Meet the Author: Sharon Lipman!

I have to tell you that I'm really excited about this one! As an Indie author, I've gotten close with many people in the self-publishing world: everyone from authors and editors to cover artisits.

When I published How Maxwell Grover Stole My House, one of the most important decisions I made was the artwork for the cover. I found a webiste that had a perfect design by an artist named Fantasia. From that interaction, I got a chance to know the person behind Fantasia Cover Design. She is a very sweet and talented talented person named Sharon Lipman. I consider Sharon to be one of the best cover artists out there, but more than that, I consider her to be my friend.

Since my first release, I've had Sharon design three more covers for me. She has pretty much become my go-to girl for artwork, and for many other things as well! I had a chance to interview her for the release of her first novel, and it's my pleasure to help you all get to know her a little better.

Most people in the Indie community know you as a fantastic cover designer. Can you tell us how you got into that and also a little more about you in general?

I actually started writing before I got into cover design. I'm quite a visual person and I wanted a great cover for my own book - before I'd even finished the thing. I started looking at what other people had done, both traditionally and independently published authors. Whilst there's some amazing artwork out there, there's also some pretty bad stuff too. I think I decided quite early on that I wanted to be an Indie Author - it's the control freak in me - but I wanted (and needed) my book to look just as good as anything published by the big publishing companies. I wanted it to scream professionalism. People say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in reality, especially with books, that's what everyone does. If the cover doesn't attract a reader, they're far less likely to pick it up, regardless of the amazing story that might lie inside.

Being an Indie means you're on a budget. There's a lot youcould spend money on. Since I've always been quite creative in all manner of mediums, I decided to create my own cover. I taught myself photomanipulation, researched where to buy stock, sat through hours of tutorials. You name it. I did it. I knew how important it was and I had to get it right. Once I settled

on my cover and was confident in my abilities, I reached out to the Indie Author community to offer my services there. Just because you are independently published, doesn't mean you are an amateur and your book shouldn't look amateurish either.

I'm not saying it was easy. I've been blessed with some great clients and together I think we've created some pretty awesome work, but with my own cover, I think I must have gone through about a hundred different versions before I was finally happy. Like I said, I think I'm a bit of a control freak! What made you transition into writing? Is it something you've always wanted to do?

As I said, I’ve always had a bit of a creative flare, but I’ve only really been writing for the last three or four years to be honest. I’ve been an avid reader since I can remember, though. The more I read, the more I was inspired to tell my own story.

I write paranormal romance. I’ve always loved the paranormal, even though I’m a complete wimp with scary things. I find the whole idea of other-worldly beings fascinating. The book I’ve recently finished is called ‘Bound to Blackwood.’ It focuses on a group of Vampires who are trying to earn the right to go back home – to Faerie. Of course, it’s a romance, so there’s quite a bit of steam along the way.

I wanted to write about vampires, but with so many vampire tales out there, I wanted to put my own spin on it. My Vampires are Fae and were responsible for guiding human souls to the afterlife. That was until one vampire decided to keep a soul and ‘Fell.’ The entire race was banished from Faerie and now lives on earth, in England, actually. I have started reading your book, Bound to Blackwood, and so far I'm hooked! Can you tell us more about the the story and the different characters that come into play?

Wow! Thank you! I'm honoured you're reading it and absolutely thrilled you're enjoying it. This story centres on Thorn Blackwood, King of the race and leader of House Blackwood, and Lena, a Warrior in the Order of Blackwood. He bears a heavy burden of watching his race dwindle. Lena, on the other hand, is more of an act now, think later kind of girl.

When the Commander of the Order is seriously injured because of Lena’s stupid, selfish mistake, she and Thorn are forced to work together to settle an unpaid honour debt. She’s avoided Thorn most of her life because she doesn’t trust her own reactions to him. Now, she’s stuck with him and she has no idea how to handle it.

Since the Commander of the Order is also Thorn’s best friend, more like a brother really, he’s furious with Lena and thinks making her work with him and take some responsibility for her actions will teach her a lesson. He doesn’t realise that she’s also got a thing or two to teach him.

Lena’s biggest challenge is certainly Thorn. She senses changes in him that scare her. She feels his hunger for her soul and given that there is nothing more precious than a soul, she’s frightened of what it means. Thorn is equally scared of his own, unexpected reaction to her. He’s never experienced this before and doesn’t understand what it all means. But, with the Commander still out of action, they still have to work together to find a missing vampire youngling. The child has been missing for nearly two hundred years and her father has finally asked for help. He is an honourable man, and they cannot refuse him. Thorn suspects the Fallen of taking the child. All they know is that she’s still alive.

If you want to learn more about the characters you can visit the characters page on my new website. What advice would you have for other first-time authors? Would you urge them to try Indie publishing as well?

Just write! The first draft of anything is usually just word vomit, so don’t panic. Get the ideas down and try to resist the urge to edit as you go. Join online or physical writing groups where you’ll meet like-minded writers. I’ve yet to meet any writer who doesn’t want to help new writers, they’re all, honestly, a lovely bunch and you can learn a lot from others’ experiences. I said earlier that I decided to Indie publish because I'm a control freak, and that's partly true. The other main reason for me choosing this route is because I'm also incredibly impatient. I love this book, and I'm completely in love with the characters and I just couldn't wait the months, sometimes years it takes to go the traditional publishing route. After a lot of research I also realised that being traditionally published doesn't mean that getting your book noticed will be any less hard work. A lot of publishers require the same amount of work on your part in terms of marketing etc that being an Indie does, but of course they get some of your royalties. I wasn't keen on that idea, but everyone should do their own research and find the solution that's best for them. If you’re going down the independent or self-publishing route, remember that Indie doesn’t mean you have to do it ALL yourself. There’s an awful lot you could spend money on if you wanted to, but the top two things would be an editor and a cover designer. A good editor is worth their weight in gold and will bring the best out of your writing. You can edit yourself to within an inch of its life, but you’re often too close to the work to see any true faults. If you can’t design a cover yourself, find someone that can. If you don’t know anyone, join those forums and ask – nobody will mind. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?