Interview with Indie Authors Sam Lawrence and Ben Jackson

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

For me, being able to create funny and educational books for kids is one of the most rewarding aspects of writing. Watching kids laugh and giggle while they enjoy reading one of your books is a pretty special feeling.

Describe the place you normally use when you’re writing. What music do you listen to? Anything special in there besides a computer?

My office/writing area and the way I write would probably appall most writers. I enjoy writing while I watch Netflix or movies. I’ll sit on a desk and watch television while I write or just sit on the couch. It’s probably not as productive as it could be, but I enjoy it more.

Sam definitely likes to write in a more structured office area with some music playing.

What is your inspiration for writing?

I like to try and imagine books that I’d find enjoyable and then write them. We also always try to include a lesson or something else into the story to give it multiple layers.

Tell us a little about a recent project (you may share up to 250 words of your work in progress or recently published novel)

Our latest book is Hockey Wars 3 – The Tournament. It’s book three in the Hockey Wars series. These are early chapter readers which are written for children aged between about 7-13.

Both teams are on the road in Hockey Wars 3 as they head off to the first tournament of the season! Hockey Wars 3 sees the Lightning and Hurricanes hit the buses and head off to the hotel for a long weekend packed full of hockey and drama. When a strange boy starts showing some interest in Millie, will Cameron be able to reel in his protective nature and focus on the game, or will they head home without the tournament trophy?

What’s your writing process like? Where do you get ideas for your plots? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you use special software?

Oh, I’m definitely a pantser. I wouldn’t plan a thing when I write a book if I didn’t have Sam planning it all for me. It does make it a lot easier when she writes out chapter notes and plans the entire book to give me an outline.

Tell us why you started writing. How long? How many books? What’s your motivation? How long to write a book?

I love reading books, and I sort of fell into freelance writing by accident. Sam worked for a publisher that was having freelancers ghostwrite books, and I said that I could do a better job. So, I did. Then we started writing and self-publishing our own books.

Do you research your books? Characters? Scenes? Tell us a little about that process.

We don’t do a lot of research for our children’s books. Sam has played hockey her whole life so knows most of what’s going on. I have to fact check about some things, but for the most part, we just write them.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I like to deal with it by doing something else entirely. I always have multiple projects, plus my freelance writing to keep me busy. When you add social media and marketing plus work and study, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to get bogged down.

What tactics work best for you when it comes to marketing books? Have you seen a change in the best marketing strategies over time?

You tell me! So far, we’re working on the theory that some books just sell themselves while others don’t. I’m currently doing a diploma in social media and marketing to help our books.

Do you do all your marketing online or offline? Both? Which is the most successful?

We have done a few book signings over the years, but 99% of our marketing is all done online. Book signings are fun, but so far, they haven’t converted to a lot of money or sales.

If you could give advice to someone just starting on their writing journey, what three things would you tell them?

Never give up.
Back your work and invest in high-quality editing, illustrations, formatting, and
Don’t worry about reviews which are critical of different aspects of your writing or style. Take criticism for what it is, just someone else’s opinion.

Hockey Wars Series Purchase Links

Hockey Wars 1 Available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

Hockey Wars 2 Available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

Hockey Wars 3 Coming soon! Available for Preorder on Amazon now!

Ben Jackson and Sam Lawrence Social Media Links