Where do you get your ideas?
Jesus. (Really!) My relationship with God is always my first inspiration for any new project (the good ones, anyway; I take sole responsibility for my lame ideas). I also like to feed my creative spark with nature, music, books and movies, and all the random, weird, and beautiful things that happen in daily life. My favorite place to get new ideas is sitting before the Blessed Sacrament in a quiet church.
What is your favorite thing to write?
I have a soft spot for young adult fiction, especially in genres like fantasy and sci-fi. I particularly love writing stories that highlight the drama of salvation and involve darkness permeated by hope, wonder and whimsy grounded in truth, and flawed characters who have to grow in heart and soul through difficult (and often unusual) circumstances. If I can also pull off a plot twist or two, it’s a good day.
What’s it like being a nun author?
Amazing. And sometimes tricky. I don’t think I’d be an author if I wasn’t a religious sister, because it was through the media mission of the Daughters of St. Paul that Jesus first convinced me to share my writing with others. It would also be much harder for me to write without an active prayer life and the loving support of my community. But as a religious sister, my schedule is not my own, and it can sometimes be difficult to find time for writing. In moments like that, I do what I can with the time I have and entrust the rest to God. He multiplies the fruits abundantly.
Are your books only for Catholics?
All my books are written from a Catholic worldview and involve elements of the Catholic faith. But anyone is welcome to read them! When I’m writing fiction, I try to include enough explanation that someone who is not familiar with Catholicism can still understand and enjoy the story.
Are you working on anything new?
Always! I tend to keep my projects quiet during the early stages because that is helpful for my creative process, so I won’t tell you about my current work-in-progress. But I do have a few more books for kids and teens scheduled to come out from Pauline Books & Media in the next year or two, and ideas for plenty more!
Where’s the best place to find out what you’re up to?
I post about my books, religious life, writing, and other stuff I love on my social media accounts (@sister_allison), so feel free to check those out! I’ll also keep this website up to date with my latest book-related news. To get notified of my new releases by email, you can sign up for my publisher’s e-newsletter. You can also follow my author accounts on Goodreads or Amazon.
I am an aspiring writer. How do I get published?
This may sound counterintuitive, but write not to get published first. Write what you are passionate about, just for yourself, just because you love it, and write a LOT. Also, read a lot. Read the sort of thing you want to write, and a bunch of other stuff too. Pay attention to what authors do well and to what doesn’t work and why. That’s a great way to develop as a writer so that when you do write to be published, you have the skills and experience you need to pull it off. If you write stories like mine, or any quality Catholic content, and you want to learn more about the possibility of publishing with Pauline Books & Media, you can find our submissions guidelines here.
Can I order your books if I am outside of the USA or Canada?
Yes! If you purchase my books from Amazon.com, they are usually able to ship internationally. The ebook versions should also be accessible outside of the USA and Canada.
Where did you get the inspiration for The Curse He Chose?
The Curse He Chose actually started as an Advent project when I was a postulant with the Daughters of St. Paul (the first stage of our initial formation). I'd thought about the connections between vampires and the Eucharist before (my friends and I were all theology nerds in college), and I'd had ideas for the character of Christopher floating around in my head for a while. But it all came together that Advent when Jesus started using the story to teach me more about prayer, the reality of his Eucharistic presence, and what it means to truly trust him. I scribbled the whole thing down in a notebook and was done with the first draft by Christmas... then spent the next five years or so revising it until it was actually publishable.
Which is your favorite book in the In Aeternum trilogy?
That's such a hard question! Is it cheating to say that I love them all, but for different reasons? In Book One, I especially love the conversations between Elizabeth and Christopher as they're getting to know each other. In Book Two, I love how you get to see Christopher's backstory and finally meet his family. In Book Three, I love that my favorite character has the most page time...and no, I will not tell you who that is. You'll just have to read it and see if you can guess!
Are you and Sr. Orianne planning to co-author any more books?
We really love writing together, and we’ve got some fun ideas that we’ve been playing around with. We’ll have to see what the future holds!
Is there going to be a sequel to The Book That Changed Everything?
I’m not planning one at the moment—there are lots of other stories I want to write!—but if Jesus has a different opinion about that, I’ll follow his lead.
What is the animal sidekick in The Book That Changed Everything? Does it have a name?
Sofia’s friend is a ferret. Originally, I thought it was a girl ferret named Felicia, but the illustrator felt certain the ferret was actually a boy, so we named him Felix instead.
What inspired you to write Eli’s Quiet Friend?
I was in college before I realized that I could go to church when it was quiet and just sit before Jesus. That silent prayer changed my life. I encountered Jesus in a personal way and felt the first stirrings of my religious vocation there. It made me think: what if we could share that power of quiet prayer before the Eucharist with kids before they grow up and go to college?
Why did you depict Eli as being on the autism spectrum?
Not long before I wrote Eli’s Quiet Friend, I read and loved Fr. Matthew Schneider’s God Loves the Autistic Mind. But I can’t say that I made a conscious choice to put Eli on the spectrum. He popped into my head fully formed one night, tugging on my sleeve and quietly asking me to tell his story. I couldn’t say no. Growing up, I had friends on the autism spectrum, but I didn’t have a clear understanding of what that meant. I think a book like this would have helped me to be a better friend to them and to recognize that not everyone experiences the world the way I do.
What were your favorite books as a child?
I read so many that it’s hard to pick! But I especially loved the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone (and still do!).
Did you always want to be an author?
I’ve always loved reading, but I thought that being an author was an impossible dream, so I didn’t think too seriously about it. When I was in high school and college, I wrote stories for fun and shared them with my friends and family. After I entered the Daughtersof St. Paul, Jesus encouraged me to share my writing with more people, so I did. It still feels a little strange to be called an author, to be honest. But when you say ‘yes’ to Jesus, you never know what surprises he has planned!
What is your favorite food?
Raspberries. Also really, really dark chocolate.
What is your favorite place you’ve lived?
When I was eleven to thirteen years old, I lived in the small village of West Perry in Cambridgeshire, England. That might be my favorite because I loved exploring the countryside. But I do tend to fall in love with every place that I live. Adventures can happen anywhere!
Did you have an animal sidekick or pet when you were a kid?
My family has had many pets over the years... cats, dogs, fish, rats, chickens, a hamster, a duck. I really wanted a Siberian tiger and a hedgehog as well, but sadly that didn’t work out.
Do you have any brothers and sisters?
I have two amazing little sisters! We annoyed each other a lot when we were growing up, but now they’re my best friends.
How did you decide to become a nun?
When I was in college, I felt a desire to get to know Jesus in a more personal way. I learned how to pray as a conversation with God, especially with the Bible and the Eucharist. And I really fell in love with Jesus! I wanted to give my whole life to God, and I felt him inviting me to do that through religious life. I met the Daughters of St. Paul and went through a process of discernment with them, entering the community in 2017. That’s the short version, anyway. No regrets so far!
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