5 Tips to Develop Your Public Speaking Skills

This last mod of the Weekend MBA program at Purdue, I’m taking communications. It’s a class that comes fairly easy for me because I’ve spent the last 20 years intentionally working to become a better public speaker. When I graduated from undergrad many moons ago, I knew I wanted to develop as a speaker. I’d had a speech class in college, but the standard was so low, I could literally get up on days when no one else was prepared, extemporaneously give a speech, and get an A. Nice for the GPA. Not so nice for developing real skills.

Because I wanted to develop skills in this area, I intentionally sought a job in D.C. that would allow me to try, fail, and try again. I’m blessed that my bosses at the Leadership Institute gave me abundant opportunities.

I kept looking for them.

Today, public speaking is relatively easy for me. People often assume it’s always been this way. It hasn’t. Here are 5 tips that I hope will help you become more comfortable speaking.

1) Seek opportunities to practice. When the fear of public speaking ranks right up there with death, it’s often the last thing we want to do. Why on earth would we seek opportunities to do something that makes our knees quake, our stomachs tremble, and our vision blur? Because being comfortable speaking is an important skill that opens doors. So push yourself. Join an organization like Toastmasters.  The key is to practice.

2) Develop an area of expertise that you are passionate about. It is much easier to talk about areas where our passions lie. I can talk about the Monuments Men all day. I could elaborate on why I think it is so important to mentor young people consistently. You have areas of passion, too. Tap into those and your voice and gestures will be more enthusiastic and lively.

3) Watch other speakers. What do they do well? What could they improve upon? What can you learn from watching them? How do they engage with their audience? How do they use words and their voice to catch your attention. Imitate what you learn until it becomes natural to you. There are some masterful speakers to study.

4) Read Public Speaking Books. Wait. That sounds an awful lot like non-fiction, and we love fiction around here! There is a place for non-fiction and this is one of them. A lot of really smart people have written books sharing their secrets…we don’t have to learn the hard way. We can jump ahead to a new level of skill. There are a host of public speaking books out there.  A few I have in my library are Well Said by Darlene Price, The Exceptional Presenter by Tim Koegel, and How to be a Presentation god by Scott Schwertly. Others would add different books to this list. The key is to find a couple books, read them, and slowly incorporate suggestions into your speaking. The Exceptional Presenter has great tips on how to move, gestures, etc. Well Said has great basics on every aspect of speaking. Each has a strength. Taken together they form a strong picture.

5) Listen/Watch your speeches. Eric teases me when I listen to the podcasts or radio shows I’ve been a guest on. It’s not a matter of hubris, but a matter of listening to what I said and how and using that information to look for areas to improve. In the MBA class, each presentation is videotaped and we have to review and critique our performances. You should do the same. It’s only when you listen to yourself that you notice fillers (umms, uhhs, etc.) and note the speed you talk. It’s when you watch that you pick up nervous tics you’re completely unaware of. It’s not always comfortable, but it is a great way to learn.

What would you add to this list?

CLICK TO TWEET:

Are you a #writer who wants to grow your #publicspeaking platform? Then check out these tips from @cara_putman: http://bit.ly/2yVl5mb

Cara Putman

An award-winning author of twenty books, Cara is a lecturer on business and employment law to graduate students at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Putman also practices law and is a second-generation homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana.

Building a Dream Team Part 3

Let’s continue with your Dream Team building tips and suggestions. Let’s review for a second shall we? What is a Dream Team? A Dream Team (also known as a street team) promotes your book with unabashed enthusiasm and support. These are the people that are always going to say a good word about your book. Are always going to be willing to promote and put your name and book out there. We started out with this first post that talked about how to build a Dream Team and the people you should think about having in this group. The second post was all about building structure into your promotional strategy so it gives your team a targeted and focused approach.

Today, I want to spend a little bit of time camping on how to empower and reward your team—and why I believe that is important.

How should you empower your Dream Team?

Never, never, never nag you team for the results you want to see, the reviews you wish you had or the social media promotions that you think are lacking. Ask for these things, of course, remind your team, in a loving way that these are things that are helpful to you, but never harp or hound to get these results. You’ll have the opposite effect.

Praise, praise, praise. Be grateful. Be encouraging. Make sure your Dream Team knows they are a part of the publishing process and team—because they are vital. Keep your praise to honey-do requests on a 2-1 ratio. This is not a hard and fast law, but a good general rule of thumb.

