Conversations with Sascha Illyvich

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sascha Illyvich.

Sascha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s a longer story than we need to go over again, but the short, clean version is persistence and a desire to succeed. Being at a disadvantage with vision impairment hasn’t really been a roadblock, but it has made life more difficult. Before I was married, I had to live in in area with solid mass transit, for simple things like groceries and getting out.

I think part of any struggle I’ve probably not mentioned had to do with timing. I was getting into IT at a time when things were changing and a degree was becoming useless. I was coming into publishing at the very beginning of Kindle. I’m sure if I looked back farther, I’d find more ‘in the middle of’ shit. But the lesson still stands. Building mental toughness and learning when to execute, with an unshakeable belief in self-reliance, but the knowledge of whom to reach out to, along with a little grace for the self, will carry you a long way.

I know that’s a bit of an obtuse answer but readers can find my story on earlier posts here, right?

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nope.

The publishing industry has gone through a massive shift where readers wanted something specific. Learning that and making that shift have been difficult. It’s hard to ditch proper elitism for a paycheck, until the check clears. I’ve been a teacher in romance, along with being an editor and a writer, been a mentor to some, because of the hard choices I’ve made. And the work I’ve put in.

Struggles have included a plethora of self-doubt sessions that sometimes denge0rated into too many glasses of scotch or bourbon, a few too many cigars, some tears and a lot of forgiveness from others and myself.

The thing about it is that I probably have a huge list of struggles I’ve gone through in the last 28 years of my life as an adult, but to me?

That’s just life.

You address the shit head the fuck on and keep it moving.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a paranormal romance author most proud of sticking to my guns and being alive and present in an industry that’s generally geared toward women, both as authors and readers.

What sets me apart IS my masculine take on the genre. Unless you knew me, you’d still never know a man wrote the paranormal romance novel in your kindle. The novels I write do have emotional experience in them to give you the highs and lows you’re looking for, with the promise of a happily ever after, if you’re willing to work for it.

The key to standing out is finding out who is writing the top selling novels, then do what they do.

Only better.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
When I was younger, I had a mentor – that happened because the e-book industry was taking off and I’d surrounded myself with emerging authors. And flat out I’d started flirting (I was really naive) with one woman who eventually became my mentor.

As to that philosophy now? I don’t know if I’d bother simply because the internet, with AI, is so much more powerful than humans, but it does lack the anecdotal ‘what if’ when ‘what it’ becomes what had happened was…
Seriously, if your industry depends on networking and who you know, go for it. Be authentic. Know your worth and what exactly you’re looking for. Otherwise you’re wasting time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saschaillyvich/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceAuthorSaschaIllyvich
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/saschaillyvich
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sascha-Illyvich/author/B002IYU4J8

Image Credits
All covers courtesy of GetCovers