Sandra Damevski
Sandra is a Melbourne-based author of romance novels, short stories and poetry, who writes for the pleasure of stimulating herself, and others with words. An obsession with the works of Jane Austen, combined with marrying her own Mr Darcy were key motivators in commencing her romance writing journey. So far she has taken the scenic route from contemporary to paranormal to erotic, creating provocative stories that seduce. In addition to writing, she dabbles in landscape photography, attends art galleries and the theatre, and exercises regularly for fitness and to ponder and refine ideas. She has been published in The Victorian Writer, an anthology, View, and the literary journal, Razor. She reads and writes a lot, frequently disrupted by her ever attentive and cheeky cats, and amorous husband.
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
Conducting a time diary over a few days, even a week is really useful. It helps work out where you’re spending your time, and how much, on different tasks. Then you can use that data to work out where you can slot in some writing/editing.
For me, getting up early, when everyone else is still in bed, works best. I find I’m more creative and energised in the morning and there are no distractions, except for my needy, no-idea-of-personal-space cats who try (and succeed) to crawl all over me while I attempt to type on my laptop.
Setting aside writing time first thing in the morning ensures I fit in at least 45-60mins a day. I also prioritise time for exercising, socialising, getting out to the theatre/galleries and doing road trips to explore the wilderness for pleasure, but also these activities have a positive impact on my writing. They’re inspiring. Without experiencing things, it’s hard to develop well rounded, believable, relatable characters and plots.
What do you like best about being a writer?
The ability to spend time indulging in my imagination and translate my ideas into words. I love the creative process. Writing puts me in a state of flow. I love that I have the control (in consultation with my characters, of course) to make things happen how I want them to. I’m kind of a novel God, and it’s great because love, justice and happiness will always win in my constructed world.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a hybrid, a ‘plotser’. But my aim is to work towards becoming more of a plotter. In the long run, I think it’ll save me a lot of time when writing, rewriting and editing. Pantsing is great and exciting because you don’t necessarily know where the story is going to go, but it can also lead you down diverting paths that are either not relevant to or don’t strengthen the story, wasting precious writing and editing time.
Do you have a favourite character in your books?
I have a soft spot for a secondary character, Hugh, from book two of my paranormal romance trilogy entitled, The Cure - Discover. He’s a full caste, Violet clan vampire, with violet eyes and black hair, who’s quirky, resourceful and a real sweetheart.
Hugh is born in the middle ages and is changed when he nearly dies while out fishing. He roams the earth helping others, and in search of his elusive soulmate.
Around the time of the second world war, he is captured and imprisoned in a human-run compound named Sub Rosa, and is subjected to years and years of experimentation. But he never gives up hope. In the mid 1990s, he escapes with the help of a sympathetic researcher and hides out in the Tasmanian wilderness, where he meets a full human named Indigo.
Hugh knows she’s the one when his eyes tear up, a special trait that no other full caste vampires possess. But can there be a happily ever after when Hugh’s a fugitive who can be found at any moment, and Indigo discovers he’s a creature of the night?
If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
If you love writing, make time for it, fit it into your routine, and most importantly be persistent. The one recurring theme that comes up in creative fields generally is that talent is important, to a degree, but persistence is key.
Find out more about Sandra :
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sandra.simeonedamevski?fref=ts
Instagram : sandradamevski
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
Conducting a time diary over a few days, even a week is really useful. It helps work out where you’re spending your time, and how much, on different tasks. Then you can use that data to work out where you can slot in some writing/editing.
For me, getting up early, when everyone else is still in bed, works best. I find I’m more creative and energised in the morning and there are no distractions, except for my needy, no-idea-of-personal-space cats who try (and succeed) to crawl all over me while I attempt to type on my laptop.
Setting aside writing time first thing in the morning ensures I fit in at least 45-60mins a day. I also prioritise time for exercising, socialising, getting out to the theatre/galleries and doing road trips to explore the wilderness for pleasure, but also these activities have a positive impact on my writing. They’re inspiring. Without experiencing things, it’s hard to develop well rounded, believable, relatable characters and plots.
