Addicted to Writing

Manage Your Freelance Writing Career While Writing What You Love

Interview with Author Carrie Lowrence: Author of Someone to Catch My Teardrops

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My good friend, poet and author Carrie Lowrence has just released her clean romance novel Someone to Catch My TearDrops, so of course, I interviewed her about her book and all things writing. Over to Carrie…

  1. Can you tell us how you started writing?

I started writing as a child. I lived on a highway in Pennsylvania and even though I saw my friends it wasn’t like I saw them all the time, like I would if  I lived in town. I would spend many days writing stories.

  1. When did you know you had to be a writer? 

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was nine years old. That is when I really started writing a lot and knew that this is what I wanted to do as a career when I grew up. It’s the only thing I feel alive doing.

  1. What genres do you write in and why? 

I write in the genres of poetry, children, and romance. I started my author journey publishing poetry because that is what I wrote the most of at the time. Then I shifted to children’s books and wrote two of those while working in daycare because I was inspired by my kids. I love writing for kids and watching my story come to life through illustration. It is such a cool process.

I recently decided that I needed to stop genre-hopping and choose a lane to stick to. As cliché as it may sound I chose romance. Yes, I know, isn’t that what everyone wants to write? For me, I chose romance because the stories I have for my upcoming series won’t let me go. I have to write them, it’s like breathing to me.

  1. How do you find inspiration for your stories and poems?

I find my inspiration from life, people I know or have known. Situations I have been in or others have. Plus a good dose of fiction, of course. 🙂

  1. Can you tell us about your latest release?

Someone To Catch My Teardrops is the first book in my Steele Family Saga series. It’s about a country music singer who loses it all and has to claw his way back into the spotlight.

Grantland Steele is the first-born son of Sterling and Haven Steele. He is on top of the world until a personal tragedy hits him hard and he loses it all-his recording contract, his staff, and his career is put on hold indefinitely.

The same night, McRae Torrinson suffers a loss of her own. McRae has loved Grantland for years but he never knew she existed. Both are back in their small hometown and have to figure out what their next steps are.

McRae takes a job working at the local grocery store but it’s not enough. Desperate to make ends meet, she signs on as a personal chef for a local family.  Little does she know that her new employer is none other than Grantland Steele..her college crush. Can these two lost souls heal each other’s hearts, and finally find love…

Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out. 😉

I enjoyed writing Grantland and McRae’s story. I hope that others will enjoy it as well.

  1. What do you consider the best part of having a writing career? And what do you dislike about this profession?

The best part of having a writing career, especially an indie writing career, is that you are on your own timeline and you have control over everything. You call the shots, I love that.

I dislike editing, it’s a bear. Even with software, it can be so tedious and time-consuming but is a necessary evil. I also don’t like having to do everything. It can get exhausting when you have to write, keep up on your social media, market, come up with your social media calendar, etc. But still, I wouldn’t trade writing for anything.

  1. Do you have a writing routine?

This is something I need to work on.  I don’t have a writing routine. I need to find the balance between getting up early to write before I go to work but not getting up so early that I’m tired all day.

I recently read a book called The Miracle Morning For Writers and it was an awesome book. I’m going to put what I learned into practice. Things like getting up an hour earlier, having some quiet time, reading books on writing, etc. If you are a writer and haven’t read this book, you need to.

  1. Do you have a marketing routine?

No, marketing is another beast I’m trying to tame. I try to schedule all my graphics on social media ahead of time so all I have to do is manually upload my videos. I also try to plan my social media calendar in advance. I usually post three times a week.

This will be my first “official” book launch so it will be a learning process for me but I’m trying. The thing is, this author stuff is a constant journey of learning and most things are fixable, thank God.

  1. What wisdom would you like to impart on writers who are only just beginning?

Just start. Don’t worry about being perfect. The thing is, you are going to make mistakes, this is just part of it.

Learn all you can about writing and publishing and marketing, it’s the only way you will grow. Also, there are a “ton’ of publishing experts and gurus out there. Do your research and choose no more than three that you listen to. Make sure you resonate with them and that they are living the life that you want to live.

Connect with other writers, this is so, so important. Writing can be a solitary activity but we need community and you will need other writers. We are a different breed and not everyone understands us. You are going to need that support to ask questions, laugh with, and cry with.

  1. Where can we find you on the web?

Instagram: @carrielowrance

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarrieLowranceBooks

Website: www.carrielowrance.com

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You can check out Someone to Catch My Teardrops on Amazon.

