Author Interview: Samantha Gail

The Basics
– Samantha Gail
– Genre(s): Contemporary, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Paranormal and Time travel romantic fiction
– Publisher(s): eXtasy Books

To Other Authors

– What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• 1) Besides, never giving on the prospect of being published someday? I would say it is extremely important to learn the marketing industry. Take the time to research. Learn how to promote yourself and be realistic. It’s a fact that very few writers are able to support themselves with their writing alone.

• 2) Continued growth – Take writing classes, join critique groups, read and expand your abilities. My writing today is very different than it was even a couple of years ago. I am constantly evolving, incorporating new ideas and techniques into my writing.

• 3) A great editor can be your best asset…a divine gift. Find one, hire one, befriend one. They can help your creation become the masterpiece you envision. I know a few freelance editors. If you need a name, let me know.

– What’s your favorite way to advertise?

• Internet marketing on a wide variety of romance sites, author groups and search engines! I live on an island in rural Alaska and the internet has really been my lifeline. Conventions are informative and can be great fun. They help get your name out in the public eye. Just don’t expect an immediate return in sales. Everything takes time. I have a friend who took five years out of her writing career to do nothing but marketing – book signings, conventions and assorted guest appearances. That’s much more of a commitment than I’m willing to make, but she now has the fan following to support herself and is back to her first love of writing stories!

– What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else’s that you learned from)?

• The publishing world is myopic. A manuscript is judged by the internal standards of the individual reading it, so…DON’T GIVE UP! Write your story the way you want then revise it until you’re satisfied. My personal opinion is that the reading public is smarter than they are given credit for by the big NY publishing houses. Those same publishers have been hit hard in the pocketbook by escalating electronic book sales.

For the Readers

– What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?

• I met Meg Gardiner at the 2009 RT Convention in Orlando. We sat next to each other at the book fair. She’s from Sacramento but lives in London with her husband and writes the most edge-of-your-seat suspenseful mysteries I’ve read in decades. The Dirty Secrets Club kept me up all night. The Memory Collector was equally fabulous. I’m making my way through her Evan Delaney series now.

– Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?

• E-books. The ability to hold an entire library of books in my hand is simply exhilarating. I’m dedicated to my Kindle and don’t go anywhere without it. My only regret is that grandpa isn’t alive to see it!

– Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• WOW! Tough question 🙂

Okay, here goes:
1) The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2) The Lover by Robin Schone
3) Odd Thomas (series) by Dean Koontz

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

– What inspired you to be a writer?

• I got the “writing bug” during an English class in college. I had so much fun doing my homework assignments that I couldn’t stop once the class was finished. My little short stories eventually grew into full-blown novels and novellas.

– What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Take a deep breath, stretch my arms, call my husband, and tell him it’s time to pop the champagne cork.

– Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• My characters, mostly. I play their conversations over and over in my head. What would they do? Say? How would these characters respond to the myriad ways I can torture them by seriously “stuffing up” their lives? Tension powers a story. If it’s not there, the reader loses interest.

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

She Who Dares, Wins was released by eXtasy Books in June. It’s a spy thriller, action/adventure romance and the prequel to Guarding the Coast. ISBN#978-1-55487-ARC Buy link – www.tinyurl.com/mnsm4h She Who Dares, Wins When the NSA picks up intelligence that the world’s premiere genetic researchers have been flocking to a small island in southeast Asia, they send their most productive field agent undercover to find answers. It doesn’t take Isabelle Archer long to sniff out trouble. The Sultan of the small, oil-rich country of Muldahar has been squandering his billions for decades. But oil reserves are dwindling and the desperate Sultan has a new plan to keep his coffers filled. For Isabelle, getting evidence of this experimental project gone horribly wrong will take a miracle – specifically, a miracle in the form of a burly blonde with the low, rumbling voice of purest sin. A sexy bodyguard on temporary VIP protection detail with Australia’s Special Air Service, has been assigned to protect the Sultan’s ten-year-old nephew. Despite her better judgment, Isabelle’s attraction to Captain Quinton Herriman is irresistible. She can’t keep her hands off him. But to get his help when her mission turns deadly? She’ll have to trust more than just her body to his safekeeping.

~ Coming Soon ~

Amanda’s Glory is the last story in my erotic sci-fi FORESTAL series. I’m putting the final touches on it in time to be released this fall through eXtasy Books.

Learn More
– Website – www.samanthagail.com
– Facebook – www.tinyurl.com/nh89tc
– Blog – www.tinyurl.com/lt9u9w

Join me next week for Toni V. Sweeney’s interview!