Interview with author Mercedes Fox

I am delighted to debut my Author Spotlight with Mercedes Fox, author of Horror/Thriller titles to include Vengeance of the Werewolf, Poaching the Immortal, and Life After. 

To get started, I asked Mercedes to tell readers a little about herself. Here's what she had to say:

I’m married for 22 years and the proud mamma to three dogs. I’ve published three books. I love werewolves so my books revolve around them. I write horror/thriller/splatterpunk; my books are explicit in everything from sex to killing. I write what I like to read. I enjoy reading, movies, shopping with my mother and benchrest shooting.

That's great! I'm an animal mamma too. They make the best children, haha!

I see you use a pen name. Any special reason for it and the name you chose?  

I like the name and answering to it. I used this name when I played online RPGs. I love the name Mercedes.

Mercedes is a great name. It reminds me of "Count of Monte Cristo".
So, can you give us a little blurb about your latest book?   

Welcome to Wolfcreek. Werewolves are both neighbors and law enforcement. Ted could use a vacation. Life’s been rough since the horrific events in Vengeance of the Werewolf. He loves hunting. A trip to Alaska on a full guided hunt guarantees Ted will feel human again. Otherwise who knows what could happen if he can’t keep his wolf in check. Extreme violence and gore.

What genre are your books? 

I put them in horror – thriller – splatterpunk –shock horror. I pick these because my kill scenes are pretty violent.

What draws you to this genre? 

I’ve always loved to read horror, specifically werewolf or occult horror.

Have you ever considered writing stories for other genres? 

Sure have. I’m not only trying to figure out the process of outlining but I also want to write a suspense mystery. Ya know the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

When did you first discover your passion for writing? 

Back in my teenage years. Long ago in a galaxy far and away.

How long have you been writing? 

Serious writing and publishing I’ve done for four years.

What inspires your stories? 

My wild imagination. I’m pretty good at scaring the hell out of myself.

Oh yes! I fear that would be one downside of a vivid imagination.
Do you have a special routine or ritual when you sit down to write? 

No, but I’m bound and determined as my New Year’s resolution to get a routine.

What is the best part about being a writer? 

I get to make stuff up. I can get revenge on people who tick me off. Basically I get away with murder :)

Haha! That's great! 
What is the worst part about being a writer?

The evil entity known as marketing.

Ugh! Marketing is the worst!
You mentioned that your books have explicit sex scenes. Do you ever feel self-conscious when writing love or sex scenes? Why or Why not?

Nope, not at all. You can ask me anything and I’ll answer without blushing. I like sex, who doesn’t. We all do it. I’m shy when it concerns bowel movements.

Yeah, bowel movement convos make me a tad uncomfortable too.
What do you do to get book reviews?

I don’t. Most of the authors I’ve interviewed on my blog offer free book copies in exchange for reviews. When I released Vengeance of the Werewolf I shipped a few paperback copies to folks who said they’d read it and leave a review. It never happened. On rare occasion I’ll read an ARC in exchange for a review, but only concerning books to improve my craft. I figure someone will leave a review, eventually.

How do you deal with negative reviews? 

Back in the day, four years ago, I got my feathers ruffled. I’d take it personal. I’d stomp around being angry. Then it hit me. The worst review I feel I’ve had came from a man who couldn’t handle my very strong female main character. I’m pretty sure women scare him.

Haha! More so than werewolves I wonder?
Do you have a marketing strategy when announcing your books? 

I tried doing pre-orders with Poaching the Immortal. It didn’t go so well because the release date I picked didn’t work out. I had some issues in the release and it took almost a month longer. I will post excerpts on my blog of what I’m working on. That’s about all I do to market it.

Was there any technique in particular that had the best or most immediate impact on your sales? If so, would you care to share it? 

I’ve had my best luck with Twitter and my blog. The key to Twitter is to not spam your book. I only tweet a couple tweets a day about my book. My other tweets are about my blog, new author interviews, quotes, and retweets of folks I’m following. I also pick the brains of my followers. I like to run ideas by them. It was on Twitter resulting from my asking about software others used to write that I discovered Scrivener. Now granted I didn’t sell a zillion copies just because my followers know I’m really a human but I’m really just trying to get my brand out there and building a following. Once that happens they’ll check out my books and voila…success.

Do you find promoting your books challenging or enjoyable? 

It was bad when I didn’t have a clue what to do. I’ve tried Facebook ads, Goodreads ads, scouring the net for werewolf groups, etc etc. It was exhausting. Then I figured out to stick with the top three sites I use the most and build my name there. And now it’s rather exciting. My blog is taking off. I’m meeting loads of great authors. I’m learning some things along the way, because we don’t all do the same things. I’ve found followers on Twitter really do respond when you build that relationship. My biggest challenge, I have trouble getting myself off Twitter. I get all excited tweeting and talking and pretty soon its 1:00am.

I used to fear Twitter, but now, like you, I find I’m addicted!
Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in the future? 

My biggest mistake was paying a vanity publisher to do… what did they do… oh that’s right… they didn’t do squat except take my money. I never went crazy on ads, I gave them a try and took it from there. Don’t buy the ads, build your brand, interact with your audience, don’t force your book down their throats. And don’t pay anyone, it won’t make a difference.

That’s good advice. Many of us indie authors just don’t have the budget to buy ads.
What do you think of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing? 

I’m scared of traditional publishing. I don’t want to submit my baby over and over. I don’t do rejection. I’m not going to sell my rights on my baby to a publisher who’s going to tell me how I should write it or change it. Nope. Not going to happen. When I discovered self-publishing I knew I could be an author on my terms. I don’t like being told what to do by anybody.

Amen!
Would you say there is a stigma to being self-published? 

Why? I don’t think so. I’m doing it my way, no monkey on my shoulder and I’m doing all the work. I create the cover, the blurb on the back, hire an editor, file the copyright, promote myself, maintain everything about it. It’s a big job, but it’s mine and it’ll stay that way. I just learned in the last couple of days, many of the authors I’ve met that have a traditional publisher still have to promote themselves and their books. Because for some reason beyond me, the publisher won’t do it. I see no shame in self-publishing, provided you do it right. When done right, unless the buyer scrolls down to see who the publisher is it’s seamless.

I agree completely. Self-publishing is the way to go!
Do you have a favorite author? 

JK Rowling

Ooo, me too! 
What are some of your favorite books and why? 

- Harry Potter—I love the story, I love slipping into the wizarding world.
-The Bartimaeus Sequence—More magic here and humor and adventure.
-The Circle Trilogy (Nora Roberts)—more magic and beautiful love story.
-The Howl Series (JK Brandon, self-published too)—Taser and Meatloaf’s adventures are irresistible.

What are you currently working on? 

Vengeance of the Werewolf book 3. I have excerpt on the first page of my blog (www.mercedesfoxbooks.com)

Would you like to give readers a bit of a teaser? 

The MC is principal Nico Howell, from the first book. His daughter has been stolen. But why and how did he break his arm and why are dogs afraid of him?

Well, those are all of the questions I have for you. Thank you so much for taking time out to answer them and letting reader's get to know the person behind your books! Where can readers go to learn more about you and your work? 

Blog:            www.mercedesfoxbooks.com 

Website:       www.mercedesfox-author.com 
Goodreads:   http://bit.ly/1LXiUAy 
Amazon:       http://amzn.to/1Ok5deq 
Twitter:          https://twitter.com/MercedesFoxBook 
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/FoxStien/ 
Pinterest:      https://www.pinterest.com/MercedesAuthor/