INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
- Tell us about yourself:
- Where do you live? I’m a genuine Okie from Muskogee! (Muskogee, OK USA.)
- How long have you lived there? I’ve actually lived in this area my entire life.
- Are you married? I am! I’ve been very happily married over 8 years now.
- Kids? I have 3 boys. Yes—my hands are definitely full. (I get that comment a lot.)
- Full time job? I’m a homemaker and a homeschooling teacher.
- Education? I was homeschooled, along with my siblings. I went on to earn a B.A. in English from American Military University.
- Who is your favorite author and book? I have several. For historical fiction it’s Francine Rivers and A Voice in the Wind. For fantasy it’s probably Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.
- What is your preferred genre? Definitely historical fiction and fantasy, like I mentioned above.
- How did you start this journey to become a writer? I think it started because I’ve been a huge reader since childhood. I’ve also always had a vivid imagination. The reading fed the imagination, and the two combined made me want to be a writer.
- What have you written so far? I’ve been writing for over 16 years. I’ve had over 40 pieces of poetry and prose published in a variety of magazines, anthologies, and webzines. I’ve had a volume of poetry, A Minstrel’s Musings, published by a small print press. My Sunset Lands Beyond trilogy, fantasy, was published by a small print press. I’ve self-published the first book of a companion series, Beyond the Sunset Lands, and my next release will be a fairytale fantasy, Knight’s Rebirth, in early December.
- Tell us about your current book. Knight’s Rebirth: When the mightiest knight in the empire discovers the woman he loves is living under an ancient, terrible curse, he swears he’ll do anything to break it. There’s just one little problem: he’s dead. For there to be any chance of happily ever after, the knight determined to rescue the princess may need the princes to rescue him too.
- What is the inspiration for your current book? Knight’s Rebirth is heavily inspired by classic fairytales, with knights and dragons and princesses and noble deeds—all that good stuff. It’s kind of a humorous take on the larger than life aspect of fairytales.
- Who was your favorite character to write and why. My favorite character to write in my Sunset Lands Beyond series was the female MC, Hannah. That’s because her personality is a lot like mine, and her sense of humor is all mine. It was fun to let my sense of humor shine in book form. She’s the only character I’ve done that with.
- Favorite character in my latest release, Knight’s Rebirth, is the male MC, Sir Buckhunter Dornley. Buck is good at what he does and knows it. He’s more than a little egotistical. Mercy, the female MC, knows just how to aggravate him to get him blustering and upset. For all that, Buck has a really good heart, and his egotism is what makes him think he can take on and defeat an ancient curse to save Mercy.
- Is there anything of you in that character? Hannah, yes. Buck—not really.
- What sets your book apart? I think what sets my books apart are all of the different elements I weave into them. I don’t stick with your standard fantasy elves and dwarves. I weave in fantasy, fairytale, Greek mythology, ancient Rome, Vikings, Cherokee mythology and folklore, and pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy. Basically, I just take elements of whatever I like and put it in my fantasy.
- What’s your favorite part in the book? (read it)
From Knight’s Rebirth:
She was goading me, and, unfortunately, I was easily goaded.
Returning to where Mercy of Merris stood, I planted my fists on my hips and glowered down at her: a disturbing new habit I seemed to have acquired lately.
“What are you doing here? Does your father know you traipse about the forest, disturbing sleeping knights?” I bent closer, putting my nose in her face. “Should you not be chaperoned, my lady?”
“Why, Sir Knight,” she blinked innocently. “Need we be chaperoned?”
Biting off a curse, I wheeled away before I lost my temper.What was the most difficult part to write?
18. What was the most difficult part to write? I can’t think of any parts that were necessarily difficult to write. My difficulties with writing usually stem from trying to do it with three little boys in the house!
19.What was your favorite book to write? Good question. Maybe my most recent release, Aerisian Refrain, which I released in July. I’ve had that book in my head for over 10 years. It felt great to finally write it.
20. How do you write? Do you have a set time or place? How many hours a day? My writing is very sporadic. I try to get up in the morning before the kids and get it done then. If I can get in an hour or two, I will. Otherwise, I will aim for my toddler’s naptime, and just write as long as he sleeps.
21. Why did you want to be a writer? I’ve always felt like I had stories to tell. Writing gives me the opportunity to tell them!
22. How do you get your ideas? My ideas come from all over. I’m heavily inspired by nature. Sometimes movies, TV shows, music, art, and other books will inspire me. Also history.
23. What do you have planned next? Well, I’m gearing up for Nanowrimo. I’m planning to write an urban fantasy that will be the first book of a 4 or 5 book series. I call it Grimm meets The Untouchables, where an innocent, naive young woman gets swept into a world of warring gangs of shifters.
24. What advice would you give new writers? Get beta readers to go over your book before you publish. Even a couple of beta readers will find potential typos or plot holes or issues that you missed. Their help is invaluable.
25. How can readers get in touch with you? To keep up to date with my work and new releases, you can sign up for my newsletter. You can also visit my website, sarahashwoodauthor.com, follow me on Bookbub, or find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.