“If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
Toni Morrison

Sarah-Jane Lehoux has always had a passion for storytelling. From grade school tales of cannibalistic ghosts, to teenaged conversations with God, to her latest fantasy adventures, she's attempted to share her love of the quirky and unconventional with her readers.

Sarah-Jane currently resides in Ontario with her husband and horde of cats. With a degree in anthropology and a diploma in animal care, she is employed as a veterinary technician. In between wrestling with rottweilers and fending off fractious cats, she has continued to craft stories that will entertain and provoke.

 

F.A.Q

1. What is your background?
• I was born and raised in Northern Ontario. I majored in anthropology at Laurentian University (where I earned a B.A.), spent a year studying primatology at the University of Calgary, and received a diploma in animal care from Sheridan College. My original intent was to work in primate rescue and rehabilitation, but such lofty aspirations were side tracked by the real world and the real necessity of earning a pay cheque. I gained employment as a veterinary technician soon after graduation. Since then, the only primate I’ve had the opportunity to study is Sean Sanders, my husband of twelve years.

2. How long have you been writing?
• In grade school, I used to write little stories for my teachers to read out to the class during free time. In high school, I composed oodles of really, really bad poetry. I lost the drive for creative writing during university when all my words were tied up in essays and assignments, but I picked up the hobby again after graduation. Eventually, I realized that writing was a part of me, but it wasn’t until I began work on Thief that I decided to try to take my passion to the next step. And thus began my quest for publication, which is a story in and of itself.

3. Best writing advice you’ve received?
• See the above quote by Toni Morrison.

4. Best writing compliment you’ve received?
• A teacher once told me that I was morbid. While everyone else used writing assignments to talk about summer break, their best friend, or their favourite sport, I wrote about murder and mayhem. While I’m sure he meant it as a rebuke, I loved that my imagination was recognized even if it wasn’t exactly appreciated.

5. What is your writing process?
• I spend more time thinking about my stories than I actually do writing them. In the shower, on the bus, lying in bed at night…I’m constantly playing out scenes, and developing characters and plots. When I’m ready to try getting it all down on paper, I use music to shut myself off from the rest of the world as well as set the tone of the scene I’m writing. I usually only write five or so pages at a time, and then obsess over those five pages for a good two or three weeks before I write anything else. It’s a combination of procrastination and perfectionism that seems to work well for me.

6. How long does it take you to write a book?
• When I’m focused, I can complete a first draft within half a year. Revisions take a lot longer. For Thief, it was a six year journey from the forming the idea to holding the actual book in my hands.

7. Any advice for amateur authors?
• Be persistent. You will get rejected. Suck it up. Be patient. Writing a book takes a lot of work and a lot of time. Getting published takes even longer. Be professional. Nothing turns a potential publisher off like pushy, diva-like behaviour. Remember, creating a story is art, but getting that story published is all business. Treat it like you would any other career.

8. What’s next?
• In addition to working on Masquerade, the third book in the Sevy series, I’m also writing a comedic fantasy, tentatively titled Red Rover. The story follows Lydia, a bored, twenty-something office worker who is pulled into what she calls a ‘fairy-land insane asylum’ by Nikki, an equally bored and manically mischievous immortal. I’m loving the opportunity to switch between Red Rover’s silly and irreverent tone and the darker, brooding themes of Masquerade.

9. How can readers contact you?
• I’d love to hear from my readers, potential readers, or anyone interested in writing. Please visit my contact page for links to reach me through email, Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.