Interview with S.A. Wolfe, author of Fearsome
Welcome today to S.A. Wolfe, author of Fearsome!
Tell us a little about your work in progress.
I have two works in progress. I’ve put one aside to focus completely on a follow up book to Fearsome. I had so many requests from readers who want another story about a particular character in Fearsome. Just so you know, Fearsome does not have a cliffhanger. It is a standalone novel with an HEA, and the sequel will not be about Jessica Channing. She’ll have a background role for sure, but some new characters will be introduced as well.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
I’ve been writing since my teens, and what I know for certain is that writing is hard, producing the book and quality of work you want is hard, managing writing time is hard, and selling books is hard. Treat it like a job and develop a strong work ethic that gets you through those times when you sabotage yourself with doubt and fear. Write every day to improve your skills and creative muscles. Read a variety of novels and study how other writers develop their craft. Finally, surround yourself with supportive people, and seek out other authors in online communities to gain support, friendship, and valuable advice.
What is your personal writing process?
My writing process involves a loose outline of the plot, twists, reveals, and conflicts. I create a bio for my main characters, so I can really get to know them before I start writing. Once I have these ideas down, and events and dialogue have been percolating in my brain for weeks, I start writing. I think the first two chapters are the most difficult because you need to hook your readers, you have to introduce characters, and you have to give some background, but not bury the narrative in backstory. If I write 3000 words or more in each writing session, then I’m able to get into a good groove. Part of my style is pantsing even though I follow some loosely defined plot points. Once I’m in the middle of the book, around 50,000 words, then I go on writing binges because I’m emotionally invested in the story and highly motivated to keep writing as much as possible.
That gets me through the first draft. After that, I work on some revisions and editing before I send the book to my beta readers. Once I get their feedback, I do some more revising before sending it off to my editing team. And then it’s another one or two rounds of revising and polishing before I have the book I want.
Who are a few authors you look up to?
I have always admired Jhumpa Lahiri and Jennifer Egan, especially their early work from over a decade ago. Egan’s wit and Lahiri’s prose are terrific. Years ago I got hooked on Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series and that was a fun sexy ride. I like Elle Casey and Mimi Strong – they write some pretty great romances with a lot of humor. I also admire Elle Casey’s incredible dedication to her writing career. She gets an amazing amount of writing done everyday!
What book are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Forever Jack by Natasha Boyd, Four Seconds To Lose by K. A. Tucker, and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I wrote my first full-length novel when I was twenty-two. My boyfriend at the time (now my husband) kept urging me to write because he couldn’t believe how much I read. I would talk about writing and stories I’d like to write someday – he put his foot down and said I needed to get busy writing. So I did.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Books that influenced my life at a young age were my mother’s Anne Tyler collection, especially The Accidental Tourist. Her characters are ordinary people, often ones we’d never really notice, and their stories can be conventional or tragic, but it’s the way Tyler writes that moves me even to this day. Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex was a major influence, both for its epic tale and its prose. In Romance, I think Karen Marie Moning’s books got me interested in writing something different, at least for me. I don’t write paranormal or fantasy story lines, but Moning’s books are probably the ones that opened the world of romance novels to me.
What do you find particularly challenging about writing?
I think the most challenging part about writing is 1) producing the words and getting the draft done, and 2) editing. Editing is exhausting and sometimes very frustrating. I’m so glad I have an editing team to get me through that stage.
If there was one message you could send to everybody who reads your books, what would it be?
I would hope everyone enjoys my story with its sexy, funny, quirky, imperfect characters, and that the romance gives them that happy feeling at the end.
Have you ever used characteristics from someone you know in one of your books?
All the major characteristics in my book are taken from real people in my life: friends, family, people I’ve met along the way.
What inspires you to write?
I’m inspired to write because I love a good romance. My brain begins inventing characters I like, and then the story unfolds when I’m daydreaming, which is a lot. That’s when I know I have to write it down.
Where can readers find you and your work?
Readers can find me here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sawolfe24
Website: http://www.sa-wolfe.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sawolfe_
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fearsome-s-a-wolfe/1117036774?ean=2940045368353
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/362988
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18461247-fearsome?from_search=true
Jessica Channing’s big city life should be more exciting than sixty-hour work weeks and popcorn nights with her girlfriends, but it’s not. She has worked hard fulfilling her role as a child prodigy and graduating college years before her peers. She’s the good girl, the brilliant girl.
Unfortunately, she’s also the dateless young woman.
That all changes with one phone call. Jess’s rigid, predictable life upends when she must visit a small, obscure town to deal with a relative’s death. This isn’t just any little speck of a town, though. Long lost memories come crashing down on Jess’s world when two men, the Blackard brothers, seem to lure her in.
Dylan is cover model handsome, and pursues Jess the minute she comes to town. Then there is tall, dark and gorgeous Carson, who hides his own secrets behind his hardened reserve.
For someone who has been governed by her own obsessive behaviors and fears, Jess lets her guard down and jumps at the opportunity to have an affair with a man she actually finds attractive for a change.
There’s just one problem. Jess discovers that she can’t have a simple romantic fling because true passion does indeed come with some very big strings attached to it. She will have to own up to her own truths about love and face the two extraordinary men; both troubled in their own ways and both determined to have her.
Genre: Romance/New Adult
* This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers.
