The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less:
Jillian is conned back to 1495 Scotland to extricate a plaid-clad Romeo and Juliet before tragedy strikes...w/o falling for the bad guy!
Why e-publishing? Why now?
I have a wonderful agent who is shopping around other novels for me, but GOING BACK FOR ROMEO falls into that small time-travel niche. E-pubbing is all about creating a home for niche stories.
Why now? Because the stigma is dissolving. Best-selling authors are e-pubbing left and right. The ratio of gold vs. fool’s gold is improving by the hour, and agents and editors are finding great new authors from among the e-pubbed lists instead of the slush pile. Where is the shame of being on that list? “E” is the new way to break into the business, not a Scarlet Letter. What is a Scarlet Letter is an e-pubbed book that isn’t ready for prime time. You don’t want that brand. It’s more than skin-deep; it’s a tattoo that can’t be removed later.
What’s the one thing you learned about publishing this way that you didn’t anticipate? The Giddy Factor.
Okay, I’d heard friends tell me how wonderful it was. I wasn’t buying it. I wanted the fairy tale.
The surprise? It really is wonderful. And wonderful started the minute I decided to go for it. I feel like I’ve been offered a contract. Crazy but true. I’m the queen of delusions, but this feeling is not some mind trick.
And it burns no bridges. The JK Rowling dream is still alive and well and pushing me to write better, faster, and over the top.
Designing my own cover—with the help of an amazingly talented friend—resulted in the perfect cover for the story. I was giddy for days. I still am.
Watching e-pubbing from the outside was like standing at the train station, on the platform, a few feet away from the trains as they screeched and rumbled by. Train after train stopped for me, but I wouldn’t get on, so they left. When I realized what had changed in the industry, I jumped on the next train leaving the station.
What really pushed me over the edge was learning that I DIDN’T HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT! I was amazed at how intimidating the process was for me, even though writer-friends assured me it was easy. Then one day I was given the name of a guy who would format for me for under a hundred dollars. I could afford that. It would have cost me a week of labor hours trying to learn that on my own. And there are lots of people out there who are reasonable. Lots of people who will take that stress away.
What else are you working on? Secrets? Inside scoops? Give us the juicy stuff!
First off, the sequel to ROMEO is AVENGING JULIET—another Muir Witch Project. The hero in this one is someone the readers will already love. There’s a sneak peek at the end of ROMEO.
The juicy stuff? I guess that would be my next e-book, an angel love story with an Amish twist called SOMEWHERE OVER THE FREAKING RAINBOW. It’s not Scottish, but I always find a way to squeeze a Scot into every novel. It’s a Young Adult series, but romance fans should dig it, especially if they love a good sob. It has some wrenching black moments, but here’s a lighter line: “You know that song, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow...blue birds fly?’ Yeah. Well. Those aren’t bluebirds.”
About THE AUTHOR:
Have you always wanted to be a writer? I decided to be a writer when I was 11. It made all my other decisions pretty easy—especially on career days.
What made you decide to go that “extra step” and seek publication? I’m a bit ambitious. Being a florist wasn’t enough, I had to open my own shop. This is just opening another kind of shop.
Quick! You’ve been chosen to be a contestant on Survivor. What luxury item do you take? A lovely length of plaid wool. That stuff is as good as an army tent for keeping out the weather...and maybe a bug or a serpent. (Excellent choice! Did you see the finale last night??)
Tell us something about yourself we don’t know. I’m a stand-up comedian. No. Really. I even landed a paying gig. But the nine months I spent worrying about the crowd and coming up with the jokes was NOT worth the lovely check I got. Only three jokes bombed in a 20 minute set, so I think I kicked butt. (Holy brown cows! I've always wanted to be a comedian. Jerry Seinfeld is like, my fave.)
And the most important of all: bacon or chocolate? Thick, nearly burned bacon, served with piping hot chocolate, at Sill’s Cafe in Layton, Utah. (Is that cheating?) ((Yes, yes it is. But I don't care.)) Just holler when you’re up my way. (And now you know why I love her.)
You can get GOING BACK FOR ROMEO for only $2.99 from now until Christmas. Check it out!
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Be sure to follow L.L's adventures on her blog.
Are you giving books this holiday season? You can gift Kindle and Nook books--just sayin'. Are you hoping for books to be lurking in your stocking? Which ones?