A FAVORITE: Guest Author Dorian Tsukioka

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Welcome to a FAVORITE: 

Guest Author Dorian Tsukioka
An image posted by the author.
Today, I am welcoming Author Dorian Tsukioka to the page!! She is here to share what her life as a (mostly) self-published author is all about.

I have known this author for several years now, and we are writing buddies. Still, I want to know what makes her characters and books stand out in this self-publishing world. What is her writer life like, and what is her process? She joins me today to shed light on her new series and what's next in the Dorian Writes existence.

Here are a few questions and answers Author Dorian Tsukioka shared with me, and now I am sharing with you! Enjoy!


Find more about the author here:



Follow on FB: @DorianWritesStuff


1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Things like your name and your general location. How long you’ve been an author? How many books do you have out? What genre(s) do you write? Are you a traditional or self-published author?

Hello! My name is Dorian Tsukioka. I’m a writer, teacher, wife and mother of two in Kansas City, Missouri. When I’m not teaching, mothering or wifing, I spend my free time creating crazy worlds with characters facing insurmountable odds. I currently self-publish most of my stories. I have three fairy tale retellings, a ghost story, and a nonfiction sugar cookie how-to guide currently self-published. I also have one story published by RoogleWood Press, in a fairy tale retelling anthology.

I love fairy tale retellings. I especially love to put my own spin on them, flip characters so the good guy becomes the villain, or the villain becomes the good guy. I have a few more fairy tales yarns to spin, but retellings are not the only genre I enjoy writing. 

I have just started two new series: Grim and Grisly Tales are ghost stories and my other series, The Night Children, is an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance set in the world of Romanian vampiredom with occasional visits by werewolves and zombies. 


2. What is your writing process like - what works best for you when sitting down to tackle a new story?

My writing process usually starts out with a seed of an idea. A “WHAT IF” moment. For example, Hunted started out with the idea, “What if a vampire hunter was a vampire herself? What would it be like to hunt down your own kind?”

After that, I let the idea percolate in the back of my mind for awhile. After a few weeks of percolation, I usually have a general idea for a story. Then, I sit down and write out a paragraph to describe the basic plot.

Now that I have a good idea of who and what my story is about, I go through and write out story “beats” or major plot points from beginning to end. Then comes the really hard part -- actually writing. My first draft is always the hardest. I feel like my brain is bleeding all over the page. It’s a painful process for me.


3. Who is your author inspiration?

My first inspiration came from Madelyn L’Engle. I fell in love with her books when I read A Wrinkle in Time. Another inspiring writer is Lois Lowry. The Giver is still one of my all-time favorite books. And finally, Mary Downing Hahn has truly inspired my spooky side. Books like Deep and Dark and Dangerous, All the Lovely Bad Ones, and her more recent release, Took, really inspired me to write spooky tales of my own.



4. Are you working on a new story now? What details can you reveal about it at this time?

I’m currently working on the Night Children Series. This is the blurb for the first book, Hunted:

Being a vampire huntress is no easy task, especially if you're a vampire yourself.
Kylissa Romanov has spent most of her undead life vanquishing the world of “Lost” vampires feeding on humans. The Order, a holy army of vampire hunters, became her home until a tragic event brings her to the attention of the Nectaria, vampire royalty who rule over the Order and will decide her fate, for better or for worse. Probably worse. A lot worse.

Hunted is the first book in The Night Children Chronicles and is perfect for lovers of the paranormal, especially vampires, shifters, and all sorts of things that go bump in the night.


5. What would you say is your interesting writer quirk?

My weird writing quirk is that I HAVE to have something to drink while I’m writing. It doesn’t really matter what it is. Writing makes me thirsty.


6. What are the most surprising things you have learned in creating your books?

The most surprising thing I’ve found is getting into the “flow” of writing. When my fingers are flying and story is just pouring out of me, it’s almost like I’m reading the story instead of writing it. It’s hard to describe what being in “flow” is like, but it’s pretty awesome when it happens.


7. Do you have any suggestions for those who want to become a writer?
Write. Write. Write some more. Write until it’s done. Until you finally get to “the end.” Then take a big breath, and give it to someone to read.


8. Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both! I find writing the first draft to be exhausting as I’m going through it. But getting to that last sentence is exhilarating!


9. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

You don’t have to wait for permission. Go ahead and give yourself permission to write.

I think I was waiting for someone to say, “Hey, you should try to write something and get it published or publish it yourself.” But, no one’s going to say that. You just have to believe in yourself enough to try. Then try again and again and again.


10. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

I always have an idea of where the story is going to go, and then EVERY SINGLE TIME, the story gets hijacked by the characters. They don’t always want to jump through my hoops. But, that’s okay. They are actually much better writers than I am, so it works out fine in the end.


11. Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and bad?

Sometimes. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I don’t care about reviews. They are, after all, just opinions. Sometimes if I get a bad review, I make myself feel better by looking up books I love and checking out their 1-star reviews. You can’t please everyone and checking other book reviews reminds me of that.


12. Music or silence?

Music, but it absolutely can NOT have words. Otherwise, I’ll sing along instead of write.


13. What was your hardest scene to write?

Fight scenes are definitely the hardest thing for me to write. I’m a lover, not a fighter. I have no personal experience with throwing punches or using a sword so it’s difficult for me to see it in my head and then put it on paper.


14. Do you have any hidden talents or uncommon talents?

I make AMAZING sugar cookies! I used to sell them as a small business, but now I just make them for special occasions.

15. Do you use pen and paper or computer for writing?

I am definitely a computer person. I tend to use Google Docs when I write, so just give me a laptop and an internet connection, and I’m happy!
16. Do you prefer writing alone or in public or both?

My very favorite way of writing is doing a “write in” with friends. We chit-chat and socialize beforehand and then get down to writing. That way, I have someone there if I need to bounce some ideas around, and I can be available for them, too. My second favorite way of writing is to go out and write. I don’t like writing at home. There are too many distractions -- like my husband and children. But going out to a coffee shop or the library tends to work well for me.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your writer's world with us, Author Dorian Tsukioka!! If you haven't read her books, check them out now and get your FREE copy of Ai of the Mountain now!! On a personal note, I've read it and LOVED it!!






Get my ebook Ai of the Mountain for FREE by signing up for my newsletter!!


If you would like to see more and get an EXCLUSIVE sneak peek into The Night Children Chronicles through the eyes of the main character, Kylissa, and a sneak peek at the cover of Book 2, then click this link and sign up: http://eepurl.com/bZ4FM1





Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!

~Rebecca Reddell

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