 

Interview with Author Liza Miles

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I might earn a little something if you buy through them – at no extra cost to you.

 

Liza Miles is the author of Love Bites, Murder on Morrison and My Life’s not Funny, a YA Fiction to be published by Scaramouche Press in April 2021. Liza also contributed poems and prose to the 2020 lockdown Anthology ‘Stir Crazy’, published by Whitewater Publishing and The Book Whisperers. She is a member of the Federation of Writers (Scotland) and the Scottish Writers’ Centre.

As a non-fiction writer Liza previously published “Insider Stories” for Lion (UK) and “Mummy had an Owie” for Bookerline Publishing, (Canada.)

Liza began her professional life in advertising and documentary filmmaking. As a filmmaker, Liza was interested in telling real-life stories about local people, and the challenges which they had overcome, or were helping others to overcome. One of her favorite documentary films was about the singer Helen Shapiro.  She also worked regularly with Sir Harry Secombe on Highway.

In 1994 Liza studied expressive arts therapy at IATE in London and established The Arts Counselling Trust offering men and youth in prison the opportunity to participate in expressive art therapy as a means of rehabilitation. Liza is also qualified as a family mediator and has worked extensively in both Canada and the UK to support families affected by social justice issues and family violence.

In 2017 Liza settled in Scotland, the home of her maternal ancestors, to concentrate on writing fiction.  She has two daughters who are the light in her life and two cats who keep her company while she spends time writing, researching and developing stories.

Can you tell us about your writing journey? How/when did it start?  

I have always written and been an avid reader. I loved writing essays at school and had a journal with some pretty bad adolescent angst poetry. I was fascinated by books and stories of all sorts and would often act them out under the table in my grandmother’s living room.

When I went into advertising/documentary filmmaking as a career in my late teens/early twenties, I started by writing synopses and research proposals and then finally the narrative to documentary films I directed. In 1995 I was commissioned as an editor for a book about the spiritual lives of men in prison for Lion books.

What genres do you prefer to read? What genres do you prefer to write? Why? 

The stories I write are very character-driven and are mostly about women. I like to write about the inner landscape of the protagonist, antagonist and other characters. I am drawn to writing stories about human family and intimate partner relationships – and cosy crime. Perhaps this is because I have worked extensively with people who have experienced significant trauma when I changed careers from television to become an expressive arts therapist and family mediator.

I am drawn to writing work that is humorous on the lighter side, but also the darker and more sinister side, about control and the complexity of relationships. I am also planning a non-fiction book for parents who are divorcing, encouraging them to consider the feelings of their children and not put the child in the middle of their separation.

I love reading mystery – Ian Rankin, PD James and Agatha Christie are my favourites.

Other writers I admire and enjoy reading include Mary Wesley, Maeve Binchy and Anita Brockner, each of these writers bring characters to life and write about the deeper and introspective parts of what their characters are feeling.

I am also a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh – wisdom for life in a nutshell? The Hobbit by Tolkein and The Narnia Books as well as CS Lewis’s non-fiction books The Four Loves and Surprised by Joy.

What was your publishing journey like? 

I was fortunate to have worked with Lion Books for non-fiction and learned a lot about the editing process and how to put an idea into book format.

More recently I have been selected by Scaramouche Press for a YA Novel.  “My Life’s not Funny”, which they will publish in April 2021.

Otherwise, I have chosen to be independent for several reasons including having a more personal relationship with my readers. So far, I have two independent books available, Love Bites and Murder on Morrison.

Love Bites is a series of short stories about relationships, and Murder on Morrison is the debut novel for Rose McLaren a female sleuth.

In 2004, I worked with a small publisher in Canada creating a non-fiction book for mothers undergoing breast cancer, who have young children, called “Mummy had an Owie”.

How do you find inspiration for your novels? 

My Life’s not Funny started out from a dream I had.  I saw three young men laying on a beach, they had all been stabbed.

I went straight to my keyboard and started writing the scene, then the protagonist, Amelia came alive and I ended up telling her story, what happened to her after she found out her brother had been killed.  Billy was one of the young men on the beach.

Similarly, Murder on Morrison came from a review about Love Bites. They noticed that I was influenced in a couple of the stories by the mystery genre. That night I dreamed about Rose McLaren, she was older in my dream, so the books I am writing now are in her younger life, and the series as it goes on will reveal more about her.

She, like many sleuths, has a complex past, some of which is revealed in Murder on Morrison, but there is more to come.

