BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Today, I have the pleasure of talking with author Yolanda Sfetsos. Welcome, Yolanda!

How long have you been writing, whether just for your own enjoyment or professionally? Will you share a little bit with us about your journey to become a published author? Did being published live up to your expectations? Has it changed your life at all?

I’ve been writing since my early teens. Making up stories is something I’ve been doing for a long time. I used to daydream a lot when I was a kid and then finally, one day I picked up a pen and notebook and started writing some of the tales I was spinning.

Becoming a published author is a long and hard road, and even now that I’m published with several great publishers, I still have other goals I’d love to achieve as far as my writing goes. But what I’ve done from the very beginning was to keep writing, and reading. It’s amazing how much you can learn about structure from reading books.

So, I kept writing all the way through my teens and then in my twenties dared to send out some of my stories. It took me a long time to work up enough courage to share my writing with other people. Other than friends, that is. I was a little scared, but once I got started and ventured into the land of rejections – peppered with some acceptances – there was no stopping me. I started out submitting short stories and had about fifty of them published online.

And so, here I am today, still sending out stories and getting some terrific contracts, as well as some rejections. They never stop coming, neither does the self-doubt.

Being published is awesome. It’s also a lot of hard work but I love it. I enjoy the process, especially seeing the covers for the first time, and the editing. I’ve learnt so much during editing. It’s one of the things that helped strengthen my writing, and continues to. Life has changed because I’ve become obsessed with email and check it about a hundred times a day. 
 

In your short story Better Off Alone, you give your readers a “post zombie apocalypse” world that is inhabited by two different types of zombies – both the slow and shambling kind and the ultra fast and feral type. Most movies I’ve seen or stories I’ve read have featured one type or the other, but not both. What is your theory behind having your zombies evolve from one form to the other?

Well, I have to admit that when I wrote Better Off Alone, I envisioned this short story as the first step towards a much longer and more detailed story. I always knew there were a lot of things going on in the background that Nell couldn’t possibly know about but would still be thrust into the middle of. For example, why it happened, why some survived and some didn’t, why most zombies seem to hobble around like idiots but some can move fast and even make deals with the human survivors? I just wanted to test the possibilities of this world.

My theory is that most zombies start out as the hobbling sort, but as time goes by, just like everything else on this planet, they evolve. For whatever reason, most will always remain the brainless, wobbly kinds, but many others will rise above their condemnation and adapt in this dead world. And that’s all I can share right now. ;)

Your humans in Better Off Alone sacrificing each other in order to keep the zombies at bay. In a way, I found this even more frightening that the monsters themselves. Was this your intent? What effect were you aiming for with this story?

One of the things that I like about zombie movies is that even during an apocalypse where corpses could take you out at any second, humans will always continue to bicker, fight, and generally be mean to each other. Also, when it comes to survival under such extreme situations, I think most people would offer anyone if it meant they weren’t eaten. And that’s the intent behind it.

How awful would it be to realize that by offering one human every few days, the zombies won’t bother you? And will actually let you live in what’s become their world. Yet, can you really trust them? What’s to stop them from trying to claim more than what you offer? It makes you wonder why that would be enough, doesn’t it?

Talk to me a little bit about the emotion you incorporate into Better Off Alone. Your young heroine in this story feels a sense of despair that’s heartbreaking, especially given her youth and idealism. Was your intention in this story to build up hope for the future just to pull it away at the last minute?

From the moment I got this idea, I knew that Nell had to be young. I didn’t want her to be an adult. I wanted to push this poor girl to the limits, offer her a long-distance friendship that offered the hope of finding a connection in a dead world. But when she has to leave her hideout and sees for herself what living amongst other survivors really means, that’s when all her hope fades. And yet, she finds solace in the one person who’s remained a constant… yes, it was cruel to pull hope and happiness away from her at the last minute, but she did survive and there is still someone with her. So who knows what the future holds?

Many authors specialize in one specific genre, but you write across several – urban fantasy, romance, horror. Tell me a little bit about why you choose to be so diverse in your writing. Is there any one particular genre you prefer over others?

The problem isn’t with me, it’s with my muse. Lol. ;) Genre doesn’t mean much to her, and so that’s why I write in so many of them. Although, you will find that there’s usually something otherworldly in the story. I don’t write straight out contemporary tales, I like to pepper them with a little of the fantastically dark.

I love a variety of genres, but I have noticed that with urban fantasy, you can pretty much throw in a little of everything, which I love to do.

When you develop characters for your stories, do they come alive to you? Do you worry about them and miss them when the story is over, or are you able to put them aside and move on easily to the next project?

Yes, they do. Especially during the initial first draft writing, when I’m totally immersed in their story and world. It’s like I can’t think about anything else, even when I’m not writing, I’ll be thinking things over. It sounds a little nuts and even obsessive, but that’s how it is.

I worry about the horrible things I put them through, and often can’t let them go. It’s the reason why I often find myself writing a trilogy or a series. But I do have to draw the line somewhere, and that usually involves scheduling time for all of them at different times.

Would you say that any particular author, person, or event inspires your writing? Why or why not?

