Five Questions with Candice Bundy

by Julie Tetel Andresen | June 23, 2017 |

I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Candice Bundy who loves to write paranormal novels with a sci-fi and horror twist to them.

1. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Candice Bundy: Some would say their inspiration come from a variety of things in life, or from an oft-times fickle muse. Sitting and waiting, pen in hand, for creative lightning never worked well for me. Instead, my inspiration comes from building on my daily habits. For instance, I often have new story ideas sprout up while at the gym, hiking, journaling, gardening, hanging out with friends — even while knitting. Knowing this, I try to make sure I schedule a couple of these activities into each day and keep an idea notebook handy to capitalize on my creative flow.

2. You write books in the paranormal/sci-fi/urban fantasy categories. What draws you to these genres and why do you enjoy a romance element with them?

I’ve always enjoyed paranormal, sci-fi, and romance stories; they are what I read for pleasure, and I am comfortable storytelling within these genres. Within these fantasy universes, you have the option to world-build situations well outside of reality to take on cultural, political, and social issues in a more approachable way. I enjoy writing romance as the dance between relationship partners, although often so familiar, can be uniquely addressed with each new story.

3. You are an indie author like me. What do you find to be the hardest part of being an indie author?

Candice Bundy: It’s very challenging keeping track of all of the moving pieces involved in plotting, writing, editing, publishing, marketing, design, etc., etc., etc. Coordinating schedules with editors and cover designers can be challenging, so planning far enough out is critical, to prevent the process from being rushed.

4. What’s your writing routine like?

Candice Bundy: I block out time a couple of nights a week where I focus solely on writing. Time blocking works the best for me as it sets an expectation of being productive with writing or editing. There is usually either a glass of wine or cup of tea involved–and occasionally chocolate. I plan time outside of these blocks for marketing, research, and any other housekeeping on my author plate.

5. Any advice you can give to new authors who are thinking about writing their first book?

Candice Bundy: About two years ago I read The Artist’s Way and adopted the daily pages exercises (as well as working through the process outlined in the book). I have found the daily pages exercise to be invaluable in jump-starting my creative process, as well as focusing my attention on my goals for the day and maintaining accountability. Committing to this daily creative process would be of a huge advantage to any writer’s process, and therefore also likelihood, of completing their first (or next) book.

Special thanks to Candice Bundy for participating in this series! To find out more, visit her website. You can also follow her on Twitter (@candicebundy). find her on Goodreads, or like her on Facebook You can purchase her books on Amazon.