1. First, introduce yourself a bit. What is your name (or pen name) and where are you from?
My name is S. Graham originally from Kelowna, BC Canada. Currently now living in Houston, Texas.
2. Next, tell us a bit about your most recent work. Is this your first published book? What is it about and what genre would you classify it as?
Vacant is my very first book releasing September 18th. This is a historical fiction inspired by true events that were witnessed by myself and my family. We are a family that moves around quite a bit and unfortunately one of the houses had a dark secret that came with it. We didn’t realize it till it was too late and had to live through the rollercoaster of events.
3. Tell us a bit about your main character; what are they like, how did they come about, and what are some of their strengths and weaknesses?
Becca is the main character of this book and she is crossed with many emotional conflicts. Her duty as a mom is to protect her family but she can’t quite figure out what is actually happening or how too do so.
4. What was your hardest scene to write in this (or any) book?
The hardest scene to write was the entire book. Vacant was inspired by occurrences my family lived and breathed through. It was like I was reliving in detail every single thing that happened, that truly terrified me. There were many times I had to stop writing and give myself a break because they were things I honestly never wanted to remember.
5. Did you go the traditional route when publishing your book or did you choose to self-publish?
When it came to publishing I was stuck for awhile trying to figure out what route I wanted to go. I decided self-publishing was the journey I wanted to go on for many reasons. I had this story to tell and knew exactly what my cover and title would look like. So, I followed my gut and worked with an outstanding group of professionals that really helped me morph Vacant into what I had imagined from the very start.
6. What would you say is the most difficult part of your writing journey and what advice would you give to other writers?
For me, the most difficult part in the journey is putting myself out there. The world of talented authors is huge and I truly appreciate all authors do. Now I am one of those authors and even if it’s a scary thing to release your very first book, it’s also a completely exhilarating experience. It’s such an incredible journey and if I could tell a new author one thing it’s “Go for it, do it for you. Follow that dream and put everything you got into it. Love the journey”.
7. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Vacant is my first book so I would love for it to stand out on her own.
8. What are some of your favourite authors and books and what inspired you to become a writer in the first place?
My favorite author is Darcy Coates. I love a good page turner. I have always wanted to be a writer as a little girl and remember writing so many short stories on my grandfathers computer. One day I was talking to my husband talking about our bucket list. Writing a book was one of them and he turned to me and said “what are you waiting for?” He was right, so I got to work.
9. What would you say has been the best way to market your books?
Getting to know the different social media platform is by far the best way to market your book. This is all new for me and even at this very time I’m learning new techniques to market. I had an incredible social media marketing manager give me some great advice and it’s helped a lot.
10. Are there any tropes, clichés, or writing styles that you dislike and, if so, what are they and why?
I honestly don’t have any writing styles I dislike.
11. Do you read reviews of your book and, if so, how do you handle negative feedback?
Yes, I have read review so far. All feedback for me is good to know and I know not everyone is going to like my book or style and I’m completely okay with that.
12. What are some of your quirks as a writer? Do you like to plot everything out or do you prefer to just “wing it” and see where the story takes you? Do you listen to music when writing and, if so, what do you listen to?
For me when it comes to writing my book I usually like to do it very late at night when my house is sleeping. I need to sit and plot everything on paper and create the structure. That’s when I then start writing.
13. What is the best advice you’ve ever had when it comes to writing and what advice would you give to new writers?
The advice I would give new writers is keep all your work and ideas. I really wish I kept my short stories I wrote even as a little girl to reflect on my writing journey from the very beginning. Also, don’t worry about what people will think of your book. Fear can take over and prevent you from taking this incredible leap into the world of publishing.
14. What’s next for you? Are you currently working on any new books or stories?
What’s next for me? Well I have received many questions on the ending of my book and will there be a sequel? My answer is, just wait and see.
15. Finally, feel free to plug your social media, website, and links to Amazon, GoodReads, and other relevant sites below, and detail any current offers available for your book/s:
Thanks so much for doing this. I think it’s such a great idea. Love how authors support authors.
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