1. What was your inspiration for SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT?
The biggest inspiration for this story, like most of my books, comes fromreal life. Sometimes it's a question or a philosophical musing. In this
case the inspiration was "change."
I'd been a caregiver to my grandparents for over 10 years. When that
ended, I suddenly had all this time and attention that used to be devoted
to taking care of others that now shifted to taking care of myself. It
sounds great, but at the same time all that change, being forced to
examine your life and where you want to go, what you want to be, it was
overwhelming.
Drastic changes can be frightening, and when you go through an experience
like caregiving, your attitude about life, about people and what's really
important is challenged. Annabell Leahey and Mitchell Black came out of
those challenges. They were both caregivers in different situations. Now
both are a little lost. Ann wants to embrace change and be a little wild,
a little bad. Who better to show her the ropes than Mitchell, the town's
legendary bad boy? That's when sparks start to fly. Ann & Mitchell's
story is a really about two people learning how to have fun again and
finding unexpected love along the way. And humor. I'm a big believer in
laughter in life.
2. Have you always been a writer?
I can't remember a time when I didn't want to write. I totally givecredit to my 4th grade teacher for inspiring my love of writing. From
that day forward I either had my nose buried in a book to read or in a
notebook to write.
3. What is the best/worst thing of being an indie author?
published through e-publishers who have worked with me to bring each book
to life. Some projects have required a more indie author attitude.
During that work I definitely discovered the pros and cons.
On the Pro side there's a lot of control. You write what you like, how
you like and get to tell the story your way. You can publish as fast as
you want. Your book doesn't sit around while you try to find an agent or
a publisher, or sit around even longer as you wait for your actual
publication date. I've had books sit with publishers for three to five
years. That's not a complaint. That's really how long the process can
last. It shocks writers when they hear that sometimes. As an indie
author, you also control pricing. You get all the income from the
royalties. There's a lot of freedom to being your own boss.
On the Con side there's a lot of responsibility mixed in with all that
control, like editing, proofreading, formatting, and creating the cover.
That's just getting the book physically done. You're writer, editor,
copy-editor, graphic designer. After the book is done, you have to
distribute, promote, and get it reviewed. It's a lot of work. You also
have to get a website going, a blog if you have one, establish your social
media platforms, do the bookkeeping, keep track of expenses, learn about
taxes, etc. It can be very overwhelming. There are lots of great
services that can help, but the learning curve can feel really steep.
Fortunately, the writing community is supportive and can help you avoid
pitfalls.
I think being honest about what your strengths and weaknesses are is
really important. Knowing what you can do, what you want to do, and what
you can farm out to other people or services is crucial. You learn that
it's okay to not be great at everything. You can be indie and still farm
out some tasks to help make success easier. On the flipside you'll
discover some talents you didn't even know you had. It's all about
balance.
4. What are your "must haves" while writing? Coffee? Music? Silence?
start and stop time and I stick to it. If I wait for inspiration to
strike, it spells doom for any progress.
I also love uninterrupted writing time. A schedule helps create that. I
can't write to music but I learned I didn't need silence either during two
years of construction on my home (complete with jackhammers). That's when
I found out I could tune just about anything out!
My other big "must have" is the will-power to resist distractions. If the
phone rings, I let voicemail get it. I stay offline unless I need to
research something. I won't check my email unless I'm taking a break.
It's those little time-stealers that will rob an entire day away before
you even realize it.
5. What upcoming projects are you working on?
contemporary and paranormal series.
The contemporary romance series follows a group of women whose lives
change due to a wedding invitation. That invitation sets off a domino
effect that brings all the heroes into their lives. I love that each
story has some real life magic to them, exploring fate, destiny, and soul
mates. Each story should be a fun, sexy adventure, just like a getaway to
a romantic island resort should be!
The paranormal romance series is a departure from my previously published
books but a return to an old genre I love. I'd written paranormal
romances in fan fiction and just fell in love with the cool mix of
romance, magic, and adventure. The genre's been calling to me lately and
these characters just excite me. The series brings a group of witches
together with some sinfully sexy demons. What excites me the most about
this series is that each story brings together all the elements I
personally love. There's action, danger, myth and legend, tattoos,
strong, sassy heroines and lots of hot heroes. Muscles and magic. Does
it get any better?
About the Author:
An unabashed romantic, Julie Harrington makes her home near Chicago,
Illinois. Her love of reading and writing began in grade school with an
assignment – ironically enough – about our dream career that swerved her
from marine biologist to author. Julie eventually won a contest in a
college literary magazine and the pursuit of publication led her to the
Romance Writers of America where she later became a Golden Heart Finalist
for Best Short Contemporary Romance with her novel Something To Talk
About.
When she's not writing, Julie devotes her time to her family and friends,
puts her degree in Computer Information Systems to good use as a recording
secretary, and spends way too much time online hunting for new additions
to her ever-growing collection of dragons.
Links:
Website: http://www.julieharrington.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Thank you, Hannah, for the interview. I had a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I definitely agree about the no music. It inspires...but when I'm actually focused, it distracts me. The upcoming projects sound interesting!
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