Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Christenson.
Hi Sierra, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story? How did you get to where you are today?
I have been writing ever since I was young. I remember using stories like The Tortoise and The Hare as my inspiration and rewriting them while we sat in the waiting room for an appointment. I chose to take paper from my mom and write these stories, enjoying the process more than anything. When I first met my best friend, Lincoln, in the seventh grade, I realized I could take the ideas swirling around in my head and write my own stories. It became a new passion to one day publish a book. In high school, I finished my first novel and tried very hard to get it published. Unfortunately, it was turned down at every turn. However, now that I look back on it, I’m grateful because that left me open to pursuing other stories and changing that first idea into something even greater. I was excited when I learned about self-publishing, but of course, I was scared. I had to do all of the editing, marketing, and cover art on my own. When I first started, I needed a budget for publishing. I learned from my mistakes and reworked my first few titles into better-written products. I’m still far from being a full-time writer, but each day gets me closer and closer, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, it could have been a smoother road. I’ve had my ups and downs and times when I was so close to giving up. Taking my stories down and just being done. The pressure, the feeling of failure if I fall behind on a story I promised my readers. I do not have the budget for editing my books or a beautiful cover. But I’ve been lucky to have a good support system in my friends and family, who always support my writing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
When I first started writing, I was steadfast on writing mainly fantasy, with no contemporary romance in sight. I enjoyed building the unique worlds and magic systems and generally doing what I wanted with the storyline. Though I am well-known for my fantasy and paranormal romances, I have spread out into contemporary romance, with my novel The Bodyguard’s Temptation being my most-read book to date. I uploaded it on Inkitt for readers to read for free as a trial to see if I could gain more readers for my other books through that. It got well over 20 thousand reads within a day or two. I was blown away! What’s unique about my brand is that I have a story for everyone. I have YA Fantasy, Adult Romance, Epic Fantasy, and Dark Romance. I write in almost every genre. I even have a penname for poetry – Charlie Lambert, and my dark romance, taboo, and monster romance – SL Greyback. Otherwise, my leading brand has a little something for any reader, and when I go to a signing, it is usually my pitch. Readers often find one thing on my table: they enjoy it!
Who else deserves credit for your story?
Of course, I can’t thank my family enough for always being there. Though they weren’t wholly supportive of focusing on writing instead of getting a degree and having something to fall back on, now they can see that my writing is becoming more well-known than they initially thought. My high school English Teacher, Mrs. Connie Berghendahl, is by far one of my biggest supporters or was one when I was in her class. She would talk with me about my writing; I even bought her hockey book when it came out! Though it’s been some time since we’ve spoken, I still think about how much she motivated me along the way. Authors such as J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter, and Sherilynn McQueen (Kenyon) are a few of the people who inspire me. I visited Georgia in 2023 and was at a bookish event with Sherilynn and about forty of her biggest fans. It was a thrilling experience, and I loved every moment. It was surreal to talk with her as though we were old friends, and I gained so many readers out of the event; it was amazing! My community in Grand Forks is so supportive as well. When I do local signings, I see familiar faces, and I enjoy it when readers come up and ask if I have a specific book finished and in stock yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.primordialravenspublishingco.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorsierrachristenson
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsierrachristenson
- Other: www.tiktok.com/authorsierrachristenson