I know that Clive Barker inspired my path in delving into the darkness of a character and story, no matter what the genre. He helped me realize that horror was so much more than just the hack-and-slash movies I loved in the 80s.

And although I’ve been constantly writing since my teens, after I had my daughter, everything clicked into place. After the exhaustion and writer’s block during the pregnancy and the first few months of her life, a spark of inspiration struck again. That’s when I decided that I was going to totally throw myself into storytelling. To really pursue it… That was almost ten years ago.

Do you tend to work on one writing project at a time, or would you consider yourself a “multi-tasker”?

Well, I consider myself a bit of a factory-line type of writer. I like to work on one project at a time, but switch over to others as well. For example, if I’m writing the first draft of a novel/novella, I’ll concentrate on just that until it’s done. But if I get edits, I’ll switch to that, before returning. And then when the first draft is done, I’ll start revisions on another project. And so on.

What do you think makes for a great work of fiction? How do you instill that into your work?

I think a great work of fiction is a story that engrosses the reader so much that they look forward to getting back to it, if they have to put the book down. It’s a story that sucks you in and sticks with you, and inspires you to think/talk about it, search for other books by that author.

It’s hard to explain. It’s even harder to know if I instill that in my own work because I’m my worst critic.

I just make sure that I tell the story hounding my head, and sharpen it as much as I can. If it’s kept my attention long enough to write, revise, etc. then I hope it does the same to other readers.

If you had to choose one of your novels or short stories to hold up as the finest example of your work to date, which would it be and why?

I’d like to think that whatever happens to be my latest release would be my finest. Because I believe that the more I write, the stronger my writing gets. 

Tell me about your current work-in-progress. What can your fans expect to see from you in the not too distant future?

At the moment I’m between projects. I’ve got a handful of novels waiting to be revised, and until my daughter goes back to school, I won’t be able to get a proper working schedule figured out. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. I’m still submitting, editing, planning, and doing other bits and pieces. But I can tell you that I’ve got the next two installments in my Alyce Kerr, Faith Healer Trilogy coming out from Damnation Books in March (Careless) and June (Boundless), plus a stand-alone novella in September.

Oh, and this year will also be when I kick off my new urban fantasy trilogy with ImaJinn Books.

So there are still some very exciting things to come. Not to mention that this year I intend to write a few more stories set in my Recast world. The first one, Wither, is now available from Samhain Publishing. This is a Sci-Fi.

Share a little about Yolanda Sfetsos the person with us. What do you do when you’re not pounding the keyboard? Do you have a profession outside of writing? And what about hobbies –what do you do for fun and relaxation and stress reduction?

I stopped working full time after I had my daughter, but had a few part-time jobs after that. I walked away from that several years ago, too. So, the only other thing I do asides from writing is take care of my daughter. You know, I think I lied… that is my full time job. Lol.

I love to go for walks, workout, read, watch movies and my fave TV shows, plus hang out with my hubby, daughter, and cat. 

Your website features a picture of an orange and white cat by the name of Loki. Tell me about this little guy. What makes him your writing buddy?

Well, since the day we adopted him when he was only 9 weeks old, Loki’s been with me most of the day. He’s a housecat, so when hubby’s at work and my daughter’s at school, it’s just me and him. And he always sits nearby, taking naps while I write or read. We also get together during the day and play a little bit of hide and seek. So, he’s definitely my writing buddy. 

If I were to peek at your library shelves, what would I find? What would I not find? Do you tend to read mainly the genres you write, or are your tastes more eclectic?

You’d find a hell of a lot of urban fantasy and YA stuff. So, yes, I do read in the genre that I write, but you’d also see every Stephen King book that’s been published (and not all read, btw), as well as Clive Barker’s.

I’ve also got horror, a sprinkle of sci-fi, and a little fantasy.  I love to read in many genres – mysteries and thrillers are others that I really enjoy. But I really don’t read historical stories. Well, except for steampunk.

What is your favorite zombie movie? Do you prefer the classics such as Dawn of the Dead, more modern tales such as 28 Days Later, or spoofs such as Zombieland and Sean of the Dead?

Oh, I’m not fussy when it comes to zombies. I love the classics, because without them we wouldn’t be where we are now with the zombies, but the new ones are definitely awesome – both the serious and spoofs.

I absolutely loved 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, because they are just so graphic and freaky, but Sean of the Dead and Zombieland were awesome as well. It’s good to sprinkle in a little fun with all that scary and yucky chaos.

Please let us know how we can find out more about you and your writing – websites, blogspots, etc. How can we go about purchasing your work?

Here’s where you can find me:

Website, Twitter, Blog, LiveJournal. If you visit my Books page, you can click on whichever cover you’re interested in to find out more information, or grab yourself a printable book list.

Finally, what have I neglected to ask? Is there anything else about yourself that you would like to share with your readers?

I’d like to remind them that I’ve got several free reads over at my blog. Everyone likes/deserves a freebie every now and then. I also love to hear from readers.

Other than that, thank you so much for having me here. It’s been a lot of fun to answer these very clever questions.

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Yolanda, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us and answer our nosey questions. We at BookWenches reviews wish you the very best for the future in your life and career.