Allison, welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a Christian, homeschool graduate in my mid-twenties. I work part-time in sales and operations as an agent for a major transportation company. I am a graduate of London Art College – I studied drawing and painting for several years then spent another few years studying cartooning. Aside from writing and art, I also pursue singing, voice-acting and baking.
Everyone’s homeschooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?
I think it was the fact that I wasn’t forced to be mastering in science or math when I was such a creative person. My parents realized that I was never going to be a mathematician or a zoologist, and I wasn’t forced to consume excess knowledge that would be superfluous to me and the path that was so obviously marked for me. I was an artist, and I was allowed to be creative day and night. I was able to focus on what I was meant to do very early on, as opposed to focusing on a major after graduation.
How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?
First of all, it gave me the freedom to be myself and to explore many different pursuits. We also read a LOT, I grew up seeped in good, quality stories. Plus, everything was a learning experience. Last of all, being homeschooled made me very close to my siblings and I learned a lot about writing by bouncing ideas off of them and talking about stories, characters and plotting.
What caused you to start writing?
My big sister! I wanted to be just like her, and – I’m embarrassed now to admit it – I wanted all the accolades and attention that her stories were getting. Since then, I’ve learned that I don’t have to compare my stories to other people’s writing, and I don’t have to do something just because someone I admire is doing it. I don’t write for accolades anymore; I write because I must. I write because it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. Writing has become as much a part of me as breathing. The words are there, and they must come out.
What inspired The Reluctant Godfather?
I honestly can’t say one thing in particular inspired The Reluctant Godfather – one night the entire story popped into my head. All I had to do was write it!
Would you give us a synopsis?
Burndee is a young and cantankerous fairy godfather, who would rather bake cakes than help humans. A disgrace to the fairy order, Burndee has only two wards entrusted to his care…a cinder girl and a charming prince. A royal ball presents Burndee with the brilliant solution of how to make his wards happy with the least amount of effort. He’ll arrange a meeting and hope the two fall in love. A humorous and magical re-telling of Cinderella from a unique perspective.
Who will enjoy The Reluctant Godfather?
Even though it’s a retelling of Cinderella, it’s from a male perspective, so I think that will make it more accessible to guy readers. I hope that many different people will enjoy my book. But I think my book will probably appeal most to ladies from 14 to 30.
Do you plan to write more books?
Absolutely! I have already published a short story—The Key to the Chains. The Reluctant Godfather is the first book in a series—The Tales of Ambia—and I have already started working on the sequel. And I have many more novels and novellas in the works.
Where can people connect with you online?
Yes! You can find me at Allison Tebo.com or my blog Allison's Well. You can also find me on Goodreads, Pinterest, Youtube, and Facebook.
Do you have any final thoughts?
First – thank you so much for the interview – it has been a dream of mine to join Homeschooled Authors for years and I am thrilled to be joining the ranks of Christian Homeschooled Indie Authors.
Lastly – for other authors or aspiring authors, I would like to share a quote from C.S. Lewis – this quote is my chief source of inspiration to guide me in my own writing.
“We must not of course write anything that will flatter lust, pride or ambition. But we needn’t all write patently moral or theological work. Indeed, work whose Christianity is latent may do quite as much good and may reach some whom the more obvious religious work would scare away.
The first business of a story is to be a good story. When Our Lord made a wheel in the carpenter shop, depend upon it: It was first and foremost a good wheel. Don’t try to ‘bring in’ specifically Christian bits: if God wants you to serve him in that way you will find it coming in of its own accord. If not, well—a good story which will give innocent pleasure is a good thing, just like cooking a good nourishing meal. . . .
Any honest workmanship (whether making stories, shoes, or rabbit hutches) can be done to the glory of God.”
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