S.A. Snow on Why She Writes and #BookMarketing - #SciFi #AmWriting
Why do you write?
I write solely for the fact that it is fun and entertaining to me. I write it to challenge myself into worlds that have not yet been created and for personal relaxation time. Across Worlds: Collision was written as an adventure to see how far I could push my comfort zones and to see how I could make it into an enjoyable process. I continue to write for those same reasons: challenge and enjoyment.
What books did you love growing up?
My favorite books growing up were The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I could not get enough of those books, and I used to read them out loud to the alpacas on my farm growing up. Those were some of the best read alpacas around.
What do you hope your obituary will say about you?
S. A. Snow was a recluse that we had barely begun to know. She was just coming out of her shell, into her own when tragedy struck. The alpaca’s revolted, and well, it was bloody. There is nothing left of her body, only blood. There has been conspiracies that S. A. is truly still alive and living under a false identity in the remote villages of the Amazon, but we assure you that is not true. S. A. has passed into the next emanation from this one and continues to spin her tales and stories, creating webs of creation in her path. We will sorely miss seeing the product and what got caught in the web itself.
What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?
Marketing, hands down. Writing is something that comes naturally. Even when the plot or characters aren’t cooperating, you know that it will. With publishing, once you’ve found one, you’re done. Marketing is the job that never ends. You always need to expand your audience, find new people to buy the book, get it into a new store or onto a new blog.
How do you work through self-doubts and fear?
I just stay true to the story. Writing this book was a risk. It’s not a common theme, and it’s not a topic that’s often written about so there are a lot of people out there who won’t like it or will think it’s too weird and that’s okay. Realizing that and just letting the characters tell their story helps with the doubt. It’s not my story. It’s theirs, and I’m just the one who gets to tell it.
Do you plan to publish more books?
I absolutely plan on publishing more books. I’m planning out and working on a werewolf dystopia with a few fantastical twists. My hope is to have this novel finished by the end of this year. At least with the writing of it.
What marketing works for you?
This is always a matter of how you look at it. This is my debut novel, and thus it is far more important that I look at marketing as a strategy. For this particular book, I have set up only two social media sites. This is due to limited time. I want to make sure writing is my focus and not marketing. I also set up a cover reveal on June 14th, 6 weeks before the release day. This is the earliest I would ever do it. I had over 40 people sign up for the cover reveal!
For future marketing, I have also set up a Goodreads account with the novel already there. I’ve also set up a book blog tour a week or so before the release, and this one the month of release. I used two separate tour companies, in hopes to reach more bloggers and more readers. The goal is get some reviews in before the release as well as reviews throughout the month afterward.
Reviews are helpful, but they are not everything. I still have to make an impact, still have to be seen. In order to do that, I must be present online. Since I do not live in a location suitable to foot marketing, online is the way to go.
What other jobs have you had in your life?
I’ve had a lot of random jobs here and there. A lot of online jobs that I can do from home, a lot of schooling which involved many papers and much travel. You wouldn’t believe the number of degrees I have. Anyway, I’ve worked at the starter jobs too. Grocery stores, fast food joints, clothing stores. If you name it, I’ve probably done something close to it if not it itself.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?
Absolutely. A. M. Leibowitz was there from the start of this project. She was definitely a support while I tried to write, and the best support while I tried to edit. She calmed me down when I thought the plot was going to explode, and laughed at all the right places when I tried to tell a funny. A. M. has honestly been the best support there could possibly be.
Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?
My newest creation is about a CIA agent who is going on a very special mission. This novel is definitely a blend of genre fiction and erotica. Jane Butler is sent on a mission to an alien space station under the ruse of being mated with Usnavi, a Xanthian. The Xanthians landed on Earth nine months prior in search of ways to reproduce. Since the US is advanced in reproduction technologies, they spent most of their time there. An interesting fact about Xanthians is that they are all genderless and sexless. They shift between being male and female at will.
I wrote this story simply because I got drunk. This will teach me to drink and write again. I was laughing at an editing mistake in a friends WIP, where she had changed the sex of an alien and missed a few lines. I was laughing so hard I must have hit my head in the process and decided to write this lovely tale.
Jane expected six months undercover to be hard; she expected it to be lonely and bleak. She didn’t expect to find love.
Jane Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space, Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is quickly developing.
Fumbling their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes, and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces questions she never imagined she would have to answer.
Jane Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space, Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is quickly developing.
Fumbling their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes, and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces questions she never imagined she would have to answer.
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Genre – Blended Science Fiction, Erotica
Rating – NC17
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