Author interview with suspense/horror author Sue Rovens

Sue Rovens is an indie suspense/horror author who lives in Normal, Illinois. She has written five novels and two books of short horror stories.

Another short story, “When the Earth Bled,” won 2nd place in the Support Indie Authors short story contest. Her three most recent books (Buried, Rage, and Sanctum) are under Plump Toad Press.

Q: Do you prefer to write stand-alone novels or series? Do you make connections between non-connected books?

A: Stand alone – always. I don’t make any crossover connections. Once my novel (or short story) is done, it’s truly finished.

Q:  What is your favorite genre to read? Do you write in that genre? Has that always been your favorite genre, or has your taste evolved as you have grown as a writer?

A: My favorite genre is generally thriller/horror, but I’m extremely picky about what I’ll read. If I come across too many typos and grammatical errors, I’ll stop (DNF). Same with poor dialogue and/or endless descriptions of things that are obviously not relevant to the story. There are too many books in the world to choose from – I won’t force myself to finish if it doesn’t click.

Q: Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle those reviews, whether good or bad?

A: Of course! Although some of the negative ones are stingy, I try not to dwell on them. I can’t imagine any author not appreciating the good reviews – but to be honest, I don’t want someone to give my book a 5-star review JUST because they a) know me, or b) feel pressured. I like honest reviews the best.

Q: How long (on average) does it take you to write a book?  How long have you been writing?

A: I’ve been writing since 2009, put my first book (In a Corner, Darkly: Volume One) out in 2012, and have pretty much continued to publish about every two years.

Q: What was the hardest part of writing your most recent book?

A: Trying to come up with short story ideas that haven’t been done to death (no pun…well, maybe a little one). Truly though, it’s tricky to think of “new” spins on “unusual” themes.

Q: What is the biggest thing that people THINK they know about your subject/genre, that isn’t true?

A: That all horror/suspense/thrillers are gory and equal to slasher films. Not true, especially for suspense. There is a huge umbrella in which all these adjacent genres fit. Just because I might use the word “horror” or anything else closely related doesn’t necessarily mean that my work is going to connect with those looking for extreme and grotesque content.

Q: How do you find or make time to write?

A: I’m fortunate to be retired now, but when I was working, I set aside weekends and evenings to write. Sometimes, I’d only have an hour (or less), but I made it work. Even now, with a more open schedule, I’ll try to block out a couple hours most days when I’m actively working on a project.

Q: What do your plans for future projects include?

A: I normally put out a book every two years, so I’m planning to continue that trend. As of what book will come after the one I am currently working on now? Hard to say. I only work on one project at a time.

Q: What other books would you recommend to our readers in addition to your own?

A: Anything by Paul Trembley, Jeremy Bates, MJ Preston, Pete Altieri, and early Stephen King.

Rovens owns a blog (suerovens.com) that includes interviews with authors, musicians, podcasters, and artists. She is also a current member of both the Chicago Writers Association and the Alliance for Independent Authors (ALLi).

Her books can be purchased at ANY indie bookstore, Amazon, or from her (signed with swag for the last option!)

Rovens will be at Tomes of Terror (Saturday, October 26) at Bobzbay Books/Red Raccoon Games in Bloomington, Illinois from 10am to 4pm!

Now available in print and on Kindle!

Now that Jack has been forced to reflect on everything he has to lose, he resolves to do better. He’s determined to spend more time at home with his family and repair the relationships that have suffered over the years while he’s been so focused on work. But as Callie’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Jack realizes he has a lot more room to improve than he realized – and it might be too late to save his daughter after all.

For fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Push, and Baby Teeth.