Interview with Author, Sarah Lampkin
I am thrilled to sit down today with Parliament House Press author Sarah Lampkin. Her new book To Dream is to Die was released on January 8th. Check it out here.
Your new book is beautiful! What inspired you to write To Dream is to Die ?
What truly inspired me to write the Dead Dreamer series would probably be the spirits that haunt my childhood home. You read that right, my home was haunted when I was growing up. They’re still there too! Three Civil War spirits that have been there my entire life. Knowing they were there, I’ve always wanted to put names to the voices and faces. So I used the Dead Dreamer series to do it!
Wow! Ghosts! Very creepy. Which character in your book are you most like?
Brenna. My family and friends all know I’m Brenna. She’s just a blunt version of me. And slightly more dead.
Do you have a favorite review of your book? Can you share why you liked it?
A review by
Book-o-Craze said:
“Brenna is a strong heroine, with lots of sarcasm and attitude, but not in an over-the-top and annoying way. She is very proud and doesn’t like asking for help. In other words? If you’re looking for a heroine that is no damsel in distress, look no further. This is the book for you.”
How long have you been writing? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve actually been writing for only twelve years. Growing up, I hated reading, or anything related to it. So being a writer was never on my radar. Only in middle school did I finally fall in love with the art of storytelling and from then on, I started to dabble in it. Honestly, I’m still shocked I am a writer. I never thought this is where I would end up, but I just couldn’t stop writing. After my first story, I was addicted.
I think middle school is pretty early on. I started at thirty. Tell us about your writing process. What is the journey from idea to a published piece?
I am what you would call a pantser. I’ll start writing whatever idea has come into my head and just watch the movie play out in my head. Only after I’ve written at least half of a story will I start to plot and actually organize my thoughts. It can be a bit chaotic. It will take me a while to formally organize everything for publication, but ultimately, the journey is worth it.
Totally get the pantser thing. I don’t want to limit my characters. Where do you do your writing?
I’ll mostly do my writing in my own home. You can either find me in my office, on the couch, or at my kitchen table. Sometimes, I’ll just be laying on the floor while writing. It all depends.
Do you have a writing goal you want to achieve?
One of my dreams would be to have a piece published by HarperCollins. My main reason for that is one of my writing idols was published through them, and also because that is my goddaughter’s name: Harper.
What helps you most when it comes to writing?
Research! I absolutely LOVE research! I can be lost in my research books for hours or the bottomless pit of the internet.
That’s motivation. I have to research for my books, but it’s a struggle sometimes. What does writing success look like for you?
I’m honestly not entirely sure. Just getting a piece published is a success for anyone! Personally, I guess it would be when a piece of writing is optioned for media, whether it be for film or television.
That would be amazing! I have a dream that Ruby Slips and Poker Chips will be turned into a rock opera set to Bon Jovi music, but I’m a little crazy sometimes. What are you working on now?
I’m currently editing the sequel and writing the fourth book in the Dead Dreamer series, along with a few other projects.
Who, or what inspired you to be a writer?
Lynne Ewing. Her books were the first I ever read and truly enjoyed. Not only that, but when I was in middle school, I wrote her a fan letter and she wrote me back! Ten years later, and we’re still pen pals! We don’t write as often, but I’ll still becoming very excited when I receive a letter from her. It makes my day!
That’s awesome! How do you feel about critiques? Eh, or bring them on!
Bring them on! I want to see critiques because I want to improve my work. There are days when it really brings me down to see my work torn apart, but I know in the long run, it will be very helpful.
How often do you write? Do you have another job besides being a writer?
I don’t write as often as I’d like. I’m a technical writer for a government contractor by day, so my days are spent hunched over a computer working on technical documents. So, there are days when I get home and don’t have the mental capacity to write anymore. Or the energy to sit up at a computer anymore. I just write whenever I have the energy.
I’m a teacher, so I totally get the lack of energy at the end of the day. Do you plot out your entire story, or have the characters drive it?
Totally character driven. I’ll start to plot here and there, but my characters could always change direction on me. Most of the time I know the end goal, but how I get there always shifts.
Which book that you have read has had the most impact on you? Why?
The Daughters of the Moon series by Lynne Ewing. Those were the books that first introduced me to the joy of reading/writing.
What’s the best piece of writing advice that someone has given you?
Don’t take negative reviews to heart. Not everyone will love your work. There will always be haters.
What is a little known fact about you?
I suffer from chronic back pain and ADHD. Those things combined can make writing extremely difficult for me. I’ll have days where I can’t get comfortable when writing and I just have to give up. And there will be days I just can’t keep focus. It will feel impossible! I’ll go days without writing because my body just rejects it. But I always meet my deadlines! I’m all about the deadlines.
What else do you like to do besides writing?
I am a complete gym rat and gamer. I’ll go to the gym for two hours before work every morning and in the evening, I’ll try to get a little bit of gaming in to decompress. I can’t game as long as I used to thanks to the aches and pains, but I certainly try!
Sarah Lampkin is a New Adult fiction writer with works that focus on sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. Sarah spends her days working as a technical writer while collecting trophies in video games, and trying to read with her cat constantly climbing on her books. She currently resides in Virginia with her friends and family. And of course, Fox.
Looking forward to more great things from Sarah Lampkin! Leave your comments for her below.
The post Interview with Author, Sarah Lampkin appeared first on Heather Kindt.
