I had the opportunity to interview Sandra Ely, an up and coming author recently. If you like paranormal romance geared to a young adult audience, she has some things out now you need to check out. Find out how in this interview!

1) Sandra, tell me about your work: what you’ve written, what genre? – Right now, I’ve got one anthology out. It’s a compilation of four mini-novellas: My Traitorous Heart, Whispers on the Wind, Heart of the Hurricane, and When the Earth Shakes. Each story is a paranormal romance, with a leaning toward young adult audiences. I’m not big into writing erotica, so that’s not something you can expect to see from me in the foreseeable future. These stories are actually a prelude to a novel I have in the works. I also have a vampire romance scheduled to be released the second week of July. I have a ton of projects in various stages of completion. Fantasy, horror, paranormal romance. I pretty much write whatever feels right for me.

2) Are you published, if so where can we find your work? – Yes, I have an anthology available in both print and kindle formats. Each mini-novella is also available on their own via kindle. You can find them all on my Amazon author’s page: www.amazon.com/author/sandraely. The print version of Gifted: An Anthology is also available through Createspace atwww.createspace.com/4771001. Or you can look it up on barnesandnoble.com or call your local Barnes and Noble retailer to order a copy (no credit card required when ordering over the phone.) As well as the anthology being out, I have several poems and short stories published through Yahoo! voices. I’ve also written a few articles on various topics. You can find those on my Yahoo! contributor page:http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1718193/sandra_ely.html. There are also excerpts from all my published work (as well as some excerpts from projects that are coming soon) on my Facebook page. You can find them at www.facebook.com/authorsandraely

3) How do you feel about Indy publishing vs. traditional publishing? – To date, I have done all my publishing independently. I can tell you it’s not an easy road. I have a couple of readers I trust who will tell me when a story’s content just isn’t working. They also offer fresh eyes for anything I miss as I edit. I think a strong support system is important for an Indie author who is just starting out, especially if you don’t have a lot of money to get it going. For the cover of my anthology, I used a stock cover Createspace had in their gallery. For Hunter’s Fall, I wanted to do something different and scoured the internet looking for a cover design on a budget. A friend of mine, Ashlei Hawley, designed the cover in the end and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. With traditional publishing, the publisher helps with cover design, editing, marketing, and all the other little stuff readers don’t necessarily think about going into a book. But with publishers you have deadlines to worry about, acceptance letters to wait on. Indie publishing gives you more freedom. There’s no one to tell you you have to have so many graphic scenes or anything like that; you are free to write as you please. There are no dead lines to stress about. You are able to write at whatever pace works for you.

4) What has been the biggest driving force behind your work? – Words have always been in my soul. For as long as I can remember, reading and writing have both been as imperative to me as breathing. It was probably high school when I realized that I could actually make a career out of my love of writing. It took a few years, but now I can see my dream put in motion and that is truly a wonderful thing.

5) What are the goals you hope to achieve in your writing career? – I don’t have huge goals for myself. I just want to tell my stories and I want people to enjoy them. Whatever success I obtain along the way is just an added bonus.

6) How do you balance family life with your writing career? – It’s not an easy feat. I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old. Whatever time I can find for my writing, I take. Some days, I don’t get much (or any) writing done, but that’s okay. My stories will keep, but my children on the other hand, will be grown before I know it. It used to be, I made the most progress if I typed directly onto the computer. Now, I carry around a notebook. It’s easier to put what I can down on paper and type it up later.

7) What message do you have for your fans? – First of all, I would like to thank you Beth, for asking me to do the interview. That said, I would like to say thank you to all my fans that are following along with me as I embark on this journey. I promise there will be tons of new stories coming. To stay updated on my current projects, get excerpts, and keep an eye out for new releases LIKE my Facebook page:www.facebook.com/authorsandraely