Adam Interviews...Christine Schulz!

Today, I'm thrilled to sit down with Christine Schulz, an urban fantasy author known for her quirky, magical adventures filled with supernatural shenanigans, witty dialogue, and unforgettable characters. Christine's works, like the popular Black Sheep and NightFly series, have captured the imaginations of readers who enjoy tales brimming with morally gray characters, unique magical artifacts (like a spatula that can mix the perfect spell), and a dash of humor. Christine’s stories are often inspired by the most unexpected everyday moments, infusing the fantastical with a refreshing sense of relatability and whimsy. Whether it’s a part-cat, part-spider shifter or a talking pug with magical farts, her books are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and keep you turning the pages.

Christine’s latest project, a special edition omnibus of the Black Sheep series, promises to offer fans even more with new illustrations, bonus chapters, and exclusive content that you won’t find anywhere else. When she’s not weaving magical worlds, Christine can be found indulging in her love of pugs, cupcakes, and all things unicorn. Let’s dive into the mind behind the magic and discover more about Christine’s writing journey, her creative process, and what’s coming next for her enchanting series.

Star Trek or Star Wars?

·         Well,  I’d have to say Star Wars. My dog is named TonTon and when we adopted her, her name was Leia. (You might notice that TonTon is actually spelled wrong, though. That’s because it’s actually an anime reference, but no one ever gets it so we often tell people it’s Star Wars related —because she’s a pug and her gas is pretty smelly.)

A book you’re looking forward to release (by someone else)?

·         I supported a Kickstarter by V.E. Schwab for a special edition of a Darker Shade of Magic. Technically, it’s not a new book, but a new edition of it. I’ve already read the series (and it was fantastic, by the way), but I’ve been anxiously awaiting to get my hands on this special edition for months! It’s got all the fancy book extras, including illustrations, foil, and sprayed edges and I want to show it off on my bookshelf.

Coffee, tea, or cacao?

·         I’m an iced anything drinker all the way. Iced coffee, iced tea, or chocolate milk. Even in the middle of winter when it’s below freezing … gotta have my iced coffee. If I had to pick one, definitely iced tea, but I live in the northern United States so it’s gotta be unsweetened. No sweet tea for me. I love me a good iced tea lemonade though. Or some of those fancy flavored iced teas? I might be needing to make a run to my local café later and pick something up.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

·         I realized from a very young age that I was destined for a life of literary chaos when my grandma told me I had such a vivid imagination and I should "write a book of excuses one day." Well, I took those ridiculous ideas and wrote several books, including the Black Sheep and NightFly series. These fun urban fantasy stories have a hilarious take on magical mishaps and supernatural shenanigans. Readers love my witty dialogue, lovable misfits, and the surprising number of every day items that have been turned into dangerous magical objects (a handheld vacuum that can suck in magic anyone?).

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

·         You might think the idea for a half-cat/half spider shifter searching for a magical spatula would be a ridiculous idea … and you’d be right. That story came about after maybe one too many glasses of wine. A spider crawled up on the counter (I’m absolutely TERRIFIED of creepy crawlies, even the non-threatening ones). Naturally, I panicked. I grabbed the first thing I could find, a baking spatula, and took a swing at it. I then yelled at the cat because she was supposed to be hunting these things. You know, protecting me from the evil bad spiders. She wasn’t having any of it.

Thus, Zulli, the part cat/part spider shifter was born. And she would be on a mission to find a magic spatula that can mix the perfect spell to save her city. Where did her odd name come from? That’s another great story. The barista at Starbucks mishead my sister-in-law’s name (Julie) for Zulli and wrote that on her cup. I knew instantly the name had to be a character in my next book.

So, where to my ideas come from? Often idea pop into my head when the most random things happen to me. An author always has to be thinking of the next best thing!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

·         I listen to anime theme songs or K-pop when I’m writing. I find the tunes are catchy, they keep me energized and engaged, but I have no idea what the words are so I can’t distract myself and sing along. I also have to be sitting at my desk. I’ve tried moving around, taking my laptop outside or sitting on the couch for a change of scenery. Nope. Can’t do it. I need a stable work environment.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

·         I think I was probably about twelve or so when I started writing my first book … on a floppy disk. Remember those? I’m feeling quite old now. The story was about a young fifteen-year-old boy who ran away from home and became best friends with a homeless person in a park. It had strong Catcher in the Rye vibes. The main character (ironically named Adrian, the same as the main character in the Black Sheep series), was very angsty and rebellious. He got into a fight with his parents so he stuffed a backpack full of stuff and bounced. I never finished the story, but I made it about 75% of the way through. It was something like a hundred or so pages. Adrian roamed the city for a while with his friend, and while he learned a lot about these folks living on the streets with them, finding comfort living with them because they protected and looked after him, this stranger who they had no connection to, he eventually realized their actions weren’t much different than his parents. I’d imagine in the end, he would have gone back home to his family. They’d accept him back with open arms and he’d live happily ever after, growing up to give back to society and help the less fortunate.

Kind of a deep, emotional story for a twelve year old, don’t you think? I’ve come a long way from an angsty runaway teen to a part-cat/part spider shifter saving the world with a magic spatula.

Is there a trope you find yourself going back to in multiple works? Or one you avoid?

·         I always love a questionable morally gray character. Their motives are complex, and you never know what you’re going to get with them or how deep down the rabbit hole they’ll fall. It makes for an intriguing story full of mystery and leaves you wondering if they’ll change for better or for worse. I also love animals. You’ll find all sort of animals in my books from made up creatures like the giant catfish seamonster called a calavarn to a talking pug with magical farts named Porky.

