What
is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is Stephanie Nelson. I was born
in the Midwest and still currently live here.
Did
you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I
wrote poems when I was younger but never thought about writing a novel. There
were so many things I wanted to be, it changed all the time. At one point, I
wanted to be a graphic designer, a photographer, be in advertising, own my own
gift shop….
When
did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
When I hit the “publish” button and
uploaded my book for the world to read. Granted now that I’m published, I have
a different take on what is considered a “writer”. To me, anyone who loves to
write and tell stories is a writer to me. Whether they keep their books to
themselves or they allow the world to read them.
Did
it take a long time to get your first book published?
Craved took me seven months to write and
edit and Deceived took just a little over four months.
Do
you work another job as well as your writing work?
I’m happy to say that I’m a full time
author.
What
is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20
words what would you say?
Well, I have 2 recent books out right now.
Deceived, which is the second book in the Gwen Sparks series. It picks up right
where Craved left off. Gwen is pulled deeper into the world of Brew and what it
means. She’s being used in a war she doesn’t support but can’t get out of. My
other recent book is an anthology called, Cupid Painted Blind. It features 6
authors, myself included. My story is called, When Opportunity Haunts and is
told from Dorian Hade’s point of view. (You meet Dorian in Deceived).
Who
is your publisher? or do you self-publish?
I self-publish
How
long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to
finishing writing it?
My first book took seven months, but
it’s gotten a lot easier since then. Now I can finish a book within 4-5 months.
Which
of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
Well I only have 2 novels out and a
short story. My first book, Craved was harder to write because it was my first.
I was still learning the ropes. Deceived was a lot easier.
What
can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
I
will always write paranormal romance. I’ll continue on with the Gwen Sparks
series and I’m also starting a new series called, The Anna Avery series. The
first book, Taming the Wolf will be out late May, early June.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Yes. My new Anna Avery series is about
werewolves living in Wyoming. It’ll be a series, although I don’t know how
long. I’m very excited to be working on two different series.
What
genre would you place your books into?
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy.
What
made you decide to write that genre of book?
It’s the genre I love! All of my books are
paranormal in some way. I just find writing and reading about creatures other
than ourselves is interesting.
Do
you have a favorite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?
Hmm, I love all my characters in some way or another. But I’d say
my favorite is Dorian Hade. He’s the Angel of Death and still a mystery, even
to me. I love that mysterious aspect of him and his snarky attitude.
If
you had to choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would
you be? and why?
I’d love to be Gwen for a day. I’ve always
been fascinated with witches, and wanted to own my own gift shop so as long as
people weren’t trying to kill me, I’d have fun walking in her shoes for a
while.
How
long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I began writing a
little over four years ago. The Twilight series inspired my love of books, so I
began buying anything paranormal romance I could get my hands on. I read…and
read…and read some more. Finally, a story popped into my head and it was too
good not to write down. I began playing with the idea and typing it out. I
trashed a lot of the stories I began because I wasn’t capturing what I was
trying to say. Finally, Gwen’s story popped into my head and I knew I had to
finish it. Seven months later, I was published.
Where
do you get your book plot ideas from? What/Who is your inspiration?
They just sorta pop into my head. I think
about things a lot so it’s not uncommon for ideas to just place themselves in
my way until I dissect what I could do with them. If I think they’d make a good
book then I sit down and write the first chapter. If it doesn’t work, then I
trash it and move on.
Do
you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in
a certain chair?
I have to write in my office and on my
desktop computer. I cannot write on my laptop for some reason. I always listen
to music when I write, that’s a must for me.
Do
you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially
release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?
My sister reads my books before I
release them and gives me feedback , as does my critique partners.
Do
you gift books to readers to do reviews?
I do for reviewers and bloggers but not
to the general public.
Do
you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I
did when I first published. I was anxious to hear what people thought. But I
don’t do that anymore. It can be very distracting sometimes.
What
was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
I’ve gotten a lot of great reviews so I can’t
pin down just one. The toughest reviews came with my first book. I got a lot of
negative comments about my editing. This frustrated me because I’d hired what I
thought was a great editor. She was recommended by a very well-known Indie
author. So finding out that the editing wasn’t good and that I’d been lied to
was very frustrating. I since then had my book reedited, but the damage is
sorta already done.
Would
you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about
your book/books?
Absolutely not. Everyone is entitled to their
opinions.
How
do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who
designed the Cover of your books?
My titles are one worded so I try and
find the perfect word to describe the entire book. It’s not always easy. I had
to change the title of my second book because of this. I do all my own covers
with photoshop.
Do
you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
I begin to write the story first and
then eventually title it.
How
do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?
Names are one thing I have trouble with.
I always hear really unique names in other books but I can never find ones to
suit my characters. I’ll look on baby name sites or in the phone books. The
setting in the Gwen books I made up. The setting in the Anna Avery series is
because I love the mountains and have been to Wyoming several times so I can
visualize it really well.
Do
you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or
do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I know what problem my characters will
face, but I never map everything out and write according to that. I feel you
can lose a lot of creativity that way. I just let the characters take me where
they want to go.
Have
you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get
past the "block"?
Luckily, I don’t get writer’s block. There
have been times where I couldn’t capture what I was trying to say but If I go
back and reword things different I find that it takes care of the problem.
What
do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby?
I
don’t do too much besides write. But I’ve been trying to be better. I’ve been
taking time to read a lot more. In the summer I go fishing with my family. My
husband and I also like to watch movies and play games.
Have
you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that
have happened to you?
No, all of my characters are fictional.
However, I do try and give them as realistic personalities as I can.
Which
format of book do you prefer, ebook, hardback, or paperback?
I
own an ereader, but I prefer paperback books. I like holding an actual book in
my hand.
Do
you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to
movie transfer?
I don’t. You lose
so much of the story when it’s made into a movie. If I love a book I usually
won’t watch the movie because of this. The worst transfer would be the Twilight
movies. I loved the books but thought they did a horrible job with the movies,
which is just sad. My favorite would be the Harry Potter movies.
What
are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook,
hardback or paperback)
I’m reading Almost Everything by Tate
Hallaway. It’s the 3rd book in her Vampire Princess series. It’s in
paperback.
Do
you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
I’ve heard a lot of debate on this. I
personally don’t think so. I’ll continue buying paperbacks and I’m sure others
will too.
Did
you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer
something newer in your life?
I hardly ever read before. No books ever
captured my interest. Being a reader and a writer is something that happened in
my early twenties.
Did
you have a favourite author as a child?
Shel Silverstein.
I enjoyed poetry when I was younger and loved his books.
Do
you have a favourite genre of book?
Paranormal romance.
Is
there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what
would it be?
The only thing I’d change is the editor
I used for Craved. I’m happy with my storyline and characters.
What
do you think about book trailers?
They’re fun and a great way to show your
readers what you’re story will be about.
What
piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Write every single day. The more you write,
the easier it’ll come. Have a good support system. You can find wonderful
writer’s groups on Facebook where you can also find critique partners.
Do
you or would you ever use a pen name?
I
do not use a pen name. I thought about it before I published, and I can see why
some people do use them but I decided to publish under my own name.
If
you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and
enjoy chatting with?
Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs and
Keri Arthur.
Your Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5105592.Stephanie_Nelson
Your Twitter details? @stephnel1
Thank you so much for having me on your wonderful blog! It was so much fun!
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