And the surprise email interview is with.....Erica Stevens! Here is what she had to say!
How long have you been writing?
Do you feel like you have achieved your childhood dream of
being a writer?
What/who is your biggest inspiration?
How long have you been writing?
-I wrote my first
book when I was nine but I was always writing stories before then. I even wrote
plays for my friends and I to act out. I loved it, they probably hated me for
it, but they were good sports.
-Absolutely. I loved
my childhood, you couldn't keep me inside. My friends and I were always coming
up with new ways to keep ourselves entertained whether it was imaginary worlds,
sports, games or building forts and exploring the woods. It gave me an
opportunity to let imagination run free. I've moved around since my teens and
have had some really interesting and not so common jobs. I've been fortunate
enough to make some really good friends and meet some really interesting
people. Some of them share traits with more than a few of my characters!
-I tried the
traditional publishing route for years. I kept querying agents and getting
rejected. My husband urged me to try self-publishing and one day I finally
listened. I took books from three series I had been working on and put them on Amazon
before I could chicken out. Looking back, I wish I hadn't done all three at
once, but I was just hoping someone would read it and like something. I didn't
have an editor at the time, but thankfully Leslie has found me since! She's
edited everything new I've released and is working on editing the stories I had
first put out. I'm hoping to have them all edited and re-released eventually.
-Yes. Writing was
the only thing I ever I wanted to do. It's a part of me and I love it so much.
I bounced through college majors because everything interested me, but I always
knew I just wanted to find something that would give me the opportunity to
write.
What/who is your biggest inspiration?
-That is a good
question. For writers it would have to be Dean Koontz, J.K. Rowling, James
Rollins and Stephen King. I love the way they can keep me on the edge of my seat
throughout most of the story. In my life, it would have to be my parents.
They're both unbelievably strong people and have worked incredibly hard their
entire lives. They never let anyone, or anything, hold them back.
The books that I have read so far (the captive series and
the ravening series) both have a continuing theme in them that two
people/beings who should hate each other end up falling in love. Is there a particular message that you are
trying to relay to your readers?
-I really just like
to put people into already difficult situations and then give them something
even more
difficult to have to deal with. However, I do believe that love isn't
a choice and that it is worth fighting for.
-I work on a
different book. If I get stuck somewhere I don't stress about it, I start a new
book or go to a different book I was already having trouble with. I find it
gives me a new perspective and I'm able to figure out what was bothering me. It
also helps to keep me from getting frustrated, and gives me an opportunity to
start one of the many stories I have running through my head or written in my
notebook. I also allow my husband to drag me away once in awhile, though
sometimes I'm still clutching my laptop!
What advice would you give to aspiring authors out there?
-Don't ever give up
and don't be afraid to try something new even if it might scare you.
Don't forget to check out Erica's blog:
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