Hello riders. I am happy to showcase a new feature that will be included on our bookish weekends going forward. The plan is to offer an author interview on Saturdays and Sundays. To start things off I am interviewing a fellow Kickstarter Author Sheri-Lynn Marean. She has her third Kickstarter going and today we are sitting down to talk about her campaign and her journey as an author. Make sure to check out her campaign and show your support by click the NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH button on her prelaunch page. This way you get access to all the updates and most importantly the launch announcement. Now without droning on anymore lets get into this interview. Happy reading everyone :).
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Author Interview with Sheri-Lynn Marean
Hello Sheri-Lynn would you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m a Canadian Author who lives in Western Canada surrounded by mountains and hay fields, two dogs, three cats, a patient husband, and two of three children. (The oldest flew the coop)
I write Paranormal/ Fantasy Romance with mystery, suspense and villains you will love to hate.
How many books have you published so far? Tell us a little bit about your journey so far…
I have 20 published stories so far. Two are short stories written in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s world of Dark Hunters: Sanctuary 1 & 2.
The other 18 are available in eBook & paperback, except for one that’s just in eBook.
You currently have a Kickstarter Campaign going for your book “Dracones Betrayed…” Can you tell us what you are offering in the Kickstarter?
This campaign is for the fancy Deluxe Hardcover of the third book in my Cursed & Hunted Series. Included will be books 1 & 2 for those who missed them the first time. All three books are available in deluxe hardcovers, special edition paperbacks and ebooks, plus some wonderful handcrafted swag (beaded items, bookmarks, art, purses & more)
The Deluxe Editions have foiled Dust Jackets with reversible images, foil on the hardcover, gorgeous edge designs, beautiful endpapers, and interior art for each chapter.
Tell us about your main characters in “Dracones Betrayed?”
They are Sami who is a dragon shifter, and Hellfire who is a phoenix shifter. She has severe trust issues and in Book 2 she rejects Sami, but now she needs his help to portal to another realm to save her sister. Her twin; Brimstone goes with them. This story is about prophesy, betrayal, truths, survival, learning to trust and overcoming the past.
What types of creatures will we find inside your Kickstarter with “Dracones Betrayed?”
Dragon, phoenix and wolf shifters, Svrites, Bitters, and their enemy the druid witches.
Have you done Kickstarters for other books that you have written? Can you name a few…
Yes, my 1st was for BK1;
Dracones Awakening, my 2nd was for BK 2;
Dracones Revelations which is still open with late pledges, but both these will be available in my 3rd Kickstarter which I’m looking to go live either Sept/Oct. Right now it’s in pre-launch collecting followers so please go
follow it.
What was your favorite thing about writing “Dracones Betrayed?”
Being able to expand the world of Tartaria and the supernatural beings in it as well as getting into more of what happened to Sami’s village before they came to Earth.
What are the basic tropes for “Dracones Betrayed?”
Slow Burn, Sacrifice & Betrayal, Psychotic Ex, HEA, Realms with Portals, Prophecy with a Super Moon Eclipse, Phoenix hiding a secret.
Why did you decide to go the crowdfunding path for your book?
I saw all the wonderful blinged-out books on Kickstarter and loved the idea of being able to offer super-fancy collector editions of my own books along with art and swag, which you can’t do on all the other big book sales platforms.
Do you have Kickstarter as a main financial obligation in your publishing plans when you release a new book? Tell us why?
After running 2 campaigns, I’ve decided that yes, any new releases will be on Kickstarter first, whether or not with fancy editions, then I’ll release it 3 or 4 months later on the other platforms as ebooks and regular paperbacks.
The Why is that Kickstarter requires you to have something new, nothing already published unless it’s got some new features, like rewritten & expanded, or a new edition; like the fancy Deluxe or Special Editions that haven’t been available anywhere else.
Out of all the books you have written do you have a top favorite or a top three favorite? Can you tell us a little bit about each of your choices…
Well,
Dracones Awakening will always be my baby as it’s where everything started, and there’s parts of each one after it that I love.
