AUTHOR INTERVIEW: SM Spencer

"DESTINY" from SM Spencer's All Shadows Trilogy will be FREE on Amazon from April 13th through the 18th! Link to her Amazon page is below!

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I think the desire to be a writer started in my teens. I read a lot and would often get caught up in the characters, living their stories long after I’d finished the books. I had a great deal of respect for authors that could do that, and I wanted to be like them.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Daphne du Maurier, Mary Stewart, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ray Bradbury were among my favourite authors when I was young.
I go through various genre moods. I devoured Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia (didn’t everyone?) but also enjoy finding an author with a continuing series, like Patricia Cornwell, John Lescroart and Janet Evanovich. I particularly enjoy a good mystery/thriller with a romantic element.
At this very moment I’m reading fellow indie authors, from both the Rave Reviews Book Club (RRBC) and indieBRAG Medallion.

3. What was the inspiration behind the Absent Shadows Trilogy?

I was working around the corner from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Markets, up near the Flagstaff Gardens. Walking around at lunchtime, I started sensing that I was smack dab in the middle of the perfect setting for ghosts and vampires—and the story just developed from there.
Of course, the late night ghost tours I’d done in the area, where I’d learned the history of the cemetery under the market’s carpark and about ghost sightings all throughout the area, really helped. And like many, I was caught up in the resurgence in popularity of vampires.

4. Will we ever see these characters again in the future?

Probably—the continuing story is bubbling away in my mind, and when it’s ready, it’ll surface.

5. You grew up in San Francisco but live in Australia. Has your location influenced your writing at all?

I think everyone’s writing is influenced by their surroundings and their perceptions of their environment.
Writing Lili in the first person was easy for me because in some ways she was living what I’d done. I think it would be pretty difficult for someone to write a story set in Australia if they didn’t live here.

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Aspects of the characters were inspired by people I’ve known, but none are meant to be anyone in particular.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I’d like to have a go at a rural romance and also science fiction (the thought provoking eerie sort).

8. If you could trade places with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Crystal. I loved writing her. She is caring, and beautiful, and gentle and all things feminine. But at the same time, she is strong and powerful, and not to be messed with. She is Aphrodite and Athena wrapped up in one awesome little package.

9. What is it about vampires that made you decide to use them as your "main creature"?

Mostly, I think it’s a bit of that beauty and the beast thing—seeing through the horrible exterior to the goodness that dwells deep inside. You have this hero who is handsome and charming, but also deadly, dark and powerful. And the heroine sees all sides of him and falls in love with him.

10. Would you like to see the Trilogy as films? If yes, who do you want to see play your characters?

Of course! Abigail Breslin would make a lovely Lili and perhaps Liam Hemsworth would make a charming Sam. But without a doubt I would pick Lucy Liu for Crystal.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I love where I am right now. It’s taken me a lot of years to get here, and I’m savoring the ability to progress my journey toward becoming a better writer. I hope to continue with my writing, as well as encouraging and supporting other indie authors.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Gathering inspiration so I could start writing again.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I’m currently working on a rural romance, but I’ve also got a science fiction story that’s been writing itself for a few years. And of course, the continuation of Absent Shadows—those characters are very much alive and their on-going story is constantly building.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Oh, this is really hard. As already mentioned, I have the utmost respect for the creative skills of the late authors Ray Bradbury, Daphne du Maurier and J.R.R. Tolkien. If meeting with them meant that even the smallest portion of their talent rubbed off onto me, I’d be thrilled.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Growing up, my favourite TV shows were Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. I loved all things paranormal, and one side of me truly regrets not doing a degree in parapsychology.
My favourite food, and the one I’d chose if I could only have one for the rest of my life—tortilla chips (or as we say here in Australia, corn chips)! And a bit of salsa on the side, please.
My favourite sound—a kitten purring. There is, quite simply, nothing better. Well, perhaps there is one better sound … the soft uttering of the words ‘thank you’. And I’d like to say them to you, Kelly, for providing this wonderful opportunity for me to connect with you and your followers.

Find Ms. Spencer online via:

Amazon
Facebook (LIKE page)
Goodreads