Meet Vicki-Ann Bush

We were lucky to catch up with Vicki-Ann Bush recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vicki-Ann, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

My parents. They were always my biggest cheerleaders and constant reinforcement. No matter what my interests, they’d encourage me to follow my passion. And when I decided to try something new, they were right there by my side telling me I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

Actually, I need to throw my brother in the ring as well. We’ve always been close and that doesn’t wane with age. Now that our parents have passed, he holds the torch for them, and I for him. It’s not unusual for me to look up from a book signing and see my brother and sister-inlaw walking towards me. He’s an endless well of support.

Having my family by my side has been the reason I’ve been able to weather the ups and downs as an author.

One particular story comes to mind. From 2019 to the beginning of 2023, I was with a traditional, small publisher that featured my Alex McKenna series. Midway through the series release, the company went through a change in ownership. Suddenly, book orders didn’t arrive on time, inconsistent quality between the first three books of the series and the latest, and royalties that never reconciled. The horror piqued when I received an order of twenty books with the cover of one title and the contents of another, When I contacted them, they said they’d ship out another twenty in time for my next signing. Not only didn’t they arrive on time, but they had the same error. I now had forty incorrect books. To say I was upset, frustrated, and defeated, would not begin to explain the feeling.

By this time, I had lost both of my parents and not being able to call them for support just pushed me further into the abyss. That’s when my brother stepped in. He told me that one day when I’m famous those books would be a collectors item. I burst into laughter. We talked, and I felt better. I know that as long as we are on this earth together, no one can knock us down. And when the time comes, hopefully many decades from now, the one of us still here will remember our parents, our sibling, and feel the strength and the light they gave us.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

For the past several years I’ve been focused on my novels. Since I come from a family where the paranormal is a part of our lives, it felt natural to delve into fantasy and paranormal stories. After starting my career in children’s books, I settled into Young Adult. It just felt right. I enjoy writing for teens. they’re imagination is incredible.

When I decided to write the Alex McKenna series about a seventeen-year-old transgender boy who sees and speaks to the dead, it was a project formed from love and my passion to create a main character that trans teens could relate to, but also not the focus. Alex’s transgender journey is sprinkled in but the heart of the story is the paranormal. I was very proud when Alex McKenna and the Geranium Deaths won the gold medal for YA Paranormal from Readers’ Favorite Awards.

In 2022 I was encouraged by friends and readers to write a screenplay based on my Alex McKenna series. After consulting an aquintance who wrote TV scripts in the 80’s, I settled on a short script to get my feet wet. The screenplay was produced by a small production company and now I have an award winning short film, and award winning producer attached to my name. The film can be found streaming on various channels and YouTube.

This year I decided to try writing a feature screenplay adaptation of Alex McKenna and the Geranium Deaths, the first book in the series. It’s been an exciting year on the festival circuit where The Geranium Deaths has had several wins and placements. I hope one day to see The Geranium Deaths produced, and Alex’s voice help to make positive change for the community. At the moment I’m co-writing two seperate manuscripts with author friends, I just submitted my latest YA Paranormal to my publisher, and I’m continuing my push to get the script noticed.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Tenacity
Resilliance
Words

I’m not one to accept no for an answer. If it’s somethig I feel strongly about, I’ll usually find a way to make it work.

This isn’t an easy business. I learned early on that rejection comes often and hard at times. I don’t allow it to stop me from my dream. Now that’s not to say I don’t have a bad day, because I do. I’ve just taught myself that when something really disappoints me, I get a wallow day. A day to step back, be a couch potato, read a book, or eat popcorn. It’s my day to pity me. The trick is, with the new day starts a new attitude. You regroup and get right back on track.

Words have always been my passion for as long as I can remember. I enjoy good dialogue more than I enjoy description. For me, I can take minimal description and build the picture in my head, but the words… that’s the passion, the torture, the love, the happy, the sad, the intrigue, the deception, the win. They are the glue that creates the story.

The best way I think to improve is to do it. Don’t quit when faced with adversity, find ways to go around it, or over it, or through it. And listen to your instinct, respect it. Just because someone says no, it doesn’t mean it’s not right for you. Learn your craft. Take the time to observe. Talk to others who have been where you’re at, most people will share their knowledge.

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?

I moved. I lived in the Las Vegas area for nearly forty-two years. I was established as a local author and enjoyed knowing my audience was familiar with my books and the short film. Now, years later in my career, I have to rebuild my community connection.

I love Oregon, the PNW has everything I missed about growing up back east, but I also find myself navigating in different waters. However, I’m up for the challenge. I’m rebooting my book signings, meeting new local authors, and planning events. It’s been a year of trying different things but like my Dad always said, “If you throw enough things against the wall, eventually something will stick.”

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