Author Profile: Kimberly S. Lin

Author Name: Kimberly S. Lin

Bio: Kimberly Lin is a Southern California native, graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in Economics. After college, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a financial writer and hedge fund analyst but always dreamed of becoming a women’s fiction author.

Utilizing her experiences, she writes stories that are witty, heartwarming and relatable to the modern woman.

She now resides in Orange County, CA. Recession Proof is her debut novel, and she is now working on her second novel.

 Title: Recession Proof

See my 4 star review for Recession Proof!

 

Connect with Kimberly!
FACEBOOK
GOODREADS
BLOG: THE CHEAP

VIDEO: RECESSION PROOF

GET THE BOOK!

BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS

Author Profile: Ella Slayne

Author Name: Ella Slayne

Website: http://www.highheelsandslippers.com

Author Bio: Ella Slayne is originally from the North of England, where she studied Drama at Manchester University. She went on to study acting at the Webber Douglas Academy before moving to live in Brussels with her family. Ella currently lives in the US where she juggles the joys of motherhood with her passion for writing.

Title: High Heels and Slippers

See my 4 star review of High Heel and Slippers!

 

Connect with Ella!

AUTHOR’S BLOG SITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS

GET THE BOOK:
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS

Author Profile: Chandra Hoffman

Author Name: Chandra Hoffman

Website: http://www.chandrahoffman.com

Bio: Since graduating from Cornell University, Chandra has been an orphan relief worker in Romania, a horse trainer in the Caribbean, a short order cook in a third world hospital, the director of a US adoption program and an event planner for Philadelphia’s Main Line elite.

She has lived in eleven international cities and this wanderlust shaped her writing – in each novel, the setting is its own character, flavoring the story. She prefers to write about everyday scenarios, shining a light on the complexities of situations through the voices of multiple characters. Her debut novel, Chosen, uses the domestic adoption scene of Portland, Oregon as a backdrop to pose the questions “What happens when you get what you thought you wanted?” and “How far would you go if it might not be what you want anymore?”

Chandra received her MFA from Antioch University in 2007. She is now settled back in her hometown outside of Philadelphia with her husband, three young children and an ever-changing menagerie.

Title: Chosen

See my 4 star review for Chosen and read my interview with Chandra!

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS

GET THE BOOK: Chosen
BARNES & NOBLE

Interview with Kathy Lynn Harris

When did you know writing was for you?

I know it sounds cliché, but I think I’ve always known. I was writing “books” and poetry and essays before I reached the ripe old age of 10. In school, writing was easy for me, and something I could lose myself in for hours. I remember in an English class in high school, we were asked to write a brief description of a character, as if we were writing a novel about that character. I wrote a two-pager about a homeless man. The teacher came up to me after I turned it in with great concern; she was certain that someone I knew personally was homeless. It was an awesome moment — that feeling of having created something from imagination that was compelling and real.

Where did the idea for Blue Straggler come from?

I originally wrote a short story about a 30-something career girl who was depressed and directionless. I kept coming back to her character, and the characters of her two friends who were trying to help her through it. I loved those characters (who eventually became Bailey, Idamarie and Rudy in the novel)! But I didn’t really have a plot for them. Then I made my own personal move from Texas to Colorado and realized that I could use that experience to fuel the story. I wanted to answer the question, “How would a change of scenery affect Bailey’s restlessness? How would the oddball friend-triangle work if one of them left town?” And Blue Straggler was born.

 What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

Truly for me, the most difficult thing is finding the time to write. I’m not one of those lucky people who can sit down and generate pages of work right away. It takes time for me to get back into the story and characters after being away from them for even 24 hours. I need a couple of hours of writing time to be productive. So, with all the demands of a full-time job and being a mama and wife and friend and sister and daughter, I have a hard time finding large blocks of time to write. Also, my addiction to my Kindle and HGTV doesn’t help matters.

 What are your favorite genres to read?

