Have you ever wondered about the life of the author of whom you are reading? Well cop a squat and I'll be happy to at least tell you about me.
Where did it all begin? The madness that is.
Once upon a time there was this white rabbit...Okay maybe it wasn't quite like that. When I was a little girl, I lived in mostly an all adult neighborhood. Not the greatest place for a lone little girl to have an early childhood. I found that I had to make my own adventures (many of those got me punished by the way). We lived by a lake and in the spring and summer, mermaids lived there and the fairies lived among my grandma's flower beds. This made my grandparents quite unhappy because I was forever wading in the lake and getting dirty and my grandma was forever finding dolls and make shift twig houses among her tulips and rose bushes. so I guess it is safe to say that I got into story telling and writing just out of necessity. I loved books-they were my first friends and I wanted to tell my own.
Throughout my childhood and right on through my teens, I wrote and only let a very select few people read them. I wrote one story that had me sent to the counselor's office just because my teacher "worried " for me-I was like, "Really....it's just a vampire story, Anne Rice just did it and she got a movie deal." Me, I got sent to the school shrink. I wasn't deterred. However, after a fight with my sister which led me to write a horror story about a psycho Siamese twin who enacts revenge against her "normal" sister, got me grounded for two weeks.
The turning point in all this came at age 35. I had an epiphany if you will that it was now or never and never was so not an option. I wrote a story and I even had my creative writing teacher go over it. I had my sister Kim read it and she loved it and at that time she was just not all into the "book addiction" (but she is now) and I began to send off submissions and queries. Let me stop right here and say that when one goes to send their hard work to a publisher or editor be sure to follow their submission and query letter guidelines. I had no clue what a query letter was and online templates suck. Publishers want what they ask for and nothing more or less. I learned that the hard way. I got a phone call one night after many rejections-expect rejects by the way if you are a writer seeking to be be published. It was from a scam press but at the time I didn't know that and their website appeared impressive. I was so green. I signed a contract and was ecstatic. Long story short, it took six months after signing my baby away to find out just how scammed I had been and took almost three years, an author friend, and a lot of luck that I got my rights back and I was able to find a reputable publisher who published Cursed Awakening. So I think we are all caught up so far? Right? Maybe?
What Are My Days Like?
Some days are hectic and other days are easy. I am a mom first and foremost and though I have one child that is 18, my work as mom is never done. I also have a nine year old little boy who keeps me at the very edge of sanity but I wouldn't take anything for either of them. Well I might rent them out for a vacation but seriously, they are as stuck with me as I am them.
I love to write at night when everyone is in bed and it is quiet but if I get possessed by some idea or story, I am scrawling it down in a notebook, typing it out on a lap top, or writing it down on a napkin or paper plate if I have to. I have been known to write out ideas on the inside of my son's coloring books .
When I am not writing or reading and tending to the children, I am just like most of you-average. I cook, I clean, and I play and sometimes play hard. I like to watch television but I am not addicted to it. Actually there are only some shows I will watch. I am a huge Game of Thrones, True Blood, Dracula, Defiance, Sons of Anarchy, Being Human, Modern Family, and Big Bang Theory fan. I also love X Factor, Survivor, Duck Dynasty, and The Pioneer Woman cooking show. I also watch a lot of FUSE of a night because since MTV stopped playing music-I have to find it somewhere and FUSE is it. I love going to the movies and I will almost be game on for anything playing but I have an eclectic taste. I love old black and white movies, B Movies, Cult Classics, Horror movies, Chick Flicks, and Sci/Fi. I also love comedies, all sorts of them.
I am one of those who loves theme parks-and I am HUGE on thrill rides even if I just look at them and wave (hint-Millineum Force-that one got a wave) and I love to go to haunted houses and attractions. I love art, but I love macabre and unusual stuff. I am a total rocker chick but ya know I like a variety of music; just not gangster rap or hip hop. I like odd places and sometimes those corny little side road attractions. I have a warped sense of humor blended with a down home approach. So I guess you could say my sense of humor is Dolly Parton mixed with a dash of Robin Williams, Russel Brand, and Monty Python. I grew up in the 80s when people like Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, and so many others were King. I also grew up watching SNL and Monty Python.
I never was that popular kid in school or that one person that could walk into a room and just be the life of the party. I wasn't the emo kid either-I was the quiet one who just liked to feel everyone out. I find that in my thirties (actually mentally I'm still at the height of my 20s) I no longer quest to be the wallflower and I try to find ways to push myself so that others can bask in my insanity. Life is way too short to be a people watcher. I have had a lot of challenges just like you-some may not be as big and others seem overwhelming, but I take it day by day. That is where writing really comes in.
Inspiration, Perspiration, and Lots of Chocolate
One question that people seem to ask me and other authors is always "Where do you get your inspiration from?" I get mine from everything. There is always the common denominator which is the genre I write but outside of that-everything inspires me to write. Writing, even though it is something I am rabidly passionate about, is hard work. Stories may flow freely but not every story is a good story. Sometimes I will write something and go back over it and it falls flat. So rather than scrap it, I have to go back and do a little Dr. Frankenstein to bring it to life. Sometimes it works and sometimes it is back to the old story board. The hardest part about writing a romance novel of any kind is finding the balance of chemistry. I don't want to write some weepy and wimpy female or some male character that is Mr. Rogers with a libido. Who wants to read that?
Once the story is written and all the I's are dotted, T's crossed, tenses resolved, and balance is achieved-then the really hard work starts-PROMOTING. I should have mentioned publishing but since I have a publisher, I have to skip ahead to PROMOTION and Marketing. Everything just about it is via the World Wide Web and if you are going into this whole journey of being an author thinking that once the book is out there it will just sell itself or that the publishing house will magically give you a city to city book tour-YOU ARE ON SOME SORT OF LSD TRIP and frankly, share okay because we'd all LOVE to have those perks. Marketing and Promoting your book(s) is on YOU. I am still learning but what I have learned is making the right connections, blogging, mingling with other authors, bloggers, etc. is a great start. Networking is a useful tool as is hiring a great promotions firm. Sensuous Promotions has done some excellent work and I have had a lot of success through them. They take an author and shoot them through the cyber stratosphere.
Where does the chocolate come in? Okay unless you just have an absolute aversion to chocolate or are allergic-who doesn't like chocolate? I prefer dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt. Decadent I know and not very good for my curvage but hey, it's my guilty pleasure and when I'm dead locked with Writer's Block or the phone seems to keep ringing and the 9 year old is bouncing off the walls; it keeps me from GPS'ing places to hide bodies and a statewide duct tape shortage.
Random Fun Facts About Moi
1.I love word and trivia games
2. I love Italian, Mexican, and Asian cuisines
3. I dream of going Sky Diving
4. I would LOVE TO GO TO COMIC CON AND THE JIMMY JOHN'S RT CONVENTION
5. Some people say I have a southern accent-I was born a Hoosier though and I'm not ashamed if I do have one. It's who I am.
6. I love Rockabilly music and fashions
7. I am a huge Rob Zombie Fan
8. If I had a million dollars, I would make sure that I took a tour of all the places where all the literary greats came from or made their mark, and then there's all the charity I would donate to, kids secured in college, and blah blah blah.
9. I still listen to 80s pop and Hair bands (I hate that term Hair bands but Glam rock just irks me)
10. I love chocolate/banana Tootsie Pops dipped in peanut butter
So now you know a little about me so tell me a lot about you. I will select a random winner for a copy of my book Cursed Awakening if I get at least 10 responses so make sure you tell your friends, share on your social network pages, and Tweet.
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