Hi, readers! I am pleased to announce a very special post today on ILRB. We’re doing something a little different. This is our thirteenth official author interview on this romance blog! I know in the past, we did character interviews then switched over to the author’s take on it, but this approach is a bit unusual.
We have a real treat for you, readers. Today we get to speak one-on-one with a talented author. Please join me in welcoming Sierra N. Terry to ILRB! 🙂
Marie Lavender: Hello, Sierra. Please have a seat.
Author Sierra N. Terry: Hi, Marie!
Marie: Hey, such a pleasure to have you here!
I’m going to throw in some standard questions first.
Obviously, we know your occupation as an author, but some writers have other jobs as well. Do you have another occupation? Do you believe you’re any good at it? Do you like what you do?
I know I’m overloading you with questions, but we’re really interested in finding out more about you…
Sierra: I’m in the cleaning field, and yes, I’m good at it! And I definitely don’t like it! I’m hoping one day I will be able to focus on art and storytelling.
Marie: I know exactly what you mean! 🙂
So, tell us…what is your family like?
Sierra: My family is great! My parents tolerate my weirdness and are supportive of all my ideas!
Marie: That’s wonderful!
Let’s try something else, okay?
If it doesn’t bother you at all, can you let us know what your childhood home looked like?
Sierra: We moved around a good bit so there isn’t just one I can describe. I think if I had to describe them as a whole, they were all decent enough.
Marie: Okay.
Do you have any hobbies, Sierra? What do you enjoy doing?
Sierra: Drawing was always my first passion and still is to this day. I’ll get back to reading to at some point in my life! Ha ha!
Marie: (Laughs.)
And what is your greatest dream?
Sierra: To live off of my work, and NOT only get 4 to 5 hours of sleep a day and work two jobs anymore!
Marie: Sounds like a plan! 😉
Let’s try another question.
What kind of person do you wish you could be? What is stopping you?
Sierra: I’d like to be someone less anxious and more outgoing/fun to talk to. I guess what’s stopping me the most is my introvert personality!
Marie: I can relate to that. Being an author has definitely gotten me out of my shell, but now and then I still have some challenging moments.
Not to pry too much, but who was your first love?
Sierra: First? Probably someone from a cartoon like Ash from Pokémon or something!
Marie: All right.
What’s the most terrible thing that ever happened to you?
Sierra: I would have to say it was when I had a weird cyst on my lower back that made it painful to sit or even lay down! My life has been fairly boring so a weird medical thing is the worst I got! Ha ha!
Marie: Ouch… 😕
Let’s move on to another topic, shall we?
[Sierra nods.]
What was your dream growing up? Did you achieve that dream? If so, in what ways was it not what you expected? If you never achieved the dream, why not?
Sierra: I always had a dream to be a comic book writer and artist. I’ve pretty much wanted something in the creative field since forever! I definitely didn’t achieve that, and I guess it could be because I didn’t ever go to art school/get a degree in writing to even begin to qualify for a job like that. I did, however, start to put my art and stories out there more with my Sailorfrill Studio business, and going around to different conventions.
Marie: Nice!
So, who is your role model, Sierra?
Sierra: Definitely my mother! Nobody is so cool, understanding and open-minded as her.
Marie: All right.
Is there someone you pretend to like but really dislike?
Sierra: Not really? At least I don’t think so.
Marie: And what is your deepest desire?
Sierra: Not to struggle financially anymore would be great.
Marie: I know, right? 😛
Let’s try a different question.
What is your greatest fear?
Sierra: I’m ~slightly~ concerned I’m going to be dying alone in my car.
Marie: Oh, no! I really don’t think that will be the case. You sound too awesome to end up alone, hon. 😉
Let’s do something else.
If you were trapped on a deserted island, what five essentials would you need with you? They don’t have to be practical.
Sierra:
Water
Paper
Pencils
A lighter
And 50 years’ worth of tampons!
Marie: (Laughs.) Okay.
Readers, let’s shift somewhat and get the author’s perspective on one of her characters. 🙂
We’ve heard rumors about the hero of your story, Jonas Aaronson. Quite an interesting character. Can you tell us a little about him?
Sierra: Jonas is a simple guy with a strong sense of justice, which leads him to become a soldier and ultimately meet that mermaid who turned his life upside down!
Marie: Intriguing…
And what are Jonas’s greatest strengths?
Sierra: He’s loyal, kind and won’t let an injustice go ignored.
