Meet the #Author Monday - Yolanda Sfetsos

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

My name is Yolanda Sfetsos and I live in Sydney, Australia. I love to tell stories and spend most of my days coming up with new ideas to write about, and then turn those ideas into actual stories. I also love to read, watch TV shows (though I’ve been a bit disappointed with my faves lately), love going for walks, and just hanging out with my hubby and daughter. I collect books because I’m a total bibliophile, and love stationery.

I like the simple things in life, and feel happier when I’m at home doing my own thing. :)

Tell us about DASH:

DASH is the fourth book in my SFR series called RECAST. It’s set in a fictional galaxy and each book features a different couple, but they’re all connected. This one is set after the Clash Arena falls, which means that the timeline coincides with both CLASH and SHIVER.

I like to call this my Robot Love Story. :)

What inspired you to write this particular story?:

I’ve always been fascinated with robots, so I knew that writing a story like this would someday be on the cards. Not to mention that I’d planned to write it since the beginning of the series.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

Taylor turned on her heel and ran the other way. She was fast and knew she could evade him long enough to follow this tunnel to safety. Once she disappeared into the outside world he wouldn’t be able to catch her.

“Walsh, wait!” someone else yelled.
Taylor didn’t look back, instead rushed along the corridor so fast the walls blurred. She didn’t miss a step, managed to avoid every obstacle in her way. There were chunks of fallen rock, crevices on the ground, bodies lying motionless—but she leaped over everything. Her vision had faded to black so she could move along these corridors as if she were playing a game inside the blueprint of this place. She gained a lot of ground and, according to her estimation, would hit freedom in minutes.
Enforcer stayed right on her tail. She could hear his pounding steps echoing hers. No matter how hard she pushed to outrun him, she couldn’t evade him.
How do I lose this freak?
In her haste, Taylor’s concentration slid for an instant and she missed a step. Her foot caught in a crevice and sent her sprawling. The blueprint faded and she found herself back in the rocky underground. A heavy weight pressed against her spine when she hit the ground. She ate dirt and bit her tongue, tasting blood.
The asshole had caught her, and she was trapped beneath him like a useless lump.
“I told you to stop,” he shouted near her ear.
“Get the hell off me.”
“I can’t do that.”
The ground rumbled beneath her belly, like a hungry beast ready to swallow her whole.
“Get. Off.”
“I can’t do that,” he repeated, pushing his hips against her rump. “I know what you are—”
Taylor slammed her head back hard enough to smash his face. It hurt like hell but Enforcer grunted and gave her some room. She pressed both hands against the dirt so hard that her fingers broke through the earth. She used the ground as leverage to pull her legs out from underneath his, and was standing before he could respond.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:

It depends. Sometimes the name pops into my head. Other times the personality, or even the looks. Sometimes everything comes at the same time. Or I might get the character’s story and what they look like before I settle on an appropriate name. It’s always different, which makes everything so much fun!

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

Never give up! And no matter what, just write. You can read all you want about writing and think about doing it as well, but if you don’t actually sit down and get started… you’ll never write. So write a lot, and make sure you reward yourself whenever you reach a milestone.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?: I tend to think that things worked out the way they did for a reason, so no, I probably wouldn’t change anything. Even if I do want to stop every evil act ever performed against a person or group because of unfounded prejudice.

What super-power would you choose?: Man, I’d love to fly. Who wouldn’t, right?

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?: Nope, not going to fall for that because everyone knows that no matter what I wish for, there will be unexpected consequences. :P

Coffee, tea or wine?: Coffee and tea. Depends on the time of day and the mood I’m in.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!): There are SO many books that I love and adore. But for the sake of choosing one, I’m going to say FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury because it’s one of a handful of books that affected my life and led me on my writing path.

Favourite genre and why?: I love a variety of genres—urban fantasy, horror, SciFi, thrillers, mysteries—but I find that no matter which one I choose, I always like a little mystery in my stories.

Favourite colour?: Red. No, black. Okay, red and black.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: DASH will  be released from Samhain Publishing on May 26, so I’m very excited about that. I’ve also got the last book in my UF Sierra Fox series coming out on paperback in October.

Asides from that, I don’t have any other contracted stories at the moment, but I’m working on some spin-off novels. I’ll also soon start working on the last two RECAST stories. So I hope to have more news later in the year.

Thanks for the cool interview!
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

AUTHOR BIO:

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

MY LINKS:

Website: http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yolandasfetsos

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos

BOOK BLURB:

She escaped the arena of death, but trusting him might be the death of her.

RECAST, Book 4

Taylor may be the Clash Arena’s most dominant—and only—female gladiator, but today she just can’t catch a break. After winning yet another brutal fight, with the arena inexplicably falling down around her ears, she jumps at the chance to escape the prison of her subterranean pit.

Instead, she finds herself knocked unconscious more times than she can count, and pursued over the edge of a sea cliff by an AI enforcer she can’t shake off her heels.

Walsh has been living a double life, masquerading as a tyrant’s enforcer while hiding his true agenda. When the despicable arena falls, there’s only one thing on his mind—saving the savage blonde who doesn’t trust him as far as she can throw him. Which is a considerable distance.

Once he convinces her he’s not out to kill her but help her survive, they form an uneasy alliance. But Taylor senses he’s keeping a secret, not just from her, but about her. And the truth will show them exactly what it is to be human.

Warning: This book contains some girl-on-girl action, a kick-ass gladiator who takes no crap, an AI who puts it all on the line, a band of misfits who aren’t as merry as they seem, cute tadpoles with sharp teeth, and grip-you-by-the-hair kisses. Strap in, interstellar turbulence is a bitch.

DASH will be released from Samhain Publishing on May 26.