Author Interview: S.E. Smith
I have a read treat for you today! My guest author interview is New York Times best selling author, S.E. Smith. Ms. Smith pens several Science Fiction Romance series including the Lords of Kassis series and the Magic, New Mexico series.
You have to check these books out–they are literally out of this world. So of course, I had a few questions for Ms Smith.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS with S.E. SMITH
ME: What inspired you to begin writing? And when did you first start putting your stories down on paper or on your computer screen?
S.E. SMITH: I first started writing science fiction romance in 2010, but didn’t publish any of my work until March 2012. I have always been a writer, but only for myself and never thought I would be a published author. I wrote small bits and pieces of stories throughout the years, but never really finished any. Then, once I started college, I wrote a tremendous number of articles and academic papers for school. I was inspired to write stories that I wanted to read after being laid off of my job after 14 years. I was immediately rehired, but it had a devastating effect on my self-esteem. My husband commented that I needed a hobby; that comment led to me writing the stories down. I knew they had to have science fiction in them, have heroines who were strong, smart, resourceful and loving and heroes who were alphas and smart enough to know that their mates were their partners, not just arm candy.
ME: You write several different series with sci-fi and paranormal elements in them. Do you have a favorite series–one you keep returning back to? Or do you just write whatever series you are interested in at the moment?
S.E. SMITH: All of my series are my favorites. I cannot choose between them. I have a general idea of what I am going to write next; but, if a character speaks louder and demands their story be told, then I will write their story next. Hunter’s Claim: The Alliance Book 1, was supposed to be in an anthology and less than 20K words. Three days later, it was over 30K and I could feel the power of the world sucking me in. There are now four books in this series with Challenging Saber just being released.
ME: Were you always interested in the sci-fi genre? Do you have any favorite sci-fi TV shows or movies that inspire you?
S.E. SMITH: I used to lie outside under the stars as a child; so yes, it is a fair comment to say I am a sci-fi geek. My favorite scifi shows were Star Trek and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. LOL. When Star Wars came out, I was in love with the worlds.
ME: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
S.E. SMITH: Be authentic, talk with readers, and view writing as a business right from the start. You will receive suggestions from multiple sources. All of them will have a different opinion of what you should do to be successful as a wrier. Do what makes sense to you and what feels right and work with people who hold similar values.
ME: What do you feel has been the most challenging thing you’ve encountered as a writer?
S.E. SMITH: I am a mother and grandmother and it is juggling my family and personal commitments with my writing that I struggle with the most. There are some days when the voices are particularly strong and all I want to do is hide away in a writing cave somewhere, but my family will always come first.
ME: Do you ever read your reviews? If so, how do you deal with negativity when you get a bad one?
S.E. SMITH: I only read the good ones now, but every once in a while my eyes will slip to the negative ones. I’m the type of person who absorbs the positive and negative energy around me. By that, I mean if someone is negative, I try to balance that with positive thoughts and comments. It can be very draining and depressing for me. I know myself and try to balance that.
Negative reviews can be rough and I do struggle not to take them personally (this was a huge concern for my husband as he knows me all too well). However each review is a person’s viewpoint on my story and I try to remember that I can not please everyone and that is ok. There have been negative reviews that have helped my growth as a writer and I am grateful for the opportunity to improve. It is still difficult though when a reader gives your story a 1* and it hasn’t even been released yet, they didn’t read it, or they are just being negative because they can.
It is also disappointing when you see someone mark down someone else’s review as not helpful when the review goes into detail. I try to respect everyone’s opinion. I just ask that they understand that they will not care for every story. It takes an incredible about of work both physically and mentally to produce the stories I write. When writing a review, ask yourself, ‘How would I feel if I had written this book?’ I guess that is the big thing, I try to always put myself in the other person’s place.
ME: What is your current release? Give me all the juicy details and I want a tasty excerpt too!
S.E. SMITH: My latest release is Challenging Saber, The Alliance Book 4 and I am thrilled to share that Saber made the USA Today Bestsellers list!
Sometimes it takes losing the one thing closest to a warrior’s heart to wake the beast that lives inside him…
Saber, a wounded Trivator, believes he is no longer a fit warrior, much less strong enough to claim a mate. Scarred, he does everything in his power to push away the delicate human female he has fallen in love with. He knows that she deserves a warrior who can protect her, not one that will need her constant help.
Taylor Sampson may be human, but that doesn’t make her weak. She and her two older sisters survived living on Earth for four years after their world went crazy. She is all grown up now and has her eye on the one stubborn Trivator that captured her heart seven years before.
Taylor has one last requirement in order to complete her schooling. Once she finishes, she plans to show Saber that he is the man she wants, but when the planet she is on erupts into a civil war, she is trapped behind enemy lines. When Saber discovers that Taylor has been left behind, the warrior inside him refuses to think of her as collateral damage in a savage battle for power.
Journey to a lawless, alien world and discover what happens when the beast awakens inside a damaged Trivator warrior when the woman he loves is threatened.
Special Excerpt from “Challenging Saber”
His throat tightened when she ran her hands higher. He had to fight to keep the groan from escaping him. Her fingers were long and strong. He could just imagine them wrapped around him.
Sweat broke out on his brow when he felt her hands slide up under the edge of his shorts. It was taking every ounce of his self-control to focus on the questions she was asking him about the house.
“The garden,” he muttered hoarsely, trying to keep his thoughts on what he was saying.
“You can tell me about it – later,” Taylor whispered.
He heard her, but the words didn’t register. Her hands had moved up his thighs to his hips and his brain was short-circuiting. He hoped to hell she didn’t ask him anything else because he honestly didn’t think he could answer her.
His eyes snapped open when her left hand moved up his good leg all the way to his hip once more. Only this time instead of moving down again, her left hand gripped his hip while her right hand… a choked gasp escaped him in surprise.
His head snapped up and his blazing yellow-gold eyes locked with Taylor’s dark brown ones. She stared back at him with a combination of desire and defiance. His eyes widened when he saw her bare shoulders.
“Goddess, Taylor,” he breathed.
You can find all the buy links for Challenging Saber here: http://sesmithfl.com/challenging-saber/. I also have a book trailer for Challenging Saber at: https://youtu.be/F0tnyA__aoo
For anyone wanting a longer excerpt, here’s one for you: http://sesmithfl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Challenging-Saber-excerpt.pdf
Thank you for the opportunity to share with your readers, Evangeline. Happy holidays to everyone!
