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This marks another addition to the regular feature here at little Indiana: Indiana Blogs! If you are an Indiana Blogger, please use the contact form and send me an email. You may be featured right here on little Indiana.
Indiana Blogs: Eclectic Insights
Eclectic Insights is an Indiana blog that highlights the work of Indiana author Sam Cheever.
With more than forty novels behind her name in the romantic suspense and paranormal/fantasy genre, it is further proof that we Hoosiers are a very diverse bunch!
Browse her site for a peek into the mind of this Indiana writer. I think you’ll enjoy it!
Indiana Blogs: Eclectic Insights
Why did you start Eclectic Insights?
I’ve actually been blogging since 2007. I started my blog as a way of interacting with my readers and other authors. I consider it a vehicle for being creative in a different medium, providing information about me and my work, and offering a unique perspective on things that are happening around me.
What about that name? Why Eclectic Insights?
I recently moved from Blogger to WordPress and, in the process I decided to change the name of the blog. My original blog, ‘Tween You and Me, was born just after publication of my first book, ‘Tween Heaven and Hell.
It was obviously named for that book and series, but I’ve since branched out quite a bit and no longer wanted the name to represent just one series. The move seemed a good time to make the change.
I chose Eclectic Insights as the name because the content I create for the blog can be a bit…erm diverse…like my mind. LOL
What are three of your most favorite posts (with links, please!)
- The links below are a good sampling of the type of content I like to post. This first link is an example of my business side taking over: http://samcheever.com/blog/thursday-tidbit-why-indie-publishing-will-continue-to-grow/
- I occasionally just like to have some fun. #:0) One interesting thing about me is that I have 11 dogs. Yes, they all live in the house and most of them sleep on the bed with me at night…which is what spurred this blog post: http://samcheever.com/blog/how-not-to-negotiate-with-your-dog-for-bed-space/
- Sometimes I wax philosophical about the pleasure of reading: http://samcheever.com/blog/why-do-we-read-what-we-read/
What keeps you ready and raring to post? Why do you blog?
I used to hate blogging. No really, I did. I would always have trouble thinking of something to write about. But it’s like anything else, it gets easier the more you do it.
Now I keep my own blogs as well as doing a lot of guest blogging and I really enjoy it. Blogging allows me to have an actual conversation with readers and other bloggers. It’s like a hand-written letter in a world of digital snippets. I also enjoy the opportunity to flex my creative muscle in different ways, which I think makes me both a better writer and a better communicator.
You are a published writer! Did you always want to be a writer or did you somehow fall into it?
I’ve been writing in some form or another since high school, where I can remember writing angst-ridden stories and poetry. In fact, I probably have a high school English teacher to thank for ultimately becoming an author. He praised one of my poems to the class and told me I had skill.
How he managed to look past all the teenage angst and get anything out of it besides a headache I’ll never know. But God bless him he gave me the encouragement I needed to follow my instincts.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Paranormal. I LOVE fantastical worlds. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing like contemplating the creation of a new world, filled with creatures from mythology or straight from my imagination. There’s an incredible freedom to writing stories based on magic. The writer is limited only by her imagination and her ability to weave an interesting and believable tale.
Also, there’s nothing like the paranormal for escapism, so, by writing those stories, I know I’m helping my readers tune out the real world for a while, and immerse themselves in magic, romance, and adventure. What could be better than that?
Do you have a favorite published work of your own or do you love them all equally?
This is truly a Sophie’s Choice question. LOL If I were a good mother I’d say I loved them all equally. But it’s true, some of my children are prettier than others. I feel especially proud of my latest paranormal adventure which is a post-apocalyptic adventure romance, Hexually Obsessed.
I’m also very proud of the final book in my Dancin’ With the Devil series, The Devil You Need, which is currently with my editors. Both of these books were written for Ellora’s Cave so the heat level is high.
At a sweet to sensual heat level I’m very proud of my cozy mystery, Yesterday’s News and my Honeybun Hunks series, which is a romantic suspense series based on 8 brothers with traditional male values.
Do you have any tips for fledgling writers out there?
Absolutely!
1. Keep learning and writing, because you will improve with practice. No matter how good you are when you start out, you can always learn something that will improve your writing.
2. Start creating an online presence for yourself early, well before the first book comes out.
3. Always be yourself. Don’t try to manufacture a persona you think will appeal. People will know if you’re not being genuine.
4. Ultimately people buy from people they like. It won’t matter how talented you are if you treat people badly. The karma monster is always waiting around the corner should you forget this advice, and the writing/publishing world is much smaller than you would think.
Is there anything else that you would like little Indiana readers to know about you or your blog?
As illustrated by the links I provided above, the blog provides a wide array of content. At any given time my creative side might take over and spew out some poetry or a fun story. Or my business side might beat my creative side into submission and inspire me to write about publishing or the back office part of being an author. You never know with me.
I approach life from a different angle than a lot of the folks I know, that’s just me, and my writing always reflects that unique perspective.
I’m an Indiana girl, born and raised, so many of my books are based in Indiana and my characters have good Midwestern values. I have a strong work ethic and I give my characters the same trait. I like my men strong, considerate, and a little snarky #:0) and my woman even stronger and even more snarky, so my character pairings are always interesting. LOL
Thanks so much for letting me visit today. Happy reading!
Indiana Author
Hopefully this will give some of you the inspiration you need to get busy and get writing! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your world with us!
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