Author Interview- Sarah J Pepper - Death of the Mad Hatter

       

• ISBN-13: 9781492823919
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 11/27/2013
• Pages: 322

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Hi Sarah Welcome to The Reading Frenzy 
Hello everyone!!!! Thank you so much for coming today! 

Tell us about Death of the Mad Hatter

Well, this is a delightful, twisted, crazy piece that I simply had no idea I was going to write. Truth be told, I’m petrified of Lewis Carrol’s story of Alice in Wonderland. It ranks high on my fear list next to spiders and the third shelf in my fridge where all my food goes to die.
Anyway, I really didn’t fathom writing a story where animals could talk and up was down, but down was slightly off to the side until I stumbled upon Josh Wilcoxon’s photos. He is a FABLUOUS talented photographer and does “twisted fairy tales” when he’s not taking wedding pictures. So, as I was saying, I was bored one day and was stalking him (in the non-creepy way) and found this little gem. I just had to put words to the picture. Thus, came my quirky yet savy Alice Mae from the Death of the Mad Hatter.           
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.192648930827126.45220.100263103399043&type=3

Is this a stand alone novel or will it be a part of a series? 

Well, initially this story was to be a stand alone, but after I sent out my early releases, I got back an overwhelming response to continue the story. I’m pretty sure some readers would come at me with pitchforks and fire if I didn’t keep going… okay, my imagination might be getting the best of me, but I had some very enthusiastic email. *which is always great to read*

What do you find most rewarding about writing in the YA fantasy genre?
Is this the only genre you write? I write both YA/NA/Adult. 

Gosh, I’m just all over the board here, huh? It’s like I can’t make up my mind what age I want to address. (come in close because this is a HUGE secret!!!) I love everything there is to know about romance. The love. The hate. The passion…. So, the age range really depends on how much I am able to “control” myself.  When things start getting horizontal rather than vertical between my characters, that’s when I decided what age group I’m shooting for, lol. And my romance is always magical, so guarantee it’ll always be some version of paranormal or fantasy 

Tell us about getting published. 

Oh published…. Was it easy… ummmm, sure! About as easy as scaling Mt. Everest J Okay, I’ll put the verbal filter back on. Getting published isn’t easy and if someone tells you it is, they are living in La La Land. (maybe I should visit) anyways, I work for three different publishers depending on genera and age, as well as a few indie published books – those actually came later. I wanted to “give self-pubbing” a go.  Anyways, as far as overnight success?? Yep, that was me. See my story was that I wrote a book, fell into a coma, and then woke-up when I got my first sale – oh, hell. Seriously, I think my verbal filter fell out. No, it wasn’t a huge overnight thing where I had reporters in my lawn and the paparazzi following me. Have I made it into magazines? Yes! Television? Yes!!! But, was it easy? No, I love my books like they are my children… well, in a way they are a huge part of me. I pour my heart and soul into the book and would fight tooth and nail to give them the best shot they have. 

When you first put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard what was your biggest surprise about writing a novel?

Oh everything. See, I have this proven writing strategy: let my characters do whatever the heck they want…. Okay, I can see this may need more explanation.  I focus on character development. I let them “tell me” about themselves and how they would react to certain scenarios.  So when I get about halfway through a novel, I’ve completely lost all control of the premise and just “go with it.” 90% of the time, I have no idea how the book is going to end or “who will die” or “what will happen.” It’s as much of a surprise to me as it is for the reader. I just love it!

What kind of books do you like to read?

Anyone with Eric Northman in it. 

Sarah, what do you see yourself doing in 5 years?

Hopefully not living in a cardboard box throwing books at stranger as they walk by while yelling “read me!”

Honestly, I haven’t a clue! See, when I was younger, back in college (yep, dinosaurs walked the earth back then) I had a plan for everything—literally, everything was laid out before me in nice neat rows. And then, well, let’s just say my “plan” got flushed down the toilet. So, I had to just blindfold myself and react. Yep, that’s me now?

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.
Will there be any signing events?

YES!!!! AND I’D LOVE TO MEET ALL OF YOU!!!! I’ll be at the Sweet as a Peach Conv in Atlanta, GA in April and then at the Penned Con in St. Louis this Sept.

Connect with Sarah – Website - Facebook page - Twitter