When your publisher or PR or marketing team notices the efforts of your Dream Team, share this with them. Your Dream Team wants to feel as though they are part of a bigger purpose.

What resources should you provide your Dream Team?

Your team can’t simple promote your book on their own power. No one knows your book like they do and giving simple guidelines for your team to either color inside the lines with (or for the really creative go-getters—outside the lines), this gives anyone on your team a starting point.

Your team at a minimum needs:

·         Your book to review

·         Websites (even links) of places to leave reviews

·         Ready made tweets and Facebook posts. (We talked about this in depth on the second post)

·         Pinnable images

·         Ideas for social media promotion

·         Bookmarks

How much should you expect from a Dream Team?

How do you know when you’ve asked too much or too little from your team? I get it, you don’t want to put anyone out and these are busy people, but they did sign up for a certain amount of work by being on your Dream Team.

You should expect them to be honest with you if they don’t like your book.

You should expect them to give it a 100% positive, honest, genuine review.

You should expect them to spend time promoting your book. But you also need to be realistic that everyone’s time demands are different. Be realistic and patient. You are the driving force of energy in the group—either for the negative or the positive. Silence from your team (or you) is deadly and excited energy (think Energizer author bunny hyped up on sugar) is awesome, but hard to maintain. Strive for something in the middle.

How much should you reward a Dream Team?

Here is where we hit the controversy of the post and not all authors are going to agree with me. That’s ok! This is my opinion from working with Dream Teams that do both: rewards and no rewards for their team and how I’ve seen the people on each team respond. Here is why I encourage you to offer a reward to your team.

Your Dream Team is putting in effort that you on your own, could never pull off. They are reaching readers that you most likely would never be able to contact. This is valuable real estate. You are investing in your writing career through these people. They are part of your marketing plan. And marketing plans need investment to truly succeed.

Every Dream Team member needs a copy of your book. They can’t do their work without it.

Offer incentives throughout promotional weeks—and this will look different for each author, so work within your budget. But some ideas include:

o   Gift cards

o   Thank you notes (mailed to their home kind of cards, not just an email)

o   Lots and LOTS of verbal affirmation

o   One final gift (again work within your budget, something you can purchase and mail to each member of your Dream Team) to say thank you for all of their efforts—yes, even to those who didn’t do a lot of work, they still put in effort for you. Effort you couldn’t do on your own.  

Does your brain feel like it’s about to explode? Take a deep breath, building a Dream Team is a lot of work, but it’s not complicated work. These are just breaking down some of the steps so the knowledge is attainable to you.

Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Next time, we’ll talk about growing that Dream Team after your last promotion, and before the next one.

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in colorful Colorado where she gets to live her dream stalking--er--visiting with her favorite CO authors. 

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CLICK TO TWEET:

Should you #reward your Dream Team? Is that even something you should do? @C_Herringshaw answers these questions: http://bit.ly/277pDBz

Let's Talk Niche Marketing: Part 2

Today, I'm continuing the conversation about niche marketing because my last post was getting way too long :) To refresh your memory, we talked about identifying potential niches for your book/platform, and today I'm going to share a little bit about reaching said niches along with a refresher on common marketing etiquette because I can't resist.

Whether you're branding yourself as a pre-published author, reaching out to new readers as an established blogger or someone with a few published books under your belt, or you're starting a new business/project/venture, there are several avenues you can explore to find the people who will best benefit from what you have to offer.

Let me preface this by saying it's important to have a good handle on your ideal audience and to be intentional about who you reach out to before you begin. You don't want to be like that guy who sends daily mass emails full of clickbait and optimized keywords. Just no. You don't want to be associated with a certain processed "meat" that comes in a can.

Once you have this down, you're in luck. Because you live in 2015, and it's easier than ever for like-minded groups to congregate online, for one, and also relatively simple to find them. You can look for:

• Facebook groups
• Twitter labels
• Hashtags across multiple platforms (Don't forget Instagram!)
• Online groups, including book clubs, support and special interest groups, blog communities, etc.

You can also find groups like this through your local library and community organizations. Though you may reach a smaller sample of people, it can still be beneficial to seek out groups in your area.

Specialized publications and media outlets can also lead to great opportunities. I've had clients garner attention from a quarterly quilting magazine to an allergy-friendly support network. And these days, there are podcasts that cover pretty much every subject. You'd be surprised.

