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A few days ago we published the lesbian fiction The Return by Ana Matics. The Return is a story of redemption, making amends, and carving out a future that differs from the one the main character envisioned when she first graduated high school.
Ana Matics is one of the co-creators of Carmilla: The Series. Carmilla is an adaptation of the Gothic novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
For more information have a look at what AfterEllen.com has to say about the web series.
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Today Ana Matics is our guest for one of our famous Spotlight Interviews:
Thank you for taking part in this interview.
So, let me start with an easy question: Coffee or tea?
Coffee, always. I’m an addict.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I suppose that it’d be interesting to fly, that’s probably what I’d want. Mostly because I love the idea of falling, and being able to fly would make that possible. Also I’d probably want the ability to breathe thin air and manage sudden altitude changes.
Where is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?
I really enjoyed the Pacific Northwest when I went there for my uncle’s wedding in high school. I’ve been to San Francisco as an adult, but I’d love to make it back to Portland or Seattle and see how I like it as an adult.
Fav chocolate?
I’m actually allergic to cocoa, so I have to say white chocolate, but usually I don’t have it at all.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Sleep for about a week and then watch the ESPN documentary Broke about eight times before calling up a banker and investing most, if not all of the money.
And now on to the writing-related stuff:
For how many years have you been writing now, and how did you come to it?
I can’t really remember a time where I wasn’t writing, I’ve always done it, ever since I was a kid. To put a concrete “start date” on it wouldn’t make much sense, because writing is something that’s been a part of me since I was old enough to understand what the concept of it was.
Why do you write? What does it mean to you?
I write for a creative outlet, because I have to. There are too many stories floating around in my mind to not write them down.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
I think it really depends on the validity of the idea and how invested I am in getting things done. I’ve had stories that have taken me months or even years to write, and other stories that have come out of me in three week. It really depends on how excited I am about an idea and how much work I have to put into crafting it.
How much time per week do you spend writing?
A few hours, here and there. I write in fits and starts, in my breaks at work. Most of the time it’s just an experiment to see how many words I can cram into a two fifteen minute breaks and a half hour for lunch.
When and where do you write the most?
Early mornings at home, on my breaks at work.
How much of yourself is in your characters?
Enough to make me feel comfortable, but never uncomfortable, with the realness of their experiences.
What do you find the most challenging part of writing?
Slowing down to develop a scene and making sure that it has the right level of emotional impact instead of blowing through it to go on to the next thing.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
What do you think makes a good romance novel?
I suppose that a level of realism is important, but I don’t really read a lot of romance novels, so I couldn’t really say one way or the other.
What advice would you give new authors?
Write. Write as much as you can, never stop writing. It’s only when you write that you can find ways to improve. The written word is an inexact science and until you’ve figured out how best to convey your points, it isn’t going to seem easy. Train yourself to write, to write a lot and to write always. Don’t be discouraged by how it sounds. Talk to yourself, talk to others, learn how to craft a story that comes from inside of you.
What are you working on right now?
I’m currently in the process of revising a YA novel and writing a contemporary novella about an art heist
Thank you for welcoming our questions!
The Return is available as ebook through amazon.
Check out Ana Matics Tumblr account to learn more.
The Ylva team
Thanks Ana, it is good to meet you.