What do you like to do when you don’t write? 

I am a watercolourist, I make cards for friends rather than buying them and have several pieces hanging in my home, and I gift painting to others.

I am definitely an amateur, but some of my work has merit and the homemade cards are always well appreciated. I always make out Christmas cards, and this year I combined a watercolour with a poem.

Can you tell us about your latest project(s)? 

Murder on Morrison was released on February 28th and I am now planning/writing the second novel in that series; it is once again in Edinburgh.

This time the murders happen during the fringe festival. I am hoping to have it released in June, in time for the Fringe (covid permitting) and Edinburgh book festival in August 2021.

I am also completing a dark novel which is the prequel to a short story in Love Bites called Grace. The working title for the novel is The Bastard Verdict. This story is about an abusive relationship and a dark underworld of men in power. It also takes place in Edinburgh in the late 1950s to early seventies.  I am hoping this will be ready for publication in September.

My Life’s not Funny will be published in April, so it’s going to be a busy year!

Where can we find you on social media? 

I am on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizamileswriter/

Twitter: LizaMilesWriter@LOVEBIT28046864,  and

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizamileswriter

Website: lizamileswriter.com

I also have a YouTube Channel where I post readings: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqDeBqZp1BaSbKl1oclyb5g.

Interview with Author Shanah Bell on Her Book The Art of Being a PITA

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I love talking to other writers about their publishing experiences and the writing life in general. I enjoy it even more if those writers are my friends and we have a lot in common.

I first met Shanah through Holly Johnson’s Earn More Writing Facebook group, which is reserved for the students of the course (aff.link).

I’ve recently read her book The Art of Being a PITA, (aff.link) in which she details adventures from her extremely varied career. She has diverse talents and interests, and she refuses to stay in one job all her life. While there’s nothing wrong with staying with a job or company all your career (as long as it is making you happy), it’s a lot easier to relate to her resume for me. As a writer, I refuse to stick to a niche. To keep my elevator pitch short, I say I specialize in lifestyle if we are talking non-fiction, but in reality, it is just faster if I tell you things I don’t write about.

And while my educational and professional experiences haven’t been as diverse as Shanah’s, it still baffles a lot of people.

I studied Advertising and Business in college, and I held internships in advertising and PR companies. I interned for the sales and marketing division of Coca Cola. I worked for an education consultancy company. I did a very short stint volunteering at a bar during my college year abroad in Norway. I teach ESL and hold CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in teaching English to Adults). I’ve worked as a freelance translator, and I still do translation work. And I’m a freelance writer, blogger, novelist, and screenwriter. There are many more professional areas I want to explore. Niches and genres I want to write in.

So I thoroughly enjoyed PITA. I think it is crucial that we talk about diverse working experiences and colorful resumes so that employers – no matter what kind of work they are offering – stop seeing us as an anomaly. We might not have the 5-10 years of experience they are looking for, but we are adaptable, eager to learn, and easy to work with.

Enough about me. I’ll give you a short bio so that you know where Shanah is coming from and then dive into the interview.

And if you work in various niches or have a diverse resume, please share your experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

About the Author

Shanah Bell grew up in an entrepreneurial family, which drives her to think outside the box. As someone who hasn’t stopped moving since her feet first hit the ground, she’s not about to stop now. She is constantly on the hunt to learn new things and figure out how to attribute this new knowledge into her daily life.

She has a Master’s of Nutrition degree, which she uses to help peo­ple learn how to heal themselves through dietary adaptation. She and her spouse have five children in a blended family, which can get a little bit crazy at times. But they love it and do everything they can to teach their children how to think outside the box, as well.

Her goal in life is not only to live her best life but to help everyone around her live theirs, also.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing background?

I started writing as a child and have continued to hone my skills into adulthood. When I was younger, I spent more time writing poems and plays. But as I got older, I began to spend more time writing research papers and articles that helped people find solutions to specific issues. I became a freelance writer in 2016, as well as began writing on my own blog, Adaptive Nourishment. I have been working on two different books for multiple years now, and was thrilled to see “The Art of Being a PITA” finally come to fruition.

When did you decide to write this book? How did the idea and title come about?

I decided to write this book almost 10 years ago. The book was actually a larger project, but as time went on, I realized that it made more sense to split it up into two different books. The idea came about because people have been asking me for as long as I can remember how I do what I do when it comes to my career. I felt that it made more sense to write it all down, along with what I learned from each position, because that would be the most digestible way to get the information across. The title is actually not the original title of the book. The original title was “TADA – The Art of Diversifying & Adapting.” But after some market research, that title was deemed not relatable, so I worked on changing it. PITA is something I have been called by my mother, since I was young, and by many other people I have run across. So it just naturally made sense to me to add that into the title, since the book is about non-traditional living.

What’s The Art of Being a PITA about in your own words?

PITA is ultimately multifaceted. This book talks about:

  • living a non-traditional life
  • working multiple different jobs at one time
  • multitasking effectively
  • learning new skill sets
  • learning more about you and what you really like in the workspace
  • becoming a more valued employee in any genre
  • creating financial stability when working non-traditional jobs
  • figuring out what your “WHY” is in life and how that translates to your career
  • creating work/life balance
  • living the highest and best life for you, which may not look like anybody else’s.

Can you take us through the publishing journey of PITA?

I originally met my publisher (Wisdom House Books) through LinkedIn in January of 2018. We met in person in February to discuss the book and the progress I was making. I finally got the initial copy completed in August of 2018 and submitted it to my publisher the same day. I began speaking with my editor in September 2018, where we started the editing process. My publisher was working on the jacket design at the same time. We got the jacket design completed in January 2019, as well as the final editing. The book was released on Amazon on March 1, 2019.

Did you enjoy working with them?

I did for the editing and publishing process, but I HATED them for the PR process.

They charged me through the nose and did basically nothing. So I fired them.

But getting the book published was a great process. I wish they would have just left me alone at that because then I wouldn’t have the sour taste in my mouth about them

How much did they charge you?

It was about $6000.

I talked to a few other FinCon people who have worked in publishing, and they said that the pricing wasn’t actually that bad compared to traditional publishers since they take a large portion of the book proceeds instead of a lump sum. The PR was so much worse and they did freaking nothing!

Your adventures and experiences in the book make it very clear you rock at organizing and time management. Can you give us tips, for both when it comes to writing and life in general?

Being organized has been an integral part of how I have become so effective at multitasking and time management. I have found that if my environment, and calendar, are organized and up to date, then I am so much more efficient. When I am discussing a meeting with someone, as soon as it has been confirmed, I put it on my calendar. I do not STOP, or pass GO (Monopoly reference) until I put the event on my calendar. Because if I don’t do it right then, it may not make it on there, and then the meeting doesn’t exist in my world. This has been extremely helpful. Plus, I am a huge believer in having an organized space to work in, as well as my house being in order. When everything is organized, I know exactly where to find what I need, so I don’t waste valuable time looking for things, or feeling chaotic. Creating balance in your space is an important tool for creating balance in your work life. When it comes to writing, I know who my clients are for the month and how many articles I need to write. So I dedicate certain mornings to getting my writing knocked out.

Since I am a morning person, this is the optimal time, for me, to work on things that require higher level thought processes. Finding the most optimal time of day for you to work is an important thing to know about yourself and take advantage of when doing anything work related. So if you are a night owl, you should be doing most of your higher level work at night, instead of in the morning, like me. But no matter what, make sure that you dedicate a specific time frame on certain regular days to get your work done, because it will create a more ingrained schedule, which leads to more effectiveness and efficiency.

Do you have any tips for people who are like you – people who love defining their own terms and working in different areas?

Figure out what your “WHY” is first and foremost. What is it that drives you to do what you do, or what you want to do? Once you know this, it will be easier to pick and choose jobs based on what makes you ultimately happy. And make sure to create organization in your life so that you can be more efficient and effective at what you choose to do. If you are both of those, whoever you work for will deem you more valuable. This can translate into higher pay, sometimes, or just more flexibility. And if you are like me when it comes to defining your own terms, you are probably doing it because flexibility, and living your life on your own terms, are more important to you than the pay is.

What are your publishing plans for the future?

Right now I have 3 more books planned in the PITA series, so I am hoping to have the next one released in a year.

What are some of your favorite books? Favorite authors?

  • The Celestine Prophecy Series by James Redfield has been one of my favorite series since it came out in the 1990s
  • Robin Cook, who writes medical mysteries
  • Patricia Cornwell, who writes forensic science mysteries
  • Sue Grafton, who writes detective mysteries based out of Santa Barbara, CA, which is where I am originally from
  • Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
  • The Plant Paradox by Stephen Gundry
  • The Longevity Code by Kris Verburgh
  • Financial Freedom by Grand Sabatier
  • The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley

Where can we follow you on social media?

 

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