Today on Paws4Thought we continue our Shades of Fear series with S. M. Lowry the author of the powerful story, Forbidden Child.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a wife and a mother of four wonderful children, ranging from 15 to 21. We live on a beautiful half-acre in Oregon with three dogs and a snake. I work full time for the State of Oregon reading and analyzing Workers’ Comp. orders. I’m also a full time student working toward my BA in English Language and Literature at Southern New Hampshire University. In my free time, I hang out with my kids and read obsessively.
How did you get involved with Shades of Fear?
I had decided to start writing seriously and joined NaNoWriMo in October. I was on a Facebook group for Southern New Hampshire University, and someone mentioned there was a new group on Facebook for NaNo support. Since it was my first time doing NaNo, I jumped into the group. It was full of supportive and fun writers, and when NaNo ended, we continued the group. D.L. Scott decided to put together an anthology with members of the group, and I swallowed my fear and wrote “Forbidden Child!”
Who are your favorite authors?
I have so many of them! My absolute favorites would be Marion Zimmer-Bradley, Evangeline Walton, Geoffrey Chaucer, Juliet Marillier, and Jim Butcher. However, in the past few months, I have been introduced to some excellent indie authors that are quickly becoming my favorites as well.
Tell us a bit about your story Forbidden Child?
“Forbidden Child” is a medieval-type fantasy story. It follows a young woman who is running away from home in an effort to save the life of her unborn child.
So, what happens next? Are you planning to continue the story?
Yes, “Forbidden Child” ended up being the prologue to a larger story. There will be a novel that follows the story, which I hope to have out early next year.
What inspires you to write?
So many things inspire me to write. Reading, watching TV, people-watching, music, and mythology are all big inspirations for me. Sometimes I feel like I’m always writing a story in my head!
When did you first start writing?
I don’t really remember when I started writing, but I think it was in junior high. I have written intermittently since then, but never finishing anything beyond a short story. I made the decision to begin writing seriously last October and I’ve never looked back.
What are your own greatest fears and how do you deal with them?
That’s a tough question. Fears for my family would be at the top of the list, but as a mother that’s something that never goes away. As for personal fears, I fear failure, like lots of people do, but as I get older I also fear not doing enough of the things I enjoy. Part of the reason I didn’t write seriously until recently was a fear that I wasn’t good at it. When I jumped into NaNoWriMo last year, I made a decision to just do it for the fun and the challenge of writing so much. Once I decided to do it for fun and not worry about being terrible at it, the words came a lot easier for me.
What do you like to do to relax?
I love hanging out with my kids or sitting down with a good book.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on two projects. One of them is the novel that follows “Forbidden Child.” The other is a novel that retells Arianrhod’s story from the Welsh Mabinogi. I love mythology, so that story has been a lot of fun for me to write. I hope to have both of them out by early next year.
How can readers connect with you?
On Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Sarah.Lowry.Writer
On Twitter: @SarahLowry9
And on my blog: www.smlowry.com
Paws4Thought 