Selene Charles
December Indie Featured Author
How did you first hear about Red Adept Editing?
I was referred to you through my writing loops. You come very highly recommended and after using your services I’m quite impressed with the final product.
You’ve worked with several editors at Red Adept. What did you enjoy most about the process?
Angela has worked on many of my urban fantasies, usually requesting my books. She knows my story and was able to refer me back to other books and say, “In this book, this happened. This would be a contradiction if left as it is.” It’s so easy to become “blind” to your own book when working on it. Forgetting the little things that you may have mentioned from book to book happens, and you wouldn’t believe how easy it would be to contradict your story arc because of it. That’s why it’s super important to work with someone who understands your voice and is able to help you work through your plot holes and inconsistencies while still able to help you keep your tone and voice. That takes real talent and professionalism.
Do you like to plan before you write? Or do you prefer to start and see where the story goes?
I never plot a book out in its entirety. I build on an idea. Sometimes it’s something small—like a gift the hero will give to the heroine twenty years after meeting that is significant to their relationship. Or it could be the meet-cute that is the impetus for the story. The rest is a completely organic process for me. I let the characters dictate their story to me. Sometimes even I’m surprised where things go, which is what keeps the process fun for me.
What part of self-publishing do you enjoy the most?
I’m incredibly type A about cover art. Having published through NY for a few years, I was also disappointed in the final product. Not that I didn’t get great covers, because I did. But as an artistic and creative person, I needed my cover art to reflect what I felt lived inside the book. So for me, getting to be in charge of the artwork has been huge. Also, I get to publish a product that from start to finish is my own, and not something an editor or my publishing house demand I do because they feel it’s more exciting or more on trend. I’ve been able to stay true to my vision from start to finish—and that’s huge.
You have some great covers. Who does your cover work?
Damonza mostly for my Urban Fantasies. But I have had the privilege of working with Dan Dos Santos on a project and that was an absolute dream! I haven’t published the book yet, but I’m really, really excited to.
Do you really knit penguin sweaters?
Sure. 😉
Do you have any writing advice for aspiring authors?
At the end of the day, writing is a job. There are days you’re just not going to feel like working. Those are the days that you really earn your paycheck. Sit down. And just write. They may be the most awful words you’ve ever written, but as the great La Nora says, “The most important thing in writing is to have written. I can always fix a bad page. I can’t fix a blank one.”
Where can readers find you?
Amazon profile page: www.amazon.com/Selene-Charles
Website: www.selenecharles.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeleneCharles
