WELCOME Erin grace!
So glad you could pop in and share a little about yourself and your writing.
1. What is the theme of the book you are working on?
I'm working on the Sequel to my Scottish time-travel romance Love in Ruins. THe new book, called 'From the Ashes', will features some of the favourite characters from the first story. From the Ashes is also a time-travel romance, but this time the hero is from the future. (I'm very excited about this book.)
2. What was/is one of the hardest things about writing one of your books/current manuscript? (Did you or do you want to throw it into the fire like frodo?)
To answer your last question...every single day. The hardest part I found was trying to make the book stand alone from the first and not let the original 'cast' take control, as they are not the main characters this time. It's harder than you think. Characters really do have a way of controlling the story if you let them. (You really have to slap them back in their place. Don't you?)
3. Because everyone always wants to know, panster or plotter?
Bit of both. For me, the story usually starts of as a type of synopsis (which I love doing, by the way!), and it doesn't always start at the beginning. Quite often I get a 'scene' in my head and flesh it out from there. I use plotting like breadcrumbs, scattering them ahead through the book, as its a lot less scary than facing an empty page. Yet, I'm flexible enough to move or change ideas when I get to them (in the plotting) or delete them altogether.
4. How important are reviews to you? Do you get upset when they aren’t favourable? (Like stalk the reviewer and wish they get infested with a thousand fleas.)
Reviews are important to me, especially if they contain good, constructive feedback - good or bad. Anyone can be a critic, but it takes a special kind of reader to give a 'critique'. In any profession I believe you benefit from different points of view, but it's also about the inner satisfaction of knowing how you made a reader feel and how they reacted to the characters you worked hard to evolve. (Makes what we do so worth while when a reader nails your story.)
5. How do you market your books? (Stand at the top of a building and shout buy my book?)
I probably don't do as much marketing as a I should, but after 9 years I've found the best kind of 'marketing' is to keep producing books. As I once heard, you can't stock a store with only one shirt. If your customer likes the shirt, they may want pants, etc. And, the best time to give them what they want is while your 'goods' are fresh in their mind. My initial advice is to always start off with at least one book ready to go and one waiting in the wings....and keep writing!
6. Social Media – Love it or hate it? Where do you hang out the most? Any tips to share?
Good in moderation. It can become a time-vampire (as I'm sure many would agree). I rarely tweet, as the lines are so saturated with people promoting one thing or another. I prefer to 'hang out' on Facebook as this gives me an open and direct contact with readers and fellow authors. I'm always happy to answer questions from readers and try to engage in many events. My only advice to anyone is to keep the tone pleasant, never make it personal.
7. What is your favourite motivational phrase or positive saying?
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~ Anton Chekhov
If you want to know more about Erin you can find her here;
Love In Ruins
Buy at AMAZON
Eager to escape a disastrous relationship, archaeologist, Ellie Harper, jumps at the chance to travel to the remote Scottish Highlands, and excavate the ruins of Castle MacKinnon. However, no matter where she goes, the shadow of her ex follows her, promising she will never be free of her painful past.
But, when a mysterious stranger turns up half-dead on her doorstep in the middle of a violent storm, Ellie is thrust into the realm of ancient secrets and impossible magic that challenges everything she holds dear.
Faced with a heartbreaking decision, Ellie must put her emotions and logic aside to help Laird Ewan MacKinnon find a way home to the thirteenth century – if one exists. What she doesn’t expect is to journey to a past more astounding than history, find a love more precious than ancient treasure, and survive the deadly wrath of an evil man’s revenge.
