Author's Corner with Sarah Sunday!!

Hey Everyone and Welcome The Author Corner!Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Sunday who is the author of ‘How to Stop Wildfire’

To start here is Sarah with a little bit to say about herself.

“Hello! I’m a dedicated world-builder and my books are like one massive, complicated genre-mashup. There are spaceships, magic, alien races, and gods all co-existing in the same universe that I have been crafting for many years. The amount of detail I have made for my stories and worlds is pretty crazy, but I’m little bit crazy too, so it all makes sense.”

Now on to the Interview!
My first question is always the same…why do you write?
Sarah: I write because I love it and because I feel like I am obligated to write all my ideas out, bring my characters to life, and immortalize the stories for myself and others.

At what point did you decide to become a writer?
Sarah: About five years ago. It has taken me around three years to hone my craft and decide what I want to do with writing.

What are you working on at the minute?
Sarah: The second book in The Adventures of the Trinity and the One. It is titled ‘Harmonic Waves’.
So, what’s it about?
Sarah: Harmonic Waves picks up right where How to Stop Wildfire ends and explores the past of the character Cyclone. It is more of a slower, questioning piece than How to Stop Wildfire. It is like the reaction to the events that happened in the first book and how all the characters respond and adapt.
Now, do you write full-time or part-time?
Sarah: Part-time. Writing is my hobby.

Is there a special time you write or how is your day structured?
Sarah: I write whenever I have free time and when I feel I am able to write effectively. I don’t try to structure it or anything, doing so would just make the process painful, and the work would show that struggle.

So this book is part of a series, do you mind telling us a little about it?
Sarah: The Adventures of the Trinity and the One is just that: the adventures of a group called ‘the Trinity and the One.’ This group is made up of four strange people who have been declared to be ‘divine heroes’ and protectors of the universe. Two of them are fully on-board with the idea, while the other two are not on best terms to begin with and are tentative about being a part of the group. The entire group is madness, but they still feel obligated to act as heroes and do their duty. The series is about their beginning, their struggles and triumphs, and what defines them. And of course all the shenanigans they get into.

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
Sarah: I love it. I love planning ahead, foreshadowing, setting the stage for things to come and weaving all these tales together in a coherent narrative, and seeing it all put together. It is like one giant puzzle that I am engineering, and when I finish a part of it I feel ecstatic.

Outside of writing do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
Sarah: Most of the books I read are older and considered ‘classics,’ but I do read some more recent novels. I like Isaac Asimov, J.K Rowling, and Russell Kirkpatrick.

For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional paper/hard back books?
Sarah: Paper for me! Although I love the portability and economy of e-books, there is something special about holding a print copy. I also love the smell of old-musky paper.

Give us a small insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
Sarah: King Fla’neiel is the main character of How to Stop Wildfire. He was raised and bred to be a monarch, but his plans for life are derailed when his planet falls to ruin and he is the only survivor. Instead of being broken by grief and being ‘emo,’ Fla’neiel is very self-aware of what is going on and has a dry wit. He knows very well how insane things are and does his best to deal with it, which in his case is seeking what destroyed his people. He is ill equipped to revenge his people, but his determination makes up for it.

Now one question that I know is on every self-published authors mind how do you market your books?
Sarah: Twitter, Goodreads, and G+. I post what I’m doing, updates, deals, and so on. I’m also beginning to branch out to sites that promote free/discount books.

Why did you choose this route?
Sarah: Well, I don’t use facebook (crazy, I know) so I had to try out different methods and stuck with what felt comfortable for me. The communities on G+ and Goodreads have been extremely supportive.

Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch or anything else to promote your work and did it work?
Sarah: No, I didn’t do any of those things. Planning to for my next book, though.

What are your views on social media for marketing?
Sarah: I don’t think it works all too well. It feels like a giant echo chamber. It works if you are already established, I think, but not if you are just starting off.

Which social network worked best for you?
Sarah: Goodreads: I’ve met very helpful authors and readers, and have learned much about the business. The support-groups there are absolutely fantastic!

Any tips on what to do and what not to do for other writers?
Sarah: Make sure you are happy with the finished product. Don’t be hasty and push out something you aren’t fully behind. Cover art is important—don’t skimp it, but also make it something you are proud of. Don’t do something you aren’t comfortable with to cater to some ‘audience’ or another.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Sarah: Write for yourself, not for others. And don’t give up. Ever.

So my last question, How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Sarah: By going to my website, ‘The Spine of the Empire.’ I post about self-publishing, myself, and info about the series onto it. There are also a couple free downloads of some of my short-stories that people can take advantage of.

Website: http://www.thespineoftheempire.com/
Google+: google.com/+SarahSunday3
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahasunday
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/sarahsunday
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/sarah_sunday
Thank You Sarah for stopping by, I am so happy that you were able to take time to have this interview with me. Make sure you check out her book!

-Andrea