I love literary fiction and women’s fiction. I love a good book of poetry. I enjoy smart memoirs. I don’t typically do sci-fi or fantasy. I think I’m too grounded in reality. Maybe I should try to change that!

What do you want readers to take away from your story?

I’d like them to perhaps come away with a greater understanding of what home means to them, and to realize that sometimes it’s easy to get trapped living a life that everyone, including yourself, thought you were supposed to lead. But maybe that life isn’t the one that is going to fuel your soul. More than likely, though, they’ll just come away with a craving for Cool Whip, enchiladas and/or tequila.

How important do you think social media is for authors these days?

I think it’s become hugely important. I know for a fact that I would not have had the success I’ve had so far with Blue Straggler without Facebook. I have great networks of friends out there who have helped spread the word. I probably owe Mark Zuckerberg a beer.

 What would be your advice to aspiring writers?

If writing is really your passion, stick with it. Don’t give up. It took about eight years for me to find a publishing home for Blue Straggler. There’s a lot to be said for tenacity in today’s quick-win world. It’s ironic because I’m certainly not known for having much patience. (Friends, coworkers and family members are snickering right now.) Yet here I am, a poster child for determination. Go figure!

 

 

 

 

Guest Post by Lori Verni-Fogarsi

“The Nitty Gritty Process of Being an Author”

By Lori Verni-Fogarsi, author of “Momnesia”

 

What kind of a title is that? For heaven’s sake! It sounds as if being an author is nitty. And gritty! Which it both is and isn’t. The truth is, if your goal is to have strangers read your book and have it be successful, there is far more involved than the pleasure of writing.

Everywhere I go, I meet people that say, “You’re a published author? Omigod! I have a great idea for a novel but can’t get around to writing it!” (This is largely because everyone I come across gets a bookmark foisted on them.) My advice? Just write it. Don’t worry about what you’re going to do with it later. Get your story out of your head and into the computer.

They look at me dubiously. “But how am I going to get it published?” My answer? “If you don’t write it, it can never be published.”

The next step is to be a cruel and brutal monster against your own work. How many words is it? More than 90,000? It’s too long. When I first finished “Momnesia,” it was 130,000 words and rest assured, finding 40,000 words to cut was extremely painful, yet necessary. Along the way, I did my spelling and punctuation corrections, and formatting.

Moving on, it’s time to let someone else mess with your work. And I don’t mean your mother, sister, or husband—not even if they’re an editor. I mean an impartial professional who has no personal stake in your life. Who will tell you if something stinks and praise you if it sings. Who knows that Roller Blades is supposed to be capitalized, and is not afraid to tell you that almost ALL of your parentheses need to be removed. They will identify characters that need development, inconsistencies in the timeline, and redundancies that cause readers to glaze over. Pay them. It’s worth it.

Here is the point where I could easily launch into a series of additional articles: Whether to seek an agent or self-publish, unusual aspects to keep in mind for your book’s cover, the roles of additional professionals, the marketing you’ll have to do. How to make your book stand out as the professional, highly readable work that it is (as opposed to an unedited, too long thing that people may read once but will never recommend).

One of the most common questions people ask is, “How long did the process take?” “Momnesia” took me a year to write, a year to edit, and a year to launch. As of the writing of this article, its success is still to be measured (release date was 3/16/12 in paperback and Kindle). “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs” took two years. It was published in 2005 and I still receive a decent royalty check every quarter.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips! I invite you to join me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor), and find additional resources on my website, (www.LoriTheAuthor.com). Happy authoring!

P.S: This article was 868 words. Too long! See? I had to edit it to a length that people will have time to read—all 526 words of it! (Um, perhaps still a teeny bit too long.)

