Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey everyone!
I’m a cat lady, Pepsi addict, and anime lover.
My turning point between “I want to write a book” and “wow, I can actually write a book” was an author’s talk in Calgary. I was 17 and my mom drove me to an authors Q & A event with Veronica Roth (Divergent series) and Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me series). They explained how they never had any formal training for professional writing, just a passion and commitment for it.
It took years of writing to get to this point and several agent rejections to decide to self-publish. There are books on my laptop that still haven’t seen the light of day; it just happens that ‘One Side of the Wall’ was my first published book!
Nobody wants to see the material from my first practice novel ‘Fishy Taste’… at least not until some thorough plot editing. I must say though, the male love interest in that story will fog up your glasses.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled ‘Painted on the Wall’ and is the second book in The Partner Assignment Trilogy.
I’m not very good at answering inspirational questions but technically, I was inspired by The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones while creating this series. Yes, I know we were all disappointed by the ending of season 8 and how Daenery’s story played out, but I still enjoyed everything up to that point. Jon Snow will forever be a heartthrob!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing in my bed. I’m not sure if that’s weird but I’m pretty sure most people use a desk.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tahereh Mafi has been such an inspiration to me through her instagram-live sessions! She has such a soothing voice and calm exterior. I hope I can be that relaxed about publishing one day.
The Shatter Me series was one of my favourites because she is so amazing at writing human emotions! Emotion is what keeps people hooked in a novel. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is very important too, but a strong emotional connection will trump anything else.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sci-fi romance short story before starting the third and final book in my series!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth will always be the strongest marketing tool. People will always trust a recommendation from their closest friend over anything else, myself included! To promote myself to the public (and hopefully gain word-of-mouth along the way), I usually use Good Reads and Instagram on a regular basis.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Your friends won’t read your books and that’s okay. They’re busy and they’re not invested in your series the way you are. Don’t take it personally.
Only ask for feedback if you actually want it. If you’re happy with your writing the way it is then don’t bother!
It’s normal not to have a giant social media following. Lots of authors on YouTube have such a huge following but most of them had that before writing their books.
The best way to promote yourself is to keep writing and publishing! One book won’t get you very far; you need to create your own author bookshelf.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Successful people and unsuccessful people both dislike doing the same things.
The difference is that successful people will do those unpleasant things… and they’ll do them over and over again.”
Author Websites and Profiles
Shaelyn Case Website
Shaelyn Case Amazon Profile
Shaelyn Case’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile