Indie Author Interview with S.S. Long

Posted on May 6, 2020

Todays’ interview is with LGBTQ+ fantasy writer S.S. Long.

LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself.​

SL: I’m S S Long and I’m a queer (asexual) author who lives and works in England. I have been writing since I was six years old; I’m now almost forty and haven’t stopped writing yet. (I have to add though that I haven’t been working on the same story for all that time!) I mostly write short fantasy-based stories although I do often write in other genres too (primarily horror, paranormal romance, sci-fi and urban fantasy with some humour thrown in. These are not yet published, unlike my Dragons of Fire and Ice series which are.) I’m a metal-head and my favourite band is Rammstein. I love dragons and reptiles. I am the proud owner of a two-year old Leopard Gecko; her name’s Chickpea and she’s my best friend.​​

LQ: What does your writing process look like?​

SL: My writing process involves a lot of tutting and head-shaking when things don’t go as expected!

In all seriousness though, I am a screaming pantser and not a genuine plotter. I don’t have any set rules or guidelines for myself. I start off with some kind of a basic idea and then just sit myself down and see where the words take me.

Oftentimes, the characters know better than I do what they want to do and surprise me with their antics. My gecko often likes to join me when I’m writing and often falls asleep on my arm. That does help to relax me more but I do have to write one-handed quite frequently. I can’t move that gecko-laden arm! I also don’t have a lot of time per day to write; I just grab what time I can and smash out the words.​​

LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?​

SL: Gosh, there are so many stories I’ve enjoyed writing over the years but I think one of my absolute favourites to write has to be my first Dragons of Fire and Ice novella — Escape From Adiren. That story introduces my characters, Quinn and Jay, and sets the scene for later books/short stories. (the world-building is expanded a lot more in later (shorter) stories though.)

​LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about?​

SL: My favourite character to write about is Quinn. He is an Alpha dragonshifter who is a fire-drake. He is the narrator of my Dragons of Fire and Ice stories (as they’re written in first person past tense.) He’s loyal, sensible and true to his word; if he says he’ll do something then you can guarantee he will do it. He is mated to another dragonshifter, who is called Jay, a Beta ice-drake. Jay is my second favourite character to write for as he’s very fun-loving and jocular; he loves to play non-malicious pranks and is more lassaiz-faire than Quinn.​

LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?​

SL: I have so many favourite authors, I doubt I could list or even remember them all, to be honest. I love authors such as David Walliams, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Anne McCaffrey, Anne Rice, JRR Tolkien, Elizabeth Chadwick, Jenny Colgan, Roald Dahl … and there are so many, many more that I enjoy, it’s ridiculous! I couldn’t say that any one person has directly (or even indirectly) influenced me, in all honesty. I’d rather stand out and be different rather than write something even vaguely similar to what someone else is writing.​

LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic?​

SL: I wouldn’t really say that anything much has changed for me, at least not in my own general way of living! Probably like a lot of writers, I’m an introvert anyway. I don’t really go out to pubs and clubs or anything like that; I just tend to stay at home and write and read and look after my gecko! The only activities I do miss are the occasional trip to the cinema or to a museum or (charity-based) animal sanctuary. And of course, I do feel very worried about the pandemic itself and all that’s happening worldwide. It’s a very scary time to live in at the moment.​

LQ: What are you currently working on?​

SL: I am currently working on another Dragons of Fire and Ice story. It involves my MCs, Quinn and Jay, and a haunted lute! (yes, really!) This story won’t appear in any books for a while yet, though. I have enough short stories at the moment to fill several volumes! (I already have eight books published and have only just scratched the surface of what I’ve written so far!)​​

LQ: Anything else you would like to share?​

SL: I’d like to expand a little bit more about my Dragons of Fire and Ice stories. My characters are obviously gay dragons, yet there are no “ruderies” going on in any of my stories, if you know what I mean!

Each story is completely safe for work and probably could even be enjoyed by anyone’s grandparents as well as teenagers (and everyone else in between.) The most I’d write about is the occasional kiss or hug shared between Quinn and Jay and nothing else. Even the violence featured in the stories is nothing worse than can be found in family-oriented fantasy or action films. Readers don’t have to be gay (or asexual like me) to hopefully enjoy my stories; Jay and Quinn’s relationship is treated in the same accepted manner as ‘straight’ relationships are in other tales but the adventures they are involved in feature more strongly.