Do you write full-time or part-time?

Alas, part-time. I honestly don’t think I could handle it full time without heavy discipline.

What’s the hardest part of writing?

Discipline! Lol! I’m a plontser, so sometimes I know what I’m doing, sometimes I don’t. I could use a dedicated personal space that is not my bed for writing. Someday I’ll have that…

What’s your favorite historical movie?

De-Lovely (I adore Cole Porter’s music), Chaplin with Robert Downey Jr, San Francisco with Jeanette McDonald and Clark Gable, Hypatia with Rachel Weisz, Quigley Down Under with Tom Selleck, any Sherlock Holmes, oh! And Tombstone! The Sharpe’s series with Sean Bean.

Who’s your favorite historical figure?

Alexander the Great tops the list. Beau Brummell. Any of Henry VIII’s wives and children. I’m a Tudor nut. They are such trainwrecks.

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?

Alexander of course. Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. The Shawnee war chief/diplomat Tecumseh. The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. The last is random, I know, but he’s a fascinating man if you know the stories.

If you could time travel, what era would you visit?

Ancient Egypt. Dodge City at the height of the cattle trail era, 1870s. Anytime Renaissance Italy.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Read what you want to write and write what you want to read.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Very young. I don’t remember a time I wasn’t making up stories in some fashion or form, to be honest. Mom learned quick to always have pens or pencils and paper handy for me, otherwise I was digging in her purse for an old envelope. That did happen once.

Are there specific books or authors who have influenced you as a writer?

Julia Quinn, early Stephanie Laurens, Mary Renault, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Homer, Amanda Quick, Emma Merritt (my first romance read was Emma & I still have the book!), historian Alison Weir, Stephen Fry, so so SO many authors!

Give us a brief rundown of your process. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in the middle?

I’m a bit of both, depending on my enthusiasm and the muse. I usually see the characters first, then they start to coalesce into something. One series the whole thing came from the death of a historical figure. I created a bad guy organization from it and things exploded from there. Five books and some short stories.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to publication?

I’ve only been published twice. Once was a book review in a college journal and the other a short story in an anthology with some local Kansas City authors after a drunken brainstorm session at a writing retreat.

Tell us about your latest release and what’s coming next for you.

No releases but a lot of hope! I am working on self-pubbing a short story that I hope to have out by the end of April 2021!

Please include author website, and a few images (book covers, author photos, etc.), social media links.

www.valfassnight.com

authorfassnight on Twitter

Val Fassnight on Facebook

https://www.wattpad.com/user/vfassnight

The first in my series is on Wattpad, though I’m not consistent in updating recently.