Aileen is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd. From Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek, she has a severe fascination with the speculative and supernatural. 

This fascination led her into writing, but after Twilight, Aileen was told that nobody wanted to read another vampire or werewolf story. She didn’t agree and wrote one anyway. She proved her critics wrong as her independently published Alpha Girl series, has sold over 1.5 million copies.

She earned a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and went on to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She has since founded an independent boutique publishing house Ink Monster.

Aileen’s latest novel, Lunar Court, is the eighth installment of her USA Today bestselling series Alpha Girl, and is available now.

So listen in as Aileen and I chat about this awesome fantasy series and how to successfully write and publish your books through indie publishing.

In this episode Aileen and I discuss:

• Using reader input to help you decide what story to write next.
• How to change the point of view character throughout a series the right way.
• Planning your world organically.
• The series strategy in indie publishing, and why it works.
• Producing a book as an indie boutique publisher from beginning to end.

Plus, Aileen’s #1 tip for writers.

About Aileen Erin

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd—from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. 

This fascination led her into writing. However, after the success of Twilight, Aileen was told that nobody wanted to read another vampire or werewolf book. She didn’t agree and wrote one anyway, proving her critics wrong with her independently published Alpha Girl series, selling over 1.5 million copies.

After earning  a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, working as a commercial editor in Los Angeles and writing after hours, Aileen decided to leave Hollywood to dedicate more time to perfecting her literary craft. She went on to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and subsequently establish her independent boutique publishing house Ink Monster, in 2013. 

Since then, she’s hit the USA Today bestsellers list twice with her Alpha Girl series, and a spin-off series based around one of Alpha Girl’s characters is also being shopped around for a TV show.

In March of this year, Aileen released a brand new series called Aunare Chronicles. The first installment, Off Planet, sold out of print before release day and was picked by iBooks to be in their “Best Books of March” in the YA and Sci-Fi & Fantasy categories.

Her latest novel Lunar Court is the eighth installment of her bestselling Alpha Girl series, and is available now.

Aileen Erin lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking butt.

To connect with Aileen check out her website at inkmonster.net

Alpha Girl 

Book 1: Becoming Alpha

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves. 

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Ailbe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

Book 8: Lunar Court

Chris is the guy Cosette always wanted.

Fun. Funny. Lighthearted and sweet. Chris always manages to find beauty and laughter, even when fighting a chapel full of demons. He’s exactly what she needs. Except he’s a werewolf and she’s a member of the Lunar Court—the only fey court that holds sway over the werewolves. Even on his best day, Chris isn’t strong enough to last a few hours in the Lunar Court without becoming a slave. No matter how much Cosette’s heart wants him, she knows she has to let him go.

But when Chris goes missing, Cosette realizes how much she has to lose if the worst happens. Except her mother—the Queen of the Lunar Court—won’t let her go after Chris. Being forced to stay at court is dangerous for Cosette. Assassins keep coming after her, and unless she accepts a mate, it’s only a matter of time before one of them kills her.

Cosette is the girl Chris has always dreamed of.

Chris sees through the tough facade to the girl exhausted from a lifetime of fighting off assassins and court politics. She needs a true friend, someone who she can be herself around, and craves solitude. The same solitude that Chris craves. But he knows he’ll never be enough to survive in her world. So, when Eli—a mysterious archon—requests his help, he figures why not? The guy might be a little shady, but he needs every distraction he can get.

But when Eli says that Cosette is in trouble, Chris is more than ready to play by Eli’s rules. At least until Eli takes him to the Court of Gales. Chris knows he’s about to play a very dangerous game. Bargaining with the fey is something only a desperate person would do. But what wouldn’t Chris give up to save Cosette’s life?

If you decide to check out the books in the Alpha Girl series by Aileen Erin —Becoming Alpha, Avoiding Alpha, Alpha Divided, Bruja, Alpha Unleashed, Shattered Pack, Being Alpha, and Lunar Court—we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 261

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 261: Writing and Publishing the Indie Way — Interview with Aileen Erin appeared first on DIY MFA.

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