Have you ever read an author’s bio and wanted to learn more about them? Well here’s your chance to learn more about indie author Caitlyn Grey in preparation for her second book launching in two weeks.

If there are any questions you have that weren’t on this list leave a comment below.

1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve been writing little stories and poems ever since I was a little kid. I remember always having paper and a pen with me at all times because what I thought would be the next great story struck at any given time. It wasn’t until I was in high school, more specifically in 11th grade, that I started thinking seriously about being a professional writer. I started looking at schools that offer creative writing programs and even toured a few of them. Unfortunately, some adults in my school and what not talked me out of being a writer.

Thankfully I took a journalism course in my sophomore year of college. My love for writing was immediately reignited. That summer I started working on my first novel, which has lead me down the path I’m on now.

2. How long does it take to write a book?

I usually work on books in chunks. The first chunk of writing is the planning and outlining, followed by the writing, then editing, lastly the re-writing. All in all, if I dedicate most of my time to writing I can finish the whole process in about 6 months. I do, however, have a book I’ve been working on since 2015. It all kinda depends on how fleshed out the original idea is. For my first book, it took about 18 months to have completed, but for my next book it took a little less than a year to finish.

3. What is your writing quirk?

Being a very quirky person, in general, makes this a tough question. I’d have to say the one writing quirk I have is that I need to listen to ambient music when I write. That isn’t too weird. But when I write the more intense and scary scenes the music has to match. Sometimes I’ll listen to creepy laughter, spine-chilling music, and other weird things to get my head int he right place. It’s almost like I have to scare myself before I can start writing certain scenes.

I’m weird. Don’t judge me.

4. How many books have you written?

So far I have two books written, but I have about four other books in the works.

5. Do you have suggestions to help others become better writers?

I would say for other aspiring writers the most important thing to do is write, write, and write. Whether it’s spending hours working on a short story or coming up with a two-sentence writing prompt it doesn’t matter. The point is to practice. The second most important thing to do as an aspiring writer is to read. You’ll learn so much about writing from other writers.

Speaking of other writers, join a writing community. #WritingCommunity on Twitter is a great place to start. It’s very active and can get lots of feedback and tips from them.

6. What makes you a good writer?

The thing that sets me apart from other writers is my ability to create strong, visual images. When I write I try my best to make it seem like the reader is in the same room as the characters. My use of all senses and descriptive language makes it possible. I also pull characters, plots, and dialogue from real-world situations I’ve experienced, which I feel has helped add to the reader feeling like they’re part of the novel.

7. What makes the horror genre so special?

I’ve been obsessed with horror practically my entire life. The supernatural world has always fascinated me. When I was in first grade, despite my mother’s strong objections, I would practically only borrow ghost books from the library. The older I got, the more fascinated with the paranormal I became. Not only does the horror genre bring me back to simpler days, but it also reminds me how far I’ve come.

Not surprising, when I started indulging myself in the world of horror everything scared me and everything kept me up at night. As an adult, it takes a lot for me to get scared. Being part of this genre allows me to create the next terrifying stories to keep the next generation up at night.

8. Where do you get your ideas?

A lot of my ideas come from either real-world experiences (either something I’ve experienced myself or seen on YouTube or social media). I’d have to say that the bulk of my inspiration comes from my dreams. I have extremely vivid and lucid dreams. Most days when I wake up I can spend upwards of an hour writing down everything that happened shot-for-shot. Sometimes I’ll go to bed wondering what’ll happen next in my book and my dream that night will point me in the right direction. It’s really cool stuff, but can be scary for sure.

9. What time of day do you write?

I usually say that I’m most productive as a writer between 10 pm-1 am. I think this all started because when I first started writing I was a college student who was also working just under a full-time job while also juggling an internship. The only time that I had to write would be late at night and into the morning. Even after graduating this continued because that was the time when the house was the quietest. Most of the lights were off, the pets were asleep, and so were the people. Now, even when I want to write during the day, at least creatively, I have a difficult time. I guess that’s another writing quirk I have.

10. Do you use outlines?

Hell yeah, I use outlines! I think if I didn’t use outlines I’d be completely lost when it came to writing. Even though I go back and revise my outline about 5 times throughout the course of writing, I still reference that before I even start my writing session.

I especially use outlines when I get toward the end of the book. Typically, whatever I had on the outline is completely useless because my characters developed differently than planned. Usually, the last six or so chapters are mostly written as a very in-depth outline that I go back in and add some dialogue and other fancy words.