Author Interview with Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Today I have author Sarah-Jane Lehoux at Book Junkie, she is celebrating her recently released debut novel, THIEF, from Mundania Press. Thief is a fun, dark and fast paced fantasy novel that I sure any fantasy lover will enjoy. So please give Sarah a warm welcome and enjoy the interview. You can read my review of THIEF here!


I am a fly on your wall today, what would I see in the day of Sarah-Jane Lehoux?
My day starts early. I’m up at 5:30, off to my day job by 6:30 and I don’t get home until around 4. So throughout the day, all you’d see around here is a bunch of sleeping cats. Once I get home, I relax until after dinner, and then I haul myself over to the computer to start writing. I try to get in at least a couple hours every day, but it can be hard to motivate myself. The most frustrating thing is that I tend to get flashes of inspiration while I’m commuting to work, but I don’t have an opportunity to write them down until nearly 12 hours later!

Can you tell us a little about your newest release book one in the Sevy series, Thief ?
The main character of Thief is Sevy, who has survived the mean streets of Eloria since being orphaned by a pirate raid. Described by her friends as a brat and by her enemies as a bitch, Sevy, in a desperate attempt to convince her friend, Trena, that they need not resort to prostitution to survive, picks the wrong pocket and is caught red-handed by the leader of an organized gang. Jarro, as he introduces himself, is not your everyday criminal. With a wink of his startlingly blue eyes, he becomes the living embodiment of Sevy’s innermost desires. This fateful meeting sets off a chain of events that will affect not only Sevy and Jarro’s destinies, but those of a free-spirited rogue named Revik, and an icy seductress named Irea.

Sevy is reckless, ruthless, and obsessive, and when the only bit of happiness she has is ripped away from her, she is sent into a deadly spiral of violence and suicidal ambition. When she gets a chance to reclaim that happiness, there is nothing she won’t resort to. Murder, black magic, necromancy, and demonic pacts are of little consequence to her, but she soon learns that nothing comes without a price and she is forced to choose between her imagined happily ever after and what she knows is right.

What's your favorite scene in the book to write?
Hmm, I’m torn between two scenes. The first is when Revik tries to teach a young Sevy how to use a sword, and she is too busy being a cocky brat to pay attention to him. I actually love any scene with Revik. His devil-may-care attitude is a lot of fun to write, and when you pair that with Sevy’s cheek, it makes for some great moments.

My second favourite scene features an older Sevy and Jarro out traveling together. The sexual tension between them is thick as thieves, and made even better by Sevy’s obliviousness and Jarro’s reluctance.

How do you come up with your ideas for writing your story?
Most of my ideas start with dreams. I have always had very vivid, often lucid dreams. On top of that, I often experience sleep paralysis, which makes for some creepy hallucinations. I pick singular images from my more extreme dreams, and use them as the basis for characters or plot lines. In Thief’s case, I had a dream where I watched a woman rushing into the room where her lover had just been murdered. I remember the sights, and sounds, and even smells of that dream so clearly that I couldn’t help but write a story around it.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve done in the name of research?
I have a very short attention span, which makes research sort of like a treasure hunt. I’ll google one thing, and twenty minutes and ten topics later, I’ll arrive at another topic I want to write about more than the first. This is one of the instances where my procrastination comes in handy. I discover possible story elements that had never even crossed my mind before.

What is the hardest part about creating and continuing a series?
Keeping myself motivated to keep writing, even though I haven’t received any feedback yet. I finished Shades of War, the sequel to Thief, long before Thief was ever accepted for publication. It was hard to know if I was on the right track. I felt like I was investing a ton of time and energy into a huge project without knowing whether or not anyone would ever read them. But because I loved the characters, I kept going with them, and I’m glad that I persisted.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
No, but I have two short stories that I am have been submitting for awhile with no luck. One is about a murderer confessing his crime, and the other is a peek into the life of a man who is holding a vigil by the deathbed of his abusive mother. I think each of these stories has merit, and I hope that they will get published one day.

What are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on two novels. Masquerade is the third in the Sevy series, and is set in the tropics of Belakarta, a kingdom neighbouring Axlun (where the first two books were set). This time, Sevy has to face some exotic new foes and new lovers.

The other novel I’m working on is called Red Rover. It’s a comedic fantasy about Lydia, a woman who’s bored with her 9 to 5 life, and longs for excitement. Her wish comes true, but not exactly how she had imagined. Nikki, an immortal trickster pulls Lydia into what she calls a “fairy land insane asylum” in order to alleviate his own boredom. Red Rover is sort of a mash up of Alice in Wonderland and The Office, and I’m really enjoying writing such silliness. It’s quite the departure from the darker themes of the Sevy series.

If you could ask readers any one question, what would it be?
I guess I’d ask them how they learned about Thief. I’m still new to this whole marketing and promotion thing, and I need all the help I can get. I’d like to know what sorts of promotion work better than others, and how to get my books into the hands of more readers.

How can readers follow/find you online?
If they visit my website at http://www.sarah-janelehoux.com/, they can find a list of links to contact me via email, facebook, twitter, myspace, or my blog. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s read Thief, or who’s interested in reading Thief, or just anyone who enjoys reading and writing.

Thanks very much for this opportunity!