Once in a while I like to invite fellow authors on my blog. I think everyone likes to find new writers and their books, don't they? Today I sat down with one-half of the writing team named S. T. Young, to talk about herself, her writing, and what's next for the duo.
Q: How many books have you written?
A: 23, I think. Got a list somewhere. LOL A lot of them would need some work to get them out to readers, though. But got about 6 in varying stages of ready-ness.
Q: What was the very first story you took to paper? Was it the one you first published?
A: The first one I wrote was a Sci-Fi Western about a young woman from the future, traveling to the Wild West. It titled Memories of the Future…and no, it wasn’t the one published.
Q: Girl in the Mist, your debut novel, where did the idea come from?
A: I started with a different story in the same world, then kinda liked this one better, and continued with this one instead.
Q: Nina and Rory: completely fictional or based on people you know?
A: A mix, probably. Physically Nina looks a lot like the actress Olivia Thirlby, but her character has so many facets that it’s hard to say. She is completely fictional, but with elements from actual people…especially her mental problems. Would have been difficult to create her otherwise, I think.
Q: How about your villain?
A: Same goes.
Q: Do you recognize anything of yourself in your characters?
A: Some. I think that’s inevitable since you tend to write what you know, even when you try not to. I just hope I’m not as messed up as Nina. Haha
Q: Your settings. Do you prefer them to be in places you know, or can they be anywhere?
A: I would prefer to have been to all of them, but regretfully that is not something that I can afford. I Google a lot, G.Earth, G.Maps, blogs, wikipages anything that can give me atmosphere, general and detailed impressions, all depending on what I need.
Q: What’s first, the plot or the characters?
A: Characters, usually, and a general arc of what will happen to them throughout the story. The types of persons they are, how they tick, and what I want them to become.
Q: What’s your writing MO? Plotting or going with the flow?
A: A bit of both. Usually I have an outline of general plot points that I try to hit, but sometimes characters take on a life of their own, so it’s different in every book.
Q: On average, how long does it take you to write a story from start to finish?
A: Depends on the complexity of the story. A simple category takes about 3 to 4 months (just writing) a full-length thriller can easily take 9 to 12 months. Editing is a job on itself. Hah
Q: Complete silence, or right in the middle of things?
A: I can do both, although I prefer lively noise, preferably music that’ll get me in the mood of the story, or a movie playing in the background. Or both!…or just in the middle of things with my headphones on. When I’m in the zone, nothing really matters.
Q: Who is/are your greatest inspiration when it comes to writing?
A: I love many, but my big inspirations have been Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Dean Koontz and Steve Perry, whose voices have always been brilliant! I hope that I have managed to learn some of them all.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
A: Love romance, suspense, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action-adventure, crime, mystery. Anything as long as there is romance in it, so yeah, romance is a vital element in my reading.
Q: Your favorite classic?
A: Haven’t read enough of them to actually pick one…although I loved Narnia when I was little.
Q: Do you get to do a lot of reading?
A: Every day, but not nearly as much as I would like. Work and writing get in the way too much to have nice long days lounging on the couch devouring books, the way I used to.
Q: Favorite movie, ever?
A: Just one? Impossible decision. I could fill up several pages with that.
Q: Give us the gritty of it: What does your average day look like?
A: Work days: Wake up, work, home chores, cooking, writing and bed. Off days: Wake up, workout, writing, networking, writing, chores, writing, cooking, sometimes socializing with friends and family, writing and bed.
Q: Besides writing, what’s the dream of the future?
A: I would like to travel some, see the US and the places in my books. And maybe Australia, New Zealand, Japan and definitely Scotland and Ireland. After that, the plan is to settle down somewhere, get an old farm or something that needs some serious restoring and then write some more while building the place into a home.
Q: And, the thing we all want to know, what’s next in writing?
A: Oh, lots of plans. At the moment I’m talking with my editor about the prequel to Girl in the Mist. At the same time, I’m working on prepping a contemporary romantic suspense about a serial killer, a hitchhiker and a retired marine. And lastly I’m trying to find an agent for a historical, set in the roaring ‘20s.
Q: How many books have you written?
A: 23, I think. Got a list somewhere. LOL A lot of them would need some work to get them out to readers, though. But got about 6 in varying stages of ready-ness.
Q: What was the very first story you took to paper? Was it the one you first published?
A: The first one I wrote was a Sci-Fi Western about a young woman from the future, traveling to the Wild West. It titled Memories of the Future…and no, it wasn’t the one published.
Q: Girl in the Mist, your debut novel, where did the idea come from?
A: I started with a different story in the same world, then kinda liked this one better, and continued with this one instead.
Q: Nina and Rory: completely fictional or based on people you know?
A: A mix, probably. Physically Nina looks a lot like the actress Olivia Thirlby, but her character has so many facets that it’s hard to say. She is completely fictional, but with elements from actual people…especially her mental problems. Would have been difficult to create her otherwise, I think.
Q: How about your villain?
A: Same goes.
