Indie Author Spotlight, Episode 11

Hello! It's me (again). S.E. Reed, your favorite multi-genre Indie Author and volunteer at The Writer's Workout. Okay, so maybe I'm not your favorite, but I am an Indie Author who has made it her mission to help you find out more about others like me. Each of these episodes features a Q&A-style interview with an Indie Author so you can get to know more about them and their writing. In addition, some of the authors have chosen to participate in a 2nd interview on my website, Writing With Reed, which I'll link at the end.

Today I'll be interviewing Danielle Ice. She's an indie author I'd never met before this, so as you can imagine I was really excited to get to know more about her and her books, style, vibe, you know—the whole kit and caboodle. And boy did she deliver!! I immediately ran out an ordered one of her books and I can't wait to start reading it.

This is so exciting, I'm really looking forward to knowing more about you! Can you start our interview by telling me a little about yourself.

I’ve been writing stories since I figured out how (those first attempts were unsurprisingly abysmal) and I haven’t quit since. I would participate in contests and write for myself, but I never actually got published in the late 2010’s with winning a contest and my work published on their website, and that website was The Writers Workout! I was so determined to be traditionally published for years until I researched and realized that most traditional publishers and agents won’t take a bet on you unless you write to a formula. If you don’t write to a formula, there’s no guarantee they’ll make money representing you, and that means you likely won’t be picked up. As most other indie authors can attest, it’s hard to find comparable authors or books since their stories are original and strike out from the mold. For example, my Tides of the Universe space opera series is book version of what would happen if Star Wars and Avatar: the Last Airbender had a kid, and I have yet to find a book that’s similar enough to compare it to. I’ve had one book critic compare it most closely with A Long Way to Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, but that was mostly because of the eclectic crew and writing style part. I dove into the indie author space and researched religiously until I finally got the courage and felt I had enough know-how to publish my first book on Amazon. Tides of the Universe: Into the Storm took a total of about 10 years of ideation and then writing several drafts before I felt it was ready, and it was published in 2021. The next book, Tides of the Universe: The Raging Storm came out the year after that, and Tides of the Universe: The Perfect Storm came out just last year. As an author, I do work in spurts. I can take months off writing almost anything, and then go into a writing frenzy the next several. I try and time it so that my editors and beta readers are in the lull phase, but sometimes I don’t get so lucky! As a person, I’m a nerdy girl with a nerdy husband and cat who thinks he’s too cool for us. We’re about to add a baby nerd to the mix at the end of March this year! My personal fandoms include Disney/Studio Ghibli, Jane Austen stuff, cozy video games, Star Wars, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and plenty of others. I’m just now getting back into reading somewhat consistently again, and my most recent read is One of Us is Back by Karen McManus.

What about your writing style? What's it like?

There are some reliable sticking points that you can expect me to write, even if I’m not sticking to just one genre (though I mostly stick to sci-fi/fantasy). I am one of those authors who doesn’t take their dear sweet time to describe things: I pride myself on short, sweet, and candid descriptions, whether it’s people, places, or things. My writing tends to be very fast-paced; I’ve had plenty of people tell me that my Tides of the Universe space opera series would make great Netflix movies. I almost always have a bit of mystery or intrigue in my books because who doesn’t love reading a book and seeing if they can piece something together before a big reveal? Being an asexual person, I do not care to write sex scenes, so lovers of smut may want to keep their distance 😉 However, I’m a sucker for healthy relationships that are Jane Austen-esque, so I try to have at least one relationship going on in a book that makes you go “aww”. I’d say my writing is friendly for most ages over middle school since I don’t go crazy with cussing, but I know my readers don’t have virgin ears either! There’s a fairly healthy dose of violence in my sci-fi/fantasy works (it’s kinda hard to have epic sword fights without otherwise), but nothing gratuitous. Long story short: if you like things like Star Wars and Avatar: the Last Airbender in book form, my books would probably be a good fit for your library! 

What is your best piece of advice for other Indie Authors?

That little a-hole in your head telling you that you aren’t a good enough writer is just jealous, so be petty and keep writing. Now, there’s something to be said for wanting to continuously improve and looking at your work objectively, but more often than not, it’s the people with imposter syndrome that are right on track, so just keep swimming!

Who is your favorite Indie Author? 

I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t been in contact with a whole lot of indie authors since I’m still figuring out the community and how this space really works. I just went full throttle on writing the last several years and didn’t focus too much on marketing or reaching out to people until last year. But then I found out I’m pregnant with my first child, so pretty much any writing went by the wayside until just recently!

Where can someone find your work, social presence, etc. drop some links. 

Tides of the Universe: Into the Storm

Tides of the Universe: The Raging Storm

Tides of the Universe: The Perfect Storm

Website: danielleiceauthor.com

Facebook/Meta: facebook.com/people/Danielle-Ice/100076352174448

TikTok: @danielleiceauthor

If you want to know more about Danielle, hop over to my website for even more great getting to know you Q&A - https://www.writingwithreed.com/post/bonus-episode-with-danielle-ice