Author Interview with International Author Rosalind B Sterling

Author Interview | Rosalind B Sterling | Author Services Australia

Author Interview with International Author Rosalind B Sterling

Welcome to Author Services Australia, Rosalind B Sterling, and welcome to our author interviews! If you could start by introducing yourself to everyone, let them know where you’re from and some of your interests and hobbies.

I’m an author, artist, and editor from Ohio who enjoys many eclectic styles ranging from vintage to futuristic just to name a few. I absolutely adore any time era that is not our current one, and am specifically infatuated with the 1920s and the 2000s. I love cartoons, especially those for adults, which are a big inspiration for my writing and art style. I also love topics surrounding human morality and love to think out of the box when it comes to my creativity. When I’m not writing or drawing, I can be found playing with my Shih Tzu Dakota and getting lost in a world of daydreams while listening to my favorite songs.

What inspired you to start writing?

I was twelve when I first started writing and it was because I was very frustrated with being bombarded with complex ideas constantly cluttering my head and needed an outlet for them. I have maladaptive daydreaming so I have very little control over my incessant daydreams. Finding a way to get all my ideas out was something I really needed both as a kid and even now as an adult. Writing was the only option for me at the time and it helped me relieve a lot of stress and still does.

What is your preferred genre to write in?

Adult crime fiction. Although I often write comedy and other various things alongside it like sci-fi, historical, and sometimes a bit of romance. But crime is the main genre in almost all of my stories since I’ve always been fascinated by it. And I always gear my stories to adults since I enjoy how varied books in that age range can be.

What is your writing process?

I don’t really have a writing process since I lean more toward the pantser side of things. I just get an idea, brainstorm it a little, write out a rough outline that I hardly even follow, and then write and rewrite the draft enough times until I’m happy with it and am ready to move forward to publishing it.

What is one thing you wish you knew now that you didn’t know when you started writing?

How important feedback is. I don’t think I really understood or appreciated feedback when I was a beginner writer. I know now that feedback, especially from beta readers, is one of the most crucial things to make a good book and I know I would have improved a lot faster if I had sought out and listened to more feedback back then.

What was the hardest part of self-publishing?

I would like to be quippy and say all of it, but if I was to pick just one thing, it would have to be the editing. The editing was the longest, most expensive, and most stressful part of the whole thing. Just trying to get the book to a presentable stage and take out the massive amount of plot holes, typos, and errors from such a massively long book took a lot of effort on my part, but especially on my editors’ parts as well. It was a group effort and I honestly couldn’t have done it without them.

If you use a pen name, why and how did you come up with it?

My author name is also my legal name except for the last name which is Sterling. It started as a pen name since my mother owns a music ministry with her last name in the title and I didn’t want to use that same last name. I wanted to disconnect my business from hers. And also because I don’t have a good relationship with my mother and didn’t want to share the same last name with her. But over time, this pen name became my preferred name for the same reasons listed above. It just makes me feel very comfortable in my body and gender. I came up with it while searching for names online and that one stuck out to me because it felt more masculine which I liked. It also reminded me of some of the names from the 1920s-1940s for some reason. Like a name you’d give some old, noir detective. It fits my vibe very well.

Which book is your favorite and why?

Tales from the Gas Station because of its creative mix of humor and horror. The characters are relatable and hilarious and the world is so close to ours while also being starkly different and unnerving. It’s literally the definition of “expect the unexpected.” It gives me such a mixed batch of emotions and the characters truly feel like family to me when I read it.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jack Townsend because of the Tales from the Gas Station series. I also love Philip K. Dick, though I haven’t read much of his work. I’m mostly enamored by his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

What are you working on right now?

Author Rosalind B Sterling | Villain vs Villain | Author Services AustraliaMy main project right now is book 2 in my Villain vs. Villain trilogy. But I’m also working on a few miscellaneous short story publications including a crime/mystery/sapphic romance that takes place in the 1920s and features a wlw couple who are both investigators and owners of a nightclub/speakeasy.

I also have some ideas for a possible online animated series and am mapping out the pilot for it currently. It will be posted on YouTube once it’s done.

Lastly, I have a few video essays in the works, including one covering the story of Blade Runner, both the book and movie, which will be super fun to make since I love talking about that story.

How do you handle a bad review?

