Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Mandy Jo

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

The only pseudonym I use is my first and middle names. I did this because most people couldn’t pronounce or spell my maiden name. Now that I am married I would need to go through and repub everything with my married name. So, for me it was just easier. I have never thought of using any other name.

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

I have multiple projects going, so if I get writer’s block with one project, I will move to another one. If for some reason, none of them are speaking to me I will go and look at the writing prompts that I have in various locations. Sometimes that is in my email and other times that is on the Vocal website that has contests. I don’t necessarily enter the contests, but I have used them for writing.

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

I would say spelling. I understand that some typos will always make their way through all the edits, but not too many.

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

If you are referring to when I write, it has varied depending on what I happen to think of first.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

My least favorite is waiting for my editor to get the corrections back to me. I just want it done to get it out there.

My most favorite is having that first copy of a new book physically in hand.

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

For my first book, Adventures in Walking, the first draft was only the training days. The final draft had more fun added in and expanded on the characters. Now it’s getting a complete facelift. I am changing up the title and expanding the characters even more.

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

I’ll go with my most recently published book, which is A Stormy Travel Thru Time. The inspiration was my great grandfather and his brother when they came to the US from Germany. I am the keeper of the family tree, so I had been working on some of their background for that when I was also watching some of the Hallmark time travel Christmas movies. I put them together for my own twist.

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

I have written various versions of Adventures in Walking into various genres, so maybe one of those versions may come to life.

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing.

I have had many productive writing spaces. When I was writing my first book, I wrote quite often in a local diner and while waiting for my son to come out of his school. I even managed to write while working at a gym.

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

I already have this in the works for the side characters in Amaranth. There is a couple at each of the castles in the kingdom. I will be writing a story for each of them.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

There’s quite a few, it’s hard to pick just one. All of the creative writing courses I’ve taken, writing groups I’ve been a part of, and all of the events that I have attended, whether as a vendor or customer. I’ve learned something from all of them.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

I can always find a way to procrastinate and I don’t know as though I have learned to overcome it yet. Although, I am making an effort to write in one of my works in progress during our writing sessions.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

I use Papyrus Author and have for some time now. I love the linking of characters and places in the document. It keeps me from spelling errors, at least with the characters and places because if it doesn’t link, it’s wrong. There are so many features that I love about it. One that’s an encourager is when you tell it your goals and you achieve that writing goal. It will pop up on the screen and tell you take a break.

Do characters’ names come immediately to you? Do you add them in a final draft? Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

Sometimes they do and other times, not so much. So, I use this awesome website to help me with names: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/. Don’t let the website name fool you though, they have a name generator for just about everything and it’s always expanding and adding new name generators.

For A Stormy Travel Thru Time, I used my great grandfather and his brother’s names. Plus, I went searching the ship’s manifest to use names of people that they encountered.

For Adventures in Walking, I used one of my walking groups and changed up their last names.

For Amaranth, I used the Fantasy Name Generator website.

For my works in progress, some come to me and others I use the website.

Tell us the title of one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

The Hunt For Red October is my favorite and any other Tom Clancy novel. It started with seeing the movie in the theater and drew me into his novels. I love all the details and also how closely they have held movies from his books to be like his books. It’s a rarity.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Snow Angels in the Dust by Kristoffer Gair. This is a sequel to his Butterflies I Have Known. I have enjoyed both of his books. I have a nice shelf of Indie Author books. I think I’ll be putting them all on a spinny wheel and having it decide for me which one to read next.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?

I am working on a few projects. The first one that I expect to have on the table is the retitle and rework of Adventures in Walking. My goal is to have it to my editor by May 3rd. The next one is my fantasy piece and the goal for that one is to have it at my editor by August 29th. There’s a paranormal one that I am looking at finishing by the end of 2025.

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?