Sierra DaFoe

INTERVIEWED: February 2007


Hi Sierra! Many thanks for agreeing to be this month's featured author:)

Please introduce yourself :)

A: Hi, Elizabeth ! Thanks for having me. And hello, everybody! I'm Sierra Dafoe, a writer of women's erotic romance and adventure. I'm also a mom, with one grown boy (who hasn't brought me home any grandkids yet, darn it!!!) and a very tolerant husband!

How did you become a writer? Was it always been something you wanted to do?

A: Well, it was simply always something I did. I mean, since, oh, second grade or so. But oddly enough, I never thought of myself as a writer. I just did it around everything else in my life. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I stopped and said, wait, I've been doing this for almost a quarter of a century -- maybe it's time to think about doing it professionally. I never claimed to be particularly quick on the uptake, LOL!

Which genres are your favourites to read? Do you write in these fields yourself?

A: My reading tastes are very eclectic. Or maybe 'omnivorous' would be a better word. Fantasy, sci-fi, romance, humor, horror, suspense, historical fiction... So in fact I think my writing is kind of a distillation of everything I love. And I love exploring new things, as a writer -- in fact, the next series I have coming up, Shifter Sisters, could probably be best described as paranormal chick lit! The title of the first book in the series is Sex and the Single Werewolf -- that'll be out in April. This month, we have Dragon's Desire, which is a fantasy action-adventure about (yup) shape-shifting dragons. I love my dragons!

Please tell us about your publisher(s) and how you came to write for them.

A: When I had first written Devarian Exile, I started looking around at the erotic romance publishers, talked to authors, researched the market... Every author I knew who worked with Changeling was very enthusiastic about their relationship, and I have to admit Changeling is wonderful! They've been very nurturing, incredibly supportive, and I have learned so much working with Sheri, the editor in chief, and Chrissie Henderson, my own editor -- she's the best! It's been a fabulous phase in my growth as a writer.

What are the top 3 things you want to accomplish and why?

A: Solve world hunger, end poverty in our lifetime, kick Congress in the head till it wakes up... Oh wait, wrong list! As a writer? I'm looking to add another publishing house to my roster, and start writing longer books. I love the novella format, I love the flexibility of it, but I also want to write novels. Partly because (goal number three) I want to start looking at the print market. Epublishing is light-years ahead of where it was even four years ago. There are epublishers out there, like Changeling, that are every bit as professional in their approach and in the quality of the books they produce as a traditional publishing house. But the largest audience is still print readers, and I love my stories and want them to have as large an audience as possible! So eventually, that means print.

What has the reader response been to your books? Do many readers tend to get in touch?

A: I have been so fortunate. I have, for a writer whose first book came out less than a year ago, the best fans on the face of the earth! For example, in the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll, my fans, my readers, catapulted The Dragon's Daughter (the first book in the Dragon's Heir series) to the #2 Romance book of 2006! I mean, that's staggering. That's incredible. They really are the best!

Please tell us about any awards or nominations you have received (I know there are a few! *g*)

A: Well, there, I mentioned one! In addition, The Dragon's Daughter picked up a CAPA nomination from The Romance Studio for best Erotic Fantasy Romance of 2006, and a Reviewer's Choice award from Road to Romance. Devarian Exile (the first book in my sci-fi series) was also a CAPA nominee for best BDSM, a Staff Pick at Love Romance and More, and a Recommended Read from Road to Romance. The other two books in the Devarian Trilogy, Devarian Uprising and Devarian Revolution, are both Ecataromance Reviewer's Choice award nominees, and -- well, enough! :) It looks ostentatious after a bit.

What is your favourite thing about being an author?

A: Getting paid to write! Absolutely. Getting to share these stories and put them out there for people to enjoy.

What could you share, from your experience, with aspiring authors?

A: Do not get into this for the money. It took me two decades of writing to become a very small-scale 'overnight success' -- for God's sake, it only takes twelve to become a doctor! Eight to become a lawyer. And doctors and lawyers make waaaay better money!

If you're serious about writing, join a critique group. I've belonged to seven or eight over the years, moderated two, founded one of my own (which is still going strong, I'm proud to say.) Listen. Learn to evaluate criticism -- if you can't listen gracefully to what your fellow writers have to say, you're going to have a miserable time when you finally start working with an editor!

Read Stephen King's On Writing. Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones is another really good one. I wouldn't bother with the formulaic "How to Write a (fill in the blank)" books unless what you want to write is formula. But that's me. :)

Learn the basics. Conflict, dialogue, stakes, character... and then write. Write a lot. Write five stories, take a look at them, see what the recurring problems are. Write ten more. Repeat the process. Like anything else, the more you write, the better you'll become -- if you stop occasionally and look at what you're doing.

Do you have any upcoming books or chats (etc) you would like to tell us about?

A: Actually, I'd like mention Devarian Pleasure-Slave, which just came out in February. I love the world of the Devarian books; they're set about 700 years in the future, and human society has evolved into a structure where all men are slaves, a real role-reversal. The trilogy (Exile, Uprising, and Revolution) tells the story of how one woman fights to free the pleasure-slave she's fallen in love with. Great stuff! Big, epic, action tale. Devarian Pleasure-Slave is a prequel to the trilogy, so it reads very well on its own. It tells the story of Merkun, a pleasure-slave who longs to be free, and how he captures the heart of the Regent of Porto, the planet where the best pleasure-slaves in the galaxy are sold. I did mention this is erotic romance, right? It's very spicy stuff -- there's some male-male interaction in it, a couple of ménage scenes, an orgy... just so you're warned! But it's a great introduction to the Devarian universe.

Where do you hang out on the net?

A: Well, there's my yahoo group, The Sierra Club (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Sierra_Club ), which is a lot of fun, and my website, http://www.sierradafoe.com (built it myself!). On the second Tuesday of every month, I'm at Coffee Time Romance's exotic loop (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karendevinkaren/) hosting what I have dubbed Hot Erotic Tuesday, with lots of spicy excerpts! Plus, if you check the calendar at http://www.sierradafoe.com you'll usually find a few other things going on every month.

When you are not writing, what are you likely to be found doing?

A: When I'm not writing? Umm... I just asked my hubby, he answered, "You're always writing!" Hee! Well, I also maintain my website myself, and I love spending time on the yahoo groups when I can. And I love taking my puppy for hikes -- considering the time I spend in front of the computer, I need the exercise desperately!

Do your family and friends know that you are a published author? What has been their response?

A: Oh, yeah! They're very supportive. My son (he's 23) thinks what I write is a riot -- he won't touch it with a ten-foot pole, though! Thank God. That would embarrass me!

Where can we find out more about you, your books and anything else you've got going on?

A: Join the Sierra Club, and my newsletter! Among other things, I give away a free eBook every month to one of my Club members and one of my newsletter subscribers, if you need a bit of incentive! Joining the newsletter is easy: just email newsletter@sierradafoe.com!

Thanks for joining us!

And thank you for inviting me, Elizabeth!