Writers in Real Life: Ariele Sieling
Yellow Arrow Publishing friend and board member Ariele Sieling has a book launch coming up on March 28, so we wanted to introduce her and her work to you. Ariele is a prolific author of science fiction, kids books, and urban fantasy (13 books so far), and has short stories published in a number of journals, anthologies, and magazines. She has become a go-to expert in self-publishing and uses Patreon to help readers find her and support her work.
We sat down with her and asked a couple of questions of local interest, starting with: what do you like most about Baltimore so far?
She replied: “We moved here about two years ago. I think my favorite part of Baltimore so far is honestly the people. Of all the places I've lived, the people we've met here have been the most friendly, welcoming, and helpful, which makes it much easier to make such a significant adjustment from a small New England town to a large city.”
How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow Publishing, and what has that been like for you?
“I met Gwen at a craft fair and she asked me if I would like to help her run a reading series. I had been thinking about getting involved in doing volunteer work again, so I figured it was a good opportunity and perfect timing. We ran the reading series together last year and it was extremely successful, and then we started a workshop series. Now I'm the vice president of the board, and super excited about watching the organization grow!”
Tell us about your book. How did you come up with idea?
“My most recent book, being released on March 28th, is called Tentacles and Teeth. It is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi filled with monsters. I’ve always been intrigued by apocalyptic stories—specifically the idea of an empty world mixed with the desperate need for survival—and I’ve always wanted to write one. But I felt that a lot of post-apocalyptic stories have already been told and told again—zombies, flood, nuclear war, environmental collapse, aliens. I wanted to write something a little different. So after mulling it over in the back of my mind for quite a while, I realized I hadn’t ever read or watched something with monsters. And that’s where I started.”
What the day-to-day writing life look like for you?
“I am a full time writer. I split my time 50/50 between doing freelance writing (mostly web copy, copy editing, and independent publishing consulting) and writing and marketing my own work. On an average day, I get up and work out or go for a walk, then sit down and do three or four hours for my clients, have lunch, and then switch over to my own stuff and spend another three or four hours writing or marketing. And of course, I fit in all of my volunteer work for Yellow Arrow too!”
What do you think is the best thing about being an author?
“I love telling stories. I’ve always indulged in stories, reading, making them up, imaginary friends—and now I love the fact that I get to tell them all day every day.”
We love telling stories, too—and sharing stories and supporting women telling their own stories. Thank you so much, Ariele, for your time. We are looking forward to checking out your work, and we appreciate all the hard work you do for Yellow Arrow!
We’re so happy to have Ariele as part of the Yellow Arrow team. Click here to order a copy of her newest book, Tentacles and Teeth! You can also visit her website to learn more about all the work she’s doing.
The book will be live on March 28th, and Ariele will be going live on Facebook that night on her author page at: https://www.facebook.com/arielejsieling/
Other ways to find Ariele online: