She currently works in Silicon Valley in the gaming industry and high tech. In addition, Palmer holds a certificate in Chinese Acupressure, is a certified solar panel installer, and studied Tibetan Buddhism with the 14th Dalai Lama.
She lives and writes in the magical redwood forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, California.
Her latest book is the scifi fantasy for adults, Moon Deeds: Star Children Saga Book One.
You can visit her website at www.MythologyPress.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Thank you for this interview! I’d like to know more about you as a person first. What do you do when you’re not writing?
Palmer: I work full-time in high tech and the gaming industry. I’m a software product manager. When I’m not working at my day job or writing, I read, play video games and
Euro-board games, and work on my publishing business, take walks, play with my cats, attempt to garden, hike, etc.. I live in the redwood forest not too far from the ocean in California, so it’s a pretty idyllic place to write, aside from the occasional wildfires and landslides, oh ... and earthquakes. Must not forget the earthquakes. I’m waiting for the locusts to swarm next.
When did you start writing?
Palmer: I started writing when I was kid. I used to write two-minute-mysteries with my friend. And I wrote short stories and poetry when stuff bothered me or intrigued me. I started writing novels after college.
As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?
Palmer: The most consequential decision I made was to abandon trying to get an agent or publisher and to self-publish. I’m happy I did. I’m having a blast. Self-publishing is its own journey, and the indie community is growing fast, offering a lot of support and avenues for learning, networking, and promoting your work. It’s a fun community of independent-minded and courageous, entrepreneurial people who are all basically rooting for each other to succeed. I also like maintaining full creative control of my books and interacting with all the editors, artists, and bloggers who support indie authors.
If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?
Palmer: Haha. Good question. Hmmm, probably Portugal. I love Europe and all the remnants of medieval times and antiquity. Besides, JK Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter there, so maybe some of her good fortune will rub off on me, lol. Plus, I hear it’s beautiful there.
If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
Palmer: Dishes, laundry, and sleep, all of which I often neglect in favor of writing.
Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
Palmer: The desert. So many great stories have been set in the desert: Carlos Castaneda’s shaman books, Dune, Star Wars (Tatooine).
Back to your present book, Moon Deeds, how did you publish it?
Palmer: I self-published it. I decided not to do Amazon exclusive, which made the print retail cost much higher than if I had, but I wanted it to be available for bookstores and libraries to order, as well as for people who don’t buy on Amazon. In retrospect, that may have not been the best decision, since the vast amount of sales have been on Amazon and there are other perks to being Amazon exclusive. I also produced an audiobook for Moon Deeds, narrated by a friend of mine, Nina Price, who also happens to be a professional book narrator.
In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?
Palmer: A lot of Moon Deeds takes place on the moon, so the closest I could get was via Google Earth, which also allows you to explore the moon. I bet you didn’t know that. Check it out! It’s pretty cool. Plus there are other resources that have mapped the moon and provide a lot of detail and other info such as altitude, soil composition, etc. I also traveled in person to Scripps Ranch in San Diego and Dana Point, California for some of the scenes in Part One. The other places in Part One I had already been to.
Why was writing Moon Deeds so important to you?
Palmer: Moon Deeds is the first book of the Star Children Saga. The series is fundamentally about what happens when we lose touch with our higher selves and fight over scarce resources. Why does humankind repeatedly devolve into dark ages, war, violence, and repressive autocracies? Why do we seek out gods and mystical traditions? Where did humankind actually come from? These are some of the broader themes I explore in the series.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
Palmer: Ideas come to me from random places and events. For example, Moon Deeds started with a gag gift my brother gave me one Christmas of a deed to land on the moon. It got my imagination going with a lot of “what-if’s.” In terms of plot and character development, I tend to study human nature and what triggers deep emotional responses, and I try to recreate those moments in my books.
Any final words?
Palmer: Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. You and your readers are so important in cultivating and supporting indie authors.
