1) Why young adult?
Did you choose this genre or were you ‘chosen’ by it? I guess it chose me. I didn't even think about it.
The story of Hunting Lila was the first idea for a book that ever came to me. After seven YA novels I'm now writing an
adult novel though.Again the story leads
rather than making a conscious choice about writing
YA or Adult.
2) Is there an author, living or dead,
who inspired you particularly? So many authors inspire me to write better. I am particularly in love with John Green right now. I could read his books all day long. The development of character, the beauty of his prose, the dialogue, the fact that he is always saying something important...The fault in our stars has been my read of the year so far. I also love the Australian writers Cath Crowley and Melina Marchetta. Maggie Stiefvater writes poetic prose that I love to savour. Among adult fiction writers I love David Mitchell and I just read The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt which blew me away. 3) Please, tell us about your last book and, if you can, about your future projects. I've had a really hectic but brilliant year. Last summer Hunting Lila, my debut novel, was published and it's doing really well. There's lots of Lila (and Alex) love out there and it got snapped up by a cool production company so I'm tentatively hoping one day it might be made into a movie! It's a thriller with a large amount of romance and steam. It's about a girl who gets caught up in this fight between a group of people with mind powers and the government unit chasing them. Throw in the murder of her mother and a hot love interest in the form of Alex, her brother's best friend, and you have an idea of what the book's about. In January my second book was released - Fated - which is about a kickass demon slayer and the Shadow Warrior / half-human sent to kill her. It's darker and very steamy. The sequel to Hunting Lila - Losing Lila - is released this coming August which I'm also very excited about. I have exciting news beyond that, but I can't talk about it yet. For more info on my books check my website. www.sarahalderson.com 4) How was your writing journey? Was it difficult to find an agent and get published? I have had an amazingly easy journey to getting published and still feel like I somehow lucked out big time. I finished my book, sent out a dozen submissions, was signed almost immediately and had a deal within about two months. For all the details I've written my story here: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/1021080-my-story 5) What’s your opinion about this E-book revolution? Would you consider
the indie route? I still sell the vast majority of my books in print but that's changing all the time I would say as more people switch to e-readers. Living in Bali with no access to book stores I admit to being a Kindle addict. I buy about three books a week on it and I carry it everywhere. I still love proper books though. As for the indie route I think people really underestimate the value of an editor and a copy-editor! I would be lost without mine. They really do transform a good book into an excellent one. Publishing houses also ensure distribution to the major bookstores and I sell a lot of copies through places like Waterstones and Dymocks. I am so grateful for my publisher and realise how lucky I am to have their support. Having said that, publishers aren't in the business of taking risks, they're a business, and a lot of amazing writers aren't getting picked up for whatever reason. I write really fast (about 4 books a year) and my publisher can really only take on two books a year max from me, so yes, I am considering the indie route for books that I want to see published and which they are on the fence about. The figures might not work for them but they work for me. I would not make the mistake though of skipping the editor or copy-edit part. Just because it's indie is no excuse for it to be worse quality. 6) Nowadays many publishers expect their authors to use social media a lot to
promote their books. Many authors, on the other hand, would prefer to write only,
without being distracted by digital trivialities: what are your thoughts?
I'm a social media addict as anyone who follows me on Twitter will know. I totally agree with publishers expecting their authors to use social media. It's the future. Readers, especially younger ones, expect to be able to reach out and connect instantly with their favourite authors. And it's a great buzz when someone you admire responds to you. I still squeal when an author I adore tweets me back. Also, I really enjoy engaging with people who love books...I get recommendations all the time. It's brilliant. And I really feel like I have made some great connections with bloggers and fans. It makes me really happy. I don't do it because I have to. I do it because I really love it. On the other hand it is a huge distraction...I will grant you that. I'm forever checking Facebook and Twitter when I should be writing but then again, it's all part of the job. I accept that.
Info about the author: Sarah finished her first novel 'Hunting Lila' right
after having left the UK for Bali, where she settled with her husband and daughter.
She is currently working on several
exciting new book projects and screenplays.
To know more about her, please visit her website: http://sarahalderson.com/
To buy her latest book, simply click on the cover below:
