Author Interview: Leslie Swartz

Check out this author spotlight for Leslie Swartz!

You can find all the links for where to find her furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!

2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 (or more!) of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Cat or dog?
Dogs. I’m allergic to cats.

Tea or coffee?
Tea. Too much caffeine gives me tachycardia.

Morning or evening?
Evening. I’m exhausted until at least 5 PM.

Library or museums?
Sophie’s choice! I love museums. I’m a huge history buff, but I’ll say libraries because I can take things home with me.

Witches or wizards?
Witches. I have several in The Seventh Day Series. I just find them more interesting.

Plotter or pantser?
Hardcore plotter. I’m a hard type-A with OCD. Doing anything without a plan gives me anxiety.

Pen and paper or computer/phone?
Pen and paper for plotting/outlining and computer for actual writing.

Standalone or series?
Both. Seventh Day came to me long. It was seven books of story. But, I have notebooks full of ideas for standalones, one of which is fully outlined.

Book or ebook?
Both. I love books I can hold in my hands but there are so many awesome Kindle Unlimited books.

5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

Sinclair is the seventh/final book in The Seventh Day Series. It wraps everything up and readers see how everything in the previous books puzzle-piece together. As always, there are lots of twists and surprises.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RMM984D

6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!

The movie, Legend was a huge inspiration for me as a kid. I was five when I first saw it and that’s when I decided my goal in life would be to write something Ridley Scott would want to direct. Aside from Poe, Shakespeare, Stephen King, and Anne Rice, my biggest writing inspirations are songwriters, most notably Don McLean. “Vincent” and “Empty Chairs” are so powerful and immersive. That’s how I aspire to write. I want the reader to feel something.

7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!

I make a playlist of songs that remind me of characters or scenes I have in my head. I’ll listen to it while I write out ideas. Then, I make a scene by scene, chapter by chapter outline. From there, it’s just getting it written. Self-editing/revisions, then I send it off to the editor.

8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to become an author, what would it be?

Edit. Edit, edit again, then edit some more. Vet your editor. My first editor for Seraphim turned out to be a con artist, fake name and all. I trusted he knew better than me. Hundreds of people bought it looking like trash before I got a new editor and fixed it. It still haunts me.