Horror is the spice of life for Sian
She is scared of everything and puts that terror into her books.
She delves into the world of horror, creating characters and scenarios that will chill the blood.
This is Sian Claven (30), a Marlands resident and horror author.
Although Sian has only been writing for three years, she has been published in two anthologies of short stories and has published six novels.
Her seventh, which moves away from horror into the realm of fantasy, will be released on her birthday, March 15.
The book entitled Unlikely Hero tells the story of a space hiker who suddenly has to escort two strangers across the known galaxy while unaware that they are fugitives.
“I decided to forgo publishing with a traditional publisher and publish my novels independently,” Sian said.
“I wasn’t happy for someone else to reap the profits of my hard work.”
With indie publishing comes a lot of hard work as you have to market your books yourself and get your name out into the writing world.
Sian has always been interested in writing and was an avid reader from a young age.
“I used to write stories for my sister Jackie Knott,” Sian said.
“I started out as a fantasy writer, but then developed into a horror author.
“My sister would say that I am such a good horror writer because I am afraid of everything.
“I even sleep with the light on and I believe I take that terror and put it into my books.”
A typical day for Sian is to go to work at the family business in Bedfordview and then go home and write.
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“If I am not writing I am marketing,” she said.
“I also do something called Movie Monday where I chat on a Facebook group about writing and I am busy doing a series of videos where I discuss the process of writing and how you can get your books out there.”
For her books, Sian gets inspiration from a number of places.
“One of the things I have to organise as an indie author is my own book covers, so I look at pre-made covers which are for sale.
“When I find one I like it can be adjusted to suit my book.
“I gather inspiration from looking through the covers and, as I am a very visual person, when I see something that interests me, ideas will start forming,” she said.
She also bounces ideas off her best friend and housemate (who is a fantasy author) and her housemate’s husband.
“I draw inspiration from her as it helps to have someone who understands the writing process and I can vent to her,” Sian said.
When she is not writing Sian enjoys scrapbooking and knitting and belongs to a hobby group.
“I am also passionate about dogs and have three, namely, Luna, Draco and Sirius,” said Sian.
Her favourite book is To Kill a Mockingbird.
She said it taught her empathy and to look at the world in a different way.
Sian’s goal is to be a full-time author earning enough to do what she loves.
“My book sales are picking up,” she said.
“I think the more work you put in, the better it will get.”
It normally takes her between six to 10 weeks to write a book and then another month to edit.
This year Sian has embarked on a rapid release strategy – she will be releasing one book a month for 11 months.
“This allows you to build up a catalogue of books so your fans have a selection to choose from.
“I will be writing horror, fantasy and thriller,” Sian said.
She added that it is a lot of hard work and you need to ensure that the quality of your work is high and all the same.
“All 11 of the books have been plotted, so now it is just the matter of sitting down and writing them,” Sian said.
To find out more about Sian’s work, visit her website at www.sianbclaven.com or the Facebook group Nightmares and Space Hikers.
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