Interview: Sawyer Bennett (Part 2)

October 16, 2013

Off Sides - Off Series #1
Well, well, well, I hope everyone enjoyed the first part of my interview with Sawyer Bennett, author of the Off Series, Forever Young and To Catch a Dark Thief. Here’s the rest of my questions with this amazing author. 

Me: When you’re not writing, what are you doing? 
Sawyer: When I’m not writing, I’m reading. I read two to three books a week, everything from romance to horror to crime thrillers. I also love spending time with my husband and dogs. Fall is the best because we are usually glued to a TV watching football, or we are flying off to watch a football game (college and pro). In fact, we just got back from Chicago watching my husband’s alma mater, Ohio State play at Northwestern. And for the record, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and yes, I know they suck this year. 


Off Limits - Off Series #2
Me: You also write in other genres (YA & Paranormal). Do you have a preferred genre, or do you like to mix it up a little bit?
Sawyer: When I started writing, I went with paranormal because that is my preferred genre to read. I hardly had ever read contemporary romance and I certainly had no clue what New Adult was. In fact, when I wrote Off Sides, that idea had come to me in a dream and I decided to give it a shot. When I published it, I didn’t even know that it fit into the New Adult genre, but I learned as I went along. Going forward, I’ve certainly developed a fondness for writing contemporary romance, and I do think it’s easier for me. Your imagination has to go to a different level when writing paranormal, but I still enjoy that as well.

Off the Record - Off Series #3
Me: USA Today Best Seller…how does that exactly happen? 
Sawyer: Hah! If you figure that out with any certainty, let me know!  It obviously has to do with sales… the big lists calculate the amount of units you sell in a particular week. It has nothing to do with pricing, just the amount of books sold. I was so blown away when Off The Record made the list as it’s something that every author dreams of.

Me: You’re published by Big Dog Books. What can you tell us about them?
Sawyer: I formed to be able to have my royalties paid through to an LLC. Big Dog Books is a tribute to my three pups… my Bernese Mountain Dog, Atticus, and my two Golden Retrievers, Piper and Scout. I’m a little dog nutty in case you haven’t figured that out.

Off Course - Off Series #4
Me: What advice would you give to other authors out there who aspire to be as successful as you are in the publishing/author world? 
Sawyer: My biggest piece of advice is to keep writing. I’m seeing a lot of authors publish one or two books, and getting frustrated because they aren’t selling. The romance market is saturated right now and chances of you having a breakout book are slim. You need to develop a fan base and that will take time… lots and lots of time. So keep writing so you have more product out there to sell.

Me: How do you feel about social media? Can you give any advice on how you use it successfully?
Off Chance - Off Series #5
Sawyer: I think social media is crucial to a self-published author, because you don’t have the marketing backing of a traditional publisher. The key to social media is to be consistently engaging with your fan base. And by engaging, I mean engage them. Get them to talk to you, get to know your fans… make them want to be your fan.

Me: Finish this sentence: The thing(s) I can’t live without is(are)…
Sawyer: books, my family and my dogs… oh, and The Walking Dead.

Yeah, I’m totally with you on that one, Sawyer; everybody loves a good zombie...this one's for you...



About Sawyer:

Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.


Stalk Sawyer...legally





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