Interview: S. L. Scott

Author Interview of the Week

This week's interview is with S. L. Scott, Author of the new novel Good Vibrations!

All Rights Reserve to S. L. Scott
Isn't she stunning?

What made you want to be an author?

It was always inside of me and writing is something I gravitated toward my whole life whether I was writing short stories, picture books, poems, songs, movie scripts, or novels. I love the way you can bring an idea, a person, and story to life through words and your imagination.

Who has inspired you the most?

Music deserves the most credit for inspiring my stories/books. But a few authors who have captivated me are Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Madeline Wickham, and Stephenie Meyer.

Can you tell us about some of your earlier days of writing?

In high school and college, I wrote a lot of poetry and songs (just the words, no music). I tended to write on the darker, more angsty side, which always amused me since I was not that at all in real life. Maybe that was how I got the dark out (if there was dark). I also wrote screenplays and took a class on that, which I enjoyed a lot. I love all things writing and like to challenge myself.

I then wanted to write children’s books. I wrote one which my husband did the art work for and we printed it through Shutterfly so we could have a copy. This was before self-publishing which has made it a lot easier to produce copies of your book. It was an amazing feeling to hold that book in my hands. I then moved onto novels. I had an idea combining a topic I was interested in and could so clearly see the characters, so I just started writing one day. Thirty days later I had written 270,000 words, which is quite insane. I cleaned it up, had friends and family read it, and then queried it. I laugh now because that story needs so much work editing wise. I just had big dreams and was doing the best I knew how at the time. Now I know better.

I kept writing and wrote three more novels in a matter of six months. They were all personal challenges in style and subject matter, genre, and learning to edit. One of those novels has been published. Another one I’m currently considering for a future project.

I also spent years relearning grammar and punctuation. I’m not perfect, but I’ve become a decent self-editor. I still have a team of readers and editors who come in after I’ve edited, but I’ve retained a lot of what I’ve learned which makes me quite proud.

Being published was one of my top-tier bucket list goals in life. It was huge to see my first book for sale. HUGE!

How has your life considerably changed since you've been published?

I’m busy all the time. If I’m not writing, editing, or marketing, then I’m writing, editing, and marketing. Lol I put a lot of pressure on myself with my goals. I always put a lot of effort into my novels and novellas and want to feel proud with a title that has my name attached. I work on average about fourteen hours a day. No one is forcing me to, but I’m driven because writing is my passion and this is my chosen career. 

What made you change your career from high-tech account manager to author?

I chose to become a stay-at-home mom, which is still my main career. After being at home for a few years, I was getting antsy to do something expressive and creative. I painted, wrote, and other things and I felt like I needed something just for me, so I started writing again. That first book led to another and another and voila, years later, here I am.

What inspired you to write your latest book, Good Vibrations? 

Good Vibrations is a culmination of things I always loved – Hawaii, hot surfers, and romance. I would walk the trail in downtown Austin and let my mind wander to these characters and their struggles, rush home, and jot it all down. I love spending time with these characters and seeing the growth in them. I feel them in my heart.

What has been the best experience so far on your journey as an author?

I’ve actually had some amazing experiences as an author and feel fortunate to have had these opportunities. But most recently, I just got back from Orlando and signing at Book Bash. I was in this huge ballroom of well-known authors and authors that I fangirl over. I didn’t expect to have anyone come to my table and yet, so many did. They wanted pictures with me and told me about the books of mine that they’ve read. I was so touched. I teared up several times. To see tweets, FB posts, meet people who read your stories and love them like you do – there is nothing like it. It’s amazing. I’m very excited for the other signings and events I have coming up this year.

 Can you give us some insight on any upcoming projects?

This is such an awesome time. Good Vibrations is the first book in the Welcome to Paradise series. Book 2 will have a cover and title reveal mid-July and the book itself will be released September 9^th. Book 3 in the series will be released December 4^th. So my time is pretty much in Evan and Mallory’s world for the rest of 2013 and I love it.

What advice can you give to any upcoming authors?

Spend just as much time, if not more, editing your stories as you do writing them. Your story and characters deserve the attention. And always write for yourself. The characters will stay true to themselves if you write what you feel.

Thanks so much, S. L. Scott for interviewing with us! Don't forget to keep up with her through her outlets listed below!
S. L. Scott Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Want to get your hands on a copy of Good Vibrations? Click one of the links below!

Amazon
Barnes and Noble