Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi my name is Sarah Vistica. I currently live in Northern California with my chihuahua mix Mocha. I am not only an author, but also an actress. I love winter and summer, those tend to be when my story ideas take over. I am in charge of my own author blogsite: http://www.sarahvistica.blogspot.com. I have written many books that are still works in progress. I have written two short stories, one of which I have published. I have also published one YA paranormal romance novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Whisper. I actually wrote the story for a contest and only had a couple weeks to write it. I don’t remember what I was doing when the idea came, but I do know that the television show Ghost Whisperer and the film version of The Secret Garden were my inspirations for the story. I have an attraction to the Victorian Era, so it was important to me to add a little bit of 19th century history to my novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have some unusual writing habits. I like to do all my research ahead of time, though I am learning to break free from having to do it all at once. I actually write while I am watching television. I know that can be a bad thing, a definite distraction. I don’t always have that issue at least.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books and authors that have influenced me are pretty good. I have to first say if it weren’t for my choice to read The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer before the first movie came out, I would not have discovered my love of reading. While reading the Evernight series by Claudia Gray I got my first story idea. I have to say that was a definite influence. I got my idea for my second book while reading the Evermore series by Alyson Noel. I have not finished writing either of those books. I am influenced by authors who had struggles and took years to write their first novels. Rebecca Maizel is an author I am highly influenced by because she has an editor who wants her story to be the best it can be so she isn’t rushing to put out sequels. Kelly Creagh is just an author who has a common interest only she got an idea for a story from it and went with it, I can’t wait to read her next novel.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a book I started writing four years ago. It is an alternate reality/paranormal (ghost story)/romance YA novel. I don’t want to say it is sci-fi, more of an urban fantasy feel with twists and turns that aren’t expected.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For promoting my books, I like using Goodreads. I also like a site called Free Book Fridays which is run by an author and it is a great way to gain exposure through giveaways and interviews. Awesome gang is another great way to promote. Any site where my book can get mass exposure is in my mind a great way to promote. Youtube and Vimeo are also great promotional tools because a book trailer is definitely a promotional tool.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
For new authors, I would say search around online for advice from authors who have been successful, even though your book may not see it instantly, it helps to know what successful authors have done to get their books noticed and what advice they have for authors in general. Learning to create your book trailer and book covers if you are strapped for money is very important. I recommend learning how to do image layering on Gimp and looking for Creative Commons licensed images. If you have any money available at all try stock photos or paying someone to make a trailer for you. There are many artists on deviant art who make professional book covers for under $100 which is worth checking out. I recently learned that through a Creative Commons license with commercial use allowed I can get great quality images free to use for book covers and trailers.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have heard is to start blogging. Other great advice was don’t expect your book to be a best seller right away. That helped me not be as disappointed when my book didn’t do as well as I wanted it to do, it did better than what I expected, but not what I wanted. Other advice I learned that was the best advice is, always read and stay current on what is on the shelves of the genre you write about.
What are you reading now?
I recently just started reading The Homecoming Masquerade: Where girls wear black book 1 by Spencer Baum
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer…Hmm. Writing more books. Hopefully I will be able to do more interviews and see more people noticing my books. I am actually writing my own short film scripts for films that I have created roles for myself to portray, so that is something new I am doing as a writer. We will see how it turns out. Script writing is a bit different from novel writing.
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?
If I were stranded on a desert island I would take Hunger Games with me, it has some helpful survival stuff in the story. I would take my bible with me because there is a lot of encouraging words in there to help me stay sane. The final book in the Nevermore trilogy because I am sure there will be some great Edgar Allen Poe poetry in the story and my final book I would want to take the final novel for the vampire queen series because it is such a unique story and I am sure the ending is unique.
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