A: It kind of all began
in a casual way. I've always felt like I had something to say, so as I grew up
I felt the need to put my thoughts in writing, until characters and stories and
plots just started taking form, and that's how my first book came to life.
Q: What is your typical
writing day like?
A: I try to be as
constant as I can. Unfortunately, writing isn't my only job, so there are
days when I am unable to write. But the days when I force myself to just focus
on writing I usually wake up, take the dog out (which is a great excuse for a
morning walk and doing some exercise before sitting at the computer for hours), grab a cappuccino and I'm ready to start writing. If I haven't written in
a couple of days then I probably have tons of things to write down: I can
either start by writing from where I left off right or try to make an
outline of what I want to write. If I'm having some kind of writer's block, I might start off the day by
reading, or listening to music...doing whatever might trigger my inspiration.
Apart from random interruptions or doing small chores around the house, I try to
spend my writing day on the computer as much as I can. I try to take breaks
every couple of hours by talking a walk around the neighborhood (again, the
dog), but aside from that I pretty much just “sit at a typewriter and bleed”.
Q: Do you outline? If
so, how extensive are your outlines?
A: I'm used to making a
very broad outline of the book I want to write. Mostly it's something like: “I
want to tell this kind of story, which begins with A then something like B-C-D
happen and E is the outcome.” Then I start writing, letting my spur of the
moment inspiration take me from a A to B, etc. If I have sub-plots (which I
pretty much always have) I try to make general outlines of that, seeing how they can fit in with the main plot. I'm not the kind of author who does
detailed outlines for every chapter and who already knows how everything will
evolve right from the start. I tried that “technique” once, but it just doesn't
work for me.
Q: How many revisions
will you typically do on a novel?
A: Many. I tend to
re-read what I write a lot of times and I end up making lots of revisions along
the way.
Q: What is your best tip
for editing a manuscript?
A: As common as it might
sound, I'd say hire a professional proofreader/editor. Have more people read
your book before publishing it, because as much as you re-read your writing
there will always be something you miss.
Q: Which writing habits
and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?
A: The only habit I can
think of is reading: the more I read, the better I become at writing. I think
it's a universal rule for all authors.
Q: Do you ever suffer
through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?
A: It happens, yes. Not
so much as “I have no idea what I want to write next in this chapter,” but it's
more like I get stuck on how to put the words down on paper. So whenever that
happens I try to take my mind off that particular scene and maybe I jump on
writing something else, or I might simply get up from my desk and go for a
walk. Reading or watching a movie/TV show or listening to music is also a great
way to get my inspiration moving along.
Q: What drew you to
write your preferred genre(s)?
A: I mostly write young
adult novels and new adult contemporary romance novels probably because those
are the genres I love reading most. I feel like the stories I want to tell and
the messages I [want] to convey are best for young adult readers; they are the
perfect audience to whom I can still relate (although my ID says I'm not
exactly a teenager anymore).
Q: Do you utilize beta
readers?
A: I've never utilized
beta readers, and I don't plan in a near future either...but never say never!
Q: In your most recently
published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed writing—and why?
A: There are a few
scenes during the second half of the book I just published (Before Life
Happened, the Before series #1) where a pretty important character comes
into action and I had a lot of fun writing the dialogue between this
character (Sunrise) and the main protagonist of the story (Hayden).
Sunrise is supposed to be a pretty funny and easygoing person, while Hayden is
the opposite, so their interaction (and their forced journey together) was
pretty entertaining to write.
Q: What makes the main
character(s) of your most recent novel so special?
A: Hayden is an average
teenage girl struggling with grief. Like many kids her age she is
faced with peer pressure and choices to make. When life takes an unexpected
turn we see her make every wrong step toward destruction, but in the end she
will find her way back (thanks to Sunrise). She's the emblem of how things
can get out of control in an instant, and getting back on track can be
hard...but not impossible. She's special because she doesn't give up.
Q: What is your best
advice for author self-promotion?
A: First of all, get a Twitter account and build a website to promote yourself and your books. Then
try to contact as many book bloggers and book review websites as possible to
they can review/read/promote your novel. Try to think as a reader, and figure
out how you – as a reader – might come across your own book and promote
yourself there. Also, offer an e-book for free (maybe the first in a series). It's a great way for people to notice you. Giveaways
are a great promotional tool as well.
Q: How do you deal with
negative reviews?
A: I try to not get too
demoralized, since I already know that not everyone will like my work. I try to
accept everyone's opinions. If [the opinions] are productive, that's even better; I
can improve my writing and fix my flaws as suggested. So far I've received more 5
star reviews than low reviews, which obviously makes me happy.
Q: What is your favorite
aspect of being an indie author?
A: Reinventing yourself
every day. By being your own boss and an entrepreneur you get to chance to be a
marketing specialist one day, a social media manager the next, a graphic and
cover designer and website developer on Monday and a foreign rights expert on
Friday...you never get bored!
Q: What is your least
favorite aspect of being an indie author?
A: Unless you can afford to pay people to help you, you have to do
all aforementioned tasks on your own. It can get overwhelming sometimes. Writing should be
the primary focus for a writer...but you cannot put aside marketing and
publicity, otherwise you end up writing only for yourself.
Q: What is your current
writing project?
A: I'm currently working
on my first contemporary romance series. The first book, Unexpected Love, will be
published for free as an e-book within the month; the
second part, Unexpected Return, will be published a few weeks after that.
Q: What are three of
your favorite novels?
A: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut; Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk; Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco
Q: If you could have
lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would talk to
them about?
A: I'd like to meet Chuck
Palahniuk…and would ask him how on earth he pronounces his last name! Then I
would mostly praise him for his genius work.
Q: What is your best
piece of advice for budding authors?
A: Do it your way. I've
spent days reading online tips and advice on how to become an author, how to
self-promote yourself, the do's and don'ts of writing... in the end it all
comes down to what you really want and how you feel more comfortable achieving
your goals. This is your journey, so you can't walk it in someone else's shoes.
Q: What is your favorite
inspirational quote?
A: “Twenty years from
now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones
you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch
the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” – H. Jackson
Brown Jr.
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