Author interview with Sky Sommers

I'm delighted to introduce my second author from the anthology 'Third name's a Charm' which was released on April 14th 2024. Sky Sommers writes fairytales, paranormal romantasy and sci-fi and was first published in 2012. So, let's meet her:

'I love anything fairytaley, which is why I look for holes and update those kids stories for suspicious adults, peeling secrets back like onions. I’ve co-authored several charity anthologies that collect funds in support of our oceans, rainforests and communities plagued by wildfires or hurricanes. Sometimes I like to make my readers choose the ending - depending on their disposition (optimists vs pessimists). I live in Tallinn, in a small house with my hubby and 2 kids and am a mood & life coach by day.'

Can she give us a tweetable (tweet here):

'Sky Sommers updates fairytales for suspicious adults with quirky humour and loves to make you choose the ending (optimistic or pessimistic).'

She has published 12 books plus 7 anthologies, so what inspired her to become a writer? 

'Re-reading beloved fairytales as an adult and wanting to plug the gaping holes in them.'

That's such a great idea! What does her daily writing routine look like?
'Get into a good mood and then write for 1 hour or however long I have until I pick up my son from school. Or rewrite, depending what’s most pressing.'

What does she enjoy the most about writing?
'Getting an idea to explain away something I weaved into a story a few books/years ago – and that this new tidbit makes the older information appear as totally making sense in hindsight.'

Clever! What does she find hardest part of writing?
'Rewrites and marketing.'

 

What's the best money Sky's ever spent as a writer?
'Scrivener – love that tool!'

What's the most difficult thing about writing characters who are very different from her?
'Getting into the mood and into the headspace of the character and being there while I write, then switching back to being me as I go about my day. It’s like method acting, you really need to stay in character for most of the time and that means I might not be very nice for days or weeks on end, e.g. when I’m writing selfish villains.'

Oh dear, I'm laughing whilst also feeling sorry for her family! Does Sky read reviews of her books and how does she deal with bad and good ones?
'Yes, always. Good ones I re-read when I’m low on motivation. Bad ones – I look out for honest feedback and try to improve, but the 0 and 1 stars – they’re just not my audience, I guess.'

 

Aww! So moving onto the anthology, can she give us a synopsis?

'Once upon a time, a group of authors accepted the challenge from a fairy tale name generator. Not just once or twice, but thrice! Volume three of these quirky stories features trios and triple threats. 

 

In this clean YA collection, follow the fates of three begotten triplet princesses, be enlisted as the third lucky bodyguard to stave off monsters, see if the third wand works wonders for an unlucky mage, try to discover the true name of a unicorn prince, discover why magical artifacts come in threes, and climb towers with thieves to abduct well-known fairytale characters.
 

Venture into this collection of adventurous stories by award-winning and up-and-coming authors, and maybe you’ll be thrice enchanted. All proceeds donated to a charity in support of reading and literacy.'

 

Wonderful! Would she have a tweetable (tweet here):
'Third Name’s a Charm: Tales of Trios & Triple Threats. Third chances, three attempts, three guesses and three-headed dragons - discover new & beloved fairytales in this set of quirky stories.'

What did she find the hardest part to write?
'Since this is a charity anthology co-authored by 20 authors, the hardest part was actually writing the blurb BEFORE anyone wrote their story. After all the stories were in beta, we adjusted the blurb, but I think inspiration went both ways.'

 

What kind of research did you do?

'Every one of the 20 authors researched fairytales and the rule of three and based on that came up with specific retellings that we then made sure didn’t overlap. Sometimes research and ideation stage takes the longest and actually some beta versions had to be enhanced and researched more to fit the theme of the anthology and it’s only better for it.'

 

It sounds fabulous collaboration between the authors. If you'd like to buy the book or find out more about this wonderful author and their cause, click onto her links below:

Website: skysommers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sky.sommers.9/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommers_sky/

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