Sarah Zama:
1- Where do you get ideas for your stories?
Oh my goodness, I always dread this question!
Ideas can come from anything, really. Even a conversation I overheard on the bus (public transportation is fantastic for finding ideas!). Then I manipulate it until it becomes mine, by which I mean it expresses themes that are close to my heart and is set in a place I love.
But really, anything can be the first sparkle: a conversation I hear, an article I read, a story I read, a song I listen to, TV commercials. Anything.
2- In what category/genre do you write? Why?
I'm a dieselpunk author. This means that I write speculative stories set in what we call the diesel-era, which goes from the late 1910s to the very early 1950s.
My favourite decade, though, is the 1920s. All my stories are now set in the 1920s.
I say 'now' because I've always written fantasy stories that, for a long time, were classic, more or less epic, fantasy stories set in a world that resembled the European Middle Ages but with magic.
Yet I've always been into history (my favourite subject since when I was in elementary school), and so I soon started to prefer fantasy stories that were set in a more historical environment rather than total invention.
How did I come to write historical fantasy set in the 1920s?
In addition to my love of history, I got into mythology very early on. First, Roman and Greek mythologies, and then different mythologies across the world.
Also, I was imprinted by 1930s black-and-white mystery movies, so to speak. It was entirely my grandma's fault. When I was a kid in the 1970s, it was still very common to see these old movies on tv. My grandma was very much into them. I ended up watching them with her, and soon, I started to love them too. I blame this for my love of the era and for Art Deco!
It was probably all fated to come together in the end.
3- What part of one of your stories was the most fun to write? The most challenging? (And which book/s are those in?)
I love writing crowded scenes with many people taking action simultaneously. It's like choreographing a dance. I love it.
My favourite part that I wrote in a story that was fun but also challenging is in a book that, unfortunately, isn't published yet. It's a fight scene set in a speakeasy where some 10 characters are involved, of which 8 are major characters, and 2 are POV characters.
To me, these kinds of scenes are fun to write because I want to know what everyone is doing and try to keep track of it for the reader. It usually results in interesting timeline manipulation and character introspection. It's like a puzzle where everything has to click into place. I enjoy that.
4- Would you please, in 160 characters (not words) or less, give a #WriteTip ?
Don't fall in love with your first draft. Hopefully, nothing will remain of it in the final work! Have fun writing it and explore freely. The messier, the better!
5- What got you interested in the 1920s time period? How do you do research for this period?
Oops! I think I've already answered the first question.
As for how how research that time: mostly on books and primary sources.
I may do swift research online to get a feeling for what I'm researching - be that the Weimar Kabaret or the Chicago mob. But once I get a feel for it, I start looking for books on the subject.
The web is really good for finding quick pieces of information that show a direction, but f we keep at it, we'll keep coming up with the same information over and over again. This is because search engines will only show us what we're looking for and because nobody gives away detailed information on anything for free.
A book, however, is a different beast. It will give you comprehensive information on a subject, even (and this is very important) about things you never thought of. And because they are structured in a way to give you a global understanding of the subject, not a quick answer to a question.
Once this passage is done, we can go back to the internet and search for very, very specific pieces of information that we have learned about in the books. And sometimes, we're lucky enough to find something.
I'm also lucky enough to study a time when different media already existed. You can't imagine how many silent movies I watched! But also I read novels written in the 1920s, and I love magazines from the era.
It's a slow process, but I think that it builds a stronger awareness of the subject.
6- What do you love and hate most about being a published author?
Sharing my stories is definitely what I love the most. Seeing how readers care for my characters the same way I do.
But I'm a self-published author, which means that everything is on me, including promotion. I don't hate promotion. I think it can be fun. But it's its own job. And keeping track of all the changes in the field (both on the different platforms and the best practices), which sometimes feels like happening daily, is something I'd very gladly leave to someone else.
7- Do you publish traditional, self, hybrid, other? Why?
As I've mentioned, I've self-published so far because that's the most autonomous way to go.
Would I like to try something else? Yes!
I'd like to be published traditionally, of course, but to be honest, I love even more the idea of being a hybrid author. There are projects that are better suited to be self-published and others that are better suited for a more traditional publication. I'd love to be able to choose what route to go for every single project.
Not there yet. But I hope that one day...
8- You mentioned that you don't hate promotion when lots of authors do. How's that?
Because I can choose to take promotion as another story. I can choose to promote my book with integrity without feeling salesy and sleazy. Some people - even some authors - do act salesy and sleazy, but that's snot the only way to go.
When we take promotion as a story, and we tell that story as we do all our others, it becomes a lot more comfortable and even fun!
9- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?
I believe stories I the power of healing. Have you ever read a story that, in some way, healed you?
10- If they have a specific story, they want to promote a question regarding that. Ex. Which book would you suggest readers start with?
I'd suggest Sea Phantom, which is a short story set in 1921 Milan.
All my 1920s stories are set in the same universe, so Sea Phantom, though short, has the magic, the themes and the kind of characters that you'll find in all my stories. And what's best, you can download it free here - https://sarahzama.theoldshelter.com/a-short-story-set-in-the-1920s/
This is also a story very close to my heart because, a the moment, it's the only one set in my own country, Italy. I actually initially thought about setting it in my own town, Verona, but then I thought a more international setting, like Milan, would have served the story better. Still, you never know. One day...
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge 2023
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