Interview with Zrinka Jelic

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?

My latest release is titled “Treasured Chest”. It’s untypical pirate’s romance in which women hiding from the law are pirates.

Do you have a favorite character?

In this book, my favorite is Captain Marko, a man skilled in the art of love as he is skilled with a sword. Who wouldn’t love him?

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers? Yes, both my books are published through Black Opal Books. It is a small press, a boutique style publisher, meaning they publish paperbacks only per order.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?

Yes, I am a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and its online specialty chapter Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal (FFnP). My debut novel “Bonded by Crimson” is a paranormal romance and my work in progress is also a paranormal.  FFnP online critique group helped me tremendously while I was working on “Bonded by Crimson” and they are of a huge help with my wip. However, “Treasured Chest” has been critiqued by my three steady critique partners.

What is your writing process?

Well, I’m a punster and I never know which way my muse will take me. I usually start with a quick synopsis and once I’ve even tried to plot the book, then I never referred back to it. So, I edit as I go, I usually don’t see past the next chapter, not in the smallest of details at least. I see the big picture, but only once I start to tackle the job, I can concentrate on the details.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

I didn’t hire them, the three editors who worked on both my books came with the publishing contract.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Yes, they are available at my publisher’s site, on Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, Smashwords, AllRomance E-books. Hope I’m not forgetting anything.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

You will find me on Facebook, sometimes I tweet but haven’t figured how to do this