Interview with author, Samantha Fury on her series, Street Justice

Today's interview is with Samantha Fury who has written two books in her series called Street Justice. What drew you to write this story?

I love the characters. They are so easy to like, and their stories just flow out of me. I’m thankful that the idea for the setting of K-town in Chicago and Charlie and Angel came to my mind. I think this story will be a blessing to a lot of people.

What was your inspiration?
The characters and the NANO Contest was my motivation. You have to write 50,000 words in a month so you’re working hard to get that done.

Is there anything autobiographical in this series?
As far as are my novels being autobiographical; they haven’t been so far. Some of my female characters have traits I wished I had. I always wanted to be tougher, and more of a tomboy than I am. So a lot of my females exhibit these qualities.

How many other books do you plan for your series?
I really see that the story could go on longer than I have time for. These charters are so real and so believable I could go on for at least 10 books, maybe more. Right now I have two finished and one in the editing stages and two more in the back of my mind waiting their turn.

What would you like your readers to take away from your stories?
I hope they learn that no matter what life throws at us, that we can handle it.When we get in dark and depressing situations, God may have placed us there for a reason. We are to stay the course and follow the path that he leads us on. It’s not always easy but with his help we can make it and help others along the way.

I see your book was done through CreateSpace. Prior to going this route, did you contact any other publishers?
Before I heard of CS I never thought I could get published. I’d never heard of LuLu or any of the other Print-on-Demand companies. I never submitted or wrote a query letter. To me the whole traditional route is too much of a waiting game. I’m ready to just sit back write and sell my books where I can and where God leads me.

What made you decide to publish through CreateSpace?
I published through Create Space because I won a contest and the fine folks at Create Space gave me a free coupon for a proof. It’s hard to turn down a freebie. I have loved my time with CS. They do great work, and if something goes wrong they’re quick to fix it.

Tell me about your experience? Did you have any upfront fees?
There are some fees, if you want to join the Pro Plan, but the prices are fair. They’re more or less a print-on-demand. There is a large community of people that can help if you have site issues, but all the work falls on your shoulders. Edit, cover, it is all up to the author. The cover was totally my creation; they give you a cover template. They also have cover creators that make the design of a cover a very easy process.

Your website shows a video book trailer. Who put that together?
I did the book trailer myself, it was a lot of work, until I bought the Wonder share software, and it was a big help. Though you can use MovieMaker I prefer WonderShare. It’s well worth the money. I loved making the trailer, and picking out the pictures. I gave everyone credit for their pictures and was thankful for their contributions. I worked for weeks on this trailer finding the perfect pictures I thought suited the scene.

In working through your first book, what surprises, if any did you encounter in working with CreateSpace?
Well to be honest, it was a shock at how easy it was. There were moments where I had issues. Like when it came to turning the Word document into a PDF file, or the book cover into a PDF file. The issues I had were all to do with my lack of knowledge with the process, C S. Is very helpful and they have phone support if and when you need it.

Working with CS has been great, they always deliver books fast and I seldom have an issue with them. In my two years working with them, I’ve only had two small issues and both were resolved with one phone call.

The promotion is what I miss from an agent or publishing house. There is a lot of work in getting your book out to the general public. I spend two or three hours a day networking on web sites, and tweeting trying to get my book noticed. It’s a hard road but one that can be rewarding.

What do you know now about getting published that you wished you had known sooner?
I don’t think that it’s always been this easy to get into self-publishing, but I wish that I would have known earlier about create space, and that there was such a thing as Print-on-Demand. I also wish that I’d joined Christian Writers when I was 18 they have helped me so much.

Unless you’re around other writers, it’s hard to find your place. I learned I was not alone in the fact that I would rather sit writing stories than eat, or go out, or be with friends or family.

The years I’ve been at Christian Writers has taught me something very valuable . . . that I am normal, that I am not a misfit, I am just one of the many that wear the title . . . writer.

Thank you for your time, Samantha. If you'd like to learn more about her books or purchase them, click here to link to Amazon.