Dancing with Darkness is based off a character that we meet in bk2, Enyowas, and once I got into his story, it took off and the weight of his responsibility tore my heart open. Then
Beat of my Heart, which is a MM story, and was also about a secondary character who was struggling with who he was, the role he was supposed to play and the consequences if he didn’t play his part, to the love he had for another …
What would you say is your favorite fantasy creature to write within your worlds of creation? Why?
I had some fun writing Zeata who is a Svrite, think Tinkerbell but don’t call her that unless you want a part of you bitten off. When she drinks a drop of Brimstone’s blood, she turns into a human-sized woman.
But I think my favorite is my Dracones, and in order to be able to shift into their dragon form, they have to endure a deadly awakening.
Do you have a specific writing system you use while creating books of fictional worlds? Can you share some of your steps in the process?
-I use Scrivener to write; it took me a bit to figure it out, but now I love it. It makes everything so much easier. You can organize everything in there, characters, charts, world info, and the ability to move sections around.
-I’m a graphic designer so I create my own covers.
-I use Vellum to format all my books and love the ease of use of it, plus they are always adding great things to the program to help authors.
What is the hardest thing about being an author for yourself?
I have fibromyalgia and am limited in the time I have each day that I can focus to get everything done as I do everything myself. I also suck at ads and everyone I’ve ever hired hasn’t worked out very well either. I need to spend more time on a few areas like social media, but with everything else I never have enough time or bandwidth to do it.
Do you offer any type of services outside your author business? I do believe you do design work don’t you? Can you share some fun information about that side of your craft?
Yes I’m a cover designer as well. I sell Premade covers and do Custom work. I have a website with lots of premade covers on it, or you can contact me about doing a custom cover. I love creating pretty covers and though business slowed down with the surge of AI, which I don’t use, I can’t help but create new pretties here and there.
I use Photoshop, licensed stock purchased from stock sites along with some 3d renders I purchased over the years (Yes I have quite the collection of stock) I do photo manipulation with some over-painting.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of the symbol/typography cover that can be foiled for special editions.
I also offer edge design, mockups, and banners.
Do you have a support system that keeps you chugging along on your journey through fantasy worlds and your side jobs? If you do can you share a little about who they are and why they mean so much to you?
My family is everything to me, and they are all very supportive of everything I do to which I’m eternally grateful. I used to think I didn’t want kids, until I did, and have never regretted it. They are the best part of my life, they are my heart. As for side jobs, well, the only one is adulting and sadly it sometimes has to be done, lol.
Where are your writing domain verses your design studio? Do you sit at a messy desk inside a closet or do you have a beautiful library that backdrops your studio that amplifies your writing and design work?
I have a small room in our small home that’s been turned into my office. It’s currently messy as I work through fulfilling my 2nd Kickstarter. 😊
Do you have any fuzzy sidekicks that help you stay at the computer longer? Please feel free to attach a picture…
I do, though I often have to lock the cats out as they love to eat the crinkly plastic that everything seems to be wrapped in these days. I try to keep it put away, but did I mention my office is a mess? Once I’m done fulfilling this last campaign it will be tidied up and out of reach again.
I have a custom, made for Photoshop, desktop computer with a large monitor that I do all my daily computer stuff and all my design work. Then I have my MacBook that I do all write on.
What does a normal day look like for you when you are working on your craft? Whether it is writing or designing…
Sit at my desktop computer, check all emails and messages, respond with anything that needs it, then work on my campaign, or the art for it, or design a cover for a client. Amid all this is let dogs out, encourage my youngest to eat something, run to town for groceries or whatever is needed, then back at my desk unto hubby comes home, then deal with figuring out supper, lol.
What is some advice you would like to give to authors that are considering Kickstarter?
1-The number 1 biggest thing I can recommend is get Anthea Sharp’s Book: Kickstarter for Authors. It’s written for us with pretty much everything you need to know how to do or deal with.
