Avery Carter is a non-binary, queer author. They write queer fantasy and YA novels. When not writing they are teaching English and teaching their students to love words and reading just as much as they do.

Read on to find our interview!

The Interview

Anna: What was it that got you into writing, and eventually wanting to become an author?

Avery: I often talk about how I’ve been writing stories since I learned how to write. As a first grader, I wrote a short story about a cat who had to move because everyone in her town was allergic to her. From there, I was hooked on writing. Becoming an author was always a dream of mine. It took a week of quarantine and the unconditional support of my wife to give me the confidence to start publishing.

Anna: That is so sweet! I’m so glad you eventually did!

You’ve published a few novels before Spellbound (which I am absolutely loving so far!), for those, and for this new one what is your writing process like? Do you tend to plan extensively?

Avery: I used to completely pants my novels, so, write them without any plan. While this worked, my earlier novels definitely show a lack of polish.

Spellbound is a hybrid of planning and pantsing. I started writing it back in 2016, and finished about half of it then. The rest I finished at the end of last year. There was already a loose outline for it with the different levels of the Stacks, so the book was easy to finish that way.

With my current crop of projects, I write out a beat sheet for them. These are the emotional beats I want to hit for each chapter. It helps me keep the tone of the book consistent, and make sure I’m ramping up the stakes in a satisfying way.

Anna: I love that progression! I do both too.

I’d love to talk a little more about Spellbound! What brought you to the idea of this library with its fierce Caretaker Emily, and her wonderful blue betta fish Orpheus?

Avery: Ha! That’s a funny story.
The year? 2015. I had just graduated university. I got a job teaching English in south Florida. I wanted to be the Cool Different teacher. So, I had my students write themselves as protagonists of a novel. Emily was the example I created. I had a blue betta fish named Orpheus at the time, and from the paragraph intro I wrote came the novel.

Creating the Stacks came from a deep love for books, and a particular attachment to the Abhorsen series. The middle book in particular, Lirael, was a huge inspiration. The different levels of the Stacks are similar to the levels of Death in that they change, and there are “keys” to each of them.

Anna: Ooh! That is such a cool origin story for Spellbound!

Without giving too much away, is there a particular level of The Stacks that you love to write about?

Avery: Level Four is my favorite. The concept was based on the salt flats in Bolivia, and how when they flood, it looks like you’re walking on the stars. I wanted the Level to feel at once very expansive, and very close. It’s almost a visual representation of the Abyss in the Hero’s Journey

Anna: Ohmygosh!! That is such a cool thing to base that Level on.

What was it that drew you to self publishing as opposed to traditional publishing?

Avery: I actually did attempt traditional publishing at first. I spent about a year querying different agents with my debut novel, Waxing Moon, but got a variation on the same theme from all of them. “This is great, but we already have xxxxx novel like it on our roster.”

I was hesitant to self-publish, but after looking into it, it was the best way forward for me. I started self-publishing, and haven’t looked back. Maybe some day, I’ll contact a smaller press about taking a hybrid approach, but I like the freedom of self-publishing.

Anna: Ahh I see, that’s frustrating, especially when you’re so passionate about your writing and ideas. I’m so glad that the self pub has worked for you!

What else do you like about self publishing?

Avery: I love the satisfaction of completing a book and knowing that start to finish, cover to cover, the entire thing is my creation. I design the cover art and handle the interior formatting myself, and it’s very satisfying when I get it juuuuust right.

Anna: Yes!! It is best feeling right? That’s why I love reading indie too.

Is there anything you find challenging about self publishing that you’ve found ways to overcome?

Avery: It really is such a good feeling!

Marketing is the hardest part of self-publishing for me. I’m balancing a full time teaching job with writing, and dealing with mental health struggles as well. It’s a lot for anyone to handle. I’m still figuring out how to balance it all. Marketing is practically a full-time job in itself. I do what I can, but being just one person does make it difficult.

Anna: Definitely! Marketing takes a lot out of me too.

What do you think you love most about Spellbound and what are you most proud of about it?

Avery: Oh, that’s a hard question!

The interior design of Spellbound is definitely something I’m proud of. As Emily moves through the different levels of the Stacks, there’s art that accompanies each level. I worked with an amazing artist that was able to really breathe life into the setting and the characters. She’s @mard_illus on Instagram, and her art is absolutely gorgeous.

Aside from that, I love the story and the development that Emily goes through. I think anyone who has experienced imposter syndrome, or who has been told they aren’t good enough will resonate with her story.

Anna: That is such a beautiful answer! So right too, I am loving the art throughout! The development too, I feel that as I read it.

Last few questions now, if you had the opportunity to bring Spellbound or any of your other works to a different format, would you? And if yes, what would it be?

Avery: I would love to have audiobook versions of my books. I’m a firm believer in the accessibility of books in all their formats. That being said, creating audiobooks is incredibly cost-prohibitive for an indie author, so unless I get very lucky, there won’t be audiobooks any time soon.

Anna: Audiobooks would be wonderful! I understand that though, it is so disheartening with things like that for indie authors. Especially when audiobooks are so good for accessibility.

And (sadly) last question, do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Avery: My biggest piece of advice is this: No one knows the story you want to write better than you do. You can work with the best editors, book doctors, marketers, and more, but none of them knows your story as well as you do. Your job is to make sure the story is told the way YOU want it to be told. Others can help support you, but ultimately, you have to trust yourself and do the scary thing anyway. You might be surprised at how often it goes right.

Anna: That is such wonderful advice!

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me! I’ve had so much fun chatting with you!

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I will be continuing this series with a host of wonderful indie authors. I can’t wait to share these interviews with you all!