About Sunshine Rodgers:
I am a Best Selling Author to 8 books, a writer to several Children's books, Fiction stories and one Nonfiction piece. My books have been translated in Spanish and Portuguese, creating an International fanbase reaching 35K+ followers across all my social media sites. My books have landed #1 and #2 on the Amazon Best Sellers List in the U.S. and U.K. and have landed on 21 different Best Seller Lists on Amazon in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. I have a team of 18 people who are language translators, audio book producers and contributors to my works. I am a Full-Time Author, Entrepreneur and Blogger.
What inspires you to write?
I love writing, ever since I was 9-years-old and keeping a journal of my daily adventures in Elementary school.
I am guilty of drawing from my real-life experiences.
For example, my most recent book is a Fiction Young Adult novel, “The Characters Within.” This story is quite unique. It’s a Musical. A Book-within-a-Book. And a love triangle on the pages between Brittany, her best friend Travis and the man of her dreams, Martin.
Brittany Myers is stuck. She hates her role as a Cheese Crusader to Florida's popular Cheddar and Such theme park! She is sick of the guests, the heat and working at the Fun at the Parm Attraction which features the animatronics Patty the Pretzel and Peter the Breadstick.
“The Characters Within” is a very true-to-real life story. I spent over 5 years working at a very popular theme park and I would write pages to my stories during my lunch breaks and any downtime.
In my fiction novel, “The Characters Within,” the main character Brittany works at a popular theme park, Cheddar and Such as a Cheese Crusader for the attraction Fun at the Parm. She is writing a novel, “The Carnival Ride” and she hopes one day she can become an Author.
My story will make the reader step into the world of theme park shenanigans and carnival craziness with silly songs and corny jokes…it’s a delightful read!
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I absolutely love John Eldredge. His book "Wild at Heart" is my all-time favorite book. Though my other favorites include: T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Sarah Dessen, Max Lucado and Gene Edwards.
My book "The Creation Project" is very similar to Gene Edwards' Book, "The Beginning."
And of course, I will read anything by C.S. Lewis!! My book, "After You, A Demon is Always Lurking Nearby" is a modern-day twist on his classic "The Screwtape Letters."
Tell us about your writing process.
My stories usually start with just one sentence. Just one idea that I had floating around in my brain. For example, I used the sentence: A demon’s adventure from his point of view as he works for the Underworld.
That was it. All I had on the page was: Chapter 1.
But to let my creative juices flow, I just write with no judgements and no inner criticisms, letting the story unfold naturally.
And after several drafts and nasty red marks from my editor, my most popular book to date was birthed: “After You: A Demon is Always Lurking Nearby.”
I do not have a set schedule but at the very least, my goal is to write one hour a day. With the allotted time I give myself to type, I don’t measure progress by word count or pages completed. I just write what’s next even if it makes no sense to the story. I can always cross it out later. Some of my most surprising dialogue and plot twists have happened when I’m just furthering my story late at night and suddenly, my fingers on the keyboard take over and I am suddenly 5 chapters in.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
This is wacky to say but around Draft #4, my characters start to become self-aware and they each start to "find their own voice." Though I become a "god-in-the-sky" when I first start writing my story…about halfway through the process…I just become an observer to how the characters interact with each other. When I write dialogue for a character, I almost feel an intuitive response of whether or not the character approves of the line. I listen closely to my characters and how they feel and what they think. That's how I form such a tight bond with my stories!
What advice would you give other writers?
I am now an Author Representative to my current Publisher which means I am always giving advice to first time scribes.
Here are the words I readily repeat: You will not get rich and famous off your first book. It just won’t happen. You are a no-name author and quite frankly, one book isn’t going to get you too much attention. If you are a real writer, you will write. You will write every day. You may be like me and have a “break out book.” You may have to wait a decade before you start seeing regular sales and consistent money coming in. Just be patient with the process. And write because you love it, not for any other reason.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
In the 6 years that I’ve been an author, I have signed with 2 different publishers. My first publisher did a great job with my first two books which then paved my way into my writing career. I can’t rightfully complain but I felt like my first Publisher could have contributed a little more to the process.
I would not sign with my first Publisher again.
I love my current Publisher – RWG Publishing and I have been with RWG for 4 years/6 books.
I knew I did not want to self-publish, so signing with Indie Publishers certainly worked for me.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I love that now authors and readers have more of a closer connection with each other. Anyone can self-publish their books now which is exciting. With the advancement of social media, readers and authors are only one click, one ZOOM meeting, one virtual book signing away from each other!
What genres do you write?: Christian , Inspirational , Fiction , Nonfiction , Children's Book , Romance , Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Sunshine Rodgers Home Page Link
Link To Sunshine Rodgers Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
