Dean Koontz, Amina Akthar, Nikki Nelson-Hicks, Elizabeth Marro, Mansi Shah, & Lee Goldberg on the Importance of Trusting Yourself

And writing what & how you want to write

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

I interview a lot of writers for JaneFriedman.com, and I’ve also been listening to many interviews with writers, primarily on The VJ Books Podcast and The Thriller Zone.

My favorite part of any interview is one in which the writer shares something illustrative of a determination to retain or honor an independent artistic spirit, to write what they want to write — or maybe need to write — no matter what, trends and publisher- or audience demands be damned.

Here are six such interview treasures:

“Make it the book you want.” — Amina Akhtar, author of KISMET

I think if you’re going to write a book, make it the book you want, because you’re never going to make everybody happy. I have people who love my work, I have people who hate my work…That’s great. How they feel is none of my business. It’s about how I feel about my work, and if I don’t write a book that I feel is true to me and my personality, then what’s the point?

(From an interview on The Thriller Zone)