Sue Julsen – Interview – T. R. Robinson Publications

Welcome: Sue Julsen

Author of Bitter Memories; and

Ten other books.

(Links for books are at end of this interview.)

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Born in Dallas, Texas, I was kidnapped by my father when I was three years old. After living a life I wouldn’t wish on any child, I began writing as a means of escape from the emotional scars and repetitive nightmares from my childhood.

I believe the experiences from childhood led me to become a true crime author, with a passion for writing crime fiction and inspirational fiction.

Today I live in Nevada with my husband and our two dogs. I enjoy reading, writing and going for short walks with the dogs.

I currently have eleven books published, with more to come.

What first inspired you to write?

I started writing poetry after leaving home to express feelings I never could share with anyone. Finding some healing in this type of writing I started the long journey of writing my memoir, admitting to and reliving the abuse suffered as a child in order to continue healing and find forgiveness, not only for the abusers but for myself.

In what genre(s) do you prefer to write?

I prefer writing true crime, crime fiction and inspirational fiction.

Are you working on another book?

Unfortunately, all research and writing my next book is currently on hold until I get cataracts removed from my eyes, which I hope to do sometime this year, 2017.

Where any of your books have required research: What do you consider the best resources?

The best resources are to talk to people who were around during the time, but that doesn’t happen very often, leaving the internet the best resource. Of course this leads to more research to verify what’s found on the internet. It’s a vicious circle, but it’s also a lot of fun. When answers are found it makes it all worth it.

Do you consider your books convey messages to readers?

Because of my childhood most of my books do have a message for my readers.

That message can be to get involved and help the ones who cannot help themselves — mainly children being abused, while other books relay respect and caring for others to not taking all you hear or read at face value. Know your sources and do your own research when searching for the truth.

What advice would you give to authors who are just starting out?

My advice to people in general is to follow your dreams and never give up. This same advice goes even more so for authors. If a writer has a message to share but gives up, a story that needs to be told remains a secret and people who could have been helped continue to suffer in silence.

I’ve been asked many times if a writer should use their real name or a pen name. Unfortunately, no one can make this decision other than the writer of the story.

When writing about your own life you’re putting yourself out there for ridicule and this is scary. I use my real name on all my books now but when I first started writing, some 50 years ago, I used a pen name because I had no confidence in myself. The few things I published under the pen name have now been republished under my real name.

If the problem is a lack of confidence, the best way I know to gain that confidence is to share your work with a published author you admire. I don’t mean a New York Times bestselling author. They wouldn’t have time for writers just starting out anyway. A self-published author you like to read is an excellent source to go to. Contact that person ask if he or she has time to read your story and give you their honest opinion. If it’s not what you expected, learn from your mistakes, but never give up on yourself or your dreams.

Do you self-edit or do you think a book should only be professionally edited?

I read a lot of books and professionals don’t always catch all mistakes. I self-edit multiple times before I send my project to several proof-reader friends. Once they’re done, I proof at least three more times before I consider it ready to publish.

How do you go about marketing your books?

Word of mouth has always been the best marketing for me, but I also use social media and a blog. I have three author pages on Facebook and those have been good, but I also use Google +, Pinterest, Goodreads, and LinkedIn.

How important do you think reviews are?

Good reviews are great, but I’m not sure how important reviews really are. Everyone is not going to like what they read and those who don’t like a certain book for one reason or the other are likely to give a bad review — although not a fair review. People should make up their own mind after reading the back cover written by the author. If they like what’s written on the cover, they should get the book and see for themselves if the writing is good or not.

Do you have a preferred genre for when you read?

I have my favorite authors but I like most any book with a good plot, great characters, excellent writing, and very few mistakes.

This is an age old question but one I consider of interest. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three books would you like to have with you?

Only three? Yikes! Well, those would be The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul, The Body Box by Lynn Abercrombie, and Ghost Walk by Heather Graham. But in order to survive on that island, I’d better have a ton of paper and lots of pencils to write my own books!

Please share with us links to where readers may obtain more information and insight into who you are.

Website: http://sj2448.wix.com/suejulsen

Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4093695.Sue_Julsen/blog

Facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/sue.julsen2/

https://www.facebook.com/MemoriesBookSeries/ (Have to be signed into Facebook to view this page.)

https://www.facebook.com/RevengeBookSeries/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueJulsen

Google +: https://plus.google.com/+SueJulsenAuthor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suejulsen

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/suejulsen/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sue-Julsen/e/B00494W39O