Exclusive Interview with
SJ Wilke
When did you start writing?
I have stories I wrote as a child. However, my first serious endeavor was started in 2010. I've always had an active imagination. Being a reserved person, writing stories was my way of dealing with the world.
What makes writing your passion?
I love to tell stories. Writing also allows me to do all the things I can't do in real life. I can be as dark as I want. Fall in love as many times as I want. And travel the universe. I can defy the laws of nature and physics.
How long have you been writing?
I can't tell you. It's impolite to ask a woman how old she is.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
TADA. Where's the news crew? Spread the word. I think I still have that feeling even after 18 books.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
I like taking a normal, average woman, then giving her some normal ability that she uses in an extraordinary way. I like the underdog that learns, grows, and comes out strong.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Advertising. How do you get the word out when you're a starving artist? I can sit down and write a novel in a month, but I find it difficult to write a paragraph of marketing material.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
Go do something else. My mind wanders all the time. Going for a walk or taking out my kayak gets the creative juices flowing.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
The one thing that I did that helped me tremendously was to offer the books for free on a site that allowed the user to interact with me. For one year, I made my "fans" push me to pump out material. I was posting a chapter almost every day and getting feed back. This support was tremendous.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Never look back. Just keep going.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I love book reviews, good or bad. I get insight from even the bad ones. I love it when someone finds a typo or a continuity issue. I even rearranged the chapters in one book because of reader feedback. It made the book better.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
It depends on what they say. "I loved the book" is different from someone giving me a synopsis that shows not only did they read the book, but they got it... they understood some of the intricacies I wove into the story. Those are the greatest reviews.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
All the time. There is the advice to write what you now... but then stretch it a little to make it interesting. I have some psychology training which allows me to nail personalities.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
Seroje: The Seeing Eye is about an autistic woman. I am also autistic, very much like Seroje, but without all the cool abilities like the photographic memory. I think she's even a better shot than I am.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
People do get snared by snapping looking covers. All of my covers are original art. I don't mean just an original cover. The art of my covers are actual paintings created just for my books.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I will always chat with readers. I've received facebook posts, emails, and posts from platforms. I am more than willing to have a conversation.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Ha. Ha. I've never been called out in publish. I love it when people have actually purchased a book and want to talk to me about it. I don't have a public image. At the moment, I'm in a small town, and no one knows where I am.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
I do not have a single favorite author. And I don't want to list who I like. For the last few years, I haven't read any books to make sure my writing style is my own. I don't want to copy anyone. I don't want to be influenced by them.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
The dream is to have at least one movie. Or a Netflix series on one of my book series. Just to pay my bills with royalties would be nice, too.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
I always look forward, not back. If I don't like a book, then I'll write another. I will re-edit a book, but I won't totally rewrite it. The most drastic editing I have done was to reorder some chapters, which resulted in continuity errors that I had to fix.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
I think I'd like to remain as myself. I like what I've created. Sometimes I look at what I have done and amaze myself. I'll re-read a book and wonder how I came up with all those events.
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
If a troll even knows I exist, and thinks it's worth their time to write a bad review, I am honored. It means their jealous. Wow, to think someone is jealous of me.
What would you say to your readers?
If you like one of my books, you'll probably like most of them, even if they're not the usual genre you like to read. None of my books fit nicely into a genre niche and always incorporate many. Take the chance.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live in Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I have six furry kids (cats) who have been incorporated in some of my books. I love to walk on the beach or kayak during the summer.
What is your day job if you have one?
Feeding the cats.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
I love to play on the water. I kayak or walk the beach. Writing is actually my hobby. And my job.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Autism is a hard disorder to diagnosis. It was rarely known about when I was a child. Let's just say I view the world very differently than most. Socialization is also hard. I can have a better relationship in my books than in real life. Perhaps that is why I write.
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
A shy girl, who doesn't socialize well, loves to disappears into the world of books. And if the book falls short, then I would write my own stories.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
I have a backlog of books that I want to write. I am always coming up with ideas. I don't have any unpublished completed manuscripts.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
Schools do their best. A lot needs to be thrown back at the parents, but most parents are ill-prepared. I think discipline and respect are lacking.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
I wish I had more money to support select groups that actually are doing good in the world.
I wish I could drink all the soda I wanted and have no ill effects.
I wish I had more power to throttle leaders of the world to do more good and less self-indulgence.
What is your favorite music?
Silence
Share a secret with us 🙂
I learned to not use real product names in a book. I was lambasted by harsh reviews.