Lets
starts with your name, what is your name?
My name is Sylvia Stein.
Tell us about your
childhood, where were you born, schooled and that kind of stuff.
I
was born and raised in Brownsville Texas. I
lived with my mother and my grandparents the oldest of five children. I
attended Public School then went on to pursue my Bachelor of Arts with a
major in Spanish and a Minor in English. I became a teacher and taught
English,
and then I moved to Raleigh North Carolina and got my Teaching License
where I taught
Spanish from 2003 until 2008.
And where do you live now?
I live in The city of Raleigh NC, in the town of
Fuquay Varina.
What about your writing, did
you ever know you’d be a writer?
Yes I always wanted to be a
writer since when I was about seven years of age. However, I grew up around
some family that would say that was not a career but a hobby and sadly that
self doubt took over me. I always created stories in my head as a way to
travel into different places and also play other characters.
So then tell us about: Giant tales: Beyond the Mystic doors.
Giant
Tales: Beyond The Mystic Doors is a book written by sixteen very talented new
writers who share their different three-minute short stories and each story
creates a new adventure and character.
Okay, that's creative. And who’s
your favorite author.
Well,
that's a hard question because there are many... but if I had to choose one I
would pick Jodi Picoult, because of
the way she writes her books and her unique way of story telling.
Sylvia, how do you define author success?
The
way I define author success is by paving it forward to yourself and others when
you write. It is important that you write your stories and also give
others a chance to always do so.
And what do you think of author
groups?
I love them. I especially love The
World Literary Cafe which was started by Best Selling author Melissa Foster.
She is not only a best selling author but a great mentor for other
authors. Her along with other authors help in their #ShareThe Love4Authors
and also Melissa’s Awesome Support Team which helps with tweeting out any
type of promotions you may have going for your books.
I'm totally with
you there...Melissa Foster is great help to indie authors. Talking about
authors...when
did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
I first considered myself a writer when I met Melissa
Foster through Facebook and she inspired me to pursue my writing and not
to give up.
So now that you stopped
teaching in 2008 what do you do for work?
Yes I work Customer Service
to pay my bills for now. However I am also taking online classes through
the Southern New Hampshire University for a Master’s in Creative Writing.
How many books have you
written so far? What is the name of your latest/ upcoming book, and if you had
to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
I have written many stories. However the only
book I have so far is my Anthology with my Writer’s Group on linked in which is
the Giant Tales Beyond The Mystic Doors. However, our second Anthology is
due out in May and I am also working on my first Psychological
Thriller. If I had to describe my upcoming book in less than 20
words it would be “ Things are not always as they appear to be when a young
woman is on trial for the murder of her husband.”
And who is your publisher? or
do you self publish?
Right now I do not have a
publisher. I plan to self publish through CreateSpace.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original
idea to finishing writing it?
For me it has taken about a year to write my upcoming
Thriller.
What genre would you place
your books into?
My books Genre differ... from Fantasy, Mystery,
Spiritual and thrillers and right now I am loving our first Anthology because it carries 4
of my own stories. I am really proud of all of the stories and I love the
4 of mine that were chosen.
Keep that fire Sylvia, and
now that you've spoken so pationatelly about your books - do you have a
favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?
The favorite character of my books will be Sadie which
is from my upcoming Thriller Battered mind. She is very misunderstood and
she will take us on a very emotional and profound journey which will tell us
more about her.
And as you write these
stories, what inspires you?
I guess I get inspired by my characters... they drive me
into their world and I get carried away by the story they are wanting to tell.
Do you have anybody read your
stories and give you reviews before you officially release them?
Right now I have people in my Writer’s group and
family and friends read my work. However I am trying to also get Beta Readers.
Now this is one of my favourite questions to
authors: How do you market/promote your books?
I promote the books through Social media also through
my blogs. I mainly Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn.
Almost every
writer's dream is for their book to be a bestseller. In your opinion what makes a bestseller
?
I think what makes a book a
good best seller is when a story is able to capture your attention from
beginning to end and you can feel all that the character is going
through.
I feel if the story is able
to carry you in with it then its on the right path to being a
bestseller.
Let's personal again: What do
you do to unwind and relax?
I like to unwind and relax
with my family. My husband and kids. I love being with them.
I also unwind with a good book or when I have time to write for a few hours at
a time.
And
as we wind up Sylvia,where can readers follow you?
Readers
can follow me:
On
my blog: http://ssteinwriting.wordpress.com
On Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/SylWriter07
On
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6198225-sylvia-stein
Your
Twitter details: @sylvia_stein07
Amazon
: Giant Tales: Beyond The MysticDoors.
It has been a pleasure having you here Sylvia, we definatelty wish all the best and hope to talk to you again soon.
wow loved it.
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