We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sophie Stern a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sophie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success is all about joy. To me, being a successful author means creating fun, interesting, smart, cool art, and it means connecting with readers who want to enjoy that art. I’ve had the honor of creating stories for over a decade now, which means that I’ve had the chance to connect with many different readers who have explored my stories, immersed themselves in my worlds, and connected with my characters. Each time I get to write a new story, and each time a reader gets to enjoy that story, I feel successful. To me, that’s what being an author is all about.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Sophie Stern, and I write romance!

My books featured shapeshifters, vampires, aliens, bad boys, billionaires, pirates, villains, and monsters. I love creating stories with broody, angsty characters who feel like they aren’t good enough to fall in love. My characters often have complicated backstories, as well as real, tangible complications that keep them from getting everything they want. For example, I write a lot of characters who have allergies or asthma. Sometimes my characters have family problems or relationship issues. Sometimes they don’t feel confident. Sometimes they feel a little TOO confident!

My goal with each of my stories is to create a world where my readers can lose themselves for a little while.

To date, I have published over 200 romance stories. I write spicy, sassy characters, and I write characters who always get a happy ending.

Most recently, my publications include Scallywag, which is a pirate romance that includes a mystery to solve. Next month, I’ll be releasing a book called Kiss of Wrath and Magic, which is the fifth book in a spicy vampire series featuring LGBTQ characters.

I can’t wait for you to read these!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Having the opportunity to dream up incredible adventures, interesting characters, and impossible worlds is an absolute blast. I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I get to have as much fun as I want to!

When I first started writing, I stayed in the non-fiction space. I wrote for various companies and brands as a copywriter and content developer before venturing into the world of non-fiction books. While I enjoyed the process of non-fiction writing, being able to explore the world of fiction was something I always dreamed about.

Finally, I decided to take the leap into fiction.

One of my early romance series was called “Dragon Isle,” and it was a collection of books about an island filled with shapeshifting dragons. For me, being able to imagine what would happen on an impossible island with these incredible creatures was just so much fun. I got to create an awesome setting, and then I got to fill it with chaos and adventure.

I also wrote a series called “Shifters of Rawr County.” This is a collection of stories featuring a red panda shifter, a dragon shifter, a tiger shifter, and even a polar bear shifter! Each of the characters has a unique backstory and a big personality. In this series, I chose to write the fake relationship trope, which means that every single main couple has to either pretend to be in love or to pretend to get married. What always happens, of course, is that the characters fall in love for real.

I love it!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think one of the most difficult things to understand is that writers do tend to be sensitive because their work is always on display and open to critical comments. When a writer creates something, they pour their heart and soul into it. For newer writers, having feedback, especially when it’s harsh, can be challenging. I think as time goes on, most writers develop thicker skin and get used to the realization that not everyone will love everything we create, but it can be tough for a lot of new writers.

I would also say that for writers, we tend to always be “writing” even when we’re not at a keyboard. Many writers spend important daytime hours just thinking, imagining, and working through fictional situations to see what could work and how. Even if a writer isn’t in front of their computer, they could still be working on a project, and that’s okay.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sexysophiestern.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontdatedemons
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sexysophiestern
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-stern-4421262a5/
• Twitter: @sexysophiestern
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@spicypnrbooks