Author Site: www.LoriTheAuthor.com

Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Twitter: www.twitter.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LoriTheAuthor

Author Blog: http://lorivernifogarsi.blogspot.com
Publisher Site: www.BrickstonePublishing.com

Author Profile: Rebecca Coleman

Author Name: Rebecca Coleman

Website: http://www.rebeccacoleman.net/

Bio: A New Yorker by birth, Rebecca Coleman grew up in the close suburbs of Washington, D.C., in an academic family. A year spent in Germany, at the age of eight, would later provide the basis for the protagonist’s background in “The Kingdom of Childhood.” She first learned about the Waldorf School movement at age 14 and quickly developed a fascination with its culture and philosophies. After studying elementary education for several years at the University of Maryland, she graduated with a degree in English, awarded with honors. She lives in suburban Maryland with her husband and their four young children.

Title: The Kingdom of Childhood

 

See my review of The Kingdom of Childhood

Bio retrieved from rebeccacoleman.net

Author Profile: Nicolle Wallace

Author Name: Nicolle Wallace

Website: http://www.nicollewallace.com/

Bio: Nicolle Wallace is a bestselling author and political commentator who appears regularly on news programs such as ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Morning Joe on MSNBC.

Wallace, who served as communications chief for George W. Bush’s White House and re-election campaign, was credited with “injecting a tremendous amount of realism” into White House deliberations.  According to the Washington Post, she served as “a voice for more openness with reporters” (Washington Post, June 28, 2006).  The New York Times story announcing her presidential appointment carried the headline: “New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room” (January 10, 2005). Wallace was described by former colleagues as “very persuasive in the halls of the West Wing.”

Wallace also served as senior advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008.  She appeared frequently on network and cable news programs as the campaign’s top spokesman and defender.

Wallace is a California native and graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in New York City and Connecticut with her husband, Mark, a former Ambassador to the United Nations, and their vizsla, Lilly.

She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling contemporary political novel, Eighteen Acres, and the forthcoming It’s Classified.

See my review of Eighteen Acres

Bio retrieved from NicolleWallace.com

Interview with Dina Silver

When did you know writing was for you?

By the time I went away to college, I knew I wanted to write professionally. I studied Journalism and thought I would be a news reporter one day. Could still happen?

One Pink Line is such an emotional story, and I’ve read that it’s based onmtrue events in your life. What was it like creating these characters and their journey?

One Pink Line was actually inspired by my girlfriend’s life story. And while the book is pure fiction, many of the instances throughout the book closely parallel her life and her wonderful little family. Woven into the novel are also many of my own life experiences, including stories from high school and college. It was really a lot of fun to create characters based on people from my past.

 What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

Probably feeling the need to fill a number quotient. I don’t mean daily, more like overall. Sometimes my stories are better told with fewer words, but I feel the need to ‘fill space’ so to speak. A habit I’m trying to break.

 What are your favorite genres to read?

My tastes are all over the board. Anything from murder mysteries to historical romance. I also consider myself a ‘bestseller reader.’ I like to read what’s popular and stay current with what other readers are chatting about.

 What do you want readers to take away from your story?

Great question. There are so many different emotions, as you mentioned, that the story touches on, but ultimately what initially drew me to it was the underlying love story between Ethan and Sydney. My hope would be that people truly enjoy it for that reason. I, myself, am a sucker for a great love story and I really wanted to do justice to that part of the theme.

 How important do you think social media is for authors these days?

Unfortunately, very important. People who like to read also tend to like to chat about it, blog about it, and connect with other readers and writers. Can you be successful in reaching an audience without social media? Sure, but it will be much more of a challenge.

 What would be your advice to aspiring writers?

• If people you trust give you criticism, take it.
• Get a killer cover for your book. Don’t just have your brother-in-law design one for you because he knows how to use Photoshop.
• Don’t just get involved in social media, engage in it
• Stay active on Goodreads.
• Reach out to book bloggers.
• Once your book is out there being read, ask people to leave reviews for it on Amazon. You’ll be surprised how many people don’t even realize that it’s an option.

**Everyone who leaves a comment on Dina’s tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of One Pink Line before March 5 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

Debut Authors and Titles – March 2012

Debut Authors and Titles – March 2012

 

Title: Losing Clementine

Author: Ashley Ream

Release Date: March 6

Synopsis: In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life.

