Meet Gwen Heifner, Author of The Elementum Series

This week had been full of surprises! Old introvert me stepped outside my comfort zone and talked to new people in The Write Practice, a writing group I just joined. Yes, I did it. And what started as a dreadful chore—interviews—ended up being a fantastic experience. I highly recommend putting any fear aside and work on building new (hopefully long-lasting) relationships.

I learned so much from my fellow writers and enjoyed to share my experience with people in my niche that would understand me.

One of them is Gwen Heifner, author of the Elementum Series. And her favorite quote soon-to-become mine is:

“Feel the fear and do it anyway!”

Gwen’s Origin Story

Gwen has lived her entire life in the suburbs of Chicago. Since she was eighteen years old, she started writing, mostly to herself, and took various English and writing classes. A Behavior Analyst, Gwen is a curious, dedicated, and avid learner. She takes her research very seriously, for instance, going as far as taking an Autopsy class for an anthology of short stories revolving around death she is currently working on.

Over ten years after first taking the pen, she finally put all her fears aside and is ready to share her writings with the world.

Gwen published her debut novel The Sword of Earth, the first book out of four from The Elementum Series, on July 2, 2020. Congratulations!

What Gwen Likes the Most about Writing

As much as she loves creating new fantasy worlds in which to immerse her readers, Gwen loves watching her characters grow as she is writing the story. She discovers them through their actions, and they could sometimes surprise her. Since she is working on a series, her characters start each book at a different place than where they started the previous ones. Getting to know and understand her characters’ growth is one perk of fiction writing that she loves.

What Gwen Likes the Least about Writing

The lack of time to establish a writing routine and stick to it. Having a full-time job makes writing a bit more challenging. So, after a long day at work, Gwen can only think about going back home and rest. Unfortunately, at moment like these, she can’t dedicate time to her writing.

Gwen’s Writing Community

Gwen recommends Instagram. There she met not only most of her fellow writers but also editors, publishers, and cover designers (I mean, look at that beautiful cover…). Following different hashtags took her to the Write Practice group, where we got to read each other’s stories and meet, albeit virtually!

You can find Gwen Heifner at http://gwenheifner.com/ or follow her on Instagram. Her new book The Sword of Earth is available to purchase online, and she is currently in the process of getting print copies, so stay tuned!