Today’s interview is with Theresa Snyder. Welcome to the blog. Tell us something about yourself.
I live in the Pacific Northwest with my elder father, cat and an occasional dragon house guest. I run the printshop at the local community college, which just happens to be about five blocks from my doorstep. I consider all my student staff at work ‘my kids’ and they help me with everything techie that an indie author needs to know. They are constantly pushing and opening doors for me on social media. The latest is Snap Chat. They keep me young.
At what point did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I have been writing since I was a youngster. My mother gave me a journal and encouraged me to write. However, I don’t think I really considered myself an author until I wrote my first book in 1990 and then didn’t talk about being an author until I was published in 2013. I know, twenty-three years, but sometimes things that are worth doing take some time and are worth waiting for.
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a special place you write?
I am a morning writer. I wake up with ideas and want to get them down on paper. I spend a lot of time writing in my head before I start in on the keyboard, so there is no outline and the characters might take me a totally different direction then what I have planned. If I stumble, and don’t know where to go, I take a nap. My brain keeps working and I wake with the answer. I like writing while listening to instrumental music, piano, cello, classical guitar. I can’t write with the radio on, I want to stop and sing along. I have a writing room that is all decked out in a Moroccan motif. I love it there – rich colors and stimulating atmosphere.
What is your favorite genre … to read … to write?
I don’t have a favorite genre to read. I read everything. I am voracious. As for writing, I love the genre I am with at the moment. Right now, I am really into wrapping up my paranormal/fantasy series and therefore I live, eat and breathe everything from shape shifters to dragons and hippogriffs to fire demons.
Where do you get the inspiration for your novels?
I am a sponge. I get the inspiration and ideas for my novels from friends and family events and conversations, news articles or broadcasts, people watching and hypothesizing about their lives and relationships, documentaries and other programs on television. My most recent scifi book, The Beast Within came from two ideas. I saw a newscast on the homeless children in Brazil and I was watching one of those challenge programs on tattooing. To find out how that all connects, you will have to read the book. No spoilers here.
If someone who hasn’t read any of your novels asked you to describe your writing, what would you say?
I write very character-driven novels. My scifi is low tech like “Firefly.” My fantasy can be enjoyed on multiple levels depending on how deeply you want to think about it. I am not an epic writer. My books move very quickly and the one complaint I get, in spite of my 4 and 5 star reviews, is they are over too fast. In that case, I just tell folks to pick up the next in the series. After all, I have twenty-four books in print.
Wow, 24. That’s amazing. What point of view do you prefer to write, and why?
I have grown to love writing first person. My favorite character currently is Cody/Scar my shape-shifter in the Twin Cities Series. His books are all from his point of view and I love seeing the world through his eyes whether as a human or as a wolf.
I’m going to drop you in a remote Alaska cabin for a month. It’s summer so you don’t have worry about freezing to death. I’ll supply the food and the mosquito spray. What do you do while you’re there and what do you bring with you? If you’re bringing books, what are they?
I would write. I often escape to a small town in the woods to spend a week writing in a log cabin with the river running past the door. If there is electricity at your cabin then I would bring my laptop and my favorite throw for keeping my feet warm. If no electricity is available then my suitcase would be filled with paper and pens. The only thing other than that would be something to play music on. If I have my laptop, it is loaded, or my phone, or my tablet or my MP3 player – I have music everywhere. If no electricity is available, perhaps you could hire Adam Hurst or Gary Jess to play for me while I write.
You might have to settle for the babble of the creek. You would prefer that over the chug-chug-chug of the generator. Talk about your books individually, or … since you have 24, how about just an overview of each series.
The 1st book of each series is permanently free on all platforms in e-book.
“The Farloft Chronicles” – A dragon series for all ages. A series for anyone who has ever loved or loves a dragon. They will find Farloft irresistible. For those who enjoyed “How to Train Your Dragon” no matter what their age.
