Source: Molly Atkins

I’m here with Molly Atkins, my fellow Writers of the Future writer-winner from St. Louis, Missouri. She very graciously volunteered to answer the following questions:

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?

I grew up in a small University town in Texas. After getting married and living briefly in an even smaller town, I moved with my husband to St. Louis. A few years later, after our oldest daughter was born, we moved to California, but now we’re back in St. Louis with both of our girls. I began writing in 2014 after our return to St. Louis. I’d thought about writing since I was a little girl, but I just never sat down to do it. Then a friend told me about this NaNoWriMo thing, and once I started, I just never stopped.

What kinds of stories do you write? Why?

I like to say that I write Science Fiction and Fantasy, but really, I mostly just write fantasy, and I tend to prefer fantasy adventure. I’ve always loved adventure stories: exploring new places, having exciting experiences, a little dash of danger… I think it writing fantasy adventure, I get a little wish fulfillment with a dash of magic thrown in.

Tell us something about you that very few people know.

I am addicted to BBC nature shows. I don’t actually watch TV. No sit-coms, no SF shows, no dramas. Just BBC nature shows. I love them. I feel like David Attenborough is my TV grandpa or something.

Star Trek or Star Wars? Why?

I do like me some Star Trek, but Star Wars is my happy place. During the Writers of the Future barbeque dinner, I got to sit between Dave Wolverton and Kevin J. Anderson. There was a moment where someone made a comment about the spice mines of Kessel, and I could not contain the squeal. It just burst out of me. But both Kevin and Dave were very kind. I think I mentioned adventure earlier, and that’s what I love about Star Wars. There’s such a sense of adventure and endless possibility. I know Star Trek also has that, and I have a lot of respect for it, but Star Wars is where my heart is.

What is your most eccentric habit?

I suppose the whole waking up at 5 am bit is pretty eccentric. I know I get a lot of wide-eyed looks when I tell people that. I’m an early bird, and with two kids running around, that’s the only time the house is quiet. So, each morning, before the sun rises, I get up–by my own choice–and sit down at the computer to write.

To read Molly’s story, “Obsidian Spire”, please buy your copy today of Writers of the Future: Volume 33. If you already have a copy and have read it, please take a few moments to click this link and place your review: http://amzn.to/2kNE5eh If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, then still click this link, get your book, read it, and review it!