Art & Life with Amy Lukavics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Lukavics.

Amy, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Reading has always been my media outlet of choice, from childhood onward. In addition to letting me pick out my own books whenever we passed through the old B. Dalton in the local strip mall, my mother, also had a shelf stuffed to the ends with Stephen King, and it was only a matter of time before my curiosity over the morbid covers led me to start taking peeks inside and eventually read them. I read all kinds of things, but without a doubt, horror was my favorite genre.

Despite being a lifelong reader and thoroughly enjoying myself during any creative writing assignment in school, it took a long time for me to realize that it was possible for me to become an author myself. I had always fantasized about it, but I didn’t believe that somebody with no college education and very little writing experience could realistically pursue a career that was so difficult to achieve. But once I did stumble across the thought process that, yes, indeed I could give it my all and see what happened, it was like a light switch going off. I suddenly wanted more than anything to become an author, and I wouldn’t stop trying until I either achieved my dream or I died, haha.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I write horror stories. The first three books that I wrote (that never got published) were all dark contemporary, and I didn’t feel confident enough in my skills to dabble in horror until book four. That book, Daughters unto Devils, was a sort of Little House on the Prairie meets The Exorcist inspired story, and it got me my first publishing contract. I fell head over heels in love with writing horror and never looked back after that. It’s always been my favorite genre–some of my best memories include browsing the horror VHS selection at Blockbuster to look at all the creepy covers, or staying up late with my best friend Chelsea in second grade and watching Stephen King’s It.

A lot of people ask why anybody would want to focus their creative energy to create dark, morbid, or otherwise fucked up stories. “I read to ESCAPE the horrors of the real world,” they say, and to be fair, that is an absolutely valid approach to reading, and everybody is entitled to their own feelings on that. I enjoy a wide range of story types, and many of them aren’t scary! But for me personally, as a reader, I always connected the most with stories that explored the darkest corners of humanity in viscerally raw and unapologetic ways, And when I’m writing my own stories, I always strive to create something that the reader in me would love. I think it’s really important to talk about the terrifying sides and possibilities of human nature, and not be too afraid or uncomfortable or turn our heads the other way.

Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
My biggest advice is that you cannot pursue being a creative professional for the money. While we all know it’s possible to eventually strike gold and make a living that is well above average, the reality is that the majority of authors make less than minimum wage–we’re all small businesses, and what’s worse, there is virtually zero long-term financial security in publishing. It’s just not an industry that will rocket you to wealth and stability, and you *have* to be okay with that and make peace with it. You have to realize that you’d still create your art even if you weren’t getting paid for it, so why not take as much time and care as you possibly can to make it everything you were visualizing? Let your inspiration be the thing to drive you, and be okay with making your money somewhere else in the meantime. I’ve worked as a circuit board assembler, a hostess, a server, and a freelance writer on my journey to become a financially successful author. Whatever works, man. Paper is paper.

I started writing seriously eleven years ago. I got my first book deal five years ago. I have had four books published over the last four years, and am still making below minimum wage. You just can’t do it for the money. Do it for the sake of the process, and anything else that comes in addition to that is just lucky extra stuff.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My first three novels, Daughters unto Devils, The Women in the Walls, and The Ravenous, are all available now wherever books are sold. My fourth horror novel, Nightingale, was released last September 25th. I also have a short story published in issue six of Unnerving Magazine, and a free-to-read short story on Wattpad called The Feeding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amylukavics.com
• Email: a.lukavics@gmail.com
• Instagram: amy.lukavics
• Twitter: @amylukavics

Image Credit:
Nightingale painting by Alexa Simpson
All other photos taken by Chelsea Stazenski

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