Interview with Wendy Cheairs

Author of Night Tales

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born in Texas, but barely remember it and raised in the southwest part of America. Currently, I am living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My parents moved around when I was younger, my dad worked as a manager for restaurants and went where they needed him to help stores out. We lived in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico but traveled often. I am now living in New Mexico with my husband and many cat friends.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

My first book is a collection of short stories that had been published before in other places or new stories I had been holding on too. Once all my rights came back to me, I decided to put together a collection of short stories to share with people in one place to get an idea of my writing style.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

A short story collection, this group of stories is horror based on urban legends in Albuquerque to Cthulhu based stories. I have a range of stories, quick and straightforward to read in one sitting.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

This book is for people looking for different stories, something outside of the box of just usual horror stories. I went for tales that were different, not as talked about, such as an urban legend in Albuquerque about the children’s hospital that dates back to the late 1800s. I wanted to share tales that I hadn’t really seen in other places, short stories that are quick to read but not typical.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

So many things! I had to learn about marketing, formatting, editing, proofing, the differences between how Amazon works, and other publishing houses. It was an adventure, but I learned a lot for my next books to be published. I made a few mistakes like most starting writers, but each one taught me something new about the industry and how to avoid them for future endeavors.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Watch more videos on marketing and format cleaner. There were a lot of things I would have loved to have known, but this process did teach me a lot and helped me figure out what to do next, how to set up a book better, and now learning more about marketing.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible, of course. But in the real world, anyone who likes to read and enjoys short stories.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Marketing, it is nearly as difficult as the writing and editing process and takes a different skill set.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I love to write, I can write quickly, but editing takes longer, making it longer get new fiction out there in the world. I love to create and sometimes get lost in the worlds I am building.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing, I didn’t come into the self-publishing world with the right tool set for marketing and still learning those skills at this time. It is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be, and it is a steep learning curve.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am currently working on several projects. I am in several anthologies coming out shortly and in 2020. I have a full new novel out November 2020, along with other projects in the works. I am keeping myself busy with anthologies along with novel writing to get my name out there and learn more about the industry.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Hybrid all the way. I have published in several anthologies beforehand, and now I am dipping into the self-publishing game, learning all the way.