Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sam Cheever

Hi Sam. Thanks for agreeing to chat with Enchanting Reviews about your books. We are so excited about getting to know you better.

1. What made you decide to become an Author? And why an author?
It was definitely self defense. I had thousands of stories inside my head bashing about in an attempt to escape. It was either let them out or suffer brain damage. Some who know me would say I definitely waited too long...but I did eventually make a deal with the stories. I let them out in a controlled fashion and they stopped bashing around in my head. Although I still get the occasional masher that needs to be managed.

2. How long have you been writing?
I can remember writing my first poetry in high school and having the teacher read it to the class because he thought it was really good. Looking back on it now I realize how dark and filled with teenage angst those first writing attempts were. I shudder at all that angst now. I’ve graduated to more physical writing since then. I’m really more of a blow ‘em up and smack ‘em around type of writer. It’s so much more satisfying than just sitting around fretting about something.

3. Was ’TWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL your first book? If not, can you tell us more about your first book and previous releases? How long did it take to ‘break through’?
It was the first book I’ve had published with a traditional publisher. I actually published a psychological thriller with a POD publisher before that. It’s entitled, BRUTAL INDIFFERENCE and it’s nothing like what I write now. It’s a lot darker and more intense. But I still think it’s a great story. I’ve had some small stuff published here and there, including children’s stories and poetry, but ‘TWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL was my first published novel. I worked on the book for a couple of years before I found the courage to send it out. It took about six months to sell the book once I sent it to some publishers. So the short and sweet answer is, it took several years...and it took six months. #:0)

4. How do you come up with a story? What was the starting point behind this work, and its sequel ’TWEEN A DEVIL AND HIS HARD PLACE? I must admit the spin given to fantasy in this Tweener series took me by surprise. How did you come up with this world, this different ‘magic’? Was there a lot of research behind it all?
Well, Astra and I have been friends for a while. As you can imagine, she was one of the stories that did the most damage to my head trying to break free. I blame every headache on her. She’s not exactly subtle! But she wanted the world to know about Tweeners. The concept of angels and devils has always intrigued me. Nothing speaks to the epic struggle between good and evil like a good angel and devil story. That’s how the ‘Tween series was born. And it has blossomed from there. I absolutely adore vampire and shape shifter stories, but I wanted to do something different...something that really hadn’t been done before. I think I achieved that with the series. As far as research, I have a strong Christian background. I went to Lutheran schools from pre-school on up. So it was a natural extension for me to write about Christian figures. I have definitely had to revisit some of the history behind these fascinating creatures, the hierarchy of the angels for example. But the beauty of fantasy is that you don’t have to follow any historical guidelines if you don’t want to. You can just make it up as you go along.

5. How do you come up with your characters? In the case of this series, how did the characters come to exist?
Well, I started with the basic premise of characters who were a mixture of dark and light. Then I made some characters weighted more heavily toward the dark and some more heavily toward the light. There are no absolutes in my stories. Though I do absolutely believe that there is evil in the world, I recognize that even the most evil critter has some good qualities. Whether the good qualities out-weigh the bad is a judgement call...one that Astra is constantly facing in her life.
From there it’s just all good fun. Picture a giant Chinese menu in your mind. I take one from Column A and two from Column B for this character, then three from Column A and one from Column B for that character. Pretty soon you have dinner...I mean a story!

6. Which is your favourite character in the story? (Say Dialle, please!!)
I have to answer this in two parts. My favourite female character is of course, Astra. As I said, we’ve been friends for a long time. She is basically me on steroids and without reality to bind me down. Astra just kind of fumbles and stumbles her way through all the problems that keep getting thrown at her, dealing with things as they come along in her own inimitable way, with assertiveness, determination, and humor, and guided by her own, unique moral compass. She definitely has an end point, but she’s never sure how she’s gonna get there.
But my favourite male character is definitely, yes, Dialle. He’s something of a mystery to
me still. I’m discovering him a little bit more with every book. He’s tall, dark, and sexy and, like Astra and me, he’s a confusing mixture of good and bad. His story is epic. On his shoulders might rest the future of the world. If Dialle is the great Unifer he is a figure of prophesy and a very important Royal Devil. And if he isn’t, then dang...who the heck is? #:0)

