Misty Hayes has always had a thing for escaping headfirst into fantastical books. This is what led her to start writing her own adventures down. As someone who has spent a long career in law enforcement, Misty has a love for strong female protagonists. She also directs short films and claims to have been bitten by the traveling bug (not to be mistaken for a radioactive spider). 

When Misty isn't filming or roaming the planet, or diving into another novel, she's spending time at home in Texas with her myriad of nieces and nephews in tow. 

The Blood Dagger Series is a high-octane Young Adult Paranormal trilogy. 

Follow Misty for more information on her series.

Interview:

1. Will you tell us about your most recent published work?

My most recent published work is Volume Two in my Blood Dagger series. The Watchers is a high-octane paranormal YA thriller. If you like witty heroines, unconventional relationships, and friendships that can withstand the grave, then you'll probably like this story. I like to compare it to the CW's Supernatural and Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series (Shadow Hunters). 

Here's the synopsis: 

Eighteen-year-old Corinth Taylor didn't sign up to become a Watcher—an elite warrior destined to restore balance to the human race—he was chosen. 

Corinth can barely control his own hormones . . . much less the deadly blade. And to make matters worse, his best friend, Larna, just so happens to be the very thing he's supposed to eliminate. 

But when vampires and slayer find a common enemy, Corinth knows it's his innate calling to hunt evil down. And evil has a name: Gabriel Stanton. The enigmatic vampire who escaped their capture, has plans for Corinth, Larna, and Alastair . . . and it's a threat they'll never see coming.

When the line between good and evil gets crossed, devastating consequences start to happen. As Watcher and vampire worlds collide, Corinth must decide where to place his trust: with his old allies or his killer instincts. An upstart slayer. A clan of vampires. 

What could go wrong?

It's only the end of the world. 

2. What personal challenges do you face as a writer?

There are a ton of challenges that come with the job. Marketing, for me, is one of those challenges. There are so many great stories out there and to gain momentum or an audience is pretty incredible in and of itself. What makes my story any different? Making yourself stand out. It can be tough, but once people hear and appreciate your voice and writing style, it makes all the difference in the world.

3. What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Outlining. I am definitely one of those people who like to fly by the seat of their pants when they write, but my next series is going to be much more intricate. There will be more books in the series and I want to make sure each one leads seamlessly into the next. I want to knock people's socks off.

4. What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

My day job. Writing doesn't quite pay the bills just yet for me. I am fairly new . . . I am working on Volume Three now. Even though I love my full time job, it takes a lot of time away from my passion of writing. I'd love to be able to devote every waking minute to it.

5. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I think I was able to streamline it more. I also think gaining a following helped a lot. When you start getting people craving your next book, it helps motivate you to move your butt.

6. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Will you tell us about them?

At first, I was going to say zero, and I felt all good about myself, but then I remembered that's not true. I actually started my next series of books, a few chapters, but it's in its infancy for sure. I spoke about them above, it will be a planned seven or eight book series with a fifteen year old protagonist. Think War Games meets Ready Player One. It'll be action-packed and adventurous. But that's all I can share for now.

7. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Oh man, unfortunately. I mean, most of my reviews are stellar (I love my readers). But with more exposure comes more criticism. Good reviews get me pumped up. I oftentimes use them in my advertising. The only bad reviews are the ones that aren't helpful in any form. Most of the time, I can learn from feedback; it helps me grow as a writer. I really am lucky in the respect that I don't have a lot of bad reviews. But recently I got a 1-star rating on both my first and second volume (from the same person), but they didn't leave me a review to let me know what they didn't like about the book. This isn't necessarily helpful to me in the long run. With those ratings, tend to take them with a grain of salt and move on pretty quickly. There's not much I can do about that - my book won't be for everyone. Now to make myself listen to this advice.

8. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Easter Eggs! It's more like movie/pop culture references or homages to things I love.

9. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

I would tell myself to stop sweating the bad, and stay with the positives - to remember why I started in the first place. It's easy to get bogged down and feel negative for not doing a better job than you think you should be doing.

10. What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Getting into the mindset of thinking this is going to be a fast path to anything. Stay true to yourself and your writing and don't do it for anyone else. Have patience.

11. What’s the best way to market your books?

Set a budget and start small. See what works best for you. Word of mouth, Facebook ads, AMS, author appearances . . . hard work. I'm still working on all of this myself. Keep writing and putting books out there.

12. What is your favorite childhood book?

There are far too many to count. If I had to pick one, I would say Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBloodDaggerSeries/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistyhayesofficial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MistyGH_

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MistyHayes

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/mistyhayes/

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/mistyhayes