Author Spotlight: Alexa Gregory
February 13, 2022 • News
CJC: How did you get started as an author and what made you want to pursue that field?
AG: I released my first novella in the fall of 2019. I’ve released quite a few more novellas and full-length novels since then. It was wonderful to make a lifelong dream come true. I have wanted to be an author since I was a small child. I was telling stories to my teddy bear before I even knew how to write. Writing – storytelling – has always been my favourite thing in the world, an enormous part of my identity, and honestly, a survival instinct.
CJC: What do you find to be the most rewarding and challenging part of being an author and what hurdles have you overcome while striving towards your goals?
AG: The most rewarding part of writing for me is telling stories that mean something, that can help people overcome their own struggles. There is always hope, even when it seems like all is lost. Honestly, the biggest hurdle is simply being seen and found by readers.
CJC: Which novel has been your favorite to write and why?
AG: This answer changes depending on my mood. All my novels have big chunks of my heart because I leave so much of myself on the page. Right now, Lifeline is my favourite. The heroine, Maëlle, has a pretty intense transformative arc. Writing her journey broke my heart at times, but writing a happy ending for such a maligned, misunderstood, and forgotten young woman was cathartic.
CJC: For first time readers of your work, which book would you recommend?
AG: Definitely start with Firebreak, the first book of the Caribou River Series. The heroes are all volunteer firefighters out of the same station in a small town. They pop up in each other’s lives all the time and are all connected somehow. Lifeline also has some major spoilers for Firebreak and Salvage. Best to start at the beginning to get the full experience.
CJC: If one of your books were made into a movie, which would you select and who would you like to star in it?
AG: It would have to be the Caribou River Series. The stories run concurrently, so it would make for a cool ensemble cast type of thing. The Caribou River world is tightly-knit and interwoven – as small towns are. As for who would star in it, I’m keeping that secret!
CJC: For those looking to become an author, what advice would you give them?
AG: Read. Fiction, nonfiction, all the genres. Read some classics, too. Ask yourself what you like and don’t like in the stories you consume (shows, books, movies). Write what you want to read, what speaks to you. (But also don’t listen to all the advice out there. So much of it is contradictory, and that can be overwhelming. Write for yourself.)
CJC: If you could co-write a book with any author, who would it be and why?
AG: I don’t know that I would co-write. I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest.
CJC: Favorite motto?
AG: My motto is actually a quote from author Laurie Halse Anderson. “Write about the emotions you fear the most.” That’s definitely how I write.
CJC: What do you do to overcome writer’s block?
AG: I bake and go for long hikes in the forest. If I’m blocking, it means I need more time to think. I’ve learned to bring a notebook in the woods because without fail, I’ll be an hour into the trail when I get a flash.
CJC: In one word, how would you describe your writing style?
AG: Intense. (Vocabulary, characters, transformative arcs. It’s all intense.)
CJC: Which do you find harder to do… writing the blurb for your story or selecting the cover?
AG: I would rather write a whole other book than a blurb. For real.
CJC: Which author inspires you the most and why?
AG: Fellow Canadian Kelley Armstrong. She’s actually my hero. She can write anything. Middle-grade, young adult, time-traveling romance, horror, thriller. She can do it all, and she does it well. I admire her skill as a wordsmith and storyteller.
CJC: What is your writing process like?
When I’m plotting, there’s lots of baking, lots of running away to the woods. When I get to the writing part, I like to write linearly. Halfway through, I go back to the start and read the story. I make sure it’s progressing logically through the characters’ transformations.
CJC: What new projects are you currently working on and what are your goals for the remainder of the year?
AG: We’ll see what the future holds.
CJC: Any final thoughts you would like to share with the CJC Photography readers?
AG: Can we just take a moment to appreciate the beautiful photograph that Christopher John took of Dominic? Lifeline is my favorite cover. EVER!
CJC: Thanks Alexa for having Dominic and I for the cover of Lifeline. It is now available, and you can purchase your copy here.
Stay up to date with all of Alexa’s upcoming releases here.
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