Author Spotlight: Aida Brassington

Hello friends! I'm excited to bring you the first installment of my new feature: "Author Spotlight". I will be interviewing a new author every month, shedding light on the trials and tribulations of the writer's world, as well as the the triumph of success. My guest today recently released her debut novel BETWEEN SEASONS. I'm a huge fan or her work, and I hope you are as excited to get to know her as I am. Without further ado, please welcome, Aida Brassington. 

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I want to start off by thanking you for being the very first guest in my “Author Spotlight” feature. It’s an honor to have you and I’m grateful that you have taken time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Now, down to the nitty-gritty. 

Thank you for having me! Ooo, your very first! I’m honored.

I recently finished your debut novel Between Seasons. I really loved Patrick. Seeing everything through his eyes, trapped in a world neither here nor there. It’s ethereal without being spooky, kind of like peering through the veil between this life and the spiritual realm. Can you share a little about what inspired his character?

I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the novel!

My house isn’t super old – it was built in the early 1900s. My husband I moved here about ten years ago. Almost immediately my pets started acting a little funky. And it wasn’t all the time. We joked about there being a ghost. Well . . . one day I’m sitting in my living room, and the dog jets over to the bottom of the stairs and sits up, like she’s begging. I look over, and there’s a man standing on the landing. He stared at me for a few seconds, and then he was gone.

And that’s what he does. Every now and then my keys turn up missing, which may or may not be the work of our ghost (but I blame him anyway). It’s pretty benign as far as hauntings go, but how can you not wonder about who else is living in your house with you, right? That’s how the idea for Between Seasons came up.

You’re working on a sequel, correct? What can you tell us about the next phase of Patrick’s story? 

I am. I can’t really say much without giving away the ending of Between Seasons, but North of Frost continues the story of Sara and Patrick. Ginny (an old friend of Patrick’s and a new friend of Sara’s) plays a pretty large part, too. The real issue in the novel is dealing with the consequences of getting your dearest wish, and it also answers questions about the why and how of what happens to Patrick in the first novel.

Tell us a little about yourself. Was writing always your passion or did you stumble into your talent as a pleasant surprise?

I’ve been a writer for as long as I’ve known how to string words into sentences. My mother has little stories I wrote as a kid still saved up. As an adult, I was mostly a short story writer and a poet because that’s all I had time for. You get busy with your life, you know? And I never really seriously considered doing anything with my writing other than writing for me. Over the years I ended up writing more, and then suddenly I was writing novels. Even though Between Seasons is my debut novel, I’ve written just about half a dozen novel-length pieces.

As for talent, well, I’m still not super confident in my abilities (but thank you for saying I do have some!). I think the minute you start thinking your writing is amazing and wonderful, you stop learning and trying to perfect. I’d rather think I suck and continue to improve.

Everyone encounters challenges in their creative process. From time-sucks like the internet to writer’s block, we all face problems that impede our progress. What kind of hurdles do you encounter when you’re writing? How do you overcome them?

One of my strongest personality traits is that I’m singularly focused. If I want to finish something, I do it. I set goals for myself that are arbitrary, but if I don’t meet them I get really down on myself. Some might say that in itself is a challenge to the creative process, but I kind of think it helps. To ensure that I don’t get writers block, I outline like a crazy person before I start writing. Again, some say outlines impede creativity. I don’t know – I guess I fight creative blocks by trying to be organized.

What is the one thing you wish you would have known when you were starting out as a writer? 

I’ll amend my answer to reflect what I wish I would have known when I started getting serious about writing – and that’s the fact that it’s a waste of time to worry about what anyone else is going to think about my writing. I’m a worrier by nature, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time obsessing over what and how I’m writing. I’m not talking about the mechanics (although I’m always a freak about presenting my very best to the world)…I’m more or less talking about being concerned whether people are going to love it. The fact of the matter is that someone out there is going to enjoy what I write. 

Writing is subjective, and that’s an understatement. Whether it’s Between Seasons, The Old Man and The Sea, or Catch-22 (and believe me: I am in no way saying I’m as good as Ernest Hemingway or Joseph Heller), someone is going to love it and get it, and another person is going to hate it and think it’s stupid.

Quick Three:

Favorite book: A Prayer for Owen Meany/John Irving

Favorite drink: Bloody Mary

Favorite article of clothing: mittens

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Thanks again to Aida Brassington for sharing her wisdom and her wonderful book, BETWEEN SEASONS. For more info on Aida, you can find her at her Website  on Goodreads  and on Twitter . 

BETWEEN SEAONS is available in paperback and ebook at Amazon  Barnes & Noble and  Smashwords