2-Join the Kickstarter for Authors group and get feedback before you go live.
3-Ensure your campaign is clear as to what it is, and is engaging.
Share some advice you think is vital for newbie authors…
Build your reader base and start a newsletter. These are readers that you can speak to directly and you are not reliant on a social media platform.
Get Bookfunnel or StoryOrigin (I have both) and join promos. Upload a Reader Magnet, a free book or story that you give away for people to join your newsletter.
Do swaps. What does that mean? Search for other authors in your genre on either Bookfunnel or StoryOrigin and request a swap. They will share your book when their newsletter goes out and you will share theirs.
I suck at ads, but I’ve kept afloat doing all this.
If you sat down with an author that has been struggling for a while and you had three things you think they should work on…What would they be?
1-I would look at their writing and see if it needs some work first.
2-I’d look at their cover and blurb. On most vendors, the blurb is no longer the description; it’s ad copy that makes readers want to pick up your book. (Brian D. Meeks has a great book on this called
Mastering Amazon Descriptions. It has a ton of examples and I’ve found they work really well for myself. He also has a fb group.)
On Kickstarter however, you need a different type of blurb.
3-I would ask how they are marketing their book.
Are you an avid reader? What were the last three books you read? You can include links to amazon pages or all stores if you know them.
Yes, I love to read, though it’s hard to find the time sometimes with everything else I need to do.
With limited time to read, I try to keep up with my favorite authors, a few of which I just listed.
What is your favorite trope to write? Why?
I tend to write tortured heroes and feisty strong heroines as those are the books I read and love. I also love and write found family, and usually HEA’s.
But all my books have mystery, adventure, suspense and evil villains.
Share three fun facts about yourself and why you think they represent you as a person…
1-I never dreamed I’d be an author. I grew up working with and riding horses, and for most of my life I did outdoor physical jobs.
2-My dad once told me when I asked for a horse that when I had the money, I could get one. So, I babysat everyday after school for a year, and then we went horse shopping, to my dad’s shock, lol. I continued to babysit to pay for board, supplies, feed, farrier, vet, etc.
It taught me that if I wanted something I had to work for it, and it’s a big part of who I am and how I’ve raised my 3 children. I’ve always found ways, often by thinking outside the box, to do or get the things I want.
3-I learned how to barter and sell at a young age. When my pencil drawings at age 12 became good enough to sell, I bartered, sold, and received commissions to draw all sorts of stuff, but mainly cats, dogs, and horses. But once I got into writing and then graphic design, my drawing stopped. Once in a while I draw something by hand that relates to my books and character but that’s it.
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That is the end of Sheri-Lynn's interview. I hope you enjoyed getting to know her better and find yourself drawn to her journey as an author thus far. Please make sure to head over to her Kickstarter Prelaunch page to check out the details and find out how to get updates and the launch announcement when you hit the
NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH button.
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ABOUT SHERI-LYNN MAREAN
Sheri-Lynn Marean lives in Western Canada.Inspired by her favorite Authors, TV shows, and books, she created her Cursed & Hunted series about immortals who change into dragons—if they survive the transformation. Now, with twenty published stories full of mystery, suspense and twists, it’s the magic and romance that ignite the soul and sets hearts ablaze. From dragons, wolves, and supernatural assassins, she does her best to imbue each story with adventure, passion, peril, and villains as captivating as they are despicable, ensuring your journey is a rollercoaster of emotions. Hang on tight for a wild ride!
Learn more about Sheri-Lynn...
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Thank you for stopping by and reading all about Sheri-Lynn Marean in her very own author interview. I hope you will journey along with her over on Kickstarter to help her with her upcoming campaign by pledging to one of her tiers when the campaign goes live. I look forward to bringing you more bookish content this weekend and more fun interviews with authors from around the world.
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Until next time. I hope you all enjoy your Saturday.
~Katie
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