What books do you remember reading during your childhood?
I liked reading fictional stories about magical animals. I also read Judy Blume novels.
What has been the best thing about living in beautiful British Columbia, Canada your entire life?
The Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, stunning beaches, thousands of lakes, a desert, and rainforests - adventure is at our doorstep.
When did you decide to work full time as a romance author?
I began writing novels in July of 2018. Before that, I wrote song lyrics and poems.
How does one go about the process of self-publishing?
For most new authors, Amazon is their first choice for self-publishing. The trickiest part is formatting your manuscripts to suit whichever company you choose to self-publish with, along with the various formats required for print and e-Book distribution. There are many learning curves, and I'm still learning as I go since self-publishing options change frequently.
How did you come up with Joss and Soren's story in "The Voice From 808"?
I was driving in my car when I answered a phone call through my Bluetooth system. It was a wrong number, but the man's voice was absolutely delicious, and he was polite. I started to wonder what a man with his voice would look like, and then the idea of using that experience to write a romance story around it came about. I chose the 808 area code because I love anything Hawaiian. Sometimes the simplest things become an inspiration.
Having written eleven manuscripts since July 2018, what do you think is the hardest part of writing a manuscript?
I tend to take an idea and run with it, so writing isn't difficult for me. I wrote one of my manuscripts in twelve days; however, most take two or three months. Sometimes, the idea is from an image, a phone call, or can even come from a lyric in a song on the radio. I don't plot my stories before writing them. I'm what is called a pantser, and I do fly by the seat of my pants. The trouble with being a pantser is that I have to be sure not to stray from the original intention of the story while writing and keeping the timeline of events from going sideways. That is where plotting works better than pantsing. I tried plotting once and it messed with my mojo. That plotted book still has not been written and may never be.
What inspired the plot of the book, The Creative Director?
I've always loved the field of advertising and I should have gone into it as a profession. I'd not written a torn between two lovers' story to-date, so I thought this would be an excellent setting to explore that trope.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of a good romance story?
I like it when people meet in a unique way or the interest in each other is unexpected. I want the lovers to struggle with something they have little control over or see how they deal with issue(s) in their respective lives. I want them to fail, fumble, learn, and love before they come to a happily ever after or a happy for now ending.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I've worked from home for several years and so now, as a full-time author, I can sit down at my laptop whenever the mood to write strikes me. The problem with being self-published is that you have to spend as much time writing as you do marketing yourself, which can be daunting and creatively stifling. I'm more creative at night and often write well past midnight when I'm on a roll.
If you could describe your journey as an author in one word, what would it be?
Enlightening.
What are some of the things you know now that you did not know when you first started writing?
I wish I knew I'd have to split my time between writing and marketing. As much as I love advertising as a business interest, I would rather be writing than trying to keep track of where and when to share my marketing materials. Marketing requires you to post or share something about your work every day. Ideally, I would have an assistant do that job, but my budget does not yet allow me this luxury.
What are the best ways to market self-published books?
Persistence of online presence. Be online everywhere, every day and don't let any momentum you get slip away on you. It is harder than it sounds. Push, push, push relentlessly. Be humble with praise for your work from others, and never forget to thank those who support you.
What is the one advice you would like to give to young writers in the world?
Self-doubt and distractions will cause you to lose focus. Keep writing even if you think what you wrote is bad. You can edit out the bad stuff later, but keep the creative thoughts flowing. When I feel stuck, I ask myself, "What if?" and that opens my mind up to explore potential storyline directions.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I have three manuscripts near completion. The first, titled The Art of Love, will publish in December 2020, while the other two are titled From Bridges to Breakdowns (February 2021) and The Companion (April 2021).
When did you join AllAuthor? What do you think of the experience so far?
I joined just recently and have found the site very helpful. Before finding AllAthor, I was creating my book cover mock-ups in Photoshop, which was time-consuming. AllAuthor saves me a great deal of time in creating mock-ups that look professional for my marketing campaigns.
