I was lucky to get an interview with R. Lindsay Carter, the author of Unfamiliar Territory, one of this year’s #SPFBO9 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
Hi! I’m just a person fulfilling her lifelong dream of being a published author. I have a huge love for animals, so I decided to follow that track in college, earning a Bachelors in Zoology. I haven’t done much with my degree, however, but I think my passion for the subject shows in my writing. I also am an artist, with felting being my top medium. I even teach classes locally.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, and I’ve been living in Oregon for most of my life. I’m living my best life with my husband, my two daughters, my dog, three cats, a rabbit, and two guinea pigs.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
Because my idea is unique! There are some common tropes, of course, but delivered in a way that I have not come across. My main character, Cressida Curtain, is a young bounty hunter who specializes in supernatural criminals. Cressida also has a secret, though, and a family legacy that keeps her world safe from an evil entity. Together with her partner Grimm—a large, black dog—she searches for her next bounty, one that has the potential to turn her life upside down. Featuring magic, witches, cats, found family, a hint of cozy, and a pinch of humor, Unfamiliar Territory has a little something for everyone.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I’ve wanted to become a published author for as long as I can remember, and made many books for my family when I was a kid, complete with illustrations and binding. Life got busy, though, and while I would start novels many times over the years, I never finished more than a few chapters. College came and went, and then work. I got married and had babies. When my youngest was in preschool, and revisited one of the books I had started many years prior. I’d given this idea a lot of thought, and now I felt the time was right to try to finish it. And I did! But my fear made me sit on it for a couple more years before I showed it to a friend. She loved it and told me to publish. But I wasn’t sure which direction to go: traditional, or self-published? Finally, on New Years Day of 2022, I woke up with fresh courage. I had a big birthday that year at the end of April, and I wanted something equally big to show for it. I vowed to publish my book before my birthday. So, I jumped into motion, hired an editor, hired a cover artist, and Unfamiliar Territory was published almost exactly one week before my big birthday!

I just recently hit my one-year anniversary, and have two books out, with my third due in June. It’s been a very fulfilling year.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
No, I have not. My editor was the one to clue me in to this competition. She urged me to enter Unfamiliar Territory. So here I am!

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I love the freedom that fantasy allows, both as a writer and a reader. So far, I’ve only worked on the series that Unfamiliar Territory is a part of. I would categorize this series as contemporary adventure fantasy. I dream a lot, and sometimes my dreams spark story ideas. Unfamiliar Territory is one of those. Somehow, I took a scene from a dream and built a four-book series off of it. And since I apparently dream in fantasy, I write in fantasy too. My next book I want to tackle after finishing this series is more of a cozy fantasy.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
I’d like to think that The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher has a similar tone to my books. A little snark, a lot of magic, adventure … I’m a huge fan.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
I’d like to hope that my books would gain a bit more visibility. I’m not one of those new authors that comes out of the gate swinging. It’s been a year of low sales and fewer reviews, as much as I ask for them. Getting my name out there would be a huge plus. I’m not asking for fame, but if my characters were known enough for people to want to dress up as them for Halloween, that would be an ultimate bucket list item, for sure!

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
It took me over ten years to write Unfamiliar Territory. After my dream, I wrote the first chapter, laying some groundwork. And then, it sat untouched for a few more years before I revisited it. You see, some ideas pass through my head like a spring breeze; here today but gone the next. Others burrow into my brain and refuse to let go. Thankfully, Unfamiliar Territory was one of the latter. Between work and marriage, raising babies and taking care of a household, I found pockets of time to write. And eventually, it was finished. I wrote Relative Truths (book two) in about a year, mostly finishing it before Unfamiliar Territory was even published. And Chasing Tails (book three) was written in five months! I’d like to think that my years of procrastination over writing are over.

The only other challenge I faced was my own fears and reluctances. What if it isn’t good enough? How do I find an editor? How do I publish? Showing an early version to a friend (who loved my story) helped me get over my fear that my writing sucked. And I joined the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA) to help with my publishing questions. I’m an introvert, and this was the biggest accomplishment of my life!

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
Just don’t give up! Write that first draft, even if you think it’s hideous. You can always polish a first draft, but only if you have it written!

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I’m currently writing the fourth and last book of The Familiar’s Legacy, of which Unfamiliar Territory is the first book. I’m actually incredibly close to finishing my rough draft, and I suspect to be finished by mid-June. It’s exciting, but also, I find myself mourning the end of this project. After all, this is the only thing I’ve ever written. But I do have a completely different project that I’d like to tackle after the completion of my series. A cozier fantasy set in the 1920s when adventures were finding amazing archaeological discoveries, some of which may have curses placed upon them …

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
Great question! I do think that people trying to make a quick buck will saturate the market with poorly written AI garbage, which will further dilute the self-published fare available and make it that much harder to find real gems in the indie world. But I try to take this whole AI thing one day at a time, because things seem to change from week to week.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
Like I said, my goal is to not be famous. But a household name? “Have you read the latest by R. Lindsay Carter?” That would be cool. Realistically, I’d love to break even in the foreseeable future, which means selling A LOT of my books! I’m hoping this competition will at least get more eyes on me and my work.

Other than that, my brain is always ticking over creative projects. I’m a huge fan of games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, and I have an idea for a similar game. It would be ultimately cool to actually get something like that off the ground one day, but I won’t hold my breath!

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
I just want to give a huge shoutout to Mark Lawrence and SPFBO for this opportunity, and I wish everyone entered the best of luck!

That was some interesting answers. I wish you the very best in the SPFBO. I hope a lot of readers discover your writing. Thanks for doing the interview.