Interview With Author Lexy Wolfe
Do you believe that everyone has a book in them?
Do I believe everyone has a book in them? No. Do I believe everyone has something in them? Yes. I think all people have a passion within them—painting, sketching, photography, sculpting, video games, a cartoon, a play, a movie, a song, a symphony, a jingle…several of those have a basis in writing, yes. I love the written word, but in today's world of graphic-everything, sometimes I feel like I'm old-fashioned
What book would you most like to have written?
I don't know. I've written most of them, haven't found the ones to be written yet.
What other writers inspired your writing?
Anne McCaffery, Steven Brust, Mercedes Lackey, Heather Gladney, Randall Garrett & Vicki Ann Heydron, Andrew J. Offutt, and others I can't remember the names of off the top of my head.
Is there a book that broke your heart?
If there was, I can't remember it anymore.
What is your most beloved and well-read book?
Probably a tie between Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffery and several of the Vald Taltos series by Steven Brust.
What advice would you give to budding writers?
I'll pass along the advice that Steven Brust once gave me—"Write the story you want to read." And it makes sense when you think about it. If you don't like or care about it, why would your readers? And I realized that his advice was what I had started doing to begin with…writing the stories I couldn't find to read.
What are some of the themes that have preoccupied you?
Balance/imbalance, broken things, healing, being human
What is your writing process?
Honestly, after I let my characters run around in my head for a while, my process is taking the time to write it down. When I was a kid, I wrote every free moment I had. I literally didn’t get more than 4-5 hours of sleep a night because sleep took away time I could be writing. (Now I just have to actually figure out how to adult and be obsessive again.)
What do you love most, and hate most, about being a writer?
I love creating my worlds, being with my characters…I hate that I can't make a living as a writer. At least right now.
What got you started as a writer?
Not finding the stories I wanted to read. There were interactions I wanted to read, but no books I could find really did them. So I started imagining them, then started writing them down so I could read them again later.
Why did you want to be a writer, and why do you still want to be?
I didn't want to be a writer at all. I just am a writer because I write. I can't help but be a writer. Besides, I type faster than I could convince someone else to make something for me.
Did you always want to be a writer?
Not at all. I wanted to be an astronaut. Everything I've done in my life I mostly fell into. Serendipity and happenstance seem to be huge players in my life. (I also find them both aggravating at times.)
What was the book that made you first want to become an author?
None of them, really. It was my late husband who kept telling me that he believed me to be as good as a lot of the authors we both loved to read.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?
Absolutely not. I'll start singing with anything with lyrics or just drift off listening to instrumental music.
How do you handle writer’s block?
Not well. Usually, I have to sneak around it or put in some heavy internal negotiations with the brain. It's hard to trick your brain when it's learning all the "tricks" they tell you to trick your brain.
What is the hardest scene you’ve ever had to write?
A side character's backstory that will never, ever be published. It was…intense.
If you could spend a day in one of your fictional worlds, which would it be?
Probably the science fiction world. I'd love to hang out with Viktor and Ravenhawk since they are avid readers, too.
How has the industry changed since you first started publishing?
I'd say what has changed most is the number of people who are publishing these days. Back in the day, the traditional publishers limited the number of books that were being published. Now that people can publish independently and smaller publishing houses can get into the game, there is a lot more 'noise' to fight through to get noticed.
If you could give your younger writing self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don't worry about writing for anyone else but yourself, and don't worry about trying to make money at it. Write because you love your stories.
Lexy Wolfe — crafting realms of wonder and mystery, guiding readers on unforgettable journeys beyond imagination.