Sarah-Jane Lehoux recently released her debut novel, Thief, from Mundania Press. Thief is a tale of love mingled with a dark and obsessive lifestyle in a dark fantasy world.
Sevy has always been a quick study in the wicked ways of Eloria. She has no qualms about taking what she wants, and when the love of her life is mysteriously murdered, Sevy will stop at nothing to get him back. Elvish black magic, necromancy and demonic pacts are of little consequence if it means she can once again have her beloved at her side. But is she willing to murder her only friend to get the job done?
Sarah-Jane is with us today on Examiner.com to take part in the Never Have, Never Will interview.
1. Is there a story you’ve written that will never see the light of day? Why would you deprive us of this genius?
In high school, I once wrote a short play called Insurrection. It was about a recently deceased man’s conversations with God. I remember thinking that it came out pretty well, for what it was. A few years ago, I decided to take another look at that play and perhaps rework it as a piece of short fiction. Let’s just say that the results were…unfortunate. Nobody wants to read a sanctimonious teenager’s idea of existentialism, and no amount of retooling by an older, wiser me will ever compel me to share Insurrection with the world. Eyes would be rolling so far back, people would go blind.
2. What’s a story you’ve never written, but always wanted to?
I would love to write a zombie story. I have a deep rooted love for all things zombie, and will get into long drawn out conversations on zombie types, methods of killing, escape plans, etc, to anyone who shows even the remotest interest. So it should come as no surprise that I have had the makings of an epic zombie novel floating around my head for a long time now. Sadly, as I’m working on other projects, I haven’t been able to indulge my love of the walking dead quite yet, but one day, I will unleash my horde of brain nommers and the world will weep. Or not.
3. Is there a character or plot point you’ve wanted to change in retrospect?
Luckily, Thief is part of a series, so although there were a few minor characters that I would have liked to expand, I can still do so in subsequent novels. Unless of course, I happened to kill them off. Which I have the tendency to do. An interesting thing that I’ve seen other authors do is to offer free short stories set in the same universe as their novels on their website, sort of as a reward to loyal readers. That would be the perfect opportunity to delve into the back stories of minor characters, who I may or may not have murdered.
As for plot points, I would have liked to expand on one that involved Sevy and her relationship with a fellow gang member named Bolozi. I would have liked to explore their power struggles and the inherent sexism behind it, but for the sake of the main plot, I had to keep things moving.
4. Which of your characters would you never want to meet (in a dark alley or otherwise)?
I honestly wouldn’t want to meet Sevy, the main character of Thief. She’s mentally unstable and has a love of pointy things, so even an innocent bystander would do well to be wary of her. But seeing as though I’m the mastermind behind her torment and I enjoy finding new ways to make her life a living hell, I would run like the dickens if I ever had the chance to meet her.
5. Which of your worlds/realities/cities would you never want to visit?
Eloria, the city where most of Thief is set. It has been abandoned by the kingdom’s aristocracy, and has fallen into ruin. While the western side remains affluent and still boasts some impressive gothic architecture (including a castle and royal library), the eastern side of the city has become one great slum.
Eloria has narrow streets with open gutters, lots of abandoned, rotting buildings, garbage strewn about, smoke-filled air, polluted water. Hardly anything green and growing. The majority of its people are either merchants, factory workers or unemployed. And of those unemployed, most have resorted to a life of crime to make ends meet.
So it’s not exactly an ideal vacation spot, to say the least.
6. Are there any real-world locations you’ve written about but have never visited (or never want to)?:
As I write mostly fantasy, I don’t write about real world locations, although most of the worlds I’ve created have an earthly equivalent. I’ve based the islands of Belakarta on the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, a place I’ve never been to but would love to visit one day.
7. Is there a piece of writing advice you’ve never followed?
Honestly, I don’t really follow a lot of advice. I’m more of a learn-it-as-you-go kind of girl. Sure, I make plenty of mistakes, but it’s that process that helps me discern what works and what doesn’t. Plus there is so much advice out there, and what some people say will contradict others. In general, all writing advice is valid and helpful, but if you stick to any piece of advice too stringently, you’ll just end up spinning in circles. I don’t think that there are any hard and fast rules when it comes to writing and other forms of art.
8. What is an aspect of the writing craft you’ve never had a problem with (and why)?
Coming up with ideas for new stories. I never seem to be short on what some writers refer to as plot bunnies. Although I’ve never been officially diagnosed, I believe I have sleep apnea, which has made for some really bizarre, vivid dreams over the years. And dreams constitute my biggest source of inspiration. I take snippets of my weirder dreams and use them as the basis of any number of stories.
But however wonderful a never ending supply of plot bunnies is in theory, it does pose a bit of a problem because I end up with more ideas than I can realistically write about. I have a list of about ten projects on the go, and even more floating around my head. What I love best is when some of those ideas are kind enough to merge together. It spares me from the annoyance of one story screaming at me while I’m trying to work on another.
9. What’s the one book out there you wish you’d written (but of course won’t, because it’s already written, and writing it again would be plagiarism, and that’s just mean)?
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about this book, but I just love the character, love the universe, love the writing, love everything. I guess I’m just in awe of how effortlessly Mr. Koontz weaves everything together. And the ending is so wonderfully heartbreaking. Right up my alley.
10. What aspect of writing will you never stop working to improve in?
Developing as authentic a voice as possible so as to fully immerse the reader into the world I’m creating. To be able to make a reader feel everything as deeply as the characters themselves is, to me, the key to creating a timeless story that will be remember for generations. It’s something that I will continue to strive towards for as long as I am able to write.
11. What’s one part of the publishing industry/process you wish you could do without?
The waiting time during the submission process just kills me. I’m not a very patient person, and having to wait upwards of six months only to get rejected is an insidious form of torture.
Also, I’m not a very social person. I’m very introverted and prefer just doing my own thing rather than being at the center of attention. Which, as I am discovering now that Thief has been released, is the exact opposite personality needed for when you’re trying to promote a book.
12. What’s the one thing you would never do to shamelessly promote your current/upcoming release?
Never say never. I’ll try just about anything if I can be guaranteed it will translate into good exposure for Thief. That being said, I can pretty much swear that I will never release a sex tape. And for that, the world should be thankful. Thankful in the form of buying Thief.
13. What’s a question you’ve always wanted to answer, but have never been asked?
What would you do in case of a zombie outbreak?
And your answer?
With my luck, I’ll wind up the entrée, but I like to pretend that I’d be all super kick-ass and single handedly save humanity not only from the zombies but from itself. And once I have rebuilt society, they’ll make a tv show about my exploits called Sarah the Zombie Slayer.
Hmm, this really has nothing to do with writing or my novel at all, does it? So let me try this again. The one question I’ve always wanted to be asked is “What book should I read next?” and the answer, obviously, is Thief by Sarah-Jane Lehoux (aka Sarah the Zombie Slayer)
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