FAQ

Questions about Samantha, Jeanne and S.J.

Are Samantha Sommersby and Jeanne C. Stein real names?

Where did S.J. Harper come from?

I see in Sam’s biography that she used to work in the psychiatric field. What did she do and does she think that experience impacts her writing?

Questions about Sam’s, Jeanne’s and S.J’s Books

How many books will be in the Fallen Siren Series?

What inspired the Fallen Siren Series?

Sam, can you clarify the order of the Forbidden Series? It’s been reprinted a couple times and that makes nailing down the reading order a little confusing.

Will there ever be another Forbidden book or another Anna Strong book? 

Sam, Once Upon and Heiress is being released as a 3 Part Serial, is that the same thing as a Series?

When it comes to writing, do you have a favorite? What’s the most challenging?

What’s next?

Questions about Writing

What’s your writing schedule like?

You’re writing with a partner now. What impact has that had, if any, on your writing process?

What does it take to write a book? Is it hard?

I’ve written a book and would like to get it published, do you have any advice?

I’ve written a book and would love for you to critique or endorse it. Can I send it to you?

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a writer?

What’s the absolute best thing about being a writer?

Questions about Samantha, Jeanne and S.J.

 Are Samantha Sommersby and Jeanne C. Stein real names?

Jeanne: Yup! My name is really Jeanne C. Stein.

Sam: When I received my first book contract, I was still working professionally at a full-time day job, so I decided to use a pseudonym. When my then editor called asking is if I wanted to go with a pen name or my real name, I was watching the movie Sommersby with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. The rest…is history.

Where did S.J. Harper come from?

S.J. Harper represents the writing team of Samantha Sommersby (AKA The “S” in S.J. Harper) and Jeanne C. Stein (AKA the “J” in S.J. Harper). Penguin felt very strongly that we needed to write under a single name. Harper came about after we did a (very informal) survey in bookstores and established that the letter “H” was often eye level on bookshelves. We then started to go down the list of the most popular surnames beginning with the letter “H”. Harper was the winner!

I see in Sam’s biography that she used to work in the psychiatric field. What did she do and does she think that experience impacts her writing?

After getting my Masters in Social work I became a licensed psychotherapist. I did hospital based work and private practice for years before taking a management position for Anthem Blue Cross on the west coast. My prior work experience influences my writing in a couple of ways. Not only do I often write about characters who work in the mental health field (for example Wesley from The Sacrifice, Ahmed from The Soldier and the Spy, Mac from Shelter from the Storm), I spends considerable time really fleshing out who they are. I create full backgrounds for them and try to understand what drives them, motivates them—what makes them tick.

Questions about Sam’s, Jeanne’s and S.J’s Books

How many books will be in the Fallen Siren Series?

We don’t exactly know, but we’re hoping for a bazillion! The publisher initially contracted for two books. Cursed (Book 1) is coming out in October of 2013, we don’t have an official release date yet from our publisher for the currently untitled Book 2. We’re hoping for summer of 2014. Keep an eye out for an official announcement on either the News or Coming Soon pages.

What inspired the Fallen Siren Series?

Sam: It started with a germ of an idea I had about Hades and Persephone, about monumental failure, revenge, and redemption. I have these beautiful paintings in my house that were created by Mollie Kellogg, a local San Diego artist. They were inspired by a poem Mollie’s husband,author T. Collins Logan wrote. I’d spent many hours staring at those paintings. They were really the genesis of the initial idea. But it didn’t really start to come to life until Comic-Con 2011.

Jeanne: Sam and I met for breakfast. I’d just come from a meeting with my editor who had encouraged me to start thinking of a new series idea, one with some romance cross-over appeal. Sam shared her “germ” and by the end of breakfast we were elbow deep in plotting. During the next couple months, we worked on character profiles, chose all of the various settings, and completed a detailed synopsis. A proposal was developed and the series was pitched to my agent (Scott Miller of Trident) as Without A Trace meets Angel. He loved it, sold it to Penguin and we’ve been living with Emma and Zack in our heads ever since.

Sam, can you clarify the order of the Forbidden Series? It’s been reprinted a couple times and that makes nailing down the reading order a little confusing.

It does. The series was initially released by Linden Bay Romance, LLC with covers that were predominantly red and black and fairly erotic. They were re-pubished with more of a purple urban fantasy covers in an effort to increase appeal with booksellers. Bonus content was added, which expanded the books and they were re-covered yet again when Linden Bay Romance, LLC was bought by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Each book will stand on it’s own. If you want to read them in the order they were written that would be The Sacrifice, The Ascension, The Revolution, The Temptation.

Jeanne, can you clarify the order of the works you’ve written in the Anna Strong universe including the various short stories that have been published?

Jeanne: Yes!
1.0 The Becoming
1.1 The Witch and the Wicked in Many Bloody Returns, Editors: Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner
2.0 Blood Drive
3.0 The Watcher
4.0 Legacy
5.0 Retribution
5.1 Blood Debt in Hexed, Editor: Jessica Wade
6.0 Chosen
7.0 Crossroads
7.1 Superman in Chicks Kick Butt, Editors: Rachel Caine and Kerrie Hughes
8.0 Haunted
9.0 Blood Debt
9.1 Cloud City
9.2 Elizabeth and Anna’s Big Adventure in A Girl’s Guide to Guns and Monsters, Editors: Martin H. Greenberg & Kerrie Hughes
9.3 The Wolf’s Paw in GalaxyFest 2012 Omnibus, Editor: David C.Z. Wacks
9.4 One Good Deed in Hex in the City, Editor: Kerrie Hughes

Will there ever be another Forbidden book or another Anna Strong Book?