I’ll be honest. I’m still learning to handle those well. I haven’t gotten any bad reviews on my debut yet, but I’ve gotten bad reviews during its critique stage and bad reviews/feedback on other projects I’ve worked on. The main thing to do is to listen to the review and use it as a way to improve if you think there is advice worth taking from it. I also let myself feel my emotions. It’s okay to feel upset, or angry, or sad, or disappointed that someone didn’t like your work. I let myself express my emotions privately and allow myself the space to cope with them. But in the end, the review is there. I can’t control people’s feelings and I can’t stop bad reviews from coming in. Not everyone will like my stuff and I just have to deal with it. On the bright side, there are lots of other people out there who do like it and that’s what matters most. Plus, some people buy books based on bad reviews because what one person may hate, another person may like. Not all reviewers buy books based on good reviews. Sometimes bad reviews show readers there’s something in the book they’ll enjoy even if someone else didn’t, so that’s always a positive thing to think about.

What’s next for you as an author?

As I said earlier, I’m working on some short story publications in the meantime while I work on book 2 in my trilogy which should hopefully be out in a little over a year, though I don’t have an official release date yet. I am also working on being more active on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, making educational writing videos, video essays, and discussions on various topics. I have a goal to visit some book festivals and conventions with my book as well, though that will take some planning and money-saving.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I can see myself finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in English by then, and hopefully getting a decent job as a writer or maybe an editor at a publishing company or pretty much anything that includes writing and editing. I would also like to have published my entire Villain vs. Villain trilogy by then and have made a decent name for myself as an author. Lastly, I would like to learn to animate properly by then so I can further advance my career as an artist and branch into more complicated projects.

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

Super speed. It would save me a lot of trouble being late everywhere haha. It also never feels like there’s enough time in the day to do everything I need, and I feel like I’m too slow most of the time. So blowing through my responsibilities and hobbies would be great so I can get more done in a short period of time.

Where is your ultimate holiday destination?

California because it’s the location a lot of my stories are set in. I would love to visit the different cities, and grand tourist spots, and see places I reference in my books and also see in a lot of my favorite movies. It’s also just much warmer there, and I would love to go somewhere where it’s not below freezing during the winter months.

What are some of the items on your bucket list?

Find a long-term job somewhere and become financially stable in my career. I’d also like to be able to get my own house for me, my partner, and our dog, as well as my own car. I’m still young and still have time to gain these things, but they’re definitely my main goals that I hope to achieve soon. I’d like to start a new wardrobe as well and experiment with different clothing styles since I always found clothing to be a fun way to express myself. From vintage clothing to Y2K tank tops and pink frills, I love wearing all sorts of things. I’d love to also get a tattoo in the near future. Something like a little alien or UFO since I absolutely adore space and sci-fi. I think my last thing would be to visit Los Angeles and Las Vegas. They’re my two main tourist spots and I’d love to go there at least once.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview, Rosalind B Sterling!

Check out where you can buy Rosalind’s books below, and also how to follow Rosalind on social media. If you would like to do an author interview or have any questions about our author features, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

******

Author Name: Rosalind B Sterling

Genre/s: Crime and comedy

Author Website: https://www.authorrosalindbsterling.com/new-page

Social Media Links: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Amazon Author Central, and Goodreads.

The Best Link to Where Readers Can Purchase Any Book by Author Rosalind B Sterling: Amazon

******

At Author Services Australia, we support Australian, New Zealand, and International self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, manuscript uploading assistance, and social media and marketing.

If you enjoyed the author interview with Rosalind B Sterling or have any questions for Rosalind, drop a comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback, and we’re sure that Rosalind B Sterling will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to avoid missing out on any future author news, self-publishing updates, and author interviews with fantastic authors from around the world.

If you’re new to self-publishing, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Self-Publish Your Books!

Author Spotlight | Rosalind B Sterling | Author Services Australia

Comments (2)

  1. Rosalind B. Sterling

    Thank you so much again for the interview! I had so much fun with this and appreciate the opportunity! Best wishes ^^

    1. Clayton Hobbs

      It was our pleasure Rosalind! It was fun learning about your writing process and what drives you as an author. Best of luck with your book, Villain vs. Villain, and can’t wait to see the rest of the books in the series.

Post a comment