Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written around 70 books under my various aliases. I write mainstream M/F romance mystery/suspense and paranormal/sci fi as Sam Cheever. Gay romance mystery/suspense/paranormal as Declan Sands, and (when I have time) I also pen young adult paranormal as s.i. decker.
Here’s my author bio:
USA Today Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I published was a cozy paranormal mystery entitled, Yesterday’s Ghosts. This is book 3 in my Yesterday’s Mysteries series. The series is a fun, multi-layered hybrid of paranormal and mystery. The heroine, Anna Yesterday, owns an antiques store and she has two resident ghosts from the 1800s who are tied to her store through antique items. The story lines for the series involve a current mystery that has its roots in the past. There’s also a growing romance between Anna and the sexy ex-cop who is her assistant in the store.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write a very close to final draft on my first run through of a book. There’s usually very little rewriting of a story once I’m done with it. I’ll go through it a few more times looking for plot holes and better ways to craft the writing, but I rarely find I need to make massive changes to a book once I’ve completed the first draft.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I cut my teeth on the classics. I loved Jane Austin, Ian Rand and Tolstoy, and to feed my dark side, Edgar Allen Poe. I read a lot of authors today and they all inspire me in some way. My reading tastes are eclectic. I read everything. Mystery, sci-fi romance and romantic suspense are my favorites. Favorite authors include Kresley Cole, Jana DeLeon, and Lilianna Hart.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing the first book in a new mystery series called Smart Murders, Inc. The title of the book is Smart Alex. This book is a spin off from my popular Honeybun Heat series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do a lot of Facebook parties to promote my work and utilize a large and growing email list.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The hardest thing you’ll ever do as a writer is write the book. Saying you want to write and actually doing it are two completely different things. Eighty percent of the population thinks they can write a book. But only twenty percent of us actually give it a try. The number of us who finish the book is much smaller.
The second hardest thing you’ll ever do is promote and sell the book you wrote. Persistence is the only thing between an author who fails and one who makes it. Believe in yourself. Recognize that you need to continually learn and grow. And never stop writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A great story will create visceral reactions, positive and negative, in people. Learning how to deal with those reactions when they lean toward the negative is really hard. But someone once told me that those people who give you one and two stars did so because they’re not part of your target reading group. For whatever reason they strayed beyond their preferred reading and ended up with one of your books. That makes perfect sense to me and makes those bad reviews a bit easier to take.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews. I actually read several books from the Kate Daniels series years ago and got distracted away from them. I recently rediscovered the series and I’m enjoying the book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
In 2016 I’m launching 2 new series and will continue writing books for existing series. I’m also going to try to finish up a couple of books I’ve put on the back burner while I wrote more time-sensitive projects. My goal for the year is to make the New York Times bestseller list. Wish me luck! #:0)
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Which exact books would depend on what I’m reading at the time. I find new authors I love all the time. But I can tell you this, I’d bring a mix of genres and the books would be the longest, most complex in that genre so I could reread them several times without getting bored!
Author Websites and Profiles
Sam Cheever Website
Sam Cheever Amazon Profile
Sam Cheever’s Social Media Links
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