Welcome to my blog Sariah. Thank you for taking the time to
answer a few questions about yourself, your writing career, and your books. Congratulations on your latest book 'The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back'.
Welcome to my blog Sariah . Thank you for taking the time to answer a few
questions about yourself, your book, and your business.
Q. Tell us about your latest work and why
you wrote it?
A: The book is “The Ugly Stepsister Strikes
Back,” and it is a sweet, contemporary young adult romance. I wrote it
because in this particular case, I had no choice. I woke up one night
with this snarky voice in my head talking about her oh-so-perfect stepsister,
and that was that. I got out of bed and started writing as fast as I
could – and was up the whole night writing everything down.
Q. What
draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?
A: I
love young adult stuff. I still watch “teen” shows on TV. I love YA
books. I think what is compelling to me is that innocence, that falling
in love for the first time. Experiencing those big emotions in a time
when your hormones are all over the place and everything is so dramatic and
over-the-top – I’m just drawn to it.
Q. What
is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let
it unfold?
A: First comes the brainstorming. This may
involve me just mulling things over – other times things just seem to appear in
my head and I write it all down. Then I organize a loose outline. I
figure out in what order I want things to happen, and then any dialogue or
scene description gets put in the right place. As I’m writing sometimes
things surprise me, or I may think about something to add in (which sometimes
necessitates me going back and reworking earlier chapters). I do deviate
from the outline, but I like knowing where I’m generally going.
Q. What
kind of research was involved in writing your book?
A: Not a whole lot. I did have some real
places in there – the masquerade ball was at a real hotel, and the sushi
restaurant Jake takes Mattie to is also a real place. I could have made
them fictional, but I thought it would be fun to use real places. It was
also helpful to get menus and see pictures to describe them. I had to do
some manga research as well, but one of my brothers is really into it, and he
was helpful.
Q. How
much of YOU makes it into your characters?
A: Probably
more than I’d like. But I’m writing what I know. They’re not my
alter-ego or anything, but they all have parts of me. Just like all my
heroes have pieces of my husband.
Q. How
do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family,
society, etc.?
A: The writing usually comes last. My
little ones won’t be little forever, and my family’s needs matter more to me
than my writing.
Q. Have
there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?
A: I think every author I’ve ever read has
inspired my writing. Some inspired me because I’m so in awe of their
talent or envious of their ideas; others made me think, “I could do better than
this!” LOL
Q. Is
there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?
A: None that come immediately to mind. :)
Q. What other projects are you currently
working on or about to start?
A: I
have a planned novella for Mattie and Jake at their prom, and a follow up novel
that takes place four years later and is Ella’s story. But lately I’ve
been working on a time travel that is the novel of my heart that I’ve wanted to
write for years but haven’t. I’m looking forward to spending more time on
that story!
Q. Could you share some of your marketing
strategies? Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?
A: Honestly,
I have no special marketing insight. I’m attempting this blog tour, and
while I’ve had friends who have been very successful with it, that doesn’t
necessarily mean everyone will have the same result. We’ll see.
I’ve also got some free days coming up to see if that helps to bump
sales. But if anyone’s got some good marketing tips, email me. I’d
love to hear them. :)
Q. What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1
or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?
A:
“There’s a word for a writer who never gives up…published.”
J.A. Konrath. Read early, read often. Anyone who wants to be a
writer who doesn’t spend a lot of time reading is making everything harder on
themselves. I would also recommend going to conferences and joining
professional organizations to learn everything you can about writing. And
practice, practice, practice. Just like we expect a top athlete to train
or a concert pianist to practice or a celebrated artist to sketch, you should
spend time every day practicing your art form.
Again, thanks Sariah for taking the
time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.
Good luck with your current and future
publications.
Book Description
Everyone
knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs
her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves
her evil stepsisters in the dust.
But what happens when
you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty,
smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the
charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since
you were nine years old?Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston. Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake. Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school. And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.
Author Sariah Wilson
Purchase
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