Indie Support Sunday: TJ Williams
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
For TJ Williams, their books aren’t planned or thought about at great length. As a pantser, they start with a vague idea and build a story out of that. Which, in my honest opinion, is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. And when you hear what kind of books she writes, you will definitely be impressed with this incredible skill.
If you’re looking for new books to add to your TBR, TJ’s got some great recommendations. And maybe someday in the future, they might even write a psychological thriller that we can all devour.
Right now, TJ’s books are available in Kindle Unlimited!
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I don’t know if anyone inspired me so much as I just always had the words in me and needed to get them out. I read a lotttt even as a kid, though, so I suppose I was inspired by those books, which included authors like Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best part is that I have made connections with incredible people through self publishing and everyone is generally so welcoming and helpful. It’s made an intimidating endeavour that much easier!
The worst part is that because I’m responsible for so much (writing, editing, publishing, marketing etc.) as well as being a solo parent, I don’t have the time to read as much anymore! So even though I love to support and hype up my indie friends, I don’t get to read their books as freely as I’d like.
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
The only thing about tradpub that appeals to me is having some funding behind me 😂and I’ve never written because I wanted to be rich. So it’s not a route I care for. I don’t write to market, I don’t like being told what to do, and I fit into several marginalised identities which are historically a ‘hard sell’ and therefore treated with way less care.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
Before I became a mother, I used to write whenever the mood hit me and I’d revisit when I had the spark, which meant I always had like 5 WIPs on the go. Now, I’m very busy and I don’t have downtime anymore, so it’s more like forcing myself to get the word count up. It’s not as negative as that sounds, though! Promise.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
Oh, god. I’m so bad at this. I’m going to cherry pick random genres because I read all of them, pretty much.
For sapphic books, L.M Bennett is your girl. She is writing characters that are so fleshed out and palpable, and you’ll learn some sports along with reading about Black lesbians that are more than the cliches you’re used to.
For MM, I recommend anything by Gregory Ashe, but in particular his Hazard and Somers series. You will cry, you will rage, you will feel so full of joy and you will never want to slam two people’s heads together more than you will those boys.
For fantasy, I recommend Dawn of the Obsidian Sun by R.N. Barbosa. Truly intricate worldbuilding, wonderful characters, and fantastic diverse rep across the board.
And for contemporary romance, Talia Hibbert. EVERYTHING she has ever written into infinity. I love her, I love her, I love her!
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Community. Even if you’re terrible at socialising, build one!
Be unhinged, but be respectful, and the readers will come
Write what you want to write, because you’ll never please everyone and there’s no point trying to fit into a box.
Save EVERYTHING; readers want to see it all as bonus content
Have fun with it, because this shit is hard, and it can get miserable
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
Romance means so much to me, and always has. I’m a hopeless romantic, and it’s pretty much all I’ve got in me. The thing that has always drawn me in is reading about the small ways we come through for each other, about the ways a partner/s can make life feel worth the struggle. I love seeing characters happy and cherished by people who don’t have to love them.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
Thrillers, maybe. I love myself a psychological thriller!
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
Ooof. I love so many but especially one bed, knife to throat, touch her and die. I’m not fond of miscommunication, accidental pregnancy, and virginal characters.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I write as the ideas come to me so I don’t have any saved up that I want to use. But I’d be interested to see if I can pull off a true enemies to lovers. It’s really hard to do!
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
More about the intersection of being a queer and GNC, Black disabled woman or femme. So basically me 😂I’m not slick, sorry!
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
I’m a big proponent of sex positivity. I despise the shame that’s programmed into people, especially when it comes to those socialised as girls. No one has ever been able to make me ashamed of sex and I have always devoured open door romance believing that whether the scenes are integral to the plot or gratuitous, they’re perfect either way. Of course I love closed door romance, too, but I write my books with all the other horny little readers in mind.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
This is going to sound like such a cop out but they genuinely just come to me when they come. I’m a pantser with minimal attempt to plan and so I pretty much start with a vague “what if…” and go from there. I’m the type of autist that needs time to process, so these ideas are obviously sparked by something, I just don’t usually get the premise until way after.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
I’ll give you the short summary version because I’m also terrible at this ☺️
Tethered is a sapphic sci-fi romance described as Becky Chambers meets Delilah Green Doesn’t Care. A mother goes to great lengths to stop her son from being abducted, and is forced to rely on the captain of the ship—a woman with a dark past and an irresistible pull.
In Shades of Onyx, Medusa of mythical fame now goes by Onyx, the latest in a long line of reincarnations. Under threat from three vindictive goddesses, Onyx sets out to find a bargaining chip with the help of postgrad Blake. But, in the pursuit of freedom, she starts to succumb to the one thing she forbade herself millennia ago: attachment.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
My favourite character so far is Beau from Tethered and now they’re getting their own sequel so, I wasn’t even able to hide it 🙊They’re just a very silly, lovable little scamp and always a grin and a joke in the middle of a storm. Comfortable in their body and identity, appreciative of women and kind of a badass. Like? Sign me up.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
I AM SO BAD AT THIS.
Marlowe: Raven Goodwin or Shoniqua Shandai
Tanisira: Maybe Zoe Kravitz but she’d have to get swole haha
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
I try not to, or I thought I wasn’t anyway, but apparently so much haha. The thing is that my experiences are not unique, so putting so much of myself into my books is the reason—I think—so many readers do feel seen. I don’t know, that’s my theory, anyway. I’m not fighting it anymore!
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
There’s something brewing in the back of my consciousness, and I’ve been letting it do its own thing for a few years now. It will definitely bring together the many experiences I’ve had in my crazy life, and it will probably be the most taxing thing I’ve ever written. But it’s not fully realised yet, and I don’t know what form it will take.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
There’s always an autistic babe just desperate to be loved haha.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
There are so many but the immediate next book after this release is the Tethered sequel. It follows Beau and Kiran (who had a secret one night stand in book 1) and is a sort of forbidden romance/friends to lovers sci-fi romance.
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
Mostly, at home. There is a home here for them, and I hope they see themselves in my stories.
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances
Music or silence when writing
Plotter, pantser or plantser
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?
Illustrated or photo cover?
You can find TJ on Instagram, TikTok and Threads. Make sure you also sign up for their newsletter to stay updated on future books and other awesome news!
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