Interview with S.D. Grimm (& Giveaway!)

We have a lucky winner...Caryl Kane!!! (Winner chosen via Rafflecopter.) Congratulations to Caryl, and many thanks to S.D. Grimm and all of you who stopped by to enter! Check back for more giveaways in the coming months :) Have a wonderful weekend!


We are thrilled to welcome S.D. Grimm to Lands Uncharted to celebrate release day for her debut YA speculative novel, Scarlet Moon! Sarah is a woman of many talents in addition to writing (and has a great sense of humor!), and we're so grateful she took the time to answer some questions for us today. And, did you notice GIVEAWAY in the post header?! That's, right, Sarah has generously offered to give away a signed copy of Scarlet Moon to one lucky winner. Find out how to enter below!


And now, without further ado, here's Sarah!


First, a little introduction:

S. D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult speculative fiction. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency and her debut novel, Scarlet Moon, is slated to be published in October 2016. When she’s not writing or editing, Sarah enjoys reading (of course!), making clay dragons for her Grimmlies store on Etsy, practicing kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training dogs, and doing anything outdoorsy with the family. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog.


What's something we wouldn't know about you just by looking?

Well, I do like Brazilain jiu jitsu, kickboxing, fencing, and shooting. Archery is next.


Do you have any go-to foods or beverages while writing?

Ummmm . . . water. :)


What fictional character(s) best describes your personality?

Well, I’ve been called Rapunzel from Tangled. I think that scene in Tangled where she flits back and forth between feeling horrible and amazing for leaving the tower pretty much nails it. That and the singing while cleaning. Holy awkward, Batman.


Since we're all about exploring new worlds here at Lands Uncharted, if you could choose one place to visit, real or fictional, where would you go?

Real: the UK
Fictional: Hiccup and Toothless's world from How to Train Your Dragon


Why do you write speculative fiction? What draws you to it? 

Magic. I love the endless creative possibilities of fantasy and sci-fi. Something about this genre sparks to life the kid inside me that makes me want to share the wonder I experience in believing and hoping and knowing the impossible is somehow possible. I like to encourage others to embrace that inner child and believe it too.


What advice would you share with an aspiring author?

Don’t give up. Find supporters and a few people you trust to critique your work. Then treat them like gold.


What has your journey to finding an agent and the road to publication been like?

Hard. Crazy. The thing about this business is it’s not for the faint of heart. You better your craft all the time. You build your social media presence. You try to send the right work at the right time to the right people. You attempt to stay ahead of the curve without knowing where the curve is. You survive getting your heart broken again and again and again. You don’t give up. You make connections. Friends. Partners in writing who help and encourage you. You have fun. You learn a lot about writing and about yourself. And when something good happens and you take another step forward down this path, all those people celebrate with you. You find community. You work your heart out and wear it on the pages of your work. People will crumple it up, step on it, and some will even use it wipe the snot off their own faces. And then there will be those who feel what you’re trying to say. They’ll cherish it, and they’ll recommend that others read it. Some will misunderstand it. Others will get it. And still that journey—probably on the road less traveled—is just beginning.


No visit to Lands Uncharted is complete without Top 3s! Give us a Top 3 list, in the category of your choice.

Top 3 Favorite Animal Characters (besides mine, of course):

Toothless the dragon, Ghost the direwolf, and Bigwig the rabbit from Watership Down


Now, we can't forget to talk about Scarlet Moon, which releases TODAY! What's it about?

Told from multiple point of view characters, Scarlet Moon is a young adult fantasy about Jayden, a seventeen-year-old, dagger-wielding, storm-detecting orphan who can save the race of people known as the Feravolk from a sorceress queen bent on annihilating them. Maybe they should have thought of that before they killed Jayden’s family.


What was your inspiration for writing Scarlet Moon?

I love animals. The novel I wrote prior to this one (which sits in a proverbial dark, secret drawer) was about animals. All the characters were animals. And one day I decided to get serious about publishing. Then I decided I was going to write about people. I still wanted animals to be a big part of the story so I chose to write about a race of people who can commune with nature. These people basically get certain talents or abilities from animals—and they reciprocate, giving animals certain abilities too. Then I researched some really cool animals, including mythological ones, and the story world really grew from there.


What do you hope readers will take away from Scarlet Moon?

Persevere. And real love always protects, no matter the cost.


And I can't help but ask, can you tell us what you're working on now?

A Cyberpunk with superheroes.


Sounds amazing, right? Thank you so much for visiting and letting us celebrate your release day, Sarah! You can find out more about Sarah at http://sdgrimm.com, or by connecting with her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. You can purchase Scarlet Moon on Amazon.

Now, about that giveaway :) Enter using the form below (U.S. residents only). The giveaway closes at 11:59 Central Time on Thursday, October 27th and the winner will be announced here on Friday, October 28th. Good luck!!


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