Author Interview: Sue Owen


Get Jack’d is proud to publish it’s first indie author interview. The first honor belongs to Sue Owen, author of Chasing History-The Sword’s Journey and creator of Pink Phoenix Press.

1. Describe your book, Chasing History, in one sentence.

Chasing History-The Sword’s Journey brings awareness that our actions, however minuscule, affect others and the world around us.

2. Describe your book, Chasing History, with one word.

Intriguing.

3. What inspired Chasing History?

A dream.  I get most of my ideas from dreams.  When I was playing WoW (World of Warcraft, its a popular MMO game) I kept picturing my co-players in scenes from different eras.  Then I started having dreams about them in different eras.  Then I decided I wanted to do a quest book where someone had to go find something.  It just kinda morphed out of that.  I’ve always loved the Arthurian eras and when I was researching intending to head a completely different direction I found out that the history surrounding this era is so contradictory that why not pretend that someone is messing with time.  Was there an Arthur or wasn’t there?  Did he get the sword from the lake or the rock?  Who was Merlin exactly?  What is the truth behind Guenevere and Mordred or Lancelot?  I thought it might be fun to invent my own meaning to these events that could, or maybe didn’t happen.  Chasing History-The Sword’s Journey is book 1 of a 3 book series.

4. What makes Chasing History unique?

The Sword’s Journey is intended to get people to start thinking about what contributions they are making to their world.  If they do something now, how is that going to affect their future?  Tossing away a piece of garbage now very well may not affect tomorrow but what if it does?  What if that crucial piece of paper caused ripples through time and sometime in our way distant future it caused someone’s death?  Or birth?  I think it combines the science fiction of time travel (or is it?)  with the reality of history shaping events.

5. If you could be one character from your book, which one would you be and why?

I’m Meri.  Back to the MMO game, WoW … I always played a Mage which is a powerful spell caster but complete woose as far as hand-to-hand combat.  So when I created Meri she had the power of the Mage but also the ability to kick-batooty in hand-to-hand.

6. Why self-publish? What’s the story behind the journey to this route?

Two reasons, really.  One, I’m all about not giving my money away and two, I want a unique product that’s mine, not an agents.  I had always thought that traditional publishers and agents ‘marketed’ your books for you so you just sat back and reaped the rewards.  Not so anymore.  Now you not only pay an agent to rip apart your book causing you many many hours of rewrites to the point that the book isn’t even recognizable but you then pay the publisher to print your book while you still have to market it yourself!  Why bother?  I believe the agents are trying to make your book at marketable as possible but in doing that they are taking the uniqueness out of the product.  I don’t want someone to tell me that the animals in my book are useless…they add character and I love them.  I don’t want someone to say that Merlin would never be that way…it works for me and what I want to do.  So I went the Indie route and have created Pink Phoenix Press to support and encourage Indie writers as much as possible.  Soon we will be adding other services at reduced rates specifically for Indie writers.

7. What do you love most about writing?

The ability to express myself and mold reality.  In every scene I create, every world I write I get to decide if the leaves are green or purple.  If I don’t want to stick to someone’s perception of reality, I don’t have to.  If you look at my other books coming out there are subtle changes from reality that fit my world view rather than the common beliefs.

8. What do you love least about writing?

The sitting in my chair hour after hour.  My desk chair is hard!  I need a laptop!!

9. You review books. What is your favorite genre of book to review and are you open
for submissions?

I used to think that I had a favorite.  I love science fiction of any type which is why this first series is in that genre.  But I also love general fiction.  I used to think I loathed biographies but I have read some darn fine bios recently and am gaining an appreciation for them.  So not so much anymore.  I think my favorite is the one that I’m reading now, whichever that one is.
Pink Phoenix Press is always open for submissions by Indie authors.  We have a form on our blog site to sign up.  I just need a .pdf or Nook version (Smashwords coupon is fine too) of your book, a .jpg of your cover and a link to your author’s web site.  I’m about 6 weeks out now on reviews but catching up fast!
A couple more things about reviewing that I’d like to say.  When I review a book, I do not skim it.  I read it.  I’ve found over the years that reviewers read more of the other reviews then they do the work they are supposedly giving an opinion on. Sloppy and unfair to readers and writers alike.  I never read reviews on the books I take on.  The opinions in my reviews are based on my experience reading the work, not someone else’d ideas.  Second, Indie writers have begun to gain a reputation for poor use of language, bad sentence structure, etc.  If this continues, the inroads that Indie writers have made to become the #1 way readers read will die out.  We have a unique opportunity with the popularity of e-readers to be as successful as physical books for readers.  However, if we don’t produce a quality product we won’t have that chance. Indie writers please read your work before you publish!

10. I’ve used prologues before. I’ve been told to never use prologues. I like prologues. What is your take on, you guessed it, prologues?

I’ve been told to not use prologues too.  But I kinda tend to do my own thing.  I don’t have any plans to use on in the future but that’s not to say I won’t.  If it fits with what I need to write, then I will.  I think they have a very necessary role and if used properly, they are an awesome writing tool.

Purchase Chasing History from Amazon.