Welcome, today we are talking with Sevannah Storm! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.
Can you share a little something about yourself that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?
Recently discovered I have ADHD which explains why I’m a quick starter. I’ve always struggled with finishing things. So writing novels challenges me to start and finish.
How long have you been writing?
Since 13 Dec 2017.
What have you found most challenging about it?
Getting through the saggy middle is what I usually say, but lately, it’s when the story isn’t what I thought it was meant to be. Now I have to tackle this from a whole new perspective, because I must finish before I can start another novel.
What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?
It’s a compulsion. I think I’m constantly chasing the initial high it gave me when I first started.
Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?
I wrote five books in five months when I started this journey. It’s slowed down since then. Recently, I decided to write daily. I plan to write a book a month and have so far. I’ve written 152k words since the 15 June, finishing Fire Forged, writing The Justisaar and starting Dark Survivor ß this one’s kicking my butt. I expect a delay on that. And I refuse to chastise myself. If it takes me two months, then so be it.
Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?
A hobby to maintain my sanity? Perhaps. I was tired of gaming. I wrote my first book, Hubs read it and encouraged me to pursue this. So now it’s my second job ß I write, edit, and do cover designs.
What inspires you?
Wow. It’s a random thought, an image, a scene in a movie, a meme. It could be anything. I once had a what-if thought about a warrior woman who’s cursed with immortality. Just that one line led to a book that took me a year to write.
Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.
What are your pet peeves?
Bad/rude behavior, inconsideration, wasting my time.
Who is your hero?
My dad. He’s amazing. 76 years old and still working. Loves chocolate cake, and he has his own language that the parrot now speaks.
Give us one thing on your bucket list.
Visiting Iceland. Trying to convince Hubs, but he hates cold climes.
What is your favorite hot drink (coffee, tea, etc.)?
Tea, currently, because we’re on the tail end of winter. But I do love coffee: bulletproof or a cappuccino with whipped cream.
What would readers find surprising about you?
How approachable I am. I have a resting b!tch face of note, but I’ll bend over backwards to help someone. My love language is surprises, so a chocolate when I least expect it, or a comment/email from a reader, those make me smile and brighten my day.
If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?
My gran, Jesus, but I’d probably just sit on a cloud gazing down on Earth. I suspect time isn’t a concept there, so I’d see all of history roll out like a movie.
Just for fun. What is your least favorite:
- Hero type – Tragic – life’s depressing enough as it is.
- Body part – Feet but only because as we age, it’s the most neglected.
- Overused word in a title – ‘Of’ or ‘Mafia.’
- Genre – Non-Fiction, Literary, Horror.
- Dirty word – Cunt? Can’t get more vulgar than that.
Now that our readers know who Sevannah Storm is let’s get down to the business of your book, Ire of Silver.
Please tell us a little bit about Ire of Silver.
I was in the middle of playing The Witcher. The soundtrack snagged me, and I just wanted to write about a journey fraught with danger, magic, and a love story that survives against all odds. Thugari is a shunned half-orc, abused by her father and treated like a slave. When she finally escapes, she steals from a lawbringer, something he holds dear. He’s already on a mission and now has to hunt her down. When he finds her, she’s not what he thought with a mystery of her own. Together with a band of warriors, they head north into a war against pure evil where Thugari will play a pivotal role as she discovers herself, her magic, and her love for the lawbringer.
What was your hardest challenge writing this book?
Was keeping Thugari’s pet rat alive. The dwarves of Dussoum like roasted rat, y’see. Writing wise, it was getting through the saggy middle on one of my longest books. Thankfully, I wrote it within a month on a dare and managed to push through.
What kind of research did you have to do?
Mythical creatures, then twisting them to suit my world and the story. I also had to do a map using Inkarnate. I find that made the traveling and distances accurate and consistent.
What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?
Touch, proximity, quiet discussions, placing them in danger, and in this case, giving Thugari a mystery a lawbringer would need to unravel.
Any other works in progress?
Currently writing Dark Survivor, book #2 of the Qaldreth Warriors series. It’s being difficult, mostly because it runs parallel to the first book. It’s about a blind doctor trying to find her place in the universe.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Tons. Make a list of words that you abused. Do not use suddenly, very, and do not start your novel, no matter what, with your character waking up. Use technology to help you, as in mastering the chosen writing app, creating your own covers and marketing images with free apps and legal images, creating your own website, etc. With the internet at our fingertips, it’s easy to learn new skills.
And find an editor you can work with. Do not launch an unedited book. You want your readers to return to you, not run away.
Final words?
Learn what your pothole is and dodge it. I’d never work at a Lindt store or a bakery or a coffee shop. And work hard, be consistent, and persistent. If it you don’t want to do something, then you have to 100% do it. Force yourself to. Your future self will thank your past self.
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