What does Darcy do when she doesn't feel like writing? What does she do in the marketing arena to bring in sales? How does Darcy feel about book signings?
Find out in today's author interview:
Tell me about yourself. What got
you started in writing?
I am a couple
and family therapist/counselor by profession. In May of 2010, my 48 year old
husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Gallbladder Cancer. We found a blog site
called CaringBridge where we journaled our story so people could follow what
was happening. We started hearing a lot of “you really need to make this a
book” comments and the idea started to grow.
In March of 2013, Bitter and Sweet: A Family’s Journey with Cancer was
published. I started blogging weekly in
September of 2012 and have continued to do so. I am also currently working on
the sequel to Bitter and Sweet.
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?
I write on my laptop. I like
to be able to change things around easily. My computer is slow sometimes so it
can be frustrating. I have a little office off my kitchen where I do most of my
work.
What's your favorite part about
writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
Once I get going, it flows
pretty easily. I write about personal experience so it ends up being pretty
cathartic for me. The least favorite part is scheduling writing. I hate when
it’s Thursday and I need to blog and I don’t feel inspired. It’s hard to “make
yourself” write. But with other professions, you have to work even if you don’t
feel like it, so I try to push myself with the writing too.
How do you come up with your
characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?
My story is true to life happenings. I have
had to change the names other than myself, my husband and my pets. Other than
that, it’s all as true as I can make it.
Because of the “realness”, I think people can relate to the characters.
Once they start reading, they want to continue. After this writing experience,
I have a deep appreciation for authors that can create characters and plots. I
have no idea how to do that. I can write about what I deeply feel. To create
apart from that is not a talent I possess.
What types of marketing do you do
to promote your writing?
I have a dear friend that is the mastermind behind
most of my marketing. Social media is the biggest one. I am on Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest, Wordpress (blog), and LinkedIn. They are set up so that
when I do something on one of those sites, they interact with each other and
show up on all sites. I also have websites for my counseling practice and the
publishing company. We blitzed all email
contacts we have.
The second area we have concentrated
on is book signings and talks. We made contact with all the local bookstores
and libraries in our area. We have found that signings are generally not as
successful as having some sort of talk or reading.
The last area is making cold
calls/email contacts to churches, book clubs, and colleges. We literally look
up places online, find out contact information and start networking. And of
course, wherever we go we are always talking, talking, talking.
How do you schedule your writing
time? When do you write?
I generally
write Monday through Saturday, maybe an hour a day. Thursdays I also blog. I
don’t have a particular time of day because I work around appointments, kids,
etc. Sometimes I write in-between phone
calls and emails. But sometimes, like right now, my house is unusually quiet
and I can just concentrate on what I am doing.
What are you currently working on?
Do you have a new book out?
My first
book Bitter and Sweet; A Family’s Journey with Cancer came out in March
of 2013. It is the story of my husband’s terminal illness- the diagnosis and
how we managed our lives until his death five months later. I am now working on
the second book. I believe this one will be called Life After Death on This
Side of Heaven. It will pick up on
the grief process after you get through the funeral and have to figure out how
to make sense of your life again and develop a “new normal.”
Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
This wasn't part of the original plan, but now that we have the publishing company
established we are thinking about publishing other people’s books. We are
currently in the editing process with a children’s book which has been
exciting!
What would you tell a beginning
writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?
Write
anyway. Anyone can publish so that isn't an issue. Realistically though, even
good writing is hard to sell. So you have to do it for your own personal satisfaction.
Helps if you have another means to support yourself financially!
***
Thank you Darcy!
babycooppublishing.com has reviews of Darcy's book, the book trailer, links to television and newspaper coverage,
speaking engagements, etc.; there are also links there to Facebook, twitter,
linked in, and pinterest:
Her blog:
helpforhealing.wordpress.com
Thanks for sharing!
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