World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she’s done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn’t expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

A bold debut from an exciting new voice, Losing Clementine is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant novel about unanticipated self-discovery that features one of the most irresistible, if deeply flawed, characters to grace contemporary fiction in years.

 

 

Title: How to Eat a Cupcake

Author: Meg Donohue

Release Date: March 13

Synopsis: Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs’ housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia’s San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.

A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother’s death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia’s engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

 

 

Title: A Surrey State of Affairs

Author: Ceri Radford

Release Date: March 29

Synopsis: Constance Harding’s comfortable corner of the Home Counties is her own little piece of heaven. Her time is spent party-planning (disastrous), matchmaking for her startlingly well-dressed son Rupert (catastrophic), and dreaming of the hat aisles at John Lewis. But she’s about to learn that her perfect home conceals scandal that would make the vicar blush. Her Lithuanian housekeeper’s polyester underwear keeps appearing in her husband’s study, her parrot has gained a troubling new vocabulary and her daughter is turning into a Lycra-clad gap-year strumpet. As her family falls apart, Constance embarks on an extraordinary journey. From tripping in Ibiza to riding with a handsome Argentinean gaucho whose only English words are ‘Britney’ and ‘Spears’, Constance discovers a wider world she thought it was too late to find …

Interview with Sue Watson

Q: Why is writing a passion for you?

That’s a really good question and I have a theory on this. I always wanted to be an actress and as a teenager spent a great deal of time involved in drama groups and studied English and Drama for my university degree. However, for some reason I gravitated towards the writing side of drama and ended up working in TV writing scripts and developing programme ideas. When I left my career to write I suddenly felt alive again and escaping into each character’s life was just like acting. There’s a great deal of me in Stella the heroine in Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes, so it was easy to get inside her head, but I believe my drama training also enabled me to get inside the other characters too. I like to think as a result of this the dialogue and actions are real and the people in my books are fully developed and believable.

Q: What gave you the idea for Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes? And how did you come up with the hilarious title?

The idea had been in my head for years. A friend once told me she felt she was wasting her life and would love to leave the corporate world she worked in to stay at home to look after her kids and bake fairy cakes all day. She never did make her escape …life got in the way as it usually does…  but she planted the seed for Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes. I was working long hours away from home and I completely related to my friend’s desire to chase her dreams before it was too late. For me the idea of being in a warm vanilla scented house waiting for another batch of cakes to come from the oven filled me with calm. It made me realise that there must be more to life than struggling on a daily basis to give an impossible 100% to everyone and everything.  This made me think about the possibility of a different life – so when I left the frantic world of television I realised my dream to write.  At the same time, I’m just like Stella in the book and I find deep comfort in the bottom of the mixing bowl and I always write at the kitchen table so I can be near the oven!

The title Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes came to me one day while I was having lunch with two friends. We were talking about cake and weight and it just amused me that three curvy ladies were worrying about how fat they were while obsessing about which cakes to choose for dessert!

Q: Are you currently working on another novel?

Yes, I have almost finished The Terrible Truth About Tanya Travis – my second novel, which is about a daytime talk show host with a dark secret. It’s written in the same style and is funny like Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes – it’s also set in the crazy world of television but it deals with slightly darker themes and is partly set in the hauntingly beautiful Nepal…. where a woman’s secret can stay hidden for many years.

Q: Do you have a certain writing schedule you try to stick to?

I do have a writing schedule – but I rarely stick to it! I have terrible self-discipline and ideally I should sit at my desk and write from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening, but I don’t. I find all kinds of excuses to leave my desk – I bake, clean the cooker, call friends, blog, Tweet, text, FB – in fact I do any kind of writing other than the novel! It’s mad because once I sit down to write I can’t stop, I completely love it and immerse myself in the places and people I write about. It’s just the initial sitting down to start the process that I find hard. I am discovering a lot about myself through writing – and one of those things is that I am a deadline junkie. If my publisher gives me a date they need the book finished, I’ll do it – but will probably work 24/7 through several nights to get it done.

