Aliyah Burke tells us, she is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached on her website: Aliyah-Burke.Com.
She can also be found on Facebook or Twitter: @AliyahBurke96. And Pinterest.
Aliyah is married to a career military man, and together they are owned by three Borzoi, and a DSH cat. She spends her days sharing time between work, writing, and dog training.
She took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us:
1. How long does it take you to write a book?
Depends on the story. I can typically write a longer word count story faster than I can pen a shorter novella. Novellas are harder for me to do so they take longer for me to work out all the details to make it a complete story. I typically put down about 5k a day on a story or stories that I’m working on that day (spread across the stories).
2: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing (if there is a time) I’m typically at a dog show or dog trial, both racing and obedience. That’s my down time and when I can just chill and be me, not thinking about deadlines or my schedule that I’m most likely behind on.
3: What does your family think of your writing?
My family is nothing but supportive of what I do. My parents, brother, and husband are always pushing me to continue with this dream. I’m very lucky in that area.
4: What does your writing process look like?
Chaos? LOL, just kidding. I love to write in my notebook. The computer is very distracting for me, so I tend to put it down in the notebook first then transcribe it over. I typically have five notebooks out that I’m working on at any given time.
If I’m researching something, I have books open, the internet up, and possibly someone on the phone who knows the subject I’m looking to write on.
5: What are you working on now? What is your next project?
I’m working on a few more series right now. A paranormal one (Astral Guardians) to finish up the book in the series. And a couple contemporary series. It’s keeping me busy for sure.
6: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
Totally a pantser. I’ve plotted one book in my life and when I went to write it, the end result was nothing like what I plotted out. I’ve learned to relinquish the control to the characters and let them tell me where we’re going and how many twists and turns we’re going to take as we arrive at our destination.
7: If you only had one word to describe yourself, what would it be and why?
Blunt–I tend to keep to myself and love to listen and watch things around me. I think things through, weigh options before I act, yet I’m very blunt about my replies. So those who truly know me understand don’t ask if you don’t wish for me to be honest, sometimes brutally so. I don’t have time or the inclination to sugar-coat things, I’m not wired that way.
Thanks Aliyah for taking the time to answer our questions!
Below you will find an excerpt for Aliyah’s latest book, Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore. This is the third book in her series: Interludes
Soot ran through the water farther downstream where it was shallow