I do my best to avoid a lot of the standard fantasy tropes. You won’t find the super powerful, super beautiful chosen one destined to save the world in any of my stories. In fact, most of my characters are your average, every day people who get sucked into chaos they’re forced to do something about. Adrian, the main character in my Black Sheep series, has to battle his allergies more than the villain. Zulli narrowly avoids death several times but not by the enemy. She has to avoid being squashed by boots when she’s in her spider form.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

·         I was shocked at the amount of time it takes to actually complete writing a cohesive story! Some of the authors I read release a new book every few months, but most of us small time writers don’t function at such a fast pace. Even when I plotted out the exact storyline, I found myself revisiting things and rewriting scenes that then impacted other parts of the story later on. For me, it takes a good six to eight months to write a single full length novel, and then my editor spends a month going through it. The income is also a lot less than what most readers probably imagine. You might purchase a book for $12, but the author typically only sees a couple dollars of that. It takes a LOT of sales to recoup the publishing costs.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

·         I have seven full length novels out there, and three short stories you can read for free on my website. The NightFly and Black Sheep series actually interconnect, and you’ll experience the story from a two different points of view. Although the NightFly series happens to be my more popular series, Adrian and the Black Sheep series will always hold a special place in my heart. How to Hunt a Menacing Magical Shadow was the first book I had ever officially published. I modeled Adrian much after myself. He’s got a mop of curly brown hair and mediocre at everything. He’s short. He's kind of lazy yet somehow still determined. When he finally finds a group of people who recognizes his potential, everything snaps into place. For this book, I had done the cover myself (it was awful) and hired the cheapest editor I could find (total mistake) but I had done it. I published a book. I have since revisited the series, redoing the covers and hiring a much more professional editor, so if you’re looking to read it now, I assure you it’s much better.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

·         My readers tend to either really love my work or really hate it. It’s kind of funny … there’s not much in between. I had one reviewer write something along the lines of “What is this crap? Is this why women fall in love with serial killers?” For the record, my books aren’t romance and the woman in question knew he was framed for murder (one murder, not multiple). I then had one woman give me a play by play of her experience as she read through the same book. She’d quote to me funny one liners and tell me she couldn’t stop laughing, let me know me when she was mad at a certain character, then yelled at me because I needed to write faster so she could read the next book in the series to see what happened.

What do you think makes a good story?

·         I think writing from experience really makes a difference to the story. Now, clearly that’s a bit difficult with fantasy since I can’t exactly travel through a portal to a different world or spend time with magical creatures, but my hobbies and passions still bleed into the story. I love learning about science and I’m intrigued how, if magic actually existed, the two could mix together. I have two characters—one who controls magnetic fields and another who controls electricity. Together, they can combine their powers into a terrifying railgun. I’ve also introduced “magiceutical” companies—pharmaceutical companies but with magic. I think too many times authors try to get too creative or write about things they aren’t familiar with. Getting overly complicated or getting things wrong can really pull someone out of the story.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

·         I wanted to be a train driver. No, not a conductor. For some reason, I didn’t realize that’s what they were called until later on in my childhood. Why pick such an odd career? I wanted to travel and see the world, but apparently only in North America since I wouldn’t be traveling across any oceans. I wanted to meet new people and learn about their different cultures and customs. I don’t get to travel on trains much, but there’s something peaceful about them. There’s no rushing across the airport to catch a flight only to then spend hours cramped in this tiny little seat with no air circulation. Instead, you can choose your own seat and look out the window, taking in the beautiful scenery. You can get up and move around. The food is way better. Overall, I find it way more relaxing.

Later on in my life I wanted to be a camera operator. Yeah, I know, another oddly specific job to seek out. But when I realized I wouldn’t be traveling the world on the Hogwarts Express, I thought that being behind a camera on set of a movie or TV show set would grant me the same feeling. Bring the world to me! And when that didn’t pan out either, I started writing and making up my own worlds to immerse myself in.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

·         Be realistic. You always hear aspiring speakers say things like, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.” Telling someone to be more realistic might sound awful, but in a way, I think it sets you up better for success. I’d hate to come off as a pessimist here, but we all know the stats. Most self-published authors never make back the money they put into their books. They’ll sell maybe a couple thousand books in their lifetime, if that. Would I love to be a New York Times Best Selling Author making millions a year? Of course. But that’s not my goal as a writer. I write because I enjoy it and I love connecting with readers and other authors. My fanbase is small but mighty but I wouldn’t be here without them!

What’s the best way to market your books?

·         Networking! Sure, you can run ads, post to social media accounts, and start a blog or newsletter, but the most impactful relationships I’ve made are with other authors. They’re such an amazing community of people, and most of them are in the same situation as me … they’re unknown names just trying to get people to take a chance on their books. We support each other not just by sharing posts and reading each other’s work, but offering advice and feedback when it’s needed. Together, we elevate each other’s confidence and ability to be seen.

What do you have coming next?

·         My next big project is a Kickstarter for a special illustrated edition of my Black Sheep series. It’s set to run from September 23 – October 11, 2024. While I paid some talented people to do the covers, I did most of the other artwork myself, including the six full page illustrations throughout the book. There are also three bonus chapters (with a goal to include three more) that you won’t, and never will, find in the original story. And we can’t forget the holographic foil dust jacket and sprayed edge option.

The best part though? If you back the project within the first twenty-four hours, you’ll receive a special paw print signature from my dog in your book. TonTon is the inspiration behind Porky, the talking pug, and let’s face it, her signature is way more important than mine.

Otherwise, you can start reading the Black Sheep and NightFly series. Both are completed and available through Kindle Unlimited (although the Black Sheep series will be pulled from the program for the duration of the Kickstarter). I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and you can find some free short stories on my website.