“The Star Traveler Series” – Action, adventure, romance and intrigue; it all began with a friendship between Jake, a battle-worn, middle-aged human mercenary and a young alien named Arr. From that friendship sprang the foundation of a series that will envelope you in its character-driven stories and fast-paced, paging-turning momentum.
“The Twin Cities Series” – The Realms refers to a parallel dimension hidden between Minneapolis and St. Paul where creatures, humans think of as only mythical, roam free. Cody is a shape shifter with some monumental problems that all started when he died. He’s escaped to The Realms from the midlands between Heaven and Hell only to find his best friend is potential food for the resident vampires, his girlfriend only loves him in his wolf form and her mother… well that’s a whole other story. It isn’t easy being Cody, but like a good wolf he’ll do what he can to protect his pack even if it kills him. Wait… he’s already dead.
“In2Minds” – The home world’s sun is going to explode and Commander Tait is the last hope for a one-way mission to terra-form a distant planet. The only catch is the accident that buried him alive. With only his computer to assist him, will her survive?
“We 3” Non-fiction – is a collection of stories – sometimes touching, sometimes hilarious, always authentic – about a baby boomer caring for her aging parents.
What do you want readers to think or feel after reading one of your books?
I would like them to be so involved with the characters that they can’t wait to download or order the next book to find out what happens. I would like them to be hungry for more adventure whether in the future of the universe, the fantasy land of dragons, or The Realms where all things humans think are fantastical, paranormal or magical actually live.
What influenced your decision to self-publish?
I planned to just format my books, print and bind a copy for myself. After all, I do run a print shop, but my writing group convinced me to self-publish and I have never looked back.
What do you find to be the greatest advantage of self-publishing?
You are in total control. That might be the greatest disadvantage too. It is great to be able to produce at your own rate, chose your own cover design, form your own marketing campaigns, but you must see it as a small business. It is something most of us will work at for years before it shows any return other than the joy of interacting with your readers on social media.
Conversely, what do you think self-published authors might be missing out on?
Supposedly, you have the backing of the marketing department of the traditional publisher, but I have talked to authors who did not have much assistance even though they were published traditionally. I think the main thing a traditional publishing would do for me would be to raise my books above the notion that all self-published books are inferior. You fight this all the time, because frankly there are people who call themselves author, but put either poorly written or poorly edited work up for sale. A reader will only buy a limited amount of these ‘inferior’ books before they start going back to the traditional publishers where they either know the author is good or they know the quality of editing is worth their money.
Completely agree. With the number of self-published books increasing by such a huge rate, it is really difficult for authors to make their books stand out. How do you go about this?
I start with a quality product – a sound plot, careful editing, attractive covers, and an eye-catching blurb. After that it is a matter of marketing. That, my friends, is like gardening, everyone has an opinion on how to do it. You just have to find your ‘groove.’
I like that. Do you believe that self-published authors can produce books as high-quality as the traditional published? If so, how do you think we should go about that?
This is certainly achievable. I started “Affordable Proofreading & Editing Service, LLC” to assist authors in making their work shine. The better the quality, the more chance we all have of being read. As I said in the question above, the readers will only tolerate inferior works for so long before they go back to the names they know. If you got a raw hamburger three times in a row from the local diner, you would be headed back to McDonald’s in not time. I advocate cooking the book thoroughly before serving.
Website: www.TheresaSnyderAuthor.com
Books Available on Amazon / Smashwords / CreateSpace / Google play
- “Scifi reminiscent of Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein”
- “Paranormal like a breath of fresh air in a genre that has become formatted”
- “Fantasy beautifully written with complex characters that children to adults can appreciate”
- “Memoirs that are heartwarming, funny and soothing to the spirit”
Link to Moroccan Room Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qFQL6-Yf-c
Link to Affordable Proofreading & Editing Service, LLC: http://affordableproofedit.blogspot.com/
Link to Media Kit for Bio Picture: http://www.theresasnyderauthor.com/media-kit/
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