Interview with Lauren Sevier, SONGS OF AUTUMN

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

Songs Of Autumn is the first book in a romantic YA Fantasy series that explores themes of climate crisis, tragedy and rebirth, and women’s empowerment. In this series the Kingdom of Aegis is in peril. Magick, a non-renewable resource that fuels all the natural processes of the world (changing the seasons, turning the tides, helping the sun to rise and set, etc.) is rapidly running out. The only way to save the world is if Liz agrees to die in a blood sacrifice to bring Magick back to the realm. The only problem is… Liz is seventeen, and not ready to die yet. This series is her journey to defy her fate and wrest her future from the cruel grip of destiny while discovering what’s really important in life. 

Do you have a favorite character?

Absolutely! Though, I probably shouldn’t show favoritism as they tend to get jealous of one another easily. I think my favorite character might actually be Finn. He’s a very innocent character, but well-rounded and realistic. He cares deeply about other people and is quite sensitive to others, even if he doesn’t always pick up on social cues on time. He’s also a little younger than Mat so there’s a younger brother-type relationship he has with Mat which I find endlessly endearing. Mostly because Finn allows Mat to be overbearing at times because he knows that Mat thrives in situations he feels like he can control. Not because Finn actually needs someone fussing over him all the time. He’s not a neurotypical person, neither am I, and I think that makes me feel closer to him than some of the other characters I’ve written.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Gods, yes! Gareth. Freaking. Black. He is the absolute bane of my existence and probably one of the most beloved characters in my novel. I would say a good 70-80% of readers have professed that he’s their favorite. Gareth was supposed to be a nemesis of sorts for Mat in his perspective and then fade into the backstory as the main conflict overtook the individual storylines… however, this did not happen. Gareth is what I like to refer to as a ‘magnet character’ because he’s enigmatic, mysterious, and has depth. The problem with magnet characters is that they can pull focus from other plotlines and characters that are important to the overall novel. After consulting with MANY professionals over many drafts, they all said the same thing… develop him, make him a bigger part of the plot, and give him some spotlight. So it changed the direction of the novel for sure, and the series as a whole. However, I have to admit that while writing him has been increasingly difficult, his character challenges me in new and unexpected ways and that’s exciting to me. I’m hoping I can keep him in check for the rest of the series and he doesn’t completely derail anything else. LOL!

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first or latest book.

Writing Songs Of Autumn has been a whirlwind. I wrote with a co-author for a period of ten years before we both decided to pursue solo projects and dissolve the partnership. At that point in my life, I’d never written anything significant on my own. Imposter syndrome set in and I felt incredibly discouraged in my writing journey. In fact, I’d pretty much given up on my author career entirely. For a few years I did nothing. Completely convinced I had nothing of value to say and not enough talent to write it anyway. That is, until my son was born. It was a long road to a family for us, and being a new mother I was filled with optimism and a ferver to make the world a better place for him. I figured that started with me. I wanted to show him, by example, that with enough hard work and perseverance anyone could go after their dreams. So, when he was 3 months old between feedings and my full-time job I sat down and I wrote Songs Of Autumn. I knew immediately there was something special about this book and made a decision to see it through until publication. And that’s exactly what I did.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

I was offered a traditional publishing contract for Songs Of Autumn in the early days of development. I think that’s important to note as most people tend to think self-publishing as a lack of ability to get a traditional publishing contract. The truth of the matter was that I wanted to have a level of creative control over several aspects of publishing that are usually reserved for indie authors. Cover development, brand packaging, marketing, building a reader community. When I think of what success looks like to me, I don’t see major motion pictures and merchandising opportunities (although I certainly wouldn’t turn those down). Instead, what makes sense to me is that my success be defined by my availability to my readers and building a community of people who are engaged by the characters I wrote and the world that I created. That enjoyment, those connections, are what are the most important to me. It became obvious to me at a certain point that self-publishing Songs Of Autumn would be the best way to achieve that. At least, for me personally.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I have a carefully curated playlist that I write to. I’ve talked about this briefly before but I work full-time in Cardiology and speaking with a colleague of mine he told me about a clinical study that found certain songs in a playlist actually were proven to increase exercise performance. These songs had a downbeat of 120bpm which encouraged patients to run harder in cardio exercises. I kind of use this same geeky approach. I don’t have the exact numbers of bpms of the songs I choose or anything, but I tend to choose songs with an exaggerated downbeat that I can type to. Like Kaleo’s ‘Way Down We Go’. Because I work full-time, am a mom, and a youtube content creator; I find that I have to do a lot of time blocking and have drafting ‘seasons’. Times during the year that are less busy socially or with work that I can focus on drafting my novels. Other times during the year are when I schedule brainstorming, outlining, marketing, collaboration projects, etc. It’s not a perfect process, but it’s kept me sane so far! 