Q: Do you recognize anything of yourself in your characters?
A: Some. I think that’s inevitable since you tend to write what you know, even when you try not to. I just hope I’m not as messed up as Nina. Haha
Q: Your settings. Do you prefer them to be in places you know, or can they be anywhere?
A: I would prefer to have been to all of them, but regretfully that is not something that I can afford. I Google a lot, G.Earth, G.Maps, blogs, wikipages anything that can give me atmosphere, general and detailed impressions, all depending on what I need.
Q: What’s first, the plot or the characters?
A: Characters, usually, and a general arc of what will happen to them throughout the story. The types of persons they are, how they tick, and what I want them to become.
Q: What’s your writing MO? Plotting or going with the flow?
A: A bit of both. Usually I have an outline of general plot points that I try to hit, but sometimes characters take on a life of their own, so it’s different in every book.
Q: On average, how long does it take you to write a story from start to finish?
A: Depends on the complexity of the story. A simple category takes about 3 to 4 months (just writing) a full-length thriller can easily take 9 to 12 months. Editing is a job on itself. Hah
Q: Complete silence, or right in the middle of things?
A: I can do both, although I prefer lively noise, preferably music that’ll get me in the mood of the story, or a movie playing in the background. Or both!…or just in the middle of things with my headphones on. When I’m in the zone, nothing really matters.
Q: Who is/are your greatest inspiration when it comes to writing?
A: I love many, but my big inspirations have been Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Dean Koontz and Steve Perry, whose voices have always been brilliant! I hope that I have managed to learn some of them all.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
A: Love romance, suspense, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action-adventure, crime, mystery. Anything as long as there is romance in it, so yeah, romance is a vital element in my reading.
Q: Your favorite classic?
A: Haven’t read enough of them to actually pick one…although I loved Narnia when I was little.
Q: Do you get to do a lot of reading?
A: Every day, but not nearly as much as I would like. Work and writing get in the way too much to have nice long days lounging on the couch devouring books, the way I used to.
Q: Favorite movie, ever?
A: Just one? Impossible decision. I could fill up several pages with that.
Q: Give us the gritty of it: What does your average day look like?
A: Work days: Wake up, work, home chores, cooking, writing and bed. Off days: Wake up, workout, writing, networking, writing, chores, writing, cooking, sometimes socializing with friends and family, writing and bed.
Q: Besides writing, what’s the dream of the future?
A: I would like to travel some, see the US and the places in my books. And maybe Australia, New Zealand, Japan and definitely Scotland and Ireland. After that, the plan is to settle down somewhere, get an old farm or something that needs some serious restoring and then write some more while building the place into a home.
Q: And, the thing we all want to know, what’s next in writing?
A: Oh, lots of plans. At the moment I’m talking with my editor about the prequel to Girl in the Mist. At the same time, I’m working on prepping a contemporary romantic suspense about a serial killer, a hitchhiker and a retired marine. And lastly I’m trying to find an agent for a historical, set in the roaring ‘20s.
A taut psychological thriller…
Infamous for infiltration and becoming her undercover identities, Nina Hernandez disappeared without a trace. Three years later, Naval Intelligence agent Rory O’Donnell finds her in a tortuous mental hospital. He's unsure if it's really Nina, or if she's undercover and faking it. Either way, he's pretty sure something sinister is going on...
Rory springs Nina, and together they elude their determined pursuers. He needs to get her to safety...all while keeping his hands off the beautiful, mysterious young woman. As he works to convince her to trust him and share her darkest secrets, he wonders if he can trust her not to betray his...
Between her mercurial changes, sexy come-ons, and her exasperating independence, a protection assignment has never been so hard. On a dangerous trek across the country as they tumble from one danger into the next, Rory finds that resisting Nina might just be his toughest task yet.
Available at Entangled Publishing
Infamous for infiltration and becoming her undercover identities, Nina Hernandez disappeared without a trace. Three years later, Naval Intelligence agent Rory O’Donnell finds her in a tortuous mental hospital. He's unsure if it's really Nina, or if she's undercover and faking it. Either way, he's pretty sure something sinister is going on...
Rory springs Nina, and together they elude their determined pursuers. He needs to get her to safety...all while keeping his hands off the beautiful, mysterious young woman. As he works to convince her to trust him and share her darkest secrets, he wonders if he can trust her not to betray his...
Between her mercurial changes, sexy come-ons, and her exasperating independence, a protection assignment has never been so hard. On a dangerous trek across the country as they tumble from one danger into the next, Rory finds that resisting Nina might just be his toughest task yet.
Available at Entangled Publishing
Dutch siblings Samaya and Taffin spent the majority of their childhood traveling, only to eventually settle in Southern Spain with their family in their late teens. In 2008 they started on the adventure of writing romance together, considering it was a genre they both enjoyed for years…and still do. As the years past and their cooperation improved, they worked out an effective way to bring a story to life to both their satisfaction. Now, based once more in their country of birth, Girl in the Mist is only the first of many more to come.
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