What do you like best about being a writer?
The ability to spend time indulging in my imagination and translate my ideas into words. I love the creative process. Writing puts me in a state of flow. I love that I have the control (in consultation with my characters, of course) to make things happen how I want them to. I’m kind of a novel God, and it’s great because love, justice and happiness will always win in my constructed world.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a hybrid, a ‘plotser’. But my aim is to work towards becoming more of a plotter. In the long run, I think it’ll save me a lot of time when writing, rewriting and editing. Pantsing is great and exciting because you don’t necessarily know where the story is going to go, but it can also lead you down diverting paths that are either not relevant to or don’t strengthen the story, wasting precious writing and editing time.
Do you have a favourite character in your books?
I have a soft spot for a secondary character, Hugh, from book two of my paranormal romance trilogy entitled, The Cure - Discover. He’s a full caste, Violet clan vampire, with violet eyes and black hair, who’s quirky, resourceful and a real sweetheart.
Hugh is born in the middle ages and is changed when he nearly dies while out fishing. He roams the earth helping others, and in search of his elusive soulmate.
Around the time of the second world war, he is captured and imprisoned in a human-run compound named Sub Rosa, and is subjected to years and years of experimentation. But he never gives up hope. In the mid 1990s, he escapes with the help of a sympathetic researcher and hides out in the Tasmanian wilderness, where he meets a full human named Indigo.
Hugh knows she’s the one when his eyes tear up, a special trait that no other full caste vampires possess. But can there be a happily ever after when Hugh’s a fugitive who can be found at any moment, and Indigo discovers he’s a creature of the night?
If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
If you love writing, make time for it, fit it into your routine, and most importantly be persistent. The one recurring theme that comes up in creative fields generally is that talent is important, to a degree, but persistence is key.
Find out more about Sandra :
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sandra.simeonedamevski?fref=ts
Instagram : sandradamevski
Coming soon in the Taste of Romance anthology
A taste of things to come in 'One Thing On Her Mind"
The path deviated back into the forest, where he caught a glimpse of an amorous couple making out in the bushes. ‘Where is she?!’ he said, through chattering teeth, frustrated and desperate for some action himself.
While he tried to hasten the adjustment of his eyes to the wooded darkness, a hand darted out, grasped his arm and pulled him off the track. His breath caught in his throat, and before he had time to speak, a pair of commanding lips pressed his into submission. Simon was so shocked yet aroused that instead of stopping, he slid his hands along the woman’s curvaceous body. His heart was pounding, but no longer from the initial fright. The expert way she moved her mouth and tongue against his told him she wasn’t only passionate but also cocksure. She secured her arms around his neck and rubbed up against him, the intense, passionate kiss escalating his excitement and overriding his rational brain’s pleas to pull back.
‘Grace?’ he finally uttered, in between kisses, hoping it was her and not some drunken random.
The woman trailed her lips up his neck and whispered, ‘Don’t you think you should have checked that before? Do you make it a habit to go around kissing strangers?’
The path deviated back into the forest, where he caught a glimpse of an amorous couple making out in the bushes. ‘Where is she?!’ he said, through chattering teeth, frustrated and desperate for some action himself.
While he tried to hasten the adjustment of his eyes to the wooded darkness, a hand darted out, grasped his arm and pulled him off the track. His breath caught in his throat, and before he had time to speak, a pair of commanding lips pressed his into submission. Simon was so shocked yet aroused that instead of stopping, he slid his hands along the woman’s curvaceous body. His heart was pounding, but no longer from the initial fright. The expert way she moved her mouth and tongue against his told him she wasn’t only passionate but also cocksure. She secured her arms around his neck and rubbed up against him, the intense, passionate kiss escalating his excitement and overriding his rational brain’s pleas to pull back.
‘Grace?’ he finally uttered, in between kisses, hoping it was her and not some drunken random.
The woman trailed her lips up his neck and whispered, ‘Don’t you think you should have checked that before? Do you make it a habit to go around kissing strangers?’
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