AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Wanda Austin Nelson

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

          

I’ve been writing since I was a child.  It was always a way of expressing my heart.  

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

       

I usually write in the evening. It’s not on a rigid schedule simply because of things that do require my immediate attention at times.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

      

I’ve used a lap top for years because it goes where I go.  I can write on a bed, a sofa, even riding down the road if I have to.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?       

   

I love telling a story. I even like the research. I  don’t always enjoy formatting the end result.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

   

I’ve written several books.  I get ideas from different things. Even dreams sometimes. My first book took five years to write.  Usually about two years on the others.

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What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

   

I use various social media and word of mouth.  Sometimes I arrange for free books on Amazon Kindle.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

   

I am currently working on two books, hopefully  at least one will be finished this year.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.  

     

I am considering  doing an historical fiction on an ancestor of mine, but I haven’t decided which one, or the time period I’d like to do.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

  

I would say go for it. You never know until you try and you may surprise  yourself with a wonderful story!  Writing is like anything else, the more you do it, the more you improve.

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Question for Kathryn:

What are the easiest and cheapest ways for a new writer to market their book?

Great question! Do you have my marketing book yet?

Top five easiest and cheapest ways to market in a nutshell:

1. Blog interviews like this one.

2. Free advertising on sites. You might want to try an author spotlight.

3. Social Media. Facebook is the best place to share your work but there are other social media avenues to try such as twitter and LinkedIn.

4. Postcards instead of business cards. An author can fit more information on a postcard such as the book cover, synopsis, links and contact information. Postcards will cost you a little but will go a long way. Use them at book signings, as invitations, as bookmarks, and as your business card.

5. Speaking up about your book. Keep your postcards with you. Hand them out when people ask what you do for a living, when you've had an especially good meal at a restaurant, whenver you have an opportunity.

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Learn more about Wanda:

www.wandaustinnelson.com  

amazon.com/author/wandanelson

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Joe Austin from Tracks of my Father

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)   

My name is Joe Austin.  I  have black hair and green eyes.  I live in Tennessee, on a farm. We’re close to the  Cumberland River so we fish there a lot.  I’m only nine years old now. I just want to finish my homework so I can play!

What do you like to do in your spare time?   

Go fishing!

What is your favorite color and why?   

I like all colors ! 

Purchase Tracks of My Father: Joe's Story

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?  Fish. Momma cooks it better than anybody in the  world!

What would you say is your biggest quirk?  I love reading; most  of my friends don’t like to read.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why?  

I don’t think I have one of those. If I did,  I wouldn't like  it if  he lied. That makes me mad.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?   

My momma. I’ll do whatever she wants me to.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?  

I don’t like  working  on a farm!

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?  

She knows me well enough to know that there’s  not  much of  a chance  it would ever be any different.  She knows I’m not perfect but  if there  was anything  that I could have done, I  would have tried.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.    

When you write about  the people in your books,  do they really seem real to you?  Or are they like something you just dream about?

Good question. My characters are very real to me; so real, I often feel as if they are my next door neighbors. Often, when I finish a book, I am sad because I have to leave them.

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Thank you, Joe!

Learn more about Joe and Tracks of my Father below:

Joe is fast becoming a young man during the 1930's and 40's, an almost forgotten era. 
The Austin's live in rural Tennessee, where Daddy farms. 
Despite the hardships that they have to endure, they are certain of two things. God and Family are everything. 
Joe loses his baby sister and they do their best to remain strong. The Austin's find happiness when a new little sister is born, and later, another. 
A raging fire soon destroys most of their home. Momma gets sick, and Joe is forced to become a surrogate parent to his young sisters. 
How can Joe keep everything together? How can he do all that he is forced to do when he is only eleven years old?

http://www.wanda-nelson.org/