Featured Writer on Wellness: Vashti Quiroz-Vega

I’ve wrestled with self-doubt,
especially since I used to compare myself to other, more experienced, writers.

When I wrote my first book, I expected certain people in my life to be happy for me, but instead, they didn’t even acknowledge my accomplishment.

That hurt me. Anxiety also torments me from time to time.

I’ve never felt like I wanted to give up. Honestly, I’d much rather remove certain people from my life than stop writing.

What Keeps Me Sane as a Writer

Talking to other writers has helped a great deal because many of them have gone through or are going through the same things.

I also take yoga classes to relieve anxiety. I meditate and practice affirmations. I read the stories of famous writers like On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman, and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou among others.

Listening to music, dancing, drawing, hiking, baking, spending time with my family, and playing with my dog keeps me sane.

If Words Are Pouring Out of Me, I Don’t Want to Get Up

Our work is done sitting, and sometimes we sit for far too long.

I can be compulsive about it. If I’m in the zone, and the words are pouring out of me, I don’t want to get up or do anything else.

Also, if we don’t use the right desk or chair we could end up with back, neck, and wrist pain.

I use my phone’s timer to ensure I get up and walk, stretch, exercise . . . I set the timer for one-hour intervals. I keep a bottle of water next to my computer and take a few gulps every half hour to prevent fatigue due to dehydration.

I’m not one to snack while writing, but I do drink tea. From time to time, I use a short stool under my desk to perch my feet. It alleviates the pressure behind my thighs.

I Believe I was Born with the Creative Gene

I was extremely shy as a child. I mostly lived in my head and read a lot.

I sprouted wings in my late teens, but ‘til this day, I daydream and fantasize a great deal.

I believe I was born with the creative gene and that helped to develop a huge imagination as a child. I love telling stories. Nothing makes me feel more creative than creating and developing characters and building worlds.

Bad news, long periods without eating, or feeling thirsty, or being sleepy can ruin a creative moment.

An Author Has to Learn to Sell Himself or Herself

Marketing is the most difficult part of being a writer.

I wish I could just write, and someone else could take care of the marketing, but that’s not going to happen.

That being said, I think an author has to learn to sell him or herself. Meaning, we have to put ourselves out there and talk to readers via our blogs or social media.

I think the most successful authors are open books. They allow readers to see who they are and what they’re about. If people like you, they may give your book a chance.

What I want most as an author is for people to read my books, and if they’re kind enough to share their thoughts on my book with me––that would be the icing on the cake.

I’ve Organized My Time so I Can Get My Work Done and Also Write for a Few Hours Every Day

I used to work ten to twelve hour days as a registered diagnostic medical sonographer Monday through Thursday, and write, clean house, and everything else on Fridays.

Now, I do medical transcription and coding from home, and I write every day. Writing is a priority in my life.

When I don’t write for a couple of days, I feel anemic.

I’ve organized my time so that I can get my work done to the best of my ability, and also write for a few hours every day.

Advice for a Young Writer: Practice Makes Perfect

In my opinion, to be a serious writer you have to be a serious reader.

You also have to write every day because “practice makes perfect.”

Read a book by a great writer, and then read it again, deconstructing it the second time to figure out what makes the book great. Reading gives you the tools to write.

Stop talking about writing, and write! And remember not to get discouraged because the first draft of anything is crap. 😉

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Vashti Quiroz-Vega is a writer of Fantasy, Horror, and Thriller. Since she was a kid she’s always had a passion for writing and telling stories. It has always been easier for her to express her thoughts on paper.

She takes pleasure in reading almost as much as she loves to write. Some of her favorite authors are Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Anne Rice, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin.

She enjoys making people feel an array of emotions with her writing. She likes her audience to laugh one moment, cry the next and clench their jaws after that. When she isn’t building extraordinary worlds and fleshing out fascinating characters, she delights in spending time with her husband JC and her Pomeranian Scribbles who is also her writing buddy.

For more informationon Vashti and her work, please see her website, Amazon author page, and Facebook author page, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

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The Fall of Lilith: In The Fall of Lilith, Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts an irresistible new take on heaven and hell that boldly lays bare the passionate, conflicted natures of God’s first creations: the resplendent celestial beings known as angels.

If you think you know their story, think again.

Endowed with every gift of mind, body, and spirit, the angels reside in a paradise bounded by divine laws, chief of which are obedience to God, and celibacy. In all other things, the angels possess free will, that they may add in their own unique ways to God’s unfolding plan.

Lilith, most exquisite of angels, finds the rules arbitrary and stifling. She yearns to follow no plan but her own: a plan that leads to the throne now occupied by God himself. With clever words and forbidden caresses, Lilith sows discontent among the angels. Soon the virus of rebellion has spread to the greatest of them all: Lucifer.

Now, as angel is pitted against angel, old loyalties are betrayed and friendships broken. Lust, envy, pride, and ambition arise to shake the foundations of heaven . . . and beyond. For what begins as a war in paradise invades God’s newest creation, a planet known as Earth. It is there, in the garden called Eden, that Lilith, Lucifer, and the other rebel angels will seek a final desperate victory—or a venomous revenge.

“[A] compelling narrative that . . . strays far from traditional biblical text . . . A well-written, descriptive, and dark creation story.”—Kirkus Reviews

Available on Amazon.

Son of the Serpent: In Son of the Serpent, award-winning author Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts another fascinating glimpse into the dark, compelling world of fallen angels and demons, revealing more about their untold stories.

The war in heaven might be over, but the ambitions of the fallen angel Lilith reach far across the roots of history. Will there be a being powerful enough to stop her evil influence before the destruction of mankind?

Dracúl knows he is the son of Satan, but the rest of his memory has been taken from him. Alone and frightened, he awakens in a forest, beginning a quest to piece together who he is. The world he encounters is cruel, but he yearns to belong and find companionship. With each step he takes, another missing piece of his memory falls into place, revealing a truth that is ever more troubling . . .

A truth that will turn his quest for meaning into one fueled by the hot-blooded thirst for revenge. A truth that leads him to Lilith, the most wicked and ruthless of fallen angels and one he soon will have every reason to hate. His quest will consume him, perhaps ruin his life, but somehow Dracúl is determined to find both belonging and vengeance—to be good, in spite of his evil nature and the dark secrets that haunt him every step of the way.

“[S]on of the Serpent features a conflict of phenomenal proportions, characters that are richly developed and compelling, and a skillfully designed plot that keeps the reader turning the pages. I loved every bit of the narrative, especially the author’s unique phraseology and clarity of expression.”–Readers’ Favorite

Available on Amazon.