Meet Alethea Eason

We were lucky to catch up with Alethea Eason recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alethea, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.

As I’ve aged, my “blocks” have become less frequent. I believe this has come from my confidence in seeing many projects through. But sometimes, when I am at the end of a writing project, I experience a bit of fear and trembling about what to do next. I usually need to rest. As a self-published author, having to do all aspects of a book, writing, editing, and formatting, not to mention dealing with algorithms to have the book seen by readers, is exhausting. Rest, giving myself time to connect with the world beyond my computer screen, helps my unconscious figure out what I want to explore next in writing. But I also have decades worth of pieces of writing to go back to that can inspire me. I have an excellent writing group, the Borderland Writers: Kris Neri, EJ Randolph, and Kate Rauner, and having their support to brainstorm ideas and then see the new world to be created is essential for me. Writing a short story is like a quick, intense love affair. Novels are long-term relationships where you must be committed to the ups and downs that occur while writing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I write, but I also paint and occasionally hold workshops on creativity and spirituality, which involve writing and painting. I have published many short stories and poems in magazines and anthologies, but my primary focus has been on speculative novels. I have three published at present.
Whispers of the Old Ones is an alternative history, magical realism, and fantasy novel. The term is officially “low fantasy,” a fantasy set in a very realistic setting. Katy and Celeste, believing they are sisters, negotiate the path between their parents, who have settled in an indigenous land, and the native culture for which they feel compassion. A mystery surrounds Celeste, leading them on a dangerous journey. The native people and their language, cosmology, and legends are my creations.
Charlotte and the Demons is set in Las Vegas in the late 1960s and 1970s. Charlotte is a love-starved pre-teen turned teen, a father who is an alcoholic law officer in Vegas, an abused mother who is in denial, an older sister who rebels against it all, and a handsome demon who comes to visit through her closet floor and takes her back to Hell with him, where his job is sorting death records. Charlotte needs a savior, and the possibility that the demon can help redeem her life is what I hope will keep the readers turning the pages. Plus, she has a wicked sense of humor. Though Charlotte is young, this book isn’t necessarily for young readers. A lot of adult themes and situations occur in it.
I just published Six Grade is Delicious, a revised novel I wrote in 2007. Deborah is the only alien girl on the planet. Her vicious home world is about to invade. They are very hungry, and humans are on the expected dinner plate. She is torn between being loyal to her species and to her friends, especially Willy, whom she has a crush on. This is the first book of a three-part series. The next book, Cook-Off, will be out in the first half of 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Persistence comes to mind first. Like most authors, I have had my share of rejection slips and have questioned why I continue to write when the market is gutted with books. The answer is I write because I have to. I think I’d burst if I couldn’t tell stories. I taught for three decades. Finding time and energy to write was often tricky during the school year. But, I found staying with a project and keeping focused worked for me to finish pieces gradually. I’d also switch to poetry for periods between projects or when I was stumped about where to go in fiction.

Next, meeting with other writers has been probably more instrumental in my growth than anything I’ve done. I met with other writers, two of us teaming up more than once, where we met regularly and critiqued each other’s work. Knowing I had a deadline each week aided in my ability to persist. I didn’t do this constantly as I taught, but over the years I did, I became more productive and eager to work. Having just one person to listen to your work makes all the difference. After retiring, I was asked to join the Borderland Writers, and having three other talented veterans review my work is what I’d consider a necessity now.

The third area is related to persistence. Allow the story and the characters to guide you. I often worry about how I’ll tie things together for a reasonable conclusion, and I find repeatedly that stories have their wisdom and things are resolved in ways I couldn’t have pre-determined. Also, when I can’t figure out how to describe something or how to resolve an issue as the story unfolds, the best thing I can do is just get my fingers on the keyboard, and I’ll see the way often within a few minutes as I don’t try to control what I write.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

My biggest challenge is selling books. My writing often blends genres, so that may be part of it. I’ve tried having blogs, but I find social media trying. I enjoy one-on-one encounters at fairs or street markets. I’ve learned some strategies to apply to Amazon. I’d rather not be involved with Amazon, but publishing through KDP is doable, and you get a decent product. I plan to check out Ingram Spark soon and see other alternatives for self-publishing.
A second challenge is formatting. I’ve found Atticus Writing Software amazing for getting a beautiful copy of the text. I don’t catch my typos, so Grammarly has been very helpful to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://borderlandwriters.wordpress.com/alethea-eason/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aletheaeasonauthor

Image Credits

Eve West Bessier
William Eason