Dear Readers, Sue
Dent is a friend of mine who has a ministry writing books that shine the light
of redemption into the lives of people who love the fantasy world of
werewolves, vampires, and like. Her books have received accolades by many of
the fantasy organizations. I’ve read her first two books. We featured them on
this blog when they released several years ago.
Welcome back, Sue. God
has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
Publishing has changed so much that it’s hard to even
glimpse the horizon. One day it looks one way and the next day all that has
changed. What a mess I’ve gotten myself into!
Tell us a little
about your family.
I’d like to give a shout-out to my big brother Dr.
(Reverend) Jeff R. Steele who recently won the Dottie Rambo Songwriter of the
Year award at the Diamond Awards earlier this month for his recent release “But
God.” I guess we’re just a family of writers.
That’s wonderful. Has
your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?
Yes. I know longer read as much as I write. I can’t seem to
cut off the self-editing mode that I’ve become accustomed to being in.
It takes a really
good book too pull me away from my self-editing mode. What are you working on
right now?
My readers are screaming for the third book in my Thirsting
for Blood Series, Cyn No More as well
as another story to follow my recent release Electric Angel. But until
there are sales of my other books, I can’t really dedicate a lot of time
working on something that isn’t going to bring in income. Sadly, it seems that
you have to invest a lot in promotion to even get folks attention in spite of
having accolades from the best in the business including a four-star (unasked
for) review of Never Ceese by Eric
Wilson of Fireproof, having Never Ceese named #1 Christian Horror
Novel at BestHorror.com beating out the likes of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti,
making the preliminary ballot at the Horror Writers Association for Superior
Achievement in a First Novel and receiving rave reviews from the British
Fantasy Society. Accolades do matter but it’s all about getting the right folks
talking about it which is why I appreciate you so much Lena !
I’m also excited about working with Matt Chasin of Matt's
Marketing, PR and Management Services who took me on as a client earlier this
year and is working to make a movie from Electric Angel.
That’s wonderful,
Sue. I’m actually working with a new Christian production company as a
screenwriter. And I know what you mean about the accolades. I’ve received a
number of them on my books. What outside interests do you have?
Presently I’ve found myself caught up in fostering cats.
Yes. I’m your resident Crazy Cat Lady!!
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
It all depends on the story of course. Well, most of the
time. Sometimes I just go by my knowledge of certain areas. For instance in Electric
Angel I needed a location that depended heavily on power stations to
provide electricity and therefore chose New
Jersey .
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
I believe I’d pick one of my favorite authors Roger Zelazny.
I would just love to sit down and talk to him about his books. Amazing and
fantastical stories.
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
There’s really nothing that I’d wished I’d known before
writing novels but TONS I’d wished I known about publishing to the general
market. And the list is far too long ... far ... too ... long to break down in
this interview!
With Indie publishing
growing as it is now, there are lots more avenues open to authors today than
when I started writing. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?
To shut up and listen to Him and to quit trying to make
things work all by myself.
That’s a biggie that
all of us need to learn. What are the three best things you can tell other
authors to do to be successful?
Write your story.
Invest wisely. If you’re serious about offering it to the
general market and competing with the “big dogs” put out the money to have a
professional editor. A “real” professional editor.
It’s a long, sometimes frustrating, ride and often it’s very
difficult to enjoy. If you can hang on though, it’s well worth it ... I think ...
I’ll let you know once I’m successful. LOL
Tell us about the
featured book?
The blurb from the book reads:
Because of her cancer, Anna Chadwick wouldn't live long
enough to carry her twin infants to term. Yet she wanted nothing more than for
them to have a chance at living. Learning one would be stillborn didn't lessen
her desire.
It would take a miracle....so she prayed for one.
When an electrical entity arrives to take the place of her
stillborn, some would reflect that prayers aren't always answered the way we'd
expect them to be.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The two-lane road wound its way around the foothills of the
lower Appalachians like a ribbon carelessly
tossed on the ground. Anna Chadwick gripped the steering wheel tighter and
eased her foot from the gas pedal. The long day’s drive bearing down on her,
she began to reconsider. Nothing about this makes sense. No one just picks up
and leaves everything behind. I don’t
even know where I’m headed.
Panic took root. Confused tears blurred her vision. She
wiped at them with the back of an uncertain hand, then gave her head a
determined shake.
“No! You can do this. You have to do this.” She placed a
maternal hand on the small bulge of her stomach. “They deserve a chance. Both
of them.”
With this thought, she pushed away her panic and drove on.
Yet when dusk threatened, the uneasy feeling returned. How much farther would
she have to go? Was she on the right road? The landscape looked the same no
matter which road she took, rolling hills populated by thick pockets of pines.
With no directions, one could easily get lost in an area like this. She’d taken
this road because at the moment she had to make a decision, it seemed the road
to take. Now, she wasn’t sure. Nothing really distinguished this road from the
other five or six she passed up already. That suffocating thought was enough to
make her consider turning around.
Then, as the road curved, she saw it.
“Yes,” she sighed. Just like the dream, the recurring dream
that began over a month ago, one that had her driving this very road. Yes, this
road, she thought, and nodded, all doubt gone. I remember this. I remember all of this. There’s the weathered old
billboard. That barn too! She drove the car to the top of the next hill. “And
that!”
She jerked the steering wheel hard and pressed on the
brakes; the car skidded onto the shoulder. The instant the vehicle screeched to
a stop, she shoved the gearshift into park, pressed the button to lower the
driver’s-side window and stared out. “I’m not crazy,” she half-laughed and
cried. “I’m not!”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
They can go to my official website at www.authorsuedent.com where they can
purchase any of my “signed” books directly from my own S D Enterprises. They
may also purchase any of my books wherever books are sold. It is important to
know that the only books I receive money for are the ones distributed through S
D Enterprises and those ISBN’s follow:
978-0996012188 Electric
Angel
978-0996012102 Never
Ceese
978-0996012119 Forever
Richard
Thank you so much, Sue, for sharing this book with us. I'm anxious to read it.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Electric Angel
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