1) What inspired you to write?
I never really dreamed of being an author. As a kid, I hated reading. The idea of being stuck inside with my nose in a book, when I could be outside playing, was nuts to me. Then someone handed me Tolkien’s series and fell in love with ink on pages.
About six months into the COVID pandemic, I was stuck at home over a weekend and completely bored. A story I’d dreamed up as a kid popped into my head, and I decided to type it up—just so I wouldn’t forget it. Three months later, I’d written a novel. Crazy, right?
A neighbor’s daughter picked it up off a coffee table and started reading. The next day, her mom called and asked if the next book was done. Her daughter wanted to know what happened next.
That was my “ah, ha moment,” that instant when I realized I might be able to do something with writing.
2) Are you a reader? What are some of your favorites?
Absolutely. I don’t know how anyone could write successfully and not read. It’s how we learn the craft, both from masters and those less skilled.
I love fantasy, but I also enjoy political or crime thrillers. If you get an adult beverage in me, I might even admit to enjoying the occasional romance. The descriptive style is different in each genre, so I expand my own skill by reading the widest possible variety.
Joe Abercrombie has become my most recent favorite. He has a mystical ability to describe a scene without ever actually describing it. It’s just remarkable.
3) What is your newest work, and what is going to happen in the future?
Over the months of May, June, and July, I’m releasing The Kingdom War, a four-book epic fantasy series. It begins as a medieval crime mystery, but quickly evolves into a fight for survival between nations—and magic itself.
In January this year, I published the first book in a new series, The Rising Son. Think Game of Thrones set in ancient Japan. I’m currently working on book 2 in that series, with an expected publication date in November 2023.
4) Do you have advice or tips for Indie Authors?
I think the best advice I can give is:
1. Don’t edit while you write. Get the story on paper and know it’s going to need a lot of work. Finishing the manuscript is where most people get stuck because they get distracted with things like “making the chapter perfect.”
2. Writing is only a tiny part of being successful. Become a student of the game and learn marketing, social media, publishing, and the other hundred things involved in being an author.
3. A lot of people will offer advice. Learn who to trust and who to ignore, but know there’s something useful in almost every bit of guidance.
5) What influenced you as a writer?
Authentic, complex characters who I want to know in real life . . . and stories that take me away from real life and drop me into a fantastic world I wish really existed.
More than anything, though, I’d say readers inspire me. When I started writing, I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy interacting with the folks on the other side of my books. I’m not shy, not by a mile, but when it’s your own work on the line, it’s personal-and nerve wracking. What surprised me was how much I love the emails and messages from readers. I answer every one personally, and have been caught laughing at my desk, many times, as I read something a reader sent. They crack me up. And sometimes, they come up with crazy ideas that make it into books!
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Samantha Evans--Author 