7. A question we all want to know the answer to – What makes a great hero? Ultimately, a great heroine too?
That’s easy for me. Both a hero and a heroine do the right things that most of us are unable or unwilling to do. They do larger than life things. Sometimes, as in the case of Astra, they do it without any planning or foresight. When faced with a problem and a moral dilemma they just do the right thing, no matter the personal cost. And sometimes, like American soldiers around the world, they set out to do the hard things and accomplish them with dignity and skill. Either way, whatever the impetus, they do hard things for the right reasons, at great risk of life and limb. That’s heroic in my opinion.

8. What encouragements would you give other writers? Any advice?
Just sit down and do the hardest thing...write. Write snippets of stories that pop into your head. Write about things that happen to you. Write whatever you care about most. Don’t try to write for a specific market if you don’t have a passion for that market. Writing is hard enough without forcing yourself into a niche you aren’t really comfortable in. Your readers will know if you don’t care about the story. And they won’t care about it either.

9. Do you have a set schedule when you write or do you write when you are feeling creative?
My days are packed full. Every minute accounted for. I get up around 5:00 am and try to write for a couple of hours before my day really gets going. Then I write in snippets throughout the day as I find time. I’m blessed in that I can usually sit down and write fairly efficiently pretty much whenever I find a few moments of time. Then I set the writing aside and move on to something else. And because I get easily bored, I always try to write multiple stories at once. When I get stuck or tired of writing on one story I move to another. I generally try to write a chapter a week on each of my WIPs. That seems to be a pretty manageable goal for me.

10. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have ten dogs, four horses, two daughters, and a husband. If I allot just a few moments a day to each of them there goes my day. #:0) But seriously, my list of things I love to do is very long, which is why my days are packed full. I like to take several walks a day with my dogs. I consider this mind candy for them and it works great as a mind clarifier and de-stressor for me. I try to ride my horses at least a couple of times a week. My oldest daughter and I go to at least one movie a week. We prefer romantic comedies and fantasies. My youngest daughter only likes to shop so we shop together. I love to read and do it whenever I have a spare moment. We do power yoga as a family every night, yes, even my husband. It’s probably my favourite activity of the day because we do it together. With ten dogs playing around us and climbing all over us, we don’t necessarily achieve chi every time but we share a lot of laughs and have a lot of fun with it. And, with the writing, that’s pretty much my day.

11. Can you give us a sneak peek into what you are writing now? Or a hint of what is up-coming?
Well, I am, as you know, working on book 3 of the ‘Tween series. In this one, Astra is running against the clock to save the world from a twisted magic veil that’s closing over the Earth and driving all of the non-magic beings mad. She and her family have a special part in the drama that’s unfolding, with the Serpent at its center. And I do mean the Serpent. This is the book where we learn if Dialle is truly the great Unifer. Which is, I believe, worth the price of admission right there. #:0) Astra also gets a pet in Book 3, a rather unique pet. You won’t want to miss this one.
I’m also working on an erotic fantasy that will come out through Ellora’s Cave late this year or early next year. It’s based on a race of Cupids who run a human dating service. I’m having a lot of fun with that one.
And finally, because all good things come in threes, I’m finishing up my second romantic comedy, which is a departure from my fantasy works but has been a lot of fun to write. I think it will be a fun change of pace for readers who find my fantasy entertaining.
My first romantic comedy, DANCING WITH TAD, will be coming out in 2008 through Red Rose Publishing. I’m very excited about it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, thank you for inviting me to spend time with you. I’ve really enjoyed chatting. And thank you for the support you give to me and all the other authors who are lucky enough to be read and reviewed by Enchanting Reviews. Organizations such as yours are a gift to those of us who love to share our stories with others. I think I speak for all my fellow writers when I say that we appreciate all you do for us.

Sam, I wish to thank you for your time today, and we at Enchanting Reviews hope to see more work from you in the near future.

Thank you for choosing Enchanting Reviews.

Interviewed by Zee
June 2008

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