Q&A with Sarra Cannon *CLOSED*

[LeAnn]

We want to give a warm welcome to Sarra Cannon this week! She's the author of the Fairhope series, the Sacrifice Me series, and the Peachville High Demons series.

Leave your questions for Sarra below!

[Beatrice]

Hello Sarra! What inspires you to write novels? also, what is your advice to aspiring writers?

[Sarra]

Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for having me. Beatrice, I honestly find inspiration everywhere. Ideas often come from TV, news, other books I'm reading that spark an idea for a character, dreams, and real life situations that just make me think "what if?". My brain seriously never stops thinking about stories, so I always keep an open mind and welcome story inspiration. When I'm writing and I get stuck, I usually find inspiration by taking long walks or just talking through the plot with a friend.

My advice for aspiring writers is not to let fear hold you back. When I first started writing, I swear I could hear the voices of critics and bad reviews in my head with every word I typed. I started to feel too scared to even write anything for fear that it just wasn't good enough. I was torturing myself for no reason. Of course it wasn't good enough! I was totally new at this! But there's no better way to learn than to just do it. Just write from the heart. Write stories that surprise you and inspire you. Write whatever pops into your head. Practice every day and never let fear hold you back. It's OK if what you write isn't great at first. All that matters is that it's on the page. Once you've written for a while and learned about your own voice and style, then you can start shaping your stories and words into something great. The important thing is just to start and do it every day!!

[Aliana]

Hi Sarra! If you could be absolutely any book character at all, in the planet (including any of your own!) who would you be and why? :)

And thank-you for being here and taking the time to answer our questions! :)

[Sarra]

Hey Aliana! What a gorgeous name!! Hmmm, this is such a tough but fun question. If I could be any character outsider of my books, I would probably choose Hermione from the Harry Potter books. Just to be a part of that world and have friends like Harry and Ron?? Yes, please!!! I want to go to Hogwarts and learn magic and fight evil!

For fun I'll choose one of my own characters too. It's a tough choice between Harper from my Demons series and Parrish from my Eternal Sorrows series. Both heroines are actually a lot like me, but they are also very much "me as I wish I really was" if that makes sense. I wish I could be as brave and kick-ass as Parrish, with her sword and kung fu skills. But I also wish I had Harper's fierce loyalty and leadership, her magical abilities, and well, Jackson, haha.

If I have to pick between them, I choose Harper. She's been with me for a long time now and is already so much a part of me!! I have some contemporary characters I love, too, like Jenna and Leigh Anne from my Fairhope series, but it's much more fun to daydream about becoming a witch than just a normal girl from Georgia. Hehe. Thanks for the question!!

[Sarra]

*please forgive any typos! I'm on my phone with a 3 year old in my lap!

[Audrey]

Hi Sarra! What's your favourite thing being an author? :)

[Aliana]

Sarra wrote: "Hey Aliana! What a gorgeous name!! Hmmm, this is such a tough but fun question. If I could be any character outsider of my books, I would probably choose Hermione from the Harry Potter books. Just ..."

Thank-you!! :) Haha I'd love to be Hermoine too! Huge Harry Potter nerd here! Awesome! Thank-you so much for answering my question and lol typos are fine, I make tonnes! Lol ;)

[Beatrice]

Sarra wrote: "Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for having me. Beatrice, I honestly find inspiration everywhere. Ideas often come from TV, news, other books I'm reading that spark an idea for a character, dreams, and..."

Thank you for answering my question and for the advice! :)

[J.]

If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?

[Irma]

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

[Sarra]

Irma wrote: "What do you like to do when you're not writing?"

Hi Irma! Thanks for the question! Other than reading, my favorite thing to do when I'm not writing is to game. I have a PS4 system and I also play a few MMO's like Everquest 2. A bit nerdy, I know, but I love gaming! I also watch a lot of anime, like right now my husband and I are watching Sword Art Online and it's amazing!

I will also admit that I'm a bit of a stationery addict. I have a huge collection of washi tape and I like to journal and decorate my pages with tape and stickers. :)

Thanks for posting!

[Sarra]

J. wrote: "If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?"

Hi J! This is similar to Aliana's question above. There are so many amazing fictional characters, so it's always hard to choose. Hermione from the Harry Potter books is one of my top favorites, but I also have to say that I love Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison's Hollows series. Really, I think I just secretly want to be a witch with powerful magic :).

[Erin]

Do you wear earrings & do you accept fan gifts? I've been reading your books for a couple years now & love them. I love supporting fellow HK lovers. :)

[Ahmya]

Hiya Sarra..

I read a lot. If it werent for my family i would probably spend the day reading and reading and maybe forgetting that a body needs water and food to survive. hehe so as a reader i just wanted to know what was that one book in your life that you can read again and again and probably reccomend anyone you meet to atleast try..

Mine is Wings by Danielle Steele. I have read it a dozen times and i would read it again without getting bored. And that is rare for me.

[Crystal]

Do you have a favorite author? Did you know this is what you would be when you were little?

[Sarra]

Erin wrote: "Do you wear earrings & do you accept fan gifts? I've been reading your books for a couple years now & love them. I love supporting fellow HK lovers. :)"

Oh my goodness, Erin, you are so sweet! Yes, I wear earrings! My mailing address is 4611 Hardscrabble Road, Suite 336, Columbia, SC 29229. You just made my day, thank you!

[Sarra]

Salisa wrote: "Hiya Sarra..

I read a lot. If it werent for my family i would probably spend the day reading and reading and maybe forgetting that a body needs water and food to survive. hehe so as a reader i jus..."

Salisa, that is an amazing question. I totally understand the reading and forgetting everything else. When I start a good book that just grabs me, I never put my Kindle down for a second. It's tough to choose just one book that I've read a bunch of times, because there are several, but I'd have to say The Stand by Stephen King. My favorite romance, though, is Novemeber of the Heart by Lavyrle Spencer. I've read that so many times!

[Sarra]

Crystal wrote: "Do you have a favorite author? Did you know this is what you would be when you were little?"

Hi Crystal! I don't think I can choose just one favorite! I love Stephen King and Gillian Flynn when I'm looking for something intense and twisty with great characters. When I want something more romantic or feel-good, I turn to Nora Roberts or back to JK Rowling and Harry Potter :).

This is crazy, but I actually used to want to be an opera singer. I have always loved to write in journals (mostly bad poetry, ha), but I was obsessed with singing for a long time. I even have a master's degree in opera and vocal performance! When I got out of graduate school, though, I went through some tough life experiences that led me down a different path. I started writing again to express my feelings and try to work through what I was struggling with and it just felt RIGHT. That's when I knew for sure this is what I wanted to do forever.

[Brittany]

Hi Sarra!
Does music play a role in your writing process?
Do you make playlists for each book you write?

[Sarra]

Brittany wrote: "Hi Sarra!
Does music play a role in your writing process?
Do you make playlists for each book you write?"


Hey Brittany! Music is huge for me. I'm rarely writing without music. I don't always make playlists for my books. Instead, I make playlists for types of scenes. Tear-jerker emotional scenes. Raging fight scenes. Intense romance scenes. Etc. It helps me get in the right mood for the type of scene I'm writing at the time.