Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? What genre do you write?
I have been seriously writing for the past two and a half years. I already have 5 books out there. I write Paranormal Romance and New Adult Urban Fantasy.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My sister, Lisa. We brainstormed a tale driving from Houston to El Paso one night when the speed limit was still 55 MPH on I-10. I’ve got the story half-written down and by God, one day I will dust it off and publish it.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Don’t laugh, but serious scientific papers on the cosmos and astrophysics. I know there will be some scientists out there grinding their teeth over this, but I read a paper on matter dispersal along the Cosmic Microwave Background and I think, what if a tesseract perfectly explains that? And then my brain thinks of a story to tell to illustrate that, and being a lover of romance, I work that angle in. I created heresy by suggesting that so-called “Dark Matter” was, in fact, magic.
Where/When do you do the most of your writing?
I do most of my writing heinously early in the day. I get my husband and sons off to work, and then I write in between answering e-mails and reading my newsfeeds. I work better multi-tasking. However, when I am involved in a scene in my book I ignore the world until it’s hammered out. It explains why the pizza delivery guy in our very small town can sleep drive to my house.
What do you think has been your biggest accomplishment?
I never did much with the field I studied in college. I come from a long line of people who get degrees and never use them. I would have to say that what I am most proud of is raising four children who people don’t hate to be around. My children are all grown now and I am so proud of them for all they have done. I’ve raised human beings other people don’t mind being around. In this day and age, that’s an accomplishment.
What series/book did you write that has the biggest following?
Definitely my Demonworld series. It has the most books.
Who has influenced your writing the most?
Jane Austen. Don’t laugh, even though I am. I love her character building and the illustration of how utterly reserved people were back at the beginning of the 19th Century. It was also the first non-modern English author I could read and understand. Also, Johanna Lindsay. She had a huge influence on my love or romance.
Do you have a favorite author?
Several in fact. Ayn Rand is my first and foremost. But that’s philosophy! I love everything you write along with Eve Langlais, Kat Richardson, and Jennifer Estep (absolutely nuts for her Elemental Assassin books).
Is there anything that you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Keeping the little things that readers notice straight. Before I write any book I create a character bible. When you write a series, that’s easy, you just basically add on to what you started out with. Keeping everyone hair/eye color straight, their quirks, idiosyncrasies, that is difficult. Think about your circle of best friends, and think about how you would describe them to a police sketch artist. It’s not easy.
Are the experiences of your characters based on any of your own or people that you know?
I think we all put things we observe and know about other people into our characters because it is what we know. I admit to being a bit of a Miss Marple (I really want to be Phryne Fisher but could never pull off her wardrobe). As a trained scientist I am a great observer. Much of my time in public is spent observing, then trying to come up with a story of why a person did a particular thing. The closes I can come to it is a video I once saw of a man coming upon two people and making up a story based on their actions at that moment. It was hilarious, but very apt for how my brain works.
Do you have any advice for other authors?
Write every single day. It doesn’t matter if it’s your magnum opus or a grocery list. I keep a blog just for those moments when I either need to vent, or get some words out so I can think clearly. I got that advice from Leonard Piekoff and it’s not steered me wrong yet. Enough of our professional work is slap dash, so why should this be any different, just write something.
Is there a particular niche or direction you would like to expand your writing portfolio into?
My husband would love it if I moved to Sci-Fi or Mech-Warriors, then he might actually read my books. I’m so new at this that it’s hard to think beyond the current story line or arc. I’ve written books and papers on gemstones and politics and philosophy, and now I am writing fiction. I am thinking of writing a book about my dogs, for children. That’s the only time I’ve seriously thought about “branching out”.
Describe your latest WIP
I am writing the 5th book in the Demonworld universe, while working as well on the second book in the Urban Paladin series. There are times, when you are writing and you get stuck as you see the story in its entirety and you have to stop because you’re not entirely sure how to get there. I took a break on Martin’s story and Arminius and Aliera knocked quietly on my mental office door and sat quietly outside until I had to write their story. So I’m working on that now while I figure our how to get Martin to point B.
How can readers reach you?
They can email me at sevwolfe@gmail.com, visit my website at www.sevwolfe.com and like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SeverineWolfe/. I love to hear from my readers and try to answer all emails as best I can.