Rose DesRochers Interview with Gretchen Steen – Fantasy Author

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Rose DesRochers

by Rose DesRochers

Gretchen Steen is known as the Dragonlady and that she is. I recently had the privilege of interviewing fantasy author Gretchen Steen, where she shared some insights on being a self published author , and gave me a sneak peak into her new book “Drágön Spawn.”

Thank you for doing this interview, Gretchen. Could you start by telling readers a little about yourself?

I’m a divorced mother of two grown children, Justin Daniel Steen and Chelsea Amanda Steen and grandmother of Jack Daniel Steen. I was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1952 and lived most of my life in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. In 2002, when my marriage failed I moved to Pensacola, Florida where I now reside. I have worked full-time in various fields for the last 18 years.

How long have you been writing?

I had several writing courses in high school where the desire for self-expression began. After high school I got married and the writing was nothing more than a hobby. I began writing again in 2000 as a type of therapy for me to relieve the anxiety the deterioration of my personal situation had produced. I found myself lost in my thoughts and the only relief was to write it down. I began the story after having a very vivid dream. It recurred several times, each occurrence more detailed than the time before. I couldn’t get rid of it, so I wrote it. One chapter turned into two, then three and so on. I created a website with the seven chapters I had written available to anyone who stumbled across it. A close friend read it and said it was “Great!” and urged me to pursue publishing it. “Don’t leave it out there for nothing…do something with this!” she said emphatically. So I did. That was 2001, the beginning…

What prompted you to become a fantasy author?

I have always been a fantasy/sci-fi fan. The premise as I see it is, if you can dream it up it’s possible. That’s what I love about that genre. It doesn’t have to be proven fact. You need nothing to back it up. The characters can be whatever you want them to be and the storyline so unbelievable that it couldn’t happen…but that is what makes fantasy so good. My story is just that…a fantasy story about a “dragonchild” with witches, wizards, castles, magic, mystery, time travel and romance in the mix.

For those of our readers who are not familiar with your books, please tell us a little about your latest book “Drágön Spawn.”

“Drágön Spawn” is the hardback version of my trilogy “Dragonchild” ©2003, “The Mystery of Dragon Hall” ©2005, and “Drágön Blood” ©2007 which I published in paperback through Authorhouse.com. The first two books leave you wondering what will happen and the third wraps everything up solving all the unanswered questions. The story should be read in its entirety so I published the complete volume with Lulu.com in 2008.

How long did it take you to write the book?

I began the first story in 2001 and finished the last in 2007. Off and on 6 years. It probably would have taken less time, but I worked full time and I wrote in my time off.

Do you plan on writing more fantasy novels?

I don’t know yet. This story haunted me for many years until I finally finished it. I would wake me in the middle of the night with continuations. Since completing the story my head has been pacified I guess. Maybe in the future the urge will hit me again.

If you wanted potential buyers of your book to know one thing about your writing what would it be?
I’m an unknown, give me a chance, they won’t regret it. The story is very complex and enticing. The majority of my readers couldn’t put it down, it held their attention to the end.

Now you are a self-published author. Can you talk about some of the challenges you have faced as a self-published author?

It’s not the way to go if you want to make money. I didn’t have the contacts to go the conventional route. The vanity publisher I contacted, Dorrance Publishing, wanted to do the first book, but charge me $10,000 which I didn’t have. So I found the print-on-demand publisher First Books (which changed to Authorhouse in 2004). I set up my book with them, paid them $989 and they “published” my first book. It included a press release that was sent to 100 contacts in cities I had chosen. That was it! The same for the next two books, a charge to set up and the same promotional package. Nothing more. They are all on Amazon.com for purchase. When I set up with Lulu.com it cost me nothing. It is on Lulu’s site and on Amazon.com, but they provided no other promotion. The books are done very well, both paperback and hardcover. My only “con” about the self-published route is no promotion. It’s like we’re second rate authors, not good enough to play with the big boys.

What have you been doing to promote your book online?

Finding websites to load the information on such as AuthorsDen.com, Squidoo.com, www.gretchensteen.com (my homepage), as well as Google search for Gretchen Steen. But again, if you don’t know who I am my name means nothing.

What have you learned about the publishing world?

It’s an interesting place, but very difficult if you are an unknown. Print-on-demand in the coming trend, they should be given a prominent place among book publishers. In our trying economical times, where money is so tight, people are looking for alternatives as I did. What makes them inferior?

Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be break into the genre of fantasy writing?

The more bizarre the better. Vivid descriptions and intricate detail give the readers a picture of what they’re reading. I had many comments to that fact that my readers could actually see what I was thinking. If you love something, pursue it…you’ll surprise yourself with what you CAN do!!

Thank you for this interview, Gretchen. Could you tell us where we can go to find out more about your new book “Drágön Spawn?”

http://stores.lulu.com/dragonlady55 my storefront on Lulu.com and gretchensteen.com (my homepage)

Buy Dragon Spawn from Amazon.com

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