsibility. When Ella’s whole world falls apart and her love for her soul mate is put into doubt. Will she be strong enough to travel the path Fate has set her upon? Or will she fold under the weight of her new Fate?
Find out when you read Fated Truth Volume One of The True Witch Saga.
 |
| All Rights Reserved to Tasha Gwartney |
