Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?
CPS: I’m from Grand Cayman, in the Cayman Islands. It’s a British Overseas Territory located in the Caribbean, just south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.
What genre do you read? Name your top 5 authors.
CPS: I read fantasy and the classics, mostly. For fantasy, my top 5 would have to be J.R.R. Tolkien, Patrick Rothfuss, Michael J. Sullivan, Brandon Sanderson, and Jin Yong—though I love many others.
In terms of the classics, Jane Austen is my all-time favorite. I’ve read her anthology countless times, as well as Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence. Lewis Carroll, Homer, and Shakespeare also feature on my shelf.
What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?
CPS: Right now I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. I love the richly-drawn characters—especially the count himself—as well as the themes of justice and revenge.
Favorite sports.
CPS: I’m not a sportswoman by any means. If I had to pick a favorite sport though, it would be archery. I’ve only ever dabbled in it, but I loved every minute of it when I did.
How long have you been writing?
CPS: I guess you could say I’ve been writing my whole life. As a teenager, one of my short stories was published in the local publication, but I’ve mostly written privately. The past seven years however, mark an increase in my dedication to writing, and an eventual shift into writing full-time.
What inspired you to become a writer?
CPS: Writing is something I’ve always dreamed of doing as a job. It comes naturally to me and brings me a lot of joy, two things that played a part in inspiring me to actually take the plunge and make a career of it.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
CPS: I’m definitely a plotter. I outline my stories beat by beat, keep detailed notes on world-building, and use character bibles.
But my stories definitely develop and expand beyond the outline. This is because, though my overall story is structured carefully, the scene outlines usually just consist of a main event and worldbuilding details. Once I’ve read these, I give myself permission to just flow as I speak aloud into a Dictaphone whatever plays out in my imagination for that scene. Inevitably, unexpected elements introduce themselves at this point. After, I’ll go through several rounds of structured edits to get the story just right.
How did you come up with the ideas for your series?
CPS: These came to me as I read novels, studied history, watched movies, and just observed the world around me. It wasn’t instant, but developed over the course of several years, and as I noted the things that intrigued or delighted me, my series ideas took shape.
How do you celebrate finishing a book?
CPS: I celebrated finishing Whispers of the Elixir by going to an amazing restaurant with my family. We had such a great time just being together.
What would you tell a writer who is just starting? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?
CPS: I would tell any writer who is just starting to try different things until they find their unique process. Try plotting, try pantsing, try every ratio in between. Write in bursts, and in marathons. Use a timer. A pen. A Dictaphone. Be open to everything until you find what clicks, because once you know what works for you, things get so much easier.
And for anyone working on their first book, be patient with yourself. Do not expect too much of yourself too soon, and don’t be disappointed when your story doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time—because it never does. Keep going, and you’ll arrive.
In terms of my writing software of choice, I use Scrivener until the final line edit, which I find easier to do in Word. I also organize my outlines and revision notes in Trello, because it allows me to easily take things in at a glance.
How do you organize everything and find the time to sit down and write?
CPS: Before I started writing full time, this was challenging, and I had to squeeze writing in whenever I could, and not be picky about word count.
Since I’ve been writing full time though, I generally have the flexibility to arrange my mornings as I wish, which means that sitting down to write is more a matter of discipline than of finding time. Of course, there are always other important things I could prioritize, but I force myself to leave those until later.
As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?
CPS: Though I don’t necessarily associate her with writing, I’ve always loved the lioness. She’s sleek, she’s fierce, and she’s a wonderful mother. She also understands the strength and support that comes from teaming up with other females.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
CPS: Definitely my husband and daughters. I don’t know what I would do without their support. And since my daughters are my biggest fans, I can always run story ideas past them, which is awesome.
How do you name your characters?
CPS: Usually, I start by putting together sounds that I find pleasing and which evoke both the character’s personality, and whichever cultural inspiration I’m going for. Then, since these initial attempts aren’t always usable, I tweak them until they sound plausible.
Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
CPS: I normally start my day with a walk, followed by a coffee. Then I’ll look over my outline and see which scene I need to work on. If it’s a first draft, I’ll dictate it. If it’s a subsequent draft, I’ll revise it on my computer.
Once those scenes are done, I’ll read a craft book and try to implement what I learn. At the moment I’m reading Building Great Sentences by Brooks Landon, a book that focuses on using sentence structure to create beautiful writing.
Finally, if there’s time, I’ll indulge in whichever novel I’m currently reading, before moving on to my family or personal commitments of the day.
Tell us about your current release.
CPS: Whispers of the Elixir is a story about a princess with a hidden elemental magic that, in her culture, could get her sawn in half. And an empress mother who would carry out that sentence for the sake of securing her own legacy. It’s fraught with emotional tension, set against a background of political intrigue and immersive world-building.
It‘s a slow-burn character journey that explores themes of sacrifice, identity, and the cost of power, as well as the relationship between a formidable mother and her daughter.
