I was lucky to be able to interview Lindsay Buroker as our first Indie Children’s Author. Lindsay has written Goblin Brothers Adventures, a charming short story collection for kids 7-12 yrs old. She was able to share her inspirations and where she gets her story ideas. Plus, a few surprises of what she has in store for her readers.

1) Tell us a little bit about your current book.

The Goblin Brothers Adventures, a collection of short stories for middle-grade readers, is the first ebook I published. Way back in December! Okay, that was only six months ago, but I’ve done a lot of e-publishing since then, so it seems like it’s been a long time.

I originally wrote the goblin stories to put up on my website (http://www.goblinbrothers.com), and several of them are still free there. I wanted folks to be able to get to know those characters, because I was planning to write some novels featuring them.

I have a rough draft done of the first novel with Malagach and Gortok, and I’m hoping to get back to that later this summer. It’s gotten pushed to the side a little since children’s ebooks don’t sell nearly as well as adult books (not many kids with Kindles yet, I guess!). Those characters are a lot of fun, though, and I enjoy writing about them, so I’m definitely planning to get that first novel out.

As for my adult fiction, my most recent release is Dark Currents, a heroic fantasy adventure and the sequel to The Emperor’s Edge, the first novel I published (also back in December). As you can see, I’ve been busy!

2) How did you get started as a writer?

I learned to read at three and started making up my own stories shortly thereafter. I never thought of writing as something one could do as a career, though, so it was a long time before I “got serious” about it and started finishing short stories and novels.

I’m not making a living doing it yet (hey, it’s only been six months), but I can see the potential. As an indie author publishing ebooks, you earn a much higher cut than you would going through a traditional publisher, so you can actually make decent money without having to be a bestseller.

3) What inspires you to write your stories?

I just like spending time with my characters. Maybe I need to get out more? (Wink.)

4) Where do your ideas come from as a writer?

I get inspiration from a lot of places, but history is a big one. I enjoy reading about everything from pirates to steam engines, and I like watching shows like the History Channel and Discovery (yup, I’m a geek like that). I don’t have the best memory, so don’t ask me any trivia, but if I see an idea I like, I’ll write it down to use in a story at some point.

5) For a young author,(children 6-17) what would you recommend they do to start their dreams of writing?

Write (of course!) and start getting feedback as soon as you can. Writing is just like learning the piano or taking soccer lessons–there’s a limit to how much you can improve by yourself.

Parents like everything you do automatically, because they’re your parents, so they’re not always the best critics, but teachers can help make you better. An English or creative writing teacher might be able to help you find a mentor too (maybe a local author you can talk to).

6) If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

An earthship. 🙂

7) In closing, what are your next projects? Appearances to mention?

I’m working on Book 3 in my Emperor’s Edge series, and, as I mentioned above, I’m hoping to get back to work on that first Goblin Brothers novel soon.

No appearances, but you can always find me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/goblinwriter), and you can visit me on my blog too (http://www.lindsayburoker.com). I talk about e-publishing and book promotion there, and you can also see what I’m working on in the news section.

Goblin Brothers Adventures can be found as a Kindle Edition and Smashwords Edition. A review of her book can be found in our Review Section.

For more information on Lindsay Buroker, visit her website at: http://www.lindsayburoker.com.