1. Please tell us a little about yourself.
   
   I’m a self-published author. I was born, raised, and still currently reside in Central Florida. I have five little dogs, all chihuahua mixes—Nugget, Goofy, Bastian, Von, and Chitters. I love the beach, though I don’t get to go often. I dabble in nature photography—mostly plants, insects, the ground (sand with small twigs or blades of grass, close-up, are a favorite of mine), and sometimes forest animals when I’m lucky enough to capture them with my camera. I’m really just kind of boring, to be completely honest.
   
2. What do you write (genre, length)?
   
   Mostly, I write Dark (Urban) Fantasy, but I churn out some Horror and a bit of Romance. My characters range from supernatural beings such as vampires and the like to humans. I even throw out a poem or two on occasion. My works range from flash fiction pieces to full-length novels.
   
3. What is/are your current project/s? Please give us some details.
   
   I have two main projects that I really need to finish soon, one that keeps calling me even though it needs to wait, and one that’s on the back burner for a while until I finish up more important works. So, four current projects.
   
   The direst one I need to finish is Wraith. It’s the second in my Halfborn series, and technically, I should’ve had it ready and published at the end of October (2019). Yeah, that self-imposed deadline whooshed on by, and I didn’t even have the decency to blink for it. Wraith follows my main character Coral, a hybrid vampire of sorts, as she meets up with Bastian, who happens to be a, maybe you guessed it, Wraith, which is one of the four plus types of vampires in the world I’ve created. Wraiths are the enforcers and executioners in the Born race (Halfborns, Wraiths, and Inborns). They also hunt down their enemy vampires, an unnatural group of vamps known as the Abominates. Well, I don’t want to give too much away, so onto the next.
   
   I also have a standalone Romance novel in the works that I’d hoped to have had published by now, but well, things don’t usually goes as planned in my real-life world. It’s titled Impractical Encounter, and it follows two main characters, Billie and Randy, who are sister and brother. Billie’s sick, in the terminal sense, and Randy is inspired by something she’s said one night to spontaneously by plane tickets to New York for him and his sister, in hopes to meet the stars from their favorite prank reality tv show. Y’all know how this works: they meet, there’s sparks, there’s twists and turns, a little hanky panky, shit hits the fan, and though things don’t work out perfectly, there is a happily ever after ending, which isn’t something to expect in my work, but hey, sometimes you gotta get out of your comfort zone. This book falls into the LGBT category for Romance.
   
   As for the other two that have less priority, one is Becoming, which is the first installment of a prequel trilogy to Halfborn, which I don’t plan to release until the third in the Halfborn trilogy has been released . . . because spoilers. The second is a Horror standalone titled Obsidian Slumber, and it’s a boogeyman story.
    
4. Who (author or otherwise) or what book inspired you to write?
   
   Christopher Golden originally sparked the idea of writing within me with his series The Shadow Saga when I was in 10^th grade, but with little to no encouragement from parents or anyone I knew to be me and to do something I’d enjoy with my life, I didn’t feel it was the path for me. Fast forward ten years, I picked up a collection of the first seven books in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, which took me to the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, and somewhere along the way, the spark for writing reignited. Only this time, I had nothing to lose, encouragement from anyone, or none, be damned. So, I started writing and continue to do so.
   
5. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
   
   Don’t know if I’m the best person to get advice from. Seriously, my life is a mess. But here’s my advice: Don’t listen to people when they tear down stories/books, whether it be yours or another author’s—world famous or indie/self-published. People are always going to talk down what they don’t like or don’t understand, that could possibly include a completely unique idea you have in your writing, and if you listen to them tear others’ works down, you’ll doubt your own work. That makes things so much harder, I mean, ‘cause more than like you’re already going to doubt yourself. So, focus on your work and what you like, and block out the negative that people have to say, meaning you should also avoid dwelling on reasons you might not like a story/book.
   
6. What do you do for a living?
   
   Write and proofread. Neither is compensative enough to actual call it ‘doing it for a living,’ though. Maybe one day.
   
7. Who is/are your favorite author(s)?
   
   Christopher Golden, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris to name a few.
   
8. What is/are your favorite book(s)?
   
   The Shadow Saga (Peter Octavian Series) by Christopher Golden are the books I always think of when I get asked this question. They mix vamps and magic, and they have a fantastic twist with the vampire myths. I love them.
   
9. What’s the best compliment someone can give you as an author?
   
   I’m not sure. Maybe taking and sharing a photo of them holding one of my paperbacks. A review is always nice, too, and probably lots more likely.
   
10. What is the strangest/most interesting/coolest/weirdest/scariest thing you’ve had to research for a book or short story?
    
    I’m not certain anyone wants to know the answer to this question, but I’ll answer it anyway. The strangest thing I’ve ever researched is probably the most cringeworthy, in my opinion, as well. While doing research for Halfborn, I looked up fertility rituals, specifically ones that included drinking menstruation blood. I didn’t use much of the knowledge I got from the research, and I’m not sure it’ll be included in future books in the series, but I have it if I do decide to delve deeper down that route.
    
11. What is the most difficult part of writing for you? Why?
    
    At the moment, actually writing. It sounds stupid, I know, but I just can’t seem to sit down and start typing. My life’s a complete mess at the moment, and I’m struggling with everything that used to come easy, or easier.
    
12. What is your favorite genre to read? Why?
    
    Dark fantasy. I like vampires mostly. I prefer them dark, and I like them steamy, though they don’t have to be either. Not sure why vampire characters are my favorites, I’ve just always been fascinated with them as long as I can remember.
    
13. What are some little known facts about you? Hobbies, talents, anything?
    
    I like to sing. I enjoy rollerblading, but unfortunately, lost my rollerblades—I think they got left in the old shed at the house when we had to leave, and I haven’t been able to afford a new pair since. I like to garden.
    
14. Do you like physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks better? Why?
    
    I prefer physical books, but I can neither afford them nor do I have room for them, so I’ve gotten used to reading ebooks using the Kindle app. I mostly grab books on free promo on Amazon.

Find Soleil at the following links!

Facebook: @SoleilDanielsAuthor

Twitter: @Brokenlyfe

Blog: soleildaniels.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page

Books

Images from a Wandering Mind: a Sick and Disturbing Collection

To Save Lives: A Halfborn Series Short Story

Halfborn

Anthologies

One Million Project: Thriller

Weirder Tales: An Omnibus of Odd Ditties

Creepies 3: Nightmares on Deviant Street

Sunni D Proofreading

Facebook: @SunniDProofreading

Website & Blog: sunnidproofreading.wordpress.com

Twitter: @SunniDProofread