Save the Bees; Save the World….or a Demon Apocalypse Could Happen
1) What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.
Allison Paige
2) What is your genre and what drew you to it?
Dark Fantasy. To be honest, I hate horror. I’m very squeamish and scare easy, but writing this genre felt natural. The majority of my stories are based on or inspired by my nightmares. Writing darker content has a tendency to alleviate some of those nightmares.
3) Do you challenge yourself to writing sprints? If so, how long are they?
I have started doing this. I try to write for two hours when I have free evenings. Before I just wrote when I felt like it which isn’t good when you’re trying to work on multiple books at once.
4) What is the best time of day for you to write?
Any time. If I’m not sitting down at the computer I’m writing something in a notebook or typing it into the Notes app on my phone. Inspiration hits me at all hours so I’m always prepared.
5) What is your favorite way to connect with readers? (Social media, newsletters or something else)
I find connecting with readers through social media is the best. It allows me to reach multiple people at once and is an easier way to engage versus newsletters. (My updates can be minimal and don’t always require a newsletter. I don’t want to SPAM readers’ emails.)
6) Did you ever feel like giving up? If so, how did you overcome that?
At times, though the feeling usually only lasts a few hours to a day. Doubts will creep in that I’m not good enough, or worry that people might find issue with my content, but I have to remind myself that my work is good and that there are readers that believe it to be great! I have seen the proof, I have it. I have to remind myself that doubt is short-lived and holds no bearing over my work.
7) What is your favorite part about being a writer?
As cliché as it sounds, connecting with readers. I love not only talking about ym work with them, but I love hearing about their latest readers. I’m as much of a reader as I am a writer. I’ve made some wonderful friends by being a writer.
8) Where is your favorite place to read?
Either in bed or a solo date. I used to stress out taking a book or my writing in public until I realized no one actually cares. I’ll take my book to the beach, a craft bar, or even a park and make time and space for myself while enjoying the thrill of the world around me.
9) Which book villain would be the hardest to defeat?
I don’t know if they’re technically the villains but the Bene Gesserit in the Dune series. They are a powerful religious group, or cult, who train their bodies and minds through insane mental conditioning to obtain their power. They have control and influence over a vast amount of the world without actually having direct power. Reading about them truly scared me because they were so common and accepted, but the acts they committed were insane. Everything that they do is for their own gain and any loyalty they have with someone else is a farce. One could not go up against such a large group and win. If they were to be conquered, it would take years at the cost of many lives and worlds.
10) If you could take one item out of any book that you have ever read, what would it be or why?
The Providence Cards from One Dark Window. I loved the idea of this magic system, and I would love to have a stack of my own to utilize.
11) What is your favorite quote and why?
“That which yields, is not always weak” – Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel’s Dart. One, this is one of my favorite book series of all time. Second, it serves as a reminder than yielding to something, to someone, a decision, or whatever it may be, does not make you weak. We need to remember to move in humility and wisdom instead of pride and carelessness.
12) Name one of your favorite authors.
C.S. Lewis. Hands down that man is a genius and inspiration.
13) How do you arrange your bookshelves? (Color, alphabetical or another method)
My books go wherever I can find space. I don’t have a large shelf anymore, so they’re stacked haphazardly now. Typically, they are arranged by color and subject matter.
14) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.
The Revelation will be a three (possibly more) book series. Currently After the Bees and Through High Waters are out. It’s sister series, or prequel, will be split into two books titled The Apostasy and The Revenant. Both are dark, lush, and generously spicy complete with Greek and Biblical lore that will turn everything you know upside down.
Revelation is a dark fantasy that follows Leah, a young woman who has been hiding in the wilderness for three years to escape the demon apocalypse that havocs Earth when the last of the bees disappear. That is, until Raum finds her. A demon that keeps her alive and unmarked. Leah appeals to Raum and so he forces her on a journey to Babel, a place where it is said you can speak to the gods face to face. What unfolds is a brutal tale of the darker side of what it takes to make a hero, the temptation of evil, and fighting for what is right when there is nothing left standing.
The prequel duology dark fantasy romance follows Ezra, a young woman who is attacked by an angel only to be rescued by a demon and taken to the depths of Tartarus where she finds out why she has been targeted and everything she thought she knew about her faith is a lie. What’s worse, she has been prophesized to free the Fallen. Ezra’s story takes place just before Leah’s as she discovers she has been condemned for the blood that runs in her veins, what the power of faith can do, and the price one must pay for love.
15) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
16) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)
Instagram and TikTok: @shewriteswithknives
17) If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?
I am the owner of Finnegan Publishing Group. At the end of 2023 I decided I wanted to start working with other indie authors. Being indie can be taxing. It’s expensive, its time consuming and trying to get in front of new readers is, at times, exhausting. I reached out to multiple authors across the US and invited them to submit to an anthology that I wanted to present. As of now, As Above So Below: An Indie Author Dark Fiction Anthology is set to be published in October 2024, with preorders taking place during July 2024 through Kickstarter. There are 19 short stories written by 18 incredible authors. I would love to introduce this collection to new readers, so I truly believe they’ll find new authors to fall in love with. We have plans to do additional anthologies in the future highlighting different genres and themes.
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