All the Wonderful Words with Zoey Xolton

Two of Zoey Xolton's gripping drabbles will proudly be featured in our upcoming anthology "Forgotten Ones"

Zoey Xolton is an internationally Best Selling Australian Speculative Fiction Author, and

Award Winning Poet, with a penchant for the Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Horror genres. Her works have appeared in dozens of themed anthologies, with many more

due for publication.

She is especially fond of short fiction, and is working on future story collections, as well as a

series of novelettes and novellas.

She is a proud mother of two, and is fortunate enough to be married to her soul mate.

Have you always written, or was there a catalyst that prompted you to begin this journey?

I’ve been actively writing since my teens, but I’ve always loved reading. I devoured R.L

Stine’s Goosebumps like a book-demon throughout my primary school years, and regularly

haunted the local library, indulging in middle-grade horror and unsolved mysteries; as well

as, of course, a plethora of fairy-tale retellings and traditional fantasy stories.

I think the catalyst, if there was one for sure, took place when I was eleven years old. I wrote

an alien abduction adventure romance short story and won an award for it. My teacher at the

time had me go around to all the upper primary school classrooms and read it out aloud. I just remember feeling immensely proud of myself, and it dawned on me that I could

really—potentially—make a living out of sharing my stories.

What is your favourite genre to read?

I write more broadly than I read, honestly, these days. I read mostly Dark Fantasy. I’m a fan

of most of the greats: Tolkien, Terry Brooks, George R.R. Martin, Anne Rice, Mercedes

Lackey, Anne Bishop and Jacqueline Carey.

Do you remember the first piece of writing shared publicly? What were people’s reactions, but more importantly how did you react getting it out there?

I think I incidentally answered this as part of the first question…but prior to that particular

short story, I actually submitted an Australiana poem (at ten years of age) for consideration in

the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, and I won for my age level! I felt absolutely

vindicated in having faith in my words, and poetry—especially as Dorothea’s “My Country”

is so well-known.

What is your workspace like? What kind of atmosphere do you need to write?

I have a desktop PC in the lounge room of my home, beside my bookshelf of favourite books

and personal publications. The children often share the other computer in the room, or play

on the floor, so the atmosphere? Chaotic. Noisy. Insanity inducing. But I’ve learned to tune it

out, and to work through it. I’m either being nagged at, or being aurally assaulted by things

like ‘Baby Shark’ and other toddler nursery songs and cartoons.

I think if you limit yourself to a time, or atmosphere, you aren’t taking your writing seriously

enough. There is never a perfect time to write. If you want to make a career out of it, you

write as often as you can, whenever you can! You force yourself, you train yourself, until its

second nature. And so that’s what I do. Writing is my life, and I hope, with a fair amount of

dedication and determination, it will one day support me financially.

WANT MORE ZOEY? Check us out of Patreon and access extended interview questions, exclusive patron content, short stories and more! https://www.patreon.com/EerieRiverPub

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Website: www.zoeyxolton.com

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