Red Adept Editing

unnamed3Meet S.B. Alexander!

What made you choose Red Adept Editing?

The team at Red Adept Editing is bar-none the best. The editors are top-notch. The service and process from content editing to line editing to proofreading is seamless. And I like that I can pick up the phone and call if I have any questions. But I give all the credit to Glendon Haddix from Streetlight Graphics for recommending Red Adept Editing.

You purchased the Signature Package for your two novels, and Alyssa was your content editor for both. In what ways do you feel the developmental edit helped your book?

Alyssa is awesome. I can’t say enough about her. She’s detailed. She’s an expert in everything related to novel writing, story structure, pacing, character development, does it work for the genre I’m writing in, are the elements supporting the plot and the sub-plots. Oh, my. I can go on and on. I know without a doubt that if it wasn’t for her help in pointing out the holes in the plot, the slow pacing and other elements in Dare to Kiss that it wouldn’t have stayed on Amazon’s US top 100 in Sports Fiction for over four months, and it wouldn’t have hit the #1 spot on Amazon UK in Sports Fiction, either.

Laura Koons was your line editor for your most recent novel. What did you enjoy about working with her?

She’s the first line editor I’ve worked with who seems to be in my head. She knew how to change a sentence around without changing my meaning of it. She knew the right words to insert, and this was the first time working with her. I hope to work with her again on my next book.

Are your books standalones, or do they need to be read in order?

In the Maxwell Series, I do recommended to read Dare to Kiss then Dare to Dream. In saying that, however, readers could read Dare to Dream and not get lost. But in my opinion, they would lose that deep connection to the characters.

In the Vampire SEAL series, I definitely recommend to read the books in order since there’s so much world building in the storyline.

What are your future plans for the Maxwell Series?

I’m currently working on the next book in the Maxwell Series, which will be stand-alone. Dare to Love will follow one of the triplets, Kelton Maxwell. Following Dare to Love will be two more Dare books for the remaining triplets. I’ve also planned a series (not yet titled) based on a character in Dare to Love. Finally, I’ve been noodling on writing a novella based on Tyler Langley who is a character in Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream.

You’ve written both young adult and new adult novels. Which do you like writing most?

I love both, but if I had to choose, I’d say new adult. It’s a genre/age group that is still vulnerable. They’re still trying to find their way in life. They have more freedom to make decisions on their own, and, as an author, it’s fun and challenging to take the journey with those characters.

You wanted to write after reading Stephen King’s The Shining. Have you ever considered writing horror?

I chuckled at this question. Someone had just asked me the same thing recently. And I haven’t thought about it up until now. Growing up, my best friend and I would write short horror stories then act them out. So, maybe in the future I might give it a try.

unnamedWhat part of self-publishing do you enjoy the most?

One of the great things about self-publishing is I get to be my own boss. I like having the control to make my own decisions on release dates, cover art, etc.

You have some great covers. Who does your cover work? Feel free to put in a link.

Thank you. I love my covers, and I give all the credit to Streetlight Graphics. Glendon has a keen eye and an amazing talent to take a blurb of the story and create the exact picture and feel that I was looking for.

 

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Between my full-time job and writing, I have little time left to play. But I do make time to play golf with my husband. I love the game. We also enjoy boating, although we haven’t done much boating lately.

 

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How do you promote your novels?

The hardest part of the publishing world is promoting a book. At first, I didn’t do much. Actually, I wasn’t sure how to get my name out there. So I talked to other authors, attended writer’s conferences, reached out to marketing sites, and took a class on how to market books. I had a lot of avenues and tools, but I still struggled to gain readers. When I was ready to launch my new romance series I wanted to take a different approach to marketing. So I hired a book publicist – JKS Communications. Now JKS helps to promote my romance series, and they’ve developed a marketing plan to continually brand me, which is key in getting my name out there.

What advice would you give to a new author?

I believe the key to success is to be consistent with every aspect of writing and marketing. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and keep in mind what works for one author may not work for another. Most of all, if you want to be successful as an author, you have to operate as a business—write that story, develop a marketing plan, develop a time management plan, and surround yourself with a team that can help you every step of the way.

Where can readers find you?


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