Ask the Author: S.J. Lewis
Answered Questions (8)
S.J. Lewis
Yes, I can. This is a legitimate answer to that question.
S.J. Lewis
I once knew a woman named Donna Jean. I was very drawn to her, and she to me. Yet I never fully understood her. To be honest, I barely understood her at all beyond that mutual attraction. She was thirteen years younger than I was, which might have accounted for some of that lack of understanding, but she was always charmingly evasive about answering direct questions, so I never learned much about her background. Often, when she volunteered any information, it was in such a convoluted way that it sometimes took me a day or two to figure out what she might have meant.
We saw each other off and on for a number of years. Then my circumstances changed, and we drifted apart. I thought I would never see her again, and wished her well.
Then, after a gap of many years, we encountered each other again, in a completely different place. We talked for a while about how we each were doing, but she remained as elusive as ever about details. And then we parted ways again. I'm still not certain that our last meeting was entirely by chance. I sometimes wonder what became of her afterwards. And I still wish her well.
We saw each other off and on for a number of years. Then my circumstances changed, and we drifted apart. I thought I would never see her again, and wished her well.
Then, after a gap of many years, we encountered each other again, in a completely different place. We talked for a while about how we each were doing, but she remained as elusive as ever about details. And then we parted ways again. I'm still not certain that our last meeting was entirely by chance. I sometimes wonder what became of her afterwards. And I still wish her well.
S.J. Lewis
Crushing my enemies, driving them before me...
Oh, no, wait, that's not me, that's Conan the Barbarian.
Okay then, it's all the wealth and fame and name recognition...
Nope. Come to think of it that's Stephen King, not me.
Seriously, I have always enjoyed telling stories: Weaving tales, bringing characters to life, creating interesting settings, even conjuring new worlds. I've been doing that for as far back as I can remember.
Oh, no, wait, that's not me, that's Conan the Barbarian.
Okay then, it's all the wealth and fame and name recognition...
Nope. Come to think of it that's Stephen King, not me.
Seriously, I have always enjoyed telling stories: Weaving tales, bringing characters to life, creating interesting settings, even conjuring new worlds. I've been doing that for as far back as I can remember.
S.J. Lewis
Thank you for asking. My personal favorite would be 'Female Prey'. It was my first best-seller, and it began my 'Prey' series.
I'm afraid I haven't tried any of your books either. Are they available in paperback, and if so, which one would you recommend?
I'm afraid I haven't tried any of your books either. Are they available in paperback, and if so, which one would you recommend?
S.J. Lewis
It's the opening sentence to 'The Dreams', an unfinished fantasy novel I've been working on.
S.J. Lewis
Answering this question could easily turn into another book. I'll try to keep it shorter than that.
If you're looking to become rich or famous from your writing, be prepared to deal with disappointment. There are a lot of other writers out there, and for every Norman Mailer or Stephen King, there are thousands of authors hardly anyone has ever heard of. This isn't to say that you have no chance of becoming rich or famous, but your odds may be a bit better if you buy lottery tickets.
If you're hoping to make a little extra money, writing often pays less than minimum wage.
If you write because you like to tell stories and share them with others, the lack of remuneration and absence of fame will sting a lot less. There's something rewarding about seeing your own book in print, with your name on it. Thanks to the Internet, getting to that point is easier than ever, but so many people are taking advantage of that that the main problem facing a writer (aside from actually writing, of course) is finding a way not to get lost in all the background noise.
Finally, a bit of advice I picked up some time ago. I'm told that it comes from Robert Heinlein:
First, you must WRITE.
Second, you must FINISH what you write.
If you're looking to become rich or famous from your writing, be prepared to deal with disappointment. There are a lot of other writers out there, and for every Norman Mailer or Stephen King, there are thousands of authors hardly anyone has ever heard of. This isn't to say that you have no chance of becoming rich or famous, but your odds may be a bit better if you buy lottery tickets.
If you're hoping to make a little extra money, writing often pays less than minimum wage.
If you write because you like to tell stories and share them with others, the lack of remuneration and absence of fame will sting a lot less. There's something rewarding about seeing your own book in print, with your name on it. Thanks to the Internet, getting to that point is easier than ever, but so many people are taking advantage of that that the main problem facing a writer (aside from actually writing, of course) is finding a way not to get lost in all the background noise.
Finally, a bit of advice I picked up some time ago. I'm told that it comes from Robert Heinlein:
First, you must WRITE.
Second, you must FINISH what you write.
S.J. Lewis
Inspiration comes in many ways, from many sources. On one occasion, a single image I came across on line was so striking that I began to think about what kind of story I could build around it. In this case, one picture was worth a bit over 50,000 words.
It's usually not that clear-cut, however. Story ideas present themselves almost daily, and I can't point to any one thing as triggering any of them. On occasion, a story may suggest a sequel. Well, actually, almost all of my stories appear to have potential sequels to me, but I don't know if I'll ever have time to write them all. Besides, I have a number of partly completed manuscripts on my computer already. Its a lot easier to be inspired to start a story than it is to finish it.
It's usually not that clear-cut, however. Story ideas present themselves almost daily, and I can't point to any one thing as triggering any of them. On occasion, a story may suggest a sequel. Well, actually, almost all of my stories appear to have potential sequels to me, but I don't know if I'll ever have time to write them all. Besides, I have a number of partly completed manuscripts on my computer already. Its a lot easier to be inspired to start a story than it is to finish it.
S.J. Lewis
I usually have several stories that I'm working on at a time. If I run out of steam on the main project, I shift to another for a while. Failing that, I may abandon writing for a time and take up reading until the block is gone.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more