So, say you're coming out with a children's story about pugs (what?) and found a few groups that you think would be interested in your book, a local gathering of preschool moms that hosts a weekly storytime and a Facebook group for pug fans with 10,000 members. What next?

Find out who runs each group and try to contact an individual before you leave a blanket message on a Facebook wall or an answering machine. Try to discern if it's appropriate to reach out to that individual directly, because if so, tailoring a pitch personally instead of making it look like a mass email is always the way to go! Have a good sample of your work at the ready if they request it so they can make an informed decision.

I will repeat my marketing mantras at every opportunity: 

• Remember that potential readers, editors, followers, and clients are human beings and deserve personalized communication when at all possible. I would recommend keeping detailed notes to avoid getting your people mixed up. It happens!
• View your interactions with them as conversations, not blanket sales pitches.
• Focus on what you have to offer that can serve and benefit them.
• Be gracious with every yes, and know when to take no for an answer.
• Be intentional and do your research before you make contact.

I think that about covers it! Hope this has given you some good food for thought. 

Super helpful pug book example aside, I'd love to discuss what projects you're working on and any new niches you'd like to reach!

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Let's Talk Niche Marketing: Part 1

Pre-published authors, I'm looking at you. Before you navigate away from this post, this topic applies to you, too! Right now, it's important for you to be building your platform. And you need to be strengthening your marketing muscle, because someday when your book sells, you're going to need to do a lot of legwork whether you choose the indie route or sign with a top-five publisher.

So let's get ready. Let's talk niche marketing, my very favorite part of my job. Do you know what it entails? Those with a basic understanding of book marketing know the traditional routes: retail, print and broadcast media, email subscription lists, social media. But have you explored your niche audiences for selling your book or building your platform? 

Though it may not seem as lucrative as traditional routes, chiseling away at niche marketing could strike unexpected gold. 

Identifying potential niches for your book/platform

First, it's important to know your niche and be consistent with it. It might make sense for you to have a few different niches, as long as they have significant and intentional ties with your book. But if you find they're polar opposite groups, then it's best to pick one to focus on. Otherwise it will be hard to benefit your readers, engage them, and keep them coming back for more of your story. That's the most important thing!

1. Ask yourself about your probable target audience -- beyond the typical "18-35-year-old woman" answer. What magazines does he/she read? What groups do he/she belong to on Facebook? How would this person spend his/her Saturday night? 

For example, my second manuscript's heroine is a food blogger, so a lot of the plot revolves around food. When my book sells, I'd like to reach out to groups of food and lifestyle bloggers who also post book reviews on their websites. I might ask if I can send review copies to people I've researched well that seem like a good fit for my ideal audience. { Let me repeat this: people I've asked and researched well. } If niche marketing is a Venn diagram, I'm looking for people who exist in the heart area below with as many intersecting qualities as possible.

In the meantime, as I build my platform, I can post occasional recipes on my social media platforms and engage with food and lifestyle bloggers because I know that represents my brand well and will be sustainable throughout the life of my writing career.

2. Ask yourself what theme or message in your book you're most passionate or knowledgeable about. Why did you write this book? How did you as the author come away a better person as your characters grew and the story unfolded in your writing? That theme or message.

In my first book, the heroine is a new college graduate facing some pretty tough questions about her future. I know that one niche of readers who would relate to her are college students or not far removed from that stage of life. So I might seek out speaking engagements at colleges and conferences geared toward that demographic. I might ask myself how buying my book or following me on Twitter would be beneficial for them and offer supplemental content. I might write articles about that topic and submit them to relevant media outlets.

The goal is to streamline your message or theme and establish yourself as an authority on that topic, to let your passion shine through, even if only to your own platform. But hopefully you can figure out appropriate avenues where individuals congregate to hear that message -- individuals who will identify with your book. 

3. Ask yourself what stands out about your book. Hopefully you have a decent idea of the hook that makes your story unique in the marketplace, whether you're published or not. Is it a unique setting? Age group? Historical event? Character occupation? A lovable minor character? 

A friend of mine had a faithful pit bull that played a prominent role in her manuscript, so she reached out to a Facebook group with thousands of followers and was taken under their wings immediately. These people are loyal to pit bulls and adored that she had featured one in her book.

I also had a client whose book centered around a unique locale during World War II. With a little research, we discovered a large virtual book club network focused on World War II fiction that ended up generating a lot of sales.

The moral of the story? Common loyalty can forge a powerful alliance.

