Check out this spotlight for author S. J. Wilke!

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

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

I am SJ WILKE. I have a background in Psychology and Technology. I’ve traveled the world, but find I enjoy making places up in my books.

I currently live in Wisconsin with a few cats. My hobbies are gardening, walking the beach of Lake Michigan, and contemplating life between writing books.

I have always had an overactive imagination, which allows me to come up with a book idea at the drop of a hat. I like to tell people I write about what I’d like to do, but can’t because of those things called laws and ethics. Since I can’t go out and shoot bad guys, I have my character Banter do it.

I like to put as much realism in my books as I can, even if they are fantasy. When Banter was born, I learned how to use a gun. How can I write about a Hired Gun if I don’t even know how to shoot?

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

Winter, spring, summer or autumn? Autumn – it may signal the end of a growing season but it also signals the victories achieved through the year.

Cat or dog? Cat. I have four of them. I’m also as independent as they are.

Tea or coffee? Tea. Even though I am American, I like a good cup of tea with sugar and cream. I must have been British in an earlier life.

Morning or evening? Evening. I’m not a morning person. Morning is for sleeping. Evening is when my creative juices start flowing.

Ninjas or pirates? Ninjas. You would need to read my Banter series to understand. Ninja means being careful or not telling your dad.

Mountains or beaches? Beaches. During the summer, I walk on one a couple times per week.

Plotter or pantser? I plot. Where do I put the dead bodies. How do I off someone. I mean… I plot books and where the characters need to go, how they grow, or command their environment.

Pen and paper or computer/phone? Computer, laptop to be more exact. I’ve worked in technology too long. I like to use it to my advantage.

Standalone or series? Series. Starting the next book in a series is like reconnecting with an old friend. You go out to lunch, catch up on each other’s live, and enjoy each other’s company.

3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention? 

Magic, fantasy. I love books that take you away from reality. That is what I hope most of my books do.

4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!

I love fantasy because there are no rules. You can make things up as you go. I am currently working on a paranormal thriller, The Smell Of Death, that involves a young woman who can smell emotions and when someone is about to die.

Death is not her most favorite smell, and that is what someone employes her to do: Sniff out death.

Summary: Asaina has an acute sense of smell. She can smell death. Not just the approaching death of someone ill, but the smell of death from someone about to be murdered. She needs a job, but what does she do when the one skill she has gets her a job that terrifies her and makes her ill. Even worse, the man she has to work with is just as terrifying. The one thing she wants to do…

…. is run. But he can track her… the same way she can smell death… he can smell her.

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

I just finished book 5 of my Banter series. This is my one series that is actually based on reality, and I have to follow the rules. The series follows the life of a female gun-for-hire, Banter, who starts working for the police.

SUMMARY: Banter is a gun for hire. After she does a hit in a park, she meets a good looking detective, Corey Van Baine, who is investigating the case. But he’s married. When Banter learns his marriage is on the rocks and his wife has left him, she becomes his unlikely therapist to help him overcome the devastation. However, Banter finds herself falling in love with him and suspects Corey is falling for her. A love affair enfolds via cellphones and brief glimpses as they do their jobs. Him, always one step behind her, trying to find out who she is, and she, leading him on… Until they find themselves working together on a mass murder case…and the bullets start flying.

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!

I draw from life. I can walk through a grocery store, see a character, and dream up a book. Other sources included daydreams, youtube videos, friends and family, and the news.

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

I write every day if I’m not editing. Morning starts with tea and breakfast. I goof off a little bit. Check emails, then write a chapter. Chapters are 3000 words. Of course, some days have more goofing off than others, and maybe I won’t reach 3000 words, but I am always writing.

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

Just do it. Keep writing. Even writing junk hones the writing skills.

9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

Www.iamsara.com  lists all of my books and where to find them.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100049725112992

I occasionally post on facebook and respond to anyone who messages me.