Recently I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of A. I. Winter’s debut horror novel, Summoner of Sleep. I loved the book (you can ready my Goodreads review here) and I decided to find out more about the author and the inspirations that led her to write the novel.
Hi Amie, do you want to introduce yourself to my readers – where you’re from, what you like to do outside of writing etc?
Hi, readers! My name is A.I. Winters and I’m a fantasy and horror author located in Los Angeles, California. I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and although I’ve lived all over the country and have traveled a bunch, all my stories take place in California. When I’m not writing I love to bake (especially desserts), practice Jiu-Jitsu, and paint.
Summoner of Sleep is a change of direction for you. You’ve previously written YA books (Strange Luck, The Nightmare Birds, and A Darling Secret) – why the switch to adult horror?
Yes, it was a definitely a big change for me. I enjoyed writing YA fantasy, but after I finished the Strange Luck Series, I wanted to try something completely different in a genre I love—horror. Since I’ve always been a huge horror fan, I decided to take a stab at it (*no pun intended). My previous books were all told from the perspective of a single female, but in Summoner of Sleep the perspective is told by three different people, two of which are men. It’s also written in the third person versus the first person like my other books. I think it all boils down to a personal challenge of my writing abilities and whether I could successfully diverge into another genre.
Give us the low down on how you came to write SOS? Where did the original idea(s) come from?
Some nights I would wake up after having a good dream and think to myself “why can’t I have those kinds of dreams all the time?” I mean, wouldn’t it be better to have dreams of flying through the galaxy, hanging out with your favorite musicians, and eating all the donuts you want? I had the same thought when I woke up after a bad or mundane dream. Who wants to dream about grocery shopping, or seeing someone die, or being scared? This sparked the idea for Summoner of Sleep.
The character, Botanē, is hell-bent on perfecting not only the best kinds of dreams, but a very specific dream and he’ll do anything to obtain it. Dreams are prevalent themes in all my stories. There’s something so mysterious about dreams and where they come from and why we have them. Summoner of Sleep allowed me to really explore my own dreams and how they impact me on a day-to-day basis. I hope my story will do the same for you.
What’s your writing routine? Are you a xx words per day author? A pages per day? Or do you just write as the mood takes you?
When I’m in full writing mode my goal is simple—write what I can every day. Life is unexpected for everyone and throughout the years I’ve learned that setting a strict writing schedule didn’t work for me. Things would come up at the last minute, sometimes I totally wasn’t feeling it, and other times distractions descended on me like the plague. More often than not, whenever I pushed myself to write under distressing circumstances, my work suffered and as a result it would take me double the amount of time to clean it up. I eventually became more relaxed about my writing schedule and wrote when I had the proper time and space to do so, which helped a lot. However, my editing schedule is a different story. When I’m on a tight deadline with my publisher I will set goals like I need to edit three to five chapters a day. This way I have a little wiggle room. If circumstances prevent me from hitting those goals, I’ll try to make up for it the next day. For me, it’s been a learning process and I now try my best to really listen to my body and mind to make sure I don’t burn it out and in turn produce work I’m not proud of.
Who are your horror author heroes?
My absolute favorite author of all time is the incomparable H.P. Lovecraft. I mean the guy created an entire pantheon of gods, not to mention his writing is on a level all its own. I also adore Arthur Machen, Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker, and Clive Barker.
The digital nomad movement is big at the moment – if you could up sticks and write full time anywhere in the world, where would you choose.
Somewhere deep in the mountains. I love nature and animals and can’t think of anything better than writing in a cabin surrounded by greenery with only the sound of birds.
What’s next for A.I. Winters?
More books! I have a concept for my next horror novel and plan to start working on it later in the year. I’ve also been asked for short stories. I’ve never written one before, but I’m up for the challenge and plan to write some.
Many thanks Amie, and good luck with the launch.
A. I. Winters: links and social
Pre-order Summoner of Sleep
Buy Strange Luck
Buy A Darling Secret
Giveaways: Amie will be hosting a giveaway for signed Summoner of Sleep books at the end of July. Winners will also receive a special note from me and an exclusive bookmark.
Newsletter: https://www.aiwinters.com/newsletter.html
