Black Tiger : Interview with the Author, Sara Baysinger

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!

We have the amazing privilege of hosting novelist Sara Baysinger on our blog today. Her book Black Tiger is out soon! So exciting. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

And without further ado...

What is the Black Tiger’s genre/category?

Dystopian/Young Adult

What led up to this book?

I am obsessed with the dystopian genre. I read Divergent by Veronica Roth in two days, then went to an apple orchard that following week, AND took a trip to Kentucky around that same time. Between those three things, inspiration built until I HAD to put it all down on paper and form a story around what I had. A lot of readers compare the beginning of Black Tiger with Divergent, but don’t worry, it takes on its own form once the trigger is pulled. ;)

What was the time frame for writing this book?

I wrote the entire first draft in less than a month, with my first born nursing on my lap the majority of that writing time. (I usually write my first drafts quickly.) Of course, since it was written so fast, a lot of rewriting followed, along with trimming and re-plotting, etc. One of the key characters didn’t even make it into the book until around the 3rd or 4th draft. So total time between beginning of first draft and publishing is three years exactly. :)

What were your 1-2 biggest learning experience(s) or surprise(s) throughout the publishing process?

I think the biggest surprise was how easy indie publishing was. Maybe it’s because I built it up in my head that it was going to be incredibly difficult. I purposefully didn’t set a deadline until everything was ready to publish so I wouldn’t stress if I hit a snag. I took each step one at a time, not looking ahead to the next step because then I would freak out. Next thing I knew, the book was uploaded on Amazon and I was ready to recruit a launch team! Don’t get me wrong—there is a lot of work involved in indie publishing, but after thinking about going indie for two and a half years (when about three literary agents encouraged me to do so), it wasn’t as daunting as I expected.

What’s next?

The second book in the Black Tiger series, Ashen City, is currently being read by my first round of beta readers. I’m hoping to have it out before March, but anything could change!

Bio:

Sara Baysinger grew up in the heart of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador where she spent her time exploring uncharted lands and reading all things magical. She now lives among the endless cornfields of Indiana with her husband and two young children. BLACK TIGER is her first novel.