Interview with Aris Whittier

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first book.

I never aspired to be a writer. However, I’ve always loved to read and write. Growing up, I would read anything from Readers Digest to Stephen King. When I was younger, I used to love to tell stories…my mom called them lies…but I considered it creative story telling… LOL. When I was 16 I pick up my first romance book and I fell in love with the genre. When I was in college I wrote my first romance novel and it was then that I knew I wanted to be a writer.

Did you query agents and traditional publishers?  How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract?

I queried about 20 agents over the course of several months before I was offer representation. It took my agent about 5 months to then sale my manuscript.

What factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or    publisher?

I chose my agent because he represented my genre.

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will publish directly for Kindle? I just finished another romantic suspense that has a little paranormal twist in it, SECRETS.  I’m not under contact with my current publisher so I’m not sure who will pick up SECRETS.

Could you tell us a little about SECRETS?

SECRETS is a romance, whose heroine, Ashley Dawson, is a crime writer who has the ability to see spirits (think Ghost Whisper and Medium). Its hero, Nathaniel Marshall is a hardnosed architect with a long, dark past. A tight web of doubt, uncertainty, and affection is weaved when Nathaniel’s dead wife comes to Ashley in a vision. Throw a stalker turned serial killer in the mix and a crazy cat named Voodoo and the pages keep turning.

Did you design your cover art?  If not, would you care to share your graphic designer’s information?

My publisher designed all of my book covers. I was allowed a little input but it was ultimately their decision.

How did you feel when you got your first sale? 

Excited and thankful! It’s very hard to break into this business so when you do it’s very rewarding.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale? You can buy my books almost anywhere books are sold on the net. Fatal Embrace and Foolish Notions are also available in most libraries.

What format are your books available in?

They are in hardback, paperback, and available on Kindle and Nook.

What’s next for you?

Currently, I’m working on romantic suspense and also a beautiful love story so keep an eye out for them.