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes! Thank you for asking! My books are available platform wide, meaning anywhere books are sold. Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and a litany of online retailers including ibooks, kobo, etc.  If there isn’t a listing you can always request the title from the store and they can order it for you, as I know some smaller chains and independent bookstores don’t carry unfamiliar titles unless requested. It’s even going to be available through some libraries through their online services for e-books. :)
17. What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Yes and no. Yes, because it’s hard to manage a lot of tasks for my writing career since I also work full-time and travel for work. But, as far as marketing one book and writing another, I actually find those two activities tend to balance each other very well. Marketing is very editorial, detail-oriented, specific. It can get overwhelming for someone like me who is neurodiverse and has issues with hyper-focusing that can cause a lot of anxiety. So writing while marketing a book to launch actually really helps me. Writing for me has always been a cathartic outlet, so all those anxieties and overwhelming feelings can get poured into a creative endeavor and it helps me stay productive at both tasks. At least for now, but I’m hoping in the coming years to balance my work/home/life in a way that I don’t get overwhelmed quite as often.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

 Take breaks. It’s the advice I give all writers, whether they self or traditionally publish. I will say it until I’m blue in the face. Writing is a creative activity and you can’t draw on a well that’s empty. So take breaks. Long breaks. Short breaks. Walks in the park. A trip to the coffee shop (socially distant, of course). A trip out of town. Refill your creative well so it doesn’t run dry. Your mental health, your physical health, your emotional health… they’re more important than the deadlines. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way to prioritize myself and in the process have been able to create some of my best work yet.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I have a ton of things I like to do and learn about. I guess that’s my main passion; learning. Everything from conversational ASL, historically accurate 17th century costume design, collecting antique teacups and saucers, reading (obviously), gardening, zero waste alternatives, and so many more things. My passions change often, but I have so much fun learning about new things and it really helps keep the research for my novels fun and engaging. I’m just glad my husband puts up with all of my newest interests. He’s really such a good sport. 

 

 

BLURB:

 

What if your entire life you knew the exact day you were going to die?

 

Liz does.

 

Magick in the Kingdom of Aegis has almost run out. When that happens, the seasons will stop changing, the tides will cease to turn, and the sun will no longer be able to rise and set. The only way to save the lives of her people is if Liz agrees to be a blood sacrifice in a brutal ceremony that will take her life.

 

The problem is… Liz isn't ready to go.

 

With the help of a mischievous wanna-be soldier, Matioch Steele, Liz dares to take her fate into her own hands. Defying a blood-thirsty sorcerer, her desperate flight teaches her how to truly live while Mat finds out what's worth dying for. Each other.

Love, Death, Magick, and Mystery come together to weave one girl's epic tale of self-discovery.

 

Her song will echo within us all.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Lauren Sevier lives a simple life in small town Walker, Louisiana with her family and two mischievous dogs. She’s a proud firefighter wife and mother to her miracle son, born through IVF after an eight-year battle with infertility. She works full-time for a non-profit hospital in Cardiology caring for the elderly and low-income families all over the state of Louisiana in satellite and outreach clinics. Writing and being in the service of helping others are her two passions in life.

 

She started writing song lyrics and poems on the front porch swing of her family home nestled amidst a 200-year-old pecan tree orchard that was once part of a Civil War plantation. She’s inspired the most by Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, and JK Rowling. Her background in Theatre introduced her to classic British literature, playwrights, and poets from a very young age. This helped her to understand story concepts, dramatization, and character development the way Shakespeare once did, as an actor.

 

Now her biggest inspiration for writing is her son who, like all children, learns by example. Lauren is determined to set a specific example for him; to live simply, work hard, and to never stop chasing her dreams. Because, one day, you just might catch them.

 

 

Links to Socials/Book

 

UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3LDDkJ

 

Website: www.laurensevier.com

 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/laurensevier

 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/laurensevier

 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurensevier

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorlaurensevier

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49204479-songs-of-autumn

 

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Autumn-Book-1-ebook/dp/B082MRDZXN

 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songs-of-autumn-lauren-sevier/1136242243

 

 

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