Q: Who are some authors that you would love to work with?

I would find it difficult to actually collaborate with another author as for me writing really is a solitary pastime. But there are authors I would love to have around while I’m writing. If I could share a desk with anyone it would be Jen Lancaster, whose book Such a Pretty Fat is one of the bravest, funniest books I’ve ever read. I think her ‘don’t give a damn’ humour, obsession with trashy reality shows and love/hate relationship with fabulous food must make us writing ‘twins!’ Yes, Jen is welcome to join me with her laptop at my kitchen table where we could share jokes and doughnuts while we write (though the commute between Chicago and Worcestershire in the UK might be a bit much and I think she’d miss her doggies!)

Q: Did you use any critique partners or beta readers during your writing process?

I was very lucky and have a lovely editor, Jo Doyle, who guided me through the whole re-editing process and I learned so much from her. Jo selfishly went off to have a rather gorgeous baby girl to match her delicious little boy, but I think she’s realised her priorities and will be back by my side shortly to turn Tanya Travis into a work of art! J

I asked a very good and honest friend to critique my book in the final stages, and my best friend helped with the ending over a few glasses of red. For the next book I have asked a couple of friends if they’d be kind enough to get involved in the early stages (ie read the first draft) for me and I am delighted to say they’ve agreed. I think early input from honest friends/readers will be really useful as they will bring a fresh perspective to the writing and perhaps come up with solutions for any knotty plot problems.

Q: What is your favorite desert- be specific!

Now that’s a tricky one because I have a short list of about 700! I adore Chocolate fudge cake, Raspberry Pavlova and homemade strawberry shortcake – but my favorite is a really chocolatey mousse with a consistency so thick it sticks to the roof of your mouth and fills your heart with melted chocolate. AND it’s a pre-requisite that all the above have to be steeped in heavy cream.

Q: Can you share any of your favorite recipes with us?

I have lots of favorite recipes, but the one I love the most is my white chocolate and cranberry Christmas Fairies which are in the book. Stella creates the most amazing cakes and tarts from Chocolate Chilli Cha Cha Fairies to Inebriated Christmas Tarts and when you’ve finished the novel, you’ll find all the recipes at the back. The recipes are my own original ‘designs’ and have been triple tested to be utterly fabulous!

Q: Where would be your dream vacation?

My family and I LOVE the US. We have holidayed in Florida several times (my husband is now a big Rays fan) and in April this year we visited New York which was amazing – especially the bakeries … and the cupcake possibilities were endless. However, we’re hoping to go on our dream destination next Summer and visit California – I’m dying to see LA and San Francisco. I may even set the sequel to Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes somewhere around Hollywood – I think Stella, Al and Lizzie would just LOVE a little bit of film star fairy cake action.

Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Never give up.

I have written about my own rocky road to publishing on the Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes Blog and I have been very honest. Writing a book isn’t easy, it can be fun and wonderful, but it’s not easy, but the hardest part is sending it to publishing houses and agents and receiving the inevitable rejections…. then starting all over again. It’s important to fight the natural instinct to give up because it’s so hard to keep believing in yourself when it seems that nobody else does. Around the time the millionth rejection comes in your friends (and even family) will probably start to question what you’re doing and why you are doing it. This makes you question yourself. Go through this process and don’t blame anyone for giving up on you, it’s human nature… just never, ever give up on yourself. I never gave up because deep down I believed I had something special and I just needed to convince everyone else and in order to do that I HAD to keep sending my book out and live with the hurt of more rejections.

Several years down the line with a three book deal the secret is – I never gave up, and that really is the key. To hold that book in my hand and be asked to do lovely interviews like this one is worth all the effort and the doubts and the pain – honestly.

Ask questions about your work, show everyone, anyone. Attend writing classes, edit and re-edit your work – even start again – but if this is really what you want then just stay focused and keep those three little words in your head. DON’T GIVE UP.

Visit Susan’s Website!

Find Susan on Facebook!

 

Next Page »