Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
Hi! My name’s Stephanie Rose and I was born in May 1987 in Heilbronn (Germany). I grew up in Gundelsheim/Neckar (also a town in Germany), where I spent most of my life – or at least my childhood and youth – until I finally met my husband.
How did I become a writer? It all started in 2003, during my time as a student, when I suddenly was haunted by a crazy story that literally chased me. The story continued to evolve in my brain without my consent. It became so bad that I was unable to concentrate on learning – and the final exams inexoarbly came closer – until I finally started to write down this story. Then it rested for a while … and I did not think about this story any longer. Then it finally began to haunt me again and I eventually brought myself to continue this idea – this time actively thinking about it. And many years passed … Only through my husband did I end up thinking about publishing this story. And that’s how my first novel was published in 2008. A story only available in German at the moment.
The first ideas for my Fantasy trilogy “The Tears of the Unicorns” (published in German and English) came to me at the spur of the moment during a little project – a role play – I did with my best friend. It was a love story between the elements of Water and Fire. This story finally inspired me to pick up the idea of elemental magic and create a mystic new world.
What is/are the real-life story(ies) behind your book(s)?
Since I am a Fantasy writer there’s no real “real-life story” behind my writing, though some ideas may reflect some personal experiences.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
All sorts of things can inspire me. Sometimes a single word is enough and ideas flow through my mind. Then again, my inspiration is triggered by movies (especially Fantasy). This idea then doesn’t necessarily have something to do with what I’ve just seen/heard. It’s kinda weird how this works for me, I can’t even explain it properly.
Once in a while just driving around and letting my thoughts drift rewards me with interesting ideas. This mostly happens when I am in some sort of melancholic mood.
How do you deal with creative block?
Usually I stop what I do and stay away from it for a few days or even weeks. Most of the time, things work out like this. Sometimes – if it doesn’t – I start to watch some movies I deeply adore that can free me of this creative block.
A few years back I wrote a blog entry about this problem and what possible ways there are to get rid of it.
How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
Negative feedback and bad reviews sometimes pulls me down quite a bit. Especially if I have to realize that the person has not even understood (or tried to understand) the story.
What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
The result is completely different from what I originally imagined. It changed so much to its original idea that it’s somehow frightening and I’ve asked myself more than once if it is really me who came up with these ideas.
Also, my characters sometimes act on their own. It is often said that the author is somewhat the God of the story he/she is writing. I don’t feel like a “God”, because my characters tend to use their own free will instead of doing what I tell them to. Sometimes it really surprises me, but it is never out of character.
Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
I don’t write to please the readers, I write what is on my mind, what moves my heart. What I create, I create for myself but I also want to share my “heart” (my story) with the readers.
What role do emotions play in creativity?
Emotions are really important. If you’re not in the mood for doing anything creative then you shouldn’t do it at all. It only effects the result in a bad way. Doing something creative like writing should only be done when you’re in the mood for it and become one with what you’re doing.
Do you have any creativity tricks?
Sometimes I just stroll through the internet and search for beautiful landscapes to trigger my muse when there’s nothing good coming from myself, both for writing and drawing. It works pretty well so far.
What are your plans for future books?
I am not really sure yet, I am still in the process of collecting new ideas for future stories. But first I have to finish what I’ve started. I tend to finish one thing before I start another, to keep my mind all focused on the current project. It deserves my full attention.
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
Hahaha, uhm, I am a weird and boring person, really shy and more of a loner than a people-person. I live in my own world and sometimes get lost in it. I always wanted to live in a real castle (and be a knight, not a princess!) – now I live in an old train station 😀