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I was going to talk about reaching your niche audience, but I'm making the executive decision to continue the fun next time! So until then, chime in! Who is your ideal reader? What are some niche audiences that would be interested in reading your books? 

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and received the Genesis Award in 2013 (Contemporary) and 2014 (Romance). 

Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Three Social Media Rules After a National Tragedy

I promise not all of my posts are going to be about PR. Really. But after the events that have swept the news in the last few weeks, I had to talk about this important topic.

The rise of social media has changed the way news is delivered and the scope of its reach. For example, when the Boston Marathon bombing suspects were being pursued in 2013, Twitter users listening to local police scanners were live-reporting the events faster than the proper journalists could get their hands on the information. That’s just an example of the living, breathing organism social media has become.

And its potential to create a monster.

So, how can you maintain proper social media etiquette in the hours and days following a tragedy with national ramifications? You can start with this.

If you have scheduled posts, turn them off.

When actor-comedian Robin Williams died last week, Facebook and Twitter exploded. Everyone wanted to express their sentiments, their shock and sadness and other reactions. But peppered in my feed were promotional posts that were way too chirpy to not be pre-scheduled. Those can be very off-putting to people who are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.  And that’s certainly not how you want to stand out. It can get you blocked or unfollowed, unfortunately.

Wait until social media has calmed down a little and then you can return to business as usual. But until then, toning down your promotion is most respectful.

When in doubt about whether or not to make a public statement regarding the tragedy, it’s best to stay silent.

One of the dangers of social media is how easy it is to post information -- information that’s hard to retract once it’s been published. Though you may feel strongly about a topic, there are countless others who feel just as strongly for the opposing side of your argument.

While there’s nothing wrong with having or expressing an opinion, most of the time it’s best and most tasteful to avoid statements that may spark controversy, appear to be posted for the sake of shock value, or potentially offend in times of heightened emotions. You can discuss your opinion in the safety of friends and family members and leave your social media platform for what you do best. And on the flip side of that, if you're not sure whether or not to say something, don't feel you have to just because everyone is doing it.

If you believe this tragedy could be capitalized for a sales opportunity, think again.

During Hurricane Sandy, several retail giants were chastised for incorporating Sandy-related hashtags and trending topics into their promotional efforts. Not okay.

When I was working in full-time book PR, I can’t tell you how many authors wanted me to pitch their books to the media in areas that had experienced a tragedy just because there was a similar thread in their fiction or a message of hope in their memoir. Still not okay.

Even if you’re well-meaning about it, if your post promotes you or your product, especially if it contains a direct link to sales, it will most likely be counterproductive for you. If you genuinely want to help, then donate money or free books to any official causes related to the tragedy. And you don’t have to publicize this generosity, either.

The moral of the story is: in times of tragedy, it's always better to help with actions instead of words. While I believe you have the best intentions in the world, words are powerful, especially when emotions are high. So use them wisely :)

What are your social media dos and don'ts after a tragedy? Have you seen any really bad faux pas on your feed?

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom who writes stories of grace in the beautiful mess. When she's not writing, she enjoys car singing, baking, and going on adventures with her husband and little girl. 

Her first book won the 2013 ACFW Genesis Award (Contemporary), and her second is a current finalist in the 2014 Genesis Contest (Romance). She is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie at www.laurietomlinson.com or Facebook.com/AuthorLaurieTomlinson.

How to Be a Good Guest

So excited for my first post as an official AlleyCat! What my introductory “interview” didn’t mention was my background in book publicity. In over seven years, I’ve scheduled media appearances, coordinated bookstore events, and organized blog tours for authors. I could write an entire post filled with ways these bright and brilliant personalities have, to put it frankly, behaved badly.

But instead, I’m going to share three ways you can be a good guest in your promotional efforts so hopefully you’ll get invited back :)

1. Above all, be gracious.  Whether you’re J.K. Rowling or a pre-published author with two Twitter followers, don’t get delusions of grandeur. If someone is hosting you, he or she is doing you a favor by giving you the chance to connect with a new audience.

Don’t act like you’re above an appearance or unhappy to be there. Because any hint of this in your tone can translate poorly for future opportunities, even with other outlets. Don’t be demanding. Ever. (See what I just did there?) Low maintenance guests who make a contact person’s job as easy as possible are much more likely to get invited again.

