Alicia Lloyd is a senior at West
Chester University of Pennsylvania and is working towards her Bachelor’s
Degree in Early Grades Preparation (PK-4) and Special Education. She has a
strong passion for working with children and loves to write! Alicia lives
in Oxford, Pennsylvania surrounded by her wonderful friends and
family.
VS: Thank you Alicia for being here today. Can you tell us about your
current book. Give a short summary. You can follow this up with any points you
hope readers will take away with them.
Alicia: This book is a
friendly way for children to ease their bedtime fears. All children at one
point in their lives hear unfamiliar and scary noises while trying to drift off
into sleep. As soon as they get scared, they start thinking of all these scary
things that can happen. The main message is just to remember that noises can
just be familiar noises, like in this case, your mom going to bed. Being afraid
of monsters is common however; I am hoping my book sends the message to never
be afraid of them.
VS: Can you tell us about
your publisher and how the process works?
Alicia: Lisa Umina is the
CEO of Halo Publishing. Since I am 22 years old, I don’t know anyone who has
ever published a book before. Lisa was extremely helpful. She knew I was
nervous and she made me feel comfortable asking questions to seek how the
process works. The process was easier than I originally imagined and I got to
be 100% involved with my book. She told me, “I am in the passenger seat and you
are the driver,” this made me feel comfortable with what I was about to get
into. I thought this process would be stressful and out of my reach but Lisa proved
me wrong. She is awesome to work with!
VS: How did you get the
idea for this book?
Alicia: My idea was
unique and unexpected. I was sleeping at a new place one night and at the age
of 22, still afraid of monsters. I heard all of these weird and unfamiliar
noises around the house. I was texting my boyfriend, Chris, saying, “I don’t
like this! I’m hearing too many noises, I can’t fall asleep.” He then texted me
back asking if I ever did fall back asleep. My response was, “eventually, when
the monsters were quiet.” Right there I thought, “That would be an awesome
title for a children’s book!” The next weekend at 3am I suddenly woke up, went
to my phone, opened notepad, and wrote the last two lines and the first three
of my book. The next day Chris and I were driving and he was singing Selena
Gomez’s song, “Come Get It,” extremely loud and obnoxious. (I find it funny
with him being 6’5 singing this song.) Somehow, I finished my book right next
to him in the car.
VS: What is a typical
writing day like for you?
Alicia: I always loved to
write. However, I only write when inspiration hits, when I need to vent, or
just feel like writing. I write constantly for homework assignments and
projects for school, so usually, that is when I write the most.
VS: What do you enjoy
most about writing?
Alicia: I enjoy writing
because you have the time to think exactly what you want to say. For me,
expressing my thoughts and feelings is so much easier writing it down on paper
than speaking. I use writing as a study tool as well. I have to write to
remember any new information or it all goes in one ear and out the other! I
also love writing because to get your ideas down- it can be a mess sometimes.
My hand has to try to keep up with the speed of what I am thinking…then I
organize it.
VS: What is the most
difficult part of writing?
Alicia: When you write so
much at one period of time, you come to a complete block. It gets frustrating
sometimes. It is so much easier to sometimes walk away, take a breather, and
return later. I find this happening a lot with the second book I am trying to
write. If I force writing, it will never work. It won’t give me that feeling
that I love to feel when I know I wrote something good.
VS: How has publishing a
book changed your life?
Alicia: I needed this
change in my life. I feel like for the last five years I have been doing the
same routine over and over again with college and work. I absolutely love it. I
am not used to hearing I am an author, and definitely not used to people asking
me to sign their books or “autograph” them. It takes me by surprise how many
interviews and how many people who want to talk to me. It’s definitely going to
take some getting used too.
VS: What are your plans
now?
Alicia: My plans now are
to finish my education and continue writing. I had a dream about three months
ago where my book was published but it exactly wasn’t my book. “This isn’t my
book! This isn’t mine!” I exclaim in my dream. Then an unfamiliar voice told
me, “No, Alicia, this is your book. It is your second one.” It was a Christmas
book. So just like I did with When the
Monsters are Quiet, I got up and wrote down some lines. I am currently
working on that one, but I wait for inspiration to strike.
VS: What is your best tip
for aspiring authors?
Alicia: My best tip is-
Please, just do it! Being a new author, I have had the best opportunity to talk
to new people. I have heard so many times how people want to get their unsaid
words on paper but doubt themselves. I always encourage them just to write
something. “No one wants to hear about my problems and that’s the only thing I
would write about,” they say. What is ironic though is that people do want to
hear about problems, because a lot of people are going through the same things
you are or already accomplished. You can always change perspectives. Write your
experiences through a character. Writing is a beautiful freedom. It is what is
on the inside and no one can tell you that you are wrong.
VS: Is there anything
else you would like to share with our readership? Here you can share about
characters, historical facts, setting or whatever else you would like our
readers to know about your book.
Alicia: The main
character in my book resembles my little brother, Zach, and he is the first
dedication on my dedication page. I hope that he knows any dream of his can
come true if he works hard at it. I sign every single one of my books, “Never
be afraid of your Monsters!” because I really hope he never lets anything that
fears him stand in the way of his determination to success. My brother and I are nine years apart and he
is my whole entire world. I am so happy that I had the freedom to explain his
characteristics at a young age and that Amy Rottinger, illustrator, made it all
come to life so beautifully. I love the fact that there is an emotional piece
that will forever be in my book.
VS: Do you have a
website? If so, please give the URL. If not, where can readers go online to
learn more about your book(s) and to order?
To Order:
ebay.com
Also available for
Kindle and Nook and it is available in 40,000 databases in over 100 countries.
Facebook: When the
Monsters are Quiet- by Alicia Lloyd-, contact me on Facebook for a signed copy!
You can find out more about Alicia Lloyd, her book and World
of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/mxhj8vj
Follow Alicia Lloyd on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whenthemonstersarequiet
To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com