Sam: I hope so. Plot bunnies for book 5 continue to rumble around in my head.

Jeanne: Anna has been with me for so long, I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to write about her. I’m taking a bit of a break and working on new things, but keep an eye out. Anna will re-appear. In fact, not too long ago I self-published an Anna Novella titled Cloud City.

Sam, I see Once Upon and Heiress is being released as a 3 Part Serial, is that the same thing as a Series?

No, not really. The three parts combined will make up a complete story. I’m self-publishing this one and experimenting with some different models. The book came in at 180,000 words – really, really, long for the contemporary/erotic romance genre. I’m trying to do some streamlining and thought I might try releasing it in 3 parts with each being around 50,000 words (novel length).

When it comes to writing, do you have a favorite genre? What’s the most challenging?

Sam: My favorite is that bridge between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. I enjoy mixing the elements of the hero’s journey with fantastic creatures, world-building, and an inspiring (not to mention hot) love story. I’ve written one Historical Romance, The Soldier and the Spy. It was SUCH a challenge to write. I bow before authors of Historical Romance. SO MUCH RESEARCH!

Jeanne: I love books. If a book is well written, I’ll read any genre. I do gravitate to the paranormal in my writing because it’s so freeing. Making up the details of your world is such great fun. But the challenge is remembering all those details.

What’s next?

We’re currently finishing Book 2 in the Fallen Siren Series. We’re hoping for a Book 3. Emma and Zack are fun and compelling characters to write and their journey is far from over. We’ve also been knocking around an idea for a YA Urban Fantasy collaboration. We’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

Questions about Writing

What’s your writing schedule like?

Sam: It’s quite variable. When I’m working on something independently, I tend to set a goal of 1000 words per day. When collaborating, that might end up being more. Sometimes quite a bit more. But then I also have periods when Jeanne is writing and I’m eating bon bons while soaking in the bath and catching up on all the television series I never watched – like Alias, 24, Lost, Vampire Diaries, Walking Dead. I know. Sad.

Jeanne: My goal is 2000 words a day…and Sam, you soak in a tub and eat bon bons???? I’m not living right.

You’re writing with a partner now. What impact has that had, if any, on your writing process?

Sam: Writing used to be a very organic process for me. I would have an idea, sit down with my laptop, and then see where my muse took me. When you’re writing with a partner, you really need to be on the same page. So, I’ve gone from being a pantser to a plotter. Jeanne and I spend time developing character profiles, nailing down all of our settings, and creating a scene list. There’s a lot of effort put into prep work. Once that’s finished, the writing is a joy. We’re able to divide up our scenes, then switch between writing, critiquing, then smoothing out the story line. Since the Fallen Siren series is written in first person POV, it’s extremely important that Emma’s voice be consistent and ring true to character.

Jeanne: Actually, I must admit writing with a partner has been much easier than I thought. Our writing styles are so alike that when I take a chapter to critique group, no one can tell what I’ve written and what Sam has written.  Well, that’s not entirely true. Sam is much better at writing the sex scenes. My critique partners always guess correctly when there’s a sex scene (damn).

What does it take to write a book? Is it hard?

Sam: I’d say if it’s hard not to write, then you might just be a writer. Do it every day. Plod through. Don’t give up. It takes determination and imagination, persistence, an ego that is more interested in furthering the story than itself, and some dumb luck.

Jeanne: Persistence. And learning craft.

I’ve written a book and would like to get it published, do you have any advice?

Sam: The publishing industry is very different now than it was a decade ago. Authors have many choices. Read about them. Talk to other authors. Weigh your options. Think about what’s right for you. Do you want to self-publish? Would you be most comfortable with a small press? One of the larger indies? One of the Big 5? Depending on your personal goal, you’ll proceed differently. If you want to write Romance, one of the best things you can do is join Romance Writers of America and attend your local chapter meetings. Network. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to take risks. And, don’t give up.

Jeanne: Sam really said it all. You have to believe in yourself. Get a good critique group so that you’re always improving your craft. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Set realistic goals and go for it.

I’ve written a book and would love for you to critique or endorse it. Can I send it to you?

We would love to be able to say yes to critiques, but we can’t. We believe in giving back to the writing community, but our writing schedule and other duties means our time is limited.

Sam: I’m currently involved in Emerson College’s Mentoring Program (they have a major in Writing, Literature and Publishing and attract some amazing talent). And I’m open to considering endorsements of books that are already sold and in the Urban Fantasy and/or Paranormal Romance genre. The best way to make a request is to have your publisher, editor, or agent contact me.

Jeanne: Time really does restrict what I can do. I have five critique partners and between my own writing, reading and critiquing theirs, coming up with new ideas for other projects, anthology stories, and being active in the local Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers chapter, I have to turn down requests.  It’s hard but there are only so many hours in the day.

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a writer?

Sam: Appearances. Appearances. Appearances. I’m terrified of public speaking. If you happen to see me at a con or signing, please tell me I’m doing fine. Tell me no one is really there to see me. Assure me that I look great, not hyperventilating or the least bit green. Lie.

Jeanne: I agree with Sam. Someone once said that writers are introverts who run around at conferences for three days pretending they’re not. I get a nervous stomach before every single signing or panel. But, the up side to that is meeting readers. That is always a pleasure.

What’s the absolute best thing about being a writer?

Sam: Are you kidding? I have to pick one? Getting paid to do what I love to do. I feel so blessed. Getting to create. Knowing people are reading and enjoying my stories. What a rush!

Jeanne: Yep. Sam beat me to it again. Getting paid for making things up. Setting my own schedule. Getting emails from readers who love Anna as much as I do. I hope they’ll love Emma, too.