Marie: Great! 😀
And his weaknesses?
Sierra: Simpleminded, wears his heart on his sleeve and lost some self-confidence due to some romantic rejections in the past.
Marie: I’m sure some of us can relate to that one…
Let’s try something fun, shall we?
What are his favorite foods?
Sierra: Lemon flavored cake and steak with cheesy bacon potatoes!
Marie: Nice!
How about another question?
What’s a positive quality that your character is unaware that he or she has?
Sierra: Well, he has a special power that he ignored his whole life, but I don’t want to spoil the story!
Marie: All right.
Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?
Sierra: I’m hoping people will like him since he’s good without being perfect. He does do at least one thing in the story that I think a lot of people might be uncomfortable with, but again, I don’t want to spoil it!
Marie: Makes sense to me… 😉
Now that we have a real taste of Jonas, we have a few questions for you as well as the author, about the writing process of your book.
What first gave you the idea for Beneath the Surface?
Sierra: I wasn’t trying! I had just finished writing my first novel, The Longest Knight, and I was lying there in my bed, being happy I’m finished when my mind started talking about a mermaid story. I think my next thought was something like, “Nooooo! I have to write that now.”
Ha ha!
Marie: (Chuckles.) It’s fascinating how the muse works, huh? 😀
Let’s try something else.
What is your writing style like, Sierra? Are you a pantster or a plotter?
Sierra: I’m a plotter! I have (sometimes detailed) guidelines I use before all the longhand writing starts. These guidelines leave room for new ideas too, though, and I can make little things up as I go. It keeps things fresh and fun, I think!
Marie: Awesome!
I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers. Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Beneath the Surface or publishing it? What would you do differently the next time?
Sierra: I didn’t really have any issues with writing Beneath the Surface, really. I had much more to say in this one and I’m proud that it’s 450 pages! There’s not too much I will do differently next time (I have three more books to go), since I learned a lot from book 1 (The Longest Knight) and worked out all the kinks back then!
Marie: Happy to hear it! 😀
It was a such a pleasure having you here on the I Love Romance Blog! And how apropos is that, considering what a great story Beneath the Surface appears to be… ♥
Here is the blurb:
On a seemingly normal night, Jonas, a kind-hearted knight, saves a beautiful young woman from a vicious attack. He quickly finds out the young woman is actually a mermaid and as she disappears into the water, Jonas vows to find her again, so taken by her mere presence. However, ever since they crossed paths Jonas began having strange, ominous dreams about her, making him want to see her again even more. What do these dreams mean and why is he having them all the time? These are just some of the questions Jonas seeks answers to, but all he really wants is a chance to make her his special lady.
The Four Kingdoms Series is a series of novels that are loosely based on one another. Most are romantic but not all, one is erotic but none of the others are quite as intense. Each story takes place in one of the four kingdoms but each individual novel can be read as a stand-alone story (it is highly recommended that you read the book one, The Longest Knight, first). Every story has its own strange uniqueness, and I hope you will stay with me until the very last one is released!
Here’s a peek at the story…
Jonas hears a scream ring out in the quiet night. First one he has heard of in a very long time. Every time he gets night patrol, like today, he always prays to the Four Gods that it’s a boring night. A lot never really happened in his ocean-side town and Jonas likes it that way.
Nonetheless, someone needs help and as a knight, he’s there to protect and serve so he must go investigate what the problem is.
He quietly jogs through the trees towards where the scream came from and as he drew closer to the spot, he can hear more people talking and grunting in agitation.
In a clearing in front of a large clear lake, Jonas spots the disturbance. Two men have gotten ahold of a young woman. One holds her on the ground and the other is trying to get a good grip on her legs to pry them apart. The man at her legs is largely unsuccessful since the woman is thrashing so hard under him, he can’t get a good grip.
“What are you doing?? Hurry up and get her legs open!!” the man holding her arms down yells at the other.
“Can’t you see I’m trying?! This bitch won’t quit!”
Suddenly one of the woman’s legs hits the man in the face and he topples backward, blood quickly staining his lips. Jonas is impressed, her legs are nice to look at and strong.
“Hey, you there!! Let her go!!” Jonas yells out as he reveals himself and rushes towards the scene.
The one man that was kicked is holding his nose in pain still, and the other isn’t doing a lot better. Jonas didn’t see how it happened, but suddenly, the woman’s thick hair is wrapped around the man’s head and now he’s screaming and trying desperately to get it off.
