Spotlight Interview with Author Sarah Williams

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series Sarah! Please introduce yourself and your book to help our readers get to know you.

A:  My name is Sarah Williams and I’m the author of Captive.  I’m originally from Wiltshire in England but currently live in the Illawarra region of Australia.  As well as writing I love to read and also enjoy films, music, gardening, good food and wine and yoga.

My book, Captive, is about a young woman called Lux who has been abducted by an old family enemy.  She understands her captor is dangerous, yet she doesn’t feel threatened by him and whilst she is naïve to a dark past she knows that she must escape.  What Lux doesn’t know is that there are other parties tracking both her and her abductor.  Whilst some have only Lux’s best interests at heart there are other, more sinister people that stalk her with vicious intent.  Whilst Lux tries to flee her fate it then becomes a race against time to see who will reach her first.

Q2: Please explain how you came to be a writer, what inspired you to write your book(s) and how long it took.

A:  I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  As soon as I was able to form sentences I started writing stories.  I went from handwriting, to a typewriter, to a word processor.  I wrote my first full length novel at the age of eleven and have been writing ever since.  When a story begins to take shape in my head then I’m compelled to write it down.  The idea for “Captive” quite literally just popped into my head one day and the whole thing developed from there.  I would sleep with a notepad next to my bed because ideas would hit me in the middle of the night.  Characters developed, a storyline was forged and a tale emerged.  I wrote my first draft in under a year and then it went through about six months of editing after that.

Q3: What did you enjoy most about creating this book?

A.  I love losing myself in a world entirely of my own making.  I would sit at the computer for hours on end and have so much fun simply creating this story.  I particularly enjoy trying to weave twists into my tale.

Q4: What facets of your life, both personal and professional, are  woven into your book, if any? 

A.  My book is set in the area of England in which I grew up so my portrayal of the landscape is very personal.  My characters were also heavily influenced by friends and family.  I like to take traits of the people I know and use them to mould the personalities of my characters.

Q5. How did you get published?

A. I chose to self publish through Amazon and Smashwords.  In a highly competitive industry where who you know can be just as important as what you know I became impatient with the traditional route of publishing and thought I’d try something different.  I’m both excited and nervous to have my work out there for anyone to read.

Q6: Did you have any surprises or hiccups along the way during the  book writing and/or publishing process?

A.  I consider myself a good writer but I’m certainly no business woman so I’m lucky to have the backing of some savvy individuals who are always acting in my best interest.  If it weren’t for them then I may have fallen prey to a few “schemes” over the years.  I’ve learnt not to be so trusting.

Q7: What one thing did you wish you'd known before you started this project?

A.  Sometimes when an idea hits me I just want to write.  I’ve learnt now that sometimes a bit of planning can be beneficial in the long run.  It can save you having to go back over your work to check where you’ve contradicted yourself!

Q8: You're a fly on the wall when readers are discussing your book.  What would you hope to hear them say about it?

A.  I hope that readers have as much fun reading the book as I did writing it.  I want them to enjoy the characters and appreciate the pace of the book. I want them to ask questions and discuss whether the twists were unexpected or totally obvious.  I want them to want a sequel.

Q9: Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know or would surprise them.

A.  I’m irrationally terrified of fish.  They scare me so much that I’ve been known to physically climb up friends and family just to get out of the water.  I’m not someone you want to go in the ocean with.

Q10: What single piece of advice would you give new authors?

A.  Get yourself a good editor.  One of the things that can make a work look unprofessional is poor grammar and spelling mistakes.  We’re all human, we all make mistakes but a good editor will help bring out the best in your work.
Q11: Share a short summary of a typical day in your life with us please.

A.  I try to get up early but I don’t always succeed.  The first thing I do is check my emails, check my blogs and try and prioritise my tasks for the day.   I try to get a balance between a morning spent marketing my current book and an afternoon writing my new book.  I rarely get the balance right but I try.  I’m fairly sure I spend far too much time looking at a computer screen.

Q12:  Describe where you do most of your writing. What would I see if I was sitting beside you?

A.  I have a desk set up in the corner of our lounge area.  We have an open plan flat so there isn’t much privacy but I write at home in the day whilst my partner is at work so it’s not really a problem.  From my window I can see the ocean, which is beautiful but surprisingly distracting.  On a sunny day I have to fight the urge to wander down to the beach.

Q13: What's your motto or favorite quote you like to live by?

A.  One step at a time.  I have to do things one step at a time.  It’s too easy to get overwhelmed by the craziness that is life.

Q14: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us in closing such as your website, an imminent book launch or what you're working on presently?

A.  I’d like to let everyone know that my book is available through Amazon.  I also have a Facebook page for anyone interested in keeping up with my work.

Authors.com profile: http://www.authors.com/profile/SarahWilliams

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