Before we get stuck in, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

My name is Stevie Kopas and I suppose I’m what you’d call a hybrid author. I started off as self-published and was then picked up by a publisher for my debut book, The Breadwinner. The Breadwinner Trilogy is published through Permuted Press and my fourth book, Never Say Die, is self-published. I also have a few short stories out there that are published through both a publisher and self-published anthologies. I mainly write horror, and currently am working on co-authoring a novel with a good friend and fellow talented author. That new book will be out in 2017.

If you’ve released new work in the past twelve months, can you tell us about it, and how you think it’s done, thus far?

My latest book, Never Say Die: Stories of The Zombie apocalypse is a collection of five short stories that explore different types of relationships and the impact that the end of the wold has on them. I think it’s been received well so far, I had a following of zombie fans from my Breadwinner Trilogy and I think that if people like the genre they will enjoy the latest book. It’s told from different perspectives and each story is done in a way that I’ve not seen in other work.

Was there anything about your release(s) that you wish you’d done differently?

I think that if I’d gone with a traditional publisher that I may have gotten more exposure for the book, but I enjoyed being able to release it when I wanted to and having more control over the book.

How do you feel your writing style or process has changed this past year?

Writers are constantly evolving, and I think that the more I write the more I find my individual voice and am able to branch out into new words. I’ve been so focused on horror that other genres have been ignored and so I’ve been starting to move more into Sci-Fi and am excited to finish the different projects I have in that genre.

Do you have any advice for new authors or anything about the industry that’s changed that you think new authors should really know about?

From what I’ve seen, anthologies and novellas are really starting to become more popular than ever. I think when a lot of ideas are floating around in your head, that it’s totally okay to write a few different short stories or something that’s not the “ideal” novel length. Sometimes you’ll find that you get more done this way and can clear out some head space for working on bigger projects. My advice would be to never sweat word counts. Sometimes I hear from other authors that they’re concerned with how long or how short a project is, and I think that, especially if you’re going the self-pubbed route, word count shouldn’t be a main focus. A good cover artist and a good editor should be priority though!

What are you currently working on?

As I said earlier, I’m currently working on a collab with another author, Stephen Kozeniewski. It’s called “Slashvivor.” It’s my first author collab and things are really coming along nicely so I think it will do well and I can’t wait for it to be released. It’s about a dystopian alternate reality where game show television is on a whole different and deadly level.

What do you have planned for 2017?

Aside from Slashvivor, I have a few other short stories for some other anthologies in the works and I’m also working on two other Sci-Fi projects that I hope to have completed in 2017. Things are always changing and I’m always working on something new so who knows! 2017 will be an exciting year for sure though.

Where is the best place to keep up to date with you and your work?

People can sign up for my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/YkkRD and follow me on Twitter @ApacoTaco. My official site is www.someonereadthis.com and I update my Facebook page regularly so people can give a Like at www.facebook.com/thebreadwinnertrilogy and stay up to date there as well.

Thank you for your time, and all the best for the year ahead.