Q: Hello, Sarah. Thank you for bringing all of the SciKick team together. How are you today?
A: I'm doing well! I'm excited to share a little about myself with SciKick readers!
Q: And I bet they are even more excited to read your answers. First off, shall we talk about you and writing? When did you first start writing?
A: I love to write science fiction, specifically post-apocalyptic cyberpunk like The Deathless trilogy. I have been writing ever since I can remember, but I didn't start writing for readers until college when I majored in Creative Writing. After years of writing only short stories, I dived into writing my first novel in 2013. That novel became I AM DEATHLESS and I've been writing in that universe ever since.
Q: What are your writer's best practices – doing character profiles, maps, visualization, tai chi, anything?
A: Best practices differ for everyone, I think; but I always like to create character profiles and secret Pinterest boards to gather inspiration. I like to keep all my notes together in one notebook and use that to outline. The trick is to find what works best for you.
Q: Definitely. When and in what setting do you write best?
A: Weekends are my writing times. I like to go to a local coffee shop to write so I don't have any distractions, but if I'm at home I like to write in the kitchen in front of an open window.
Q: Is there anything in particular you find difficult to write about?
A: Love, actually, is something I always struggle with. I have had a fairytale love story in real life, so I try to use it as inspiration when I can. I'm not sure why it's so difficult for me to write love, but I think it has something to do with the fact that love is different for everyone and a unique experience for everyone.
Q: What piece of advice has been most helpful to you since you started?
A: Honestly, the most helpful piece of advice I ever heard was to remember that first drafts are allowed to be terrible. You're creating a mess so that you can tidy it up into something meaningful later. All good writing is really good editing.
Q: What do you enjoy more – writing or having written?
A: It depends on the scene for me, but I love that feeling of accomplishment after putting a scene together and the anticipation for sharing it with readers.
Q: What genre would you write in, if it wasn't sci-fi?
A: I'm writing a YA contemporary right now, so I guess contemporary. But I have always loved fantasy too and I always will. I've had a fantasy idea knocking around in my brain for about 20 years now (wow, time flies) that I'm hoping I will actually write one of these days.
Q: That's cool! And what about reading? What three genres do you read the most?
A: Sci-fi is number one, then contemporary, and then fantasy. I'm pretty consistent. :-P
Q: Is there anything you can think of that you would love to read, only it hasn't been written yet?
A: That's how I came up with the idea for my Deathless Trilogy protagonist, Isla Blume. I wanted to read a heroine character like me who was what I always wanted to be too: a smart scientist who could change the world.
Then I wanted to read a book in English and Spanish, so I started writing the contemporary I'm working on now.
I'm sure the more I read, the more I will crave books that don't exist yet.
YOU ARE READING
Interviews
RandomHave questions for your favorite Science Fiction authors on Wattpad? Here's the place to read exclusive interviews and ask more questions in the comments! We are... @bnlfan of THE NUMBERED (previously called FLAWED) @emilita of THE UNSOUND THEORY...