Samantha Stone is a twenty-something graduate student studying speech-language pathology in Alabama. She’s proficient in French and Signing Exact English, and considers New Orleans the home of her heart. Most days you can find her doing speech- related research, chasing her creatures around New Orleans (in her head), or curled up with a good book. She drinks hot chocolate year-round.
Interview:
1.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 15 years old, and I decided to start writing novels
like the ones I loved cough Cassandra Clare, cough. I never
stopped!
2.
How long does it take
you to write a book?
Anywhere from two months to four-five months. It depends on the
time—during May and December I’ll write more quickly, because that’s down time
for a graduate student like me.
3.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
I set myself a word count goal, and I’m fairly rigid about meeting
it. That being said, I take into consideration the fact that I work ridiculous
hours every week as a full-time student who has another job on top of that!
4.
What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t do outlines until the very end, when I can finally see how
the book will wrap up.
5.
How do books get
published?
You send, send, send them! If you aren’t relentless, your work may
not fall into the right hands!
6.
Where do you get your
information or ideas for your books?
I like old Southern folklore, as well as Celtic mythology. I’m
Northern Irish and British, so I take a lot from my ancestry and the crazy
stories my Big Mama used to tell me.
7.
When did you write your
first book and how old were you?
I was fifteen, in a fine arts high school, and finished it at
seventeen. I was so proud!
8.
What do you like to do
when you're not writing?
I love to read! I also love research, baking, and playing with my
coy-dog.
9.
What does your family
think of your writing?
Erm…my mom’s supportive, and my dad is too, in his way. I think my
younger (much more conservative) sister is mortified I write romance!
10.
What was one of the most
surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That writing is a puzzle to solve, much like research (which is my
day job outside of school things).
11.
How many books have you
written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve written almost six books, four of which are in the Crescent
City Creatures series. My favorite so far is Enspelled, the third book in the CCC series, and it’s set to
release March 28th!
12.
Do you have any
suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
There are so many things I think are important. Cassandra Clare’s
BICH OK saying (But In Chair, Hands On Keyboard) is one of them, and so is the
advice that you can’t edit a blank page.
That being said, if you write something and it feels off hours
later (we’ve all been there), something is wrong! Go fix it, and use your
mistakes to strengthen the scene!
13.
Do you hear from your
readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do, more than I thought I would! I’ve heard everything from
compliments I was floored over (and thrilled by), to comparisons to young adult
series (meant in a not-so-nice way). For the record, I still took the latter as
a compliment. In a lot of ways, New Adult is similar to Young Adult!
14.
Do you like to create
books for adults?
Yes, because I can curse, have sex scenes, and not feel guilt over
what I’m exposing a younger teenager to. Most of my books don’t consist of
those things, but when it does…
15.
What do you think makes
a good story?
A happy, satisfying ending. Absolutely. That’s what you remember!
16.
As a child, what did you
want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to be a librarian. Now I’m going to be a speech-language
pathologist with a PhD in fluency…who writes novels. Hey, at least I’ll have
books in my office to practice speech with! J
17.
What would you like my
readers to know?
Alright, Readers—
These books are for you, ladies. For every woman who wanted a
sweet, happy ending while still feeling empowered as a woman. For every woman
who read a book and was disappointed about the AlphaHole lead (you know you’ve
read one of those). For all of you who wants plot, unique mythology, and more
than just sex—not that there’s anything wrong with that at all! ;) You know who
you are. I wrote this for you.
Finally, this is for the city of New Orleans, a character of her own.
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