And do your best to make sure all of the stipulations you previously discussed with the contact person are met in a timely manner with excellence. Turn in your article or arrive at the designated place on time if not early. Don’t stray from the agreed subject matter or pull any fast ones. Even if you discover the people you're working with are difficult, only you are responsible for your behavior and the way you choose to react. 

If you know your heart isn't into an opportunity enough to give it your very best, don’t commit to it in the first place. But if you do, see it through and be gracious. Always write a thank you note.

2. Give back to your audience. Hopefully you or your marketing team have created room in the budget for strategic giveaways that will capitalize an appearance’s exposure. If you haven't reached that point in your career, do keep that in mind! While published authors typically give away books, promotional materials, and packages of keepsakes that fit with their stories’ themes, if you’re not published, you can give away a book in your genre (Hint: Make sure to tag that author when promoting your appearance!), a service you provide such as design or editing, or even practical non-book-related items that fit with the brand you’re trying to create.

Food is also good if you’re appearing in person. Food is always good.

While tangible giveaway items can be beneficial, I’d argue that some kind of takeaway knowledge is just as valuable to your audience. Is the overall focus of your “spiel” self-serving, or will your audience be better for it? What can they learn from your education? Your experience? Your mistakes? 

It’s important to have a good grasp on how your appearance is not only accomplishing your personal goals, but how it’s making your audience better, too.

3. Interact with your audience. Granted, this doesn’t apply for radio or TV spots unless the Q&A format is supported, but for appearances online or in print, make sure you check for comments and respond to the legitimate ones (graciously—see #1). End with a question or call to action that will encourage dialogue and make you more memorable. 

People love talking about themselves. It's just the way most of us are wired. Your audience will remember someone who seemed invested in what they had to say. You don't have to make a bunch of new best friends or anything, but do make sure your appearance is two-sided if possible.  

GIF by disneylatino.com

And in everything, be professional but beeeeee yourself. Unless you’re just a terrible human being, in which case, do what the sweetest person you know would do :) But seriously, there’s a huge difference between a strong hook and tacky shock value. Always choose genuine and classy over shock value. It’s just the right thing to do.

These rules are important to keep in mind whether you’re an author, business, or anyone with a message or product to promote. Hopefully if you’ve been given the platform to reach a new audience, you’ll capitalize on it in a way that's beneficial for you and them, also keeping the opportunity open in the future.

What have your successful guest appearances been like? Have you ever worked with a difficult personality before?

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom who writes stories of grace in the beautiful mess. When she's not writing, she enjoys car singing, baking, and going on adventures with her husband and little girl. 

Her first book won the 2013 ACFW Genesis Award (Contemporary), and her second is a current finalist in the 2014 Genesis Contest (Romance). She is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie at www.laurietomlinson.com or Facebook.com/AuthorLaurieTomlinson.

Guest interview with Gina Holmes

Gina Holmes is the founder of Novel Rocket and a PR professional. Her bestselling novels Crossing Oceans and Dry as Rain were both Christy finalists and won various literary awards. Her latest novel, Wings of Glass, released February 2013 and has earned a starred review from Library Journal, a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Southern Indie Bookseller's Okra Pick. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose. To learn more about her, visit www.ginaholmes.com.

Your 3^rd novel, Wings of Glass, has just released. Tell us a little about it.

I think this is my favorite book so far. Wings of Glass tells the story of Penny Taylor, a young wife who feels trapped and alone in a physically and emotionally abusive marriage. Besides her low self-esteem, she feels her Christian faith doesn’t allow for divorce. It’s not until she meets two women—one a southern socialite and the other a Sudanese cleaning woman—that her eyes are opened to the truth of her situation and she begins her journey to healing and redemption.

What made you take on the tough subject of domestic abuse?

As a little girl, I watched my mother being physically abused by her husband and then later, two of my sisters enter abusive relationship after abusive relationship and I thought that would never be me. . . until the day my boyfriend hit me for the first time and I began to make excuses for him. I know the mindset of someone who gets into and stays in an abusive relationship, because I’ve been there myself. It’s taken me years, and a lot of reading, praying, and talking to get to the heart of what brought me and kept me in toxic relationships and I want to pass on some of what I learned that helped me find boundaries and recovery from a codependent mindset and most of all healing.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?

It’s my hope and prayer that those who are in abusive relationships will begin to see that the problem lies with them as much as with the abuser. That’s something I railed against when friends suggested it. I wasn’t the one with the problem! I was no doormat who enabled abuse or addiction… or was I?

I also hope that those who have never understood the mindset of victims would better comprehend the intricacies of codependency and be better able to minister to these women and men. And of course I’d love it if young women would read this before they ever enter their first romantic relationship to have their eyes open to how abuse almost always progresses and be able to see the red flags early.

Which of the characters in the novel is most like you and why?

Each of the characters has a little of me in them or vice versa. I think years ago I was more like Penny, though tougher in many regards, at least I thought so. I’d like to think now I’m a little more Callie Mae. Because I’ve lived through what I have and have found healing, I can see in others the path that will lead to healing and the one that will lead to destruction. The difficult part once you’ve found healing is remembering that you can’t do it for others. You can offer advice, but you can’t make anyone take it. Each person has to learn in their own time, in their own way.

Who is your favorite character?

I absolutely love Fatimah. She had such a great sense of humor and didn’t care what anyone thought except those who really mattered. She was really quite self-actualized. She was so much fun to write and I actually find myself missing her presence.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part about being a writer?

Favorite: making my own schedule. I love when I’m feeling bad one day knowing that I don’t have to punch a clock. I can just take the day off and then work harder the next. Of course, there’s a lot of other things I love about writing, like allowing others to consider another point of view that may be far different from their own.

Least favorite: There’s a joke that when you work for yourself you at least get to pick which eighteen hours of the day you want. That’s true. Working from home means I’m always at work. I work from about 7:30 am until about eight at night most days. Under deadline, it’s worse. Truly understanding how much the success of a book rides on the shoulders of the author is a blessing and a curse. Because I get that no one is more invested in the success of my books than me, I put in a LOT of time on the publicity/marketing end of things. It’s tiring but an investment that I think pays off in the long run.

You had written four novels before your debut, Crossing Oceans was published. Do you think those books will ever get dusted off and reworked?

Never say never, but I doubt it. I had considered reworking some but having gone back and re-read them, I realized they weren’t published for good reason. They just didn’t work. Now, there is one story I’m resurrecting characters from for a story I should be writing next, but the plotline is completely different. I started out writing suspensel but as my reading tastes changed, so did my writing tastes. I don’t see myself doing suspense again any time soon.

You’re known for your quirky characters, what inspires you to write these types into each book?

Honestly, I’m a pretty quirky person. The older I get, the more I embrace those quirks. I think everyone is quirky really. As a student of human nature, I pick up on those and like to exaggerate them in my fiction. I also like to surround myself with quirky people. My husband is quirky, my kids are quirky and so are my friends. Often in life, especially when we’re young, we hate about ourselves what makes us different, when really those are the things we should be embracing. Different is interesting. Different is beautiful.

If you could write anything and genre, marketing and reader expectations didn’t matter, what would you write?

Speaking of quirky… I read a book a few years back that was so different that it made me want to try something like that. The book was a big-time bestseller, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. What turned me on about that book were the characters. They were quirky to an extreme. In contemporary women’s fiction, I can get away with a certain amount of quirk. but I’m always having to play it down because it’s so over the top. In a fantasy, you can be as over the top as you dare. I’d love to play around with something like that one day and just let my freak flag fly! Will I? Probably not unless I use a penname. I realize readers have certain expectations and I wouldn’t want anyone to feel mislead. We’ll see. There’s lots in life I want to do but since I only get a hundred or so years (if I’m lucky), time won’t allow for every rabbit hole.

What advice would you have for writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

My advice would be not to follow too closely in anyone’s footsteps. Yes, there is a certain path all writers find themselves on. There are certain things that we must all do like learning to write well, figuring out platform, going to writers conferences to meet the gatekeepers and figure out the way things have to be formatted and submitted and all that sort of thing. But it’s okay to veer off the path too and forge your own. There are those who have self-published who have found great success.

There are those who have written about subjects that they were told no one wanted to read about and found success. It’s smart to figure out what others have done before you to make them successful, but alter the formula to suit your needs and passions. It’s okay to be different, in fact, I think great success and maybe even happiness depends upon it. And by all means, read Novel Rocket.com and leave comments. It helps not only encourage those authors who have taken the time out of their day to teach us, but it also connects you to the writing community. Community is important. 

From the best-selling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heartrending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption. On the cusp of adulthood, eighteen-year-old Penny Carson is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign town, Penny's happily-ever-after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn't the last, yet the bruises that can't be seen are the most painful of all.

When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend her their backbones just long enough for her to find her own.