Interview with Author Callie Thomas

Let me kick off this article with a serendipitous encounter I recently had…

On Instagram, Jill Williamson (award-winning author of By Darkness Hid) had a giveaway promotion for a book I knew little about. (But if Jill recommended it, it must be good.) To my surprise…I WON! Then, a few weeks after the book arrived in the mail, I realized the author, Callie Thomas, was in another writer’s group I’m a member of. (Did I have a fangirl moment? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I did.) Needless to say, I quickly moved A Forest of Stolen Memories to the top of my TBR pile, and I fell in love with the characters and fast-paced plot. I highly recommend this clean teen “romantasy” to young adult readers who love fairy tale retellings with a twist. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Callie, and I can’t wait to introduce her to you.

Keep reading to learn more about Callie Thomas as she tells us more about her success on Kindle Vella and her other upcoming publishing ventures.

Congratulations on your publishing success over the past two years. Please tell our readers more about you and your author journey.

Hi! I’m Callie Thomas, a writer of YA fantasy and sweet romance stories. I’m also a mother of two handsome boys (one who is now a teenager!), a wife to an amazing man who protects our country, a Christian, beach bum, and coffee lover. My family just relocated from Okinawa, Japan to Virginia where we are still settling in. When I’m not writing or reading, I love playing video games and board games. In fact, I beta-test board game apps and proof rulebooks on the side for fun.

It has been two years since I officially published, but I had been secretly writing on and off for about ten years before that. I hadn’t gained the self-confidence to hit the publish button until my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She asked me if she could read it during her chemo treatments. Of course, I couldn’t tell her no. From there, she encouraged me to put my fairy tale on Kindle Vella. She believed in me and took the role as my number-one cheerleader. I’m so thankful for her support. So, if you’ve read my story, it’s thanks to her.

Please tell us more about Kindle Vella and why you went this route.

Kindle Vella is Amazon’s newest publishing platform that allows you to read short episodes on the go. These serialized stories are released gradually over a longer period of time, similar to your favorite TV shows. One of the best things about this platform is the way authors and readers interact. Readers can vote for their favorite story, comment, like, and participate in polls. They can also get exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the author.

I chose this route because I was a new author with zero readership following. The thought of jumping into KDP or even going the traditional publishing route was daunting. This new platform allowed me to dip my toes into the publishing world with a smaller pool of authors. Little did I know it would be a life-altering decision. I never thought I would have readers interested in my fairy tale, but I do. I’m so thankful my readers showed up each week and “faved” my story. I’ve been blessed to be a Top Fave Story on Kindle Vella since September 2021.

What are the pros and cons to Kindle Vella? Do you recommend aspiring Christian/clean teen fiction authors explore this venture?

Pros: The biggest one is the interaction with readers, as I mentioned before. I was able to use the poll section to allow my readers to vote on details of the story (names, locations, items, etc). It was really fun! The pay is also better than KDP, which I was shocked about. It also has a more low-key release and publishing. If you make a mistake, you can easily go in and change it.

Cons: Unless you write it in advance, it’s very time-consuming to have an episode ready each week. A serial reader is also different from a traditional book reader. I noticed seasoned authors failing to convert their book readers over to this platform. You need to find a new set of readers that are interested in this new style. The serial writing format is also different. The pace is quicker, the episodes shorter, and the ending hookier. Taking an old manuscript and dropping it into Kindle Vella won’t work without tweaking it.

From a Christian standpoint, it’s hard for me to recommend this platform to young readers with a clear conscious. You view steamier stories plastered across the homepage and there are even a few in the YA/Teen section. It’s just like a bookstore or a library—you’re going to see an assortment of stories with, um, interesting covers. As a Christian author, I feel we should be the light anywhere we can. We can offer clean stories with messages of hope and love where people need it the most. Yes, it’s a tough market, but it’s worth the effort to give readers alternative options.

Where did the idea for A Forest of Stolen Memories (AFoSM) come from? As a busy mom, how do you find time to write?

AFoSM came as one of the lightning bolt moments—a backward fairy tale. What if I erased the princess’ memories at the end of her story? Would she make the same choices? Would she pick the same love interest? And what if prince charming wasn’t so…charming? From there, the story just took off. After its success on Kindle Vella, I published AFoSM as a paperback and ebook in December 2022.

Finding time to write is difficult—I’m not going to lie. Especially with the requirement to publish a weekly episode, there isn’t a scheduled time off I can take until the series is over. I’m a night owl, so I’m most productive when everyone is asleep, and I can turn my Mommy brain off and focus on my characters.

Did you originally plan for AFoSM to be the start of a series? What can readers look forward to in the sequel, A Sea of Golden Chains (ASoGC)? Do you have plans to continue with more books in your Backwards Fairy Tales Series?

I had only planned on writing AFoSM as a one-and-done. But once I hit the halfway mark, I realized Marigold was alive and demanding to share her own story.

Readers can look forward to an underwater adventure and sweet romance in ASoGC. It is heavier on romance (still clean—just kisses), but there’s something about the merman that will capture your heart as much as he did Marigold’s. It’s another backward fairy tale with inspiration from The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The sisterly bond between them is more prominent in the second book, and I loved writing that development between them. If you had questions at the end of AFoSM, ASoGC is going to answer those for you.

I have side stories set in the same fairy tale realm, like the one I hinted at in the epilogue of ASoGC. As a fun fact, I actually hadn’t planned on writing fantasy at all. Another WIP was going to be my debut release, but it didn’t match the serial story structure I needed. Then I remember that crazy backward fairy tale idea I had, and fleshed that out more. I hope to dabble in romcoms and some YA contemporary romances in the future.

What other projects are you working on? Where can our Storyteller Squad readers connect with you?

I have two books coming out in 2023! (*whispers* I also have a secret fantasy romance collaboration coming out in March 2024.) You can be the first to find out about my upcoming projects by subscribing to my newsletter:

https://www.subscribepage.com/authorcalliethomas

Jacklyn and the Twisted Beanstalk (Releases 9/29/23)

She has stolen from the king and now must suffer the consequences. He’s an honor-bound guard, forced to uphold the law. Can she wish her way out of this disaster, or will their budding romance wilt before it even has a chance to blossom?

Preorder Jacklyn and the Twisted Beanstalk via Amazon

A Sea of Golden Chains (Releases 12/1/23)