Interview with Kindra Sowder

Hello, weird readers! Happy Women’s History Month!

During the month of March, Weird Wide Web will provide content from strong women who are out their realizing their dreams and changing the world with their unique voices. At the end of March, I’ll put the names of EVERYBODY who has liked, commented, or shared these posts in an online Random Name Picker wheel, and one lucky winner will receive a $30 Amazon gift card. So, please, show your support. Interact. And an encourage these great women to keep kicking ass. It could pay off in more than just knowledge!

First up is author Kindra Sowder.

Hi, Kindra! What do you write?

I write speculative fiction which encompasses a little bit of everything. Horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. I also like to mix in a little spice in some places.

Are there any genres you’d like to write but haven’t yet?

As of now, these genres are definitely where my passion lies. I don’t really have any plans or desires to expand past that at this time.

When you’re working on a book series, do you plan how many books will be in each series ahead of time, or do you let the story unfold and see where it goes?

It largely depends. For The Permutation Archives, I had planned on a trilogy. It turned into a 5 book series, plus a spin-off that a 3^rd book is being planned on. Plus, another continuation that I am planning in the future with no idea how long that would be. The Miss Hyde Novellas, I’ve always planned on it being an 8 part series. I am planning on my newest Ashes of Heaven series being maybe 3 books, but that remains to be seen if I’ll stick to that or not.

Who is your strongest female character, and why?

That is such a difficult question to answer since I write so many strong female leads. That’s pretty much all I write. They all possess different strengths, each making them different. Blythe McAllister deals with a murderous entity that lives within her. Living with that and the guilt surrounding this makes her strong. Mila Hunter wanted to believe in the best in people, and processing the opposite gave her a strength I’ve had to personally deal with. So, for me, saying one is the strongest? It just depends on your outlook, but they are all strong in their own ways.

What were your favorite books to read as a child?

The same genres I write were my favorite, especially horror. I spent a lot of time reading Goosebumps and Fear Street growing up.

Did you always want to be an author?

Not always, no. In high school, I started writing. In the end, I did end up getting 2 degrees in criminal neuropsychology. I picked up writing again in college and then kept going since. I also now hold an MFA in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Fiction that I got to help in my craft as well.

What hurdles have you faced as an author?

Mostly, they’re extremely personal hurdles. Some things that have halted any progress, mostly health and mental health. Recently, extreme burnout and adrenal fatigue along with depression stopped me from really writing for months. Now that I’m on the right path to recovery from those issues, the only thing that can stop me now is me. I realized a long time ago that I am the only one that can stand in my way of anything.

Many people think female authors no longer face the challenges we did when Emily Bronte released Wuthering Heights under the pen name Ellis Bell for fear she’d never see it published if they knew her real gender. Unfortunately, women still face discrimination to this day. Have you ever felt like your body of work was dismissed by someone simply because you are a woman? If so, how did you deal with it?

I have felt this way, yes. The evidence is anecdotal, of course, but some female authors write under male pseudonyms or gender-neutral names and see more success than their counterparts who choose to use their own names and ID themselves as female. Especially in the genres I write in. The amount of success definitely seems to be linked to sex/gender in a lot of cases. Of course, some outliers have seen massive success as women in the genre, but they are very few and far between as far as I can see. I’ve had some instances as a woman in the genre that I don’t get taken seriously, especially in my science fiction work.

What is your advice to other women who want to see their work published but worry they will face the same challenges?

Keep pushing, and never give up. I had family my entire life saying my writing wouldn’t get me anywhere, and here I am.

Do you have any new releases you’d like to talk about?

I don’t have anything coming out right now, but have a few things in the works. Vindicta which I wrote with P. Mattern is getting a massive revamp and rebrand, along with book 2 being in progress soon.

What do you plan to do next?

As of right now, I don’t have a ton of plans while I get some things sorted out. Vindicta will be getting its revamp, and I am still finishing up the Miss Hyde Novellas and writing my Ashes of Heaven series. In July, I will be in Paragould, AR with my wonderful friends Santiago Cirilo from TWD and Rick Prince from FaceOff for a convention. After that, I’m not sure what is coming, but I’m sure it’ll be great.

From the interviewer side, I must add that Kindra is far too humble about mentioning her new releases. It seems like she’s ALWAYS got something new coming out. Most recently, I’ve been reading her episodes of The Pledge here: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKWK1M4

Thank you for joining us, Kindra. Where can we find you on the web?

I can be found pretty much everywhere – Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Amazon.

Lovely! Happy Women’s History Month. Remember, readers, if you like or share the blog, you could win a $30 gift card. Don’t be shy! And as always… keep it WEIRD out there!