Author Interview with Xanda Monteiro

Thanks for taking time to answer questions, Xanda. What made you decide to become a writer?

"I don't remember ever not being a writer. I wrote a lot as a child, loved it. I remember clearly thinking that how letters come together to form words and sentences was magic to me. I only started reading a lot in my twenties."

How long did it take to get published the first time and how did it happen?

"Well, during the pandemic, it became clear to me that it had been a while since I did things I really liked. My mom had a fall at the beginning of 2017 and my life changed dramatically so for quite some time, I struggled to do both working and taking care of her. And a lot of things that I had always done were slowly left behind. Like reading and writing. I always kept logs of my dreaming mind and a journal, but I wasn't dedicating a few hours a day to it anymore.

The first half of my adult life was spent in the arts. I trained as a filmmaker before I became interested in education. Then I trained as a teacher and did my postgrad in Montessori education, which I do love. It is a wonderful way to be with children. I work with children with additional learning needs.

When the pandemic arrived, it made me realise that I had distanced myself from something I loved so I re-started writing everyday and hour, then I started to look back at my writing pads and I came across many ideas. I started to develop some of them. The first thing that came to me was in verse an I loved the idea of what came out - it was a story about a dragon with a fiery temper and only when a little boy shows her how to breathe and she starts to control her temper. I thought it was a really cute thing to do, especially because I am a mediator and so I decided to publish it myself."

Cool. Would you do anything differently the next time? If so, what would it be?

"Oh, how about a lot of things? I did not think of the vast amount of hours one has to dedicate to learning new programmes, skills, techniques, marketing, social media (which I had been off for many years) by the time I decided I should start publishing some of the materials I have started but, unfinished. What I did was just upload the product and of course that is the first step of the many required to succeed. So I spent the last two years setting things up and learning and working on this series about bees. It is called Beehive Secrets and it is a "Learning Through Stories" endeavour. I hope parents appreciate them. A lot of love and care has been put into them so of course I hope above all, the children will love them. Book one of the series, Kaida Brightscales and Magical Meadows is going to get a re-launch soon as I decided to change the title. It was originally called Beehive Secrets and the Magical Meadows. So even with a lot of preparation, there are things one can improve only after some feedback or after collecting data on Amazon. It is a slow process, but I am willing to do what it takes to let people know about the books and the value I think they have for children. I feel better prepared now then back then when I uploaded my first book."

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

"Write everyday, read everyday and dedicate 10 hours a week to set things up, learning new skills and programmes, especially if you are considering self publishing. I would not change a thing. I love the community, how we strive to help each other and make our work the best possible standard (because at the end of the day we are competing with a very well established industry) so that we can compete in a fairer way in the market. I feel that the public just likes to read good stories and it does not matter to them who the publisher is, so I feel we are just at the beginning of a growing industry. Which makes me feel hopeful and excited."

What (or who) inspires or influences your writing?

"How about everything and everyone? I'll give you a few examples. In children's books, I love Jualia Donaldson, I aspire to write a story as perfect as the "Gruffalo." I love "The Little Prince" by Antoine DE Saint-Exupery and I have an idea to write a story with the same sentiment - the preciousness of what we have which often we don't cherish. Lately, I read and met with Karen Inglis who wrote "The Secret Lake" and I have a wish to write something like that inspired by a real place. Hers was inspired by the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park, and of course mine would be inspired by a place in Africa. I even went to visit Isabella Plantation after the Self Publishing Conference in June, in London, where I met her.

It's fun to meet authors that you've read. What are your latest releases and when/where can we find them?

My next book is coming out in July and you can find it anywhere. I use Draft to Digital and Book Funnel for digital distribution. And BookVault and Amazon for print. My series, Beehive Secrets, has four books in it now. The fourth one, "Kaida Brightscales and the Wise Owl" came out in 2024.

How long have you been writing professionally Xanda? And do you write full-time or part-time?

Writing full-time is a dream so just doing part-time, but I write everyday. It is amazing what you can do in 25 minutes.

So, what do you do for fun when you aren't writing?

I walk and practice Kung Fu as well as meditate and cooking. I am visiting a Bee Keeper soon for an interview for the Podcast I am starting on my Substack. I have called it the Little Pages League which is the name of my Advanced Readers Team.

That sounds interesting. Where do you live, Xanda?

I live in Dublin, Ireland.

Wow! I loved visiting Ireland. I didn't get to the Dublin side, so maybe I will make another trip one day. Especially since my ancestors on my mother's side came from Ireland. Do you have any appearances or book signings this year?

Not yet, but I have a couple of school visits coming up. I have been doing book launches live on Facebook.

Now that sounds interesting. Thank you so much for taking time with me Xanda. You can find Xanda Monteiro's books on her website at https://www.lightshadowandink.com and her substack: https://www.lightshadowandink.com/substack. I just love the covers of her books!