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Let's get to know Stephanie better with an interview.
Welcome to "Urania's distractions" Stephanie Constante. I think your readers already
know a lot about you, but please share a short bio with us.
Hey there! My name is Stephanie and I currently work as a mental health
counselor, but my real passion is writing. I’ve written a fantasy series about
dragon shifters (Baptism of Fire, Incendio) and Pygmalia, a contemporary sci-fi
novel. When I’m not reading or writing, I enjoy listening to music, watching
British television programming, and visiting Disney World.
When did you discover your gift for writing?
When I was little, I wrote a story
about an alien who comes to our planet and kidnaps a boy to save his own. My
fifth grade teacher asked me to type it out and she shared it with her
colleagues. It was the first time I felt like what I wrote meant something to
someone other than myself.
What personal need does writing cover for you?
It helps me escape. I deal with individuals on a daily basis who suffer
from mental illnesses which doesn’t always make for an easy day. I like to
delve into other worlds and get in the minds of other people. I went into
psychology because I liked picking other people’s brains, which is funny
because my characters live in my own so it’s a weird concept to pick my own
mind when I write.
What kind of sacrifices
have you made along the way?
I’ve sacrificed money and
my social life. I wouldn’t say that it’s a sacrifice per say though. I feel
that spending money on a beautiful cover is tantamount to someone else spending
money on a pair of shoes or a new gadget. As for my social life, I have very
supportive friends, and though I see them a lot less now that I write more
often, when we get together it makes that time all the more special.
What genre do you write?
I tend to linger on paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy type stories but I don’t
shy away from any genres. I’m working on a period piece right now. I want to be
able write something in every genre.
Any genre you have excluded from your writing?
Not yet. I don’t think anyone should limit themselves and I certainly
won’t say no to anything. If a story calls out to me, I won’t deny it the light
of day.
Do you have a special genre preference as a reader?
I love urban fantasy.
How do you
approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow? Who is your favorite author and why?
Plan, plan,
plan! I’m a planner in everything, especially writing. I plan out what
characters will look like, I make charts about how each character is connected
to the other, I write out what’s going to happen in each chapter, and I even
find music to go with scenes from the book. I really can’t pick a favorite
author because it would feel like cheating on the others. I love Bret Easton
Ellis for his grittiness, I love Jane Austen for her beautiful love stories, I
love Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and Mary Shelley for their ability to
create such imaginative stories. I really can’t decide on just one.
What inspired you to write Pygmalia?
I was rereading Frankenstein and I thought
about what it would be like if Doctor Frankenstein had a daughter and that
daughter fell in love with his monster. I wanted to modernize it though, so
instead of a reanimated corpse, it was a cyborg. I also had been watching
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw which is a play/movie about a man who
transforms a degenerate, lowborn woman, into a well spoken, dignified lady. It
was moving to see how this woman ended up being caught in between two worlds.
She found herself torn between the slum she came from, and the wealthy life of
an aristocrat. At the same time, this man was changed as well. He found himself
caring for this woman, his creation, even though he did not wish to admit it. I
wanted to create a story that dealt with the idea of what it meant to be not
only the creator of something, but also the product of that creation.
What's the significance of the book's
title?
Pygmalia comes from the name Pygmalion who
is a character in mythology. He created a statue of the perfect woman when he
could not find his ideal mate in his village. He fell in love with this statue
and Venus decided to grant him the wish of making her into a real woman. I’m
sure this story sounds familiar and that’s because it is found consistently in
literature. Pygmalia is a play on this name and also the title of the project
Adam is a part of.
Is there a main message that you'd like
readers to take away from the book?
I
just want to present characters that are not just two- dimensional. I don’t
think any of the characters in this book are all good or all bad, and maybe
that’s the one thing I want people to take away from this. Also, mankind has an
innate nature to create and soon enough, we might start seeing characters like
Adam. When I was researching for the book, I found that we are already able to
insert chips into human brains, which can control robotic limbs. The question
is, how far will we be willing to go and what are we willing to sacrifice in
the process? The idea of sacrifice plays a big role in the book. I think that
lots of the characters in my book are forced to sacrifice something whether
it’s their body, their mind, their freedom, their loved ones. . . it makes you
question what you’d be willing to give up for the right or wrong reasons.
How do you pick the character’s
names?
I research names and what their meanings are.
I love to find names for characters that help describe them in subtle ways.
Any interesting writing quirks or stories
you would like to share with my readers?
Well, I’m not sure it’s a quirk but I love
to find pictures of actors that look like my characters and refer back to them
before I start writing. It helps me to visualize how they move or speak in my
head.
What was one of the most surprising things
you learned while creating your book?
I
noticed that I had to do some changes to the story when I began seeing other
ways to portray my characters. There’s one character who I did not want to make
sympathetic at all, but I felt compelled to change them slightly. Usually I
like to make characters more than two-dimensional but this one particular
character, I felt that she needed to stay bad but she wouldn’t let me do that
to her, lol.
Did you have to do any research for your
stories?
Yes, I had to do some research on
robotics, human anatomy and physiology, and military procedures. It’s amazing
what science has brought to the table over the years.
What’s the
most challenging aspect of writing?
The most
challenging is finding the time and motivation to write after a long day of
work and chores. I write sometimes fifteen notes a day about my client’s
progress, so when I get home, my mind feels like jelly and I have to push
myself to get back into writing mode.
Easiest?
The easiest
is the planning process. I love plotting out what’s going to happen, finding
names for characters, and creating profiles for them.
What’s the
most rewarding aspect?
When someone tells me how much they loved a
particular character or part of the story. Also when I manage to surprise
someone with a plot twist.
What’s the most interesting comment
you have received about your books?
Someone told me that one of my books
made them cry, which was surprising to me because it’s strange to illicit
emotions like that from people. I love when a book reaches me in an intense way
and I felt really honored that my book could do that for someone.
What is your experience as an indie author and what obstacles did you
have to overcome so as to become a successful writer?
Honestly, marketing myself has to be the most difficult part for me. I
was never good at sales or pushing people to like something, especially
something I produced because it sort of makes me feel conceited or full of
myself. It’s really hard for me to say, “Hey, my book is awesome, you should
read it!” Even though I love the book, I can’t say that everyone will like it.
Unfortunately in the indie world, you have to sell yourself and you have to do
it often. I’m still working on doing that but even if one person reads my book
and enjoys it, then that makes me happy.
What advice can you offer to those who are struggling to make their book
known to the public?
I really don’t have advice because
I’m one of those struggling, lol. I know that those who are successful put
themselves out there. They’re not shy about asking people to read and review
their books. They know how to network. I’m working on being less shy about it.
Writing is the easiest part of this process; it’s the self promotion that takes
that extra bit of effort.
What are we to expect of Stephanie
Constante in the future?
Well, I’m currently working on a period romance that takes place in
1950’s Miami.
Is there anything you’d like to ask
our readers?
What do you think about romances that
aren’t contemporary? Also do you think that killing off a main character is
something that makes you feel more connected to the story or do you prefer
happy endings?
Thanks again, Stephanie Constante and
best of continued success to you in all your endeavours!
These were great questions; I had a great
time answering them! Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with
you and your readers! :oD