Instead of getting the hair off, Jonas knocks the man out with the hilt of his sword, so he will at least stop screaming and stop hurting everyone’s ears. The other man gets away in all the commotion, but Jonas is certain if he has that guy’s buddy in custody, then he can track the other one down later. Right now, he must tend to the woman and make sure she’s okay.
The woman’s hair untangles itself from the man’s head and returns to normal, but after watching it’s obvious it’s not normal hair.
He slowly kneels next to the woman, who is now panting softly on the ground.
“Hey, are you all right? Did they hurt you?” Jonas asks, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The woman lies there, not responding right away, but this gives Jonas a chance to look her over completely and realizes her beauty.
She’s slender with large hips and smooth, porcelain skin. Her hair is full of big, thick curls that would make any woman jealous. However, it appears to be multicolored, not something he has seen very often.
Jonas is amazed, he’d never seen such a color on a lady or anyone else. It’s mostly a bluish green then changes to a shade of purple at the tips. Even with this strange color, it’s still stunning. No, it’s because of its color that it’s stunning.
Her whole body looks like it’s glistening in the moonlight, even her clothes. She wears a short top that shows off her nicely toned stomach and her long skirt has just as long slits on both sides, leaving nothing to the imagination with her legs.
Jonas gulps.
Those legs are looking more and more tempting the longer he looks at them. He just wants to touch them, maybe rub them for a moment but after what he just saved her from, she probably wouldn’t appreciate that.
Suddenly, she appears to remember Jonas’s presence and the unconscious man, then bolts upright, shoving her body out of Jonas’s reach.
“It’s okay, miss! I won’t hurt you, I’m here to help!”
He tries to calm her, but she scrambles to her feet to run anyway. Her footing is off, her legs wobble and she begins to fall face first back to the ground.
Jonas rushes to her and catches the woman before she hits the ground. Her body is light and incredibly soft to touch. If she let him hold her longer, he’d gladly do it all night. With her so close to him, he can take in her amazing scent: honeydew mixed with the ocean breeze. She reminds him of the sea in the early morning and – good thing for him – he loves the sea.
“Please, don’t!” she finally says to him.
She stares up at him, terror in her soft eyes. Her pink colored soft eyes. There’s no doubt in his mind now, this woman can’t be human.
“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you! You’re safe. Are you feeling okay?”
Jonas feels he must ask that last question. She was doing just fine earlier, thrashing and kicking her legs at her attackers, but now she seems weak and tired like all her energy was drained at once. This beautiful woman is even shaking in his arms and Jonas has, at this moment, no other want but to calm her and make her feel safe again.
“No! Let me go! I need to be in the water!!” she yells at him, shaking her head.
Her hair brushes against his face and it feels like silk.
“The water? Okay, okay, I’ll put you in the lake.”
Jonas slips his other arm under her legs and thanks the Gods in his mind that he got a chance to touch them without appearing creepy.
Sounds intriguing! Can’t wait to find out what happens next. 😀
Purchase Links:
Universal Reader link: https://books2read.com/u/bOGBG0
Series Link: https://amzn.to/2XVQt3e
Add it to Goodreads or BookBub: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45274725-beneath-the-surface
https://www.bookbub.com/books/beneath-the-surface-the-four-kingdoms-series-book-2-by-sierra-n-terry
We’ll be sure to get a copy of this fantasy romance! ♥♥♥
About Sierra N. Terry
Born and raised in Central Virginia, there was almost no chance Sierra could have grown up NOT being creative. Her mother was, and still is, highly creative with her drawings and poetry, and she always encouraged Sierra to pursue her work even if she didn’t always like the subject matter!
Sierra realized pretty young she loved to draw and read and despite all the encouragement she had, she somewhat put her creativity on the back-burner until a few years ago. No job ever interested her like art and storytelling did, so in her mid-20s she started her comic again and worked on it like a second job! Since then she has finished drawing the comic, wrote five fantasy novels, and more recently put all her works under the business name Sailorfrill Studio, as well as started selling at anime, book or comic conventions.
Books:
And, if you want to know how to connect with the fascinating Sierra N. Terry, here are some author links…
Once again, I want to thank Sierra N. Terry, the brilliant author of this fantasy romance, for stopping by! It was a pleasure to have you here! Readers, check out her work! ♥
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Book Info:
“Humorous romance. 
