Please give a warm welcome to
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m S.A. Mackenzie, the S is for Sara. I am a mom to a one year old little rascal and a furbaby mom to a silly rabbit. I’m married to a big ol’ bearded man who likes to act tough but is really a huge softy. I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. I love to meet people but I also would rather curl up in my room reading a book by myself. I’ve always had an imagination that was far bigger than anyone else I knew. I would lay in bed and just day dream different worlds and lives that I wanted to live.
Have you always wanted to become an author?
Not really. I had thought about it from time to time since my imagination is always getting away from me but I always had an excuse about why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do it. It took having a baby and losing myself in being a mom before I looked up one day and realized that it was something I needed to do. I needed to write my stories and give myself an identity outside of being a mom. My excuses no longer seemed relevant when I realized that nothing was holding me back but myself.
What was your inspiration for your current book/series?
The Seven Sins and Saints series was first inspired by the song Hallelujah. I became obsessed with the story in the lyrics and listened to every version I could find. The song always made me think of Lucifer and his fall from grace, especially the part with the broken throne, the cut hair and being forced to say Hallelujah. It made Lilith a villain in my head and the story blossomed from there. I dreamed about it for weeks and then it came to life on my computer.
What are you working on now?
I have book two to Saintly Virtues in the works, so Belle and her Saints are getting ready for more steamy sex and world saving. I also have a dark contemporary RH about finding love after deep loss and building yourself up when the world is out to make you a victim that is in the works. I’m also playing around with a novella about Lucifer for a prequel to Saintly Virtues but it’s been put on the back burner for now.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I’m very musically driven so depending on the scene, book or character I’m working on I have specific music I will listen to. It gets me in the right mood and the words flow easier.
What are your hopes for the future?
I really just hope to get my stories out there and have people find the same love and enjoyment from these worlds that I do. I don’t necessarily need to be an international bestseller or anything like that. If I can touch or move even one person with my writing then I’m happy. Books have always meant so much to me, they brought me out of depression or anxiety attacks and if I can even make someone laugh when they’re down or give them a world they want to disappear into then I’m winning. That’s what I want to do.
Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?
Write your story how you want it. If it sucks well at least you have something, you can work with it. Look into formatting steps before you write the manuscript so that you can get the basics like specific indenting and line spacing done ahead of time. Changing your entire manuscript formatting sucks hard. It’s also never too early to start building a name for yourself. You don’t have to wait to have a book released, do it early so that you have someone to release your book to. Last, it’s okay to ask for help, whether that’s a PA, some Alpha Readers, whoever. You don’t need to struggle by yourself.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
I appreciate every single one of you. I celebrate every time someone joins my group or follows my Instagram. It means more to me than you can imagine just knowing that someone is out there and I’m not just talking to myself, haha. I love when you guys chat with me and I love hearing everything you have to say. Without you guys, authors would be weirdos writing stories because the voices tell them to and then hanging them on our walls as art. The readers are the ones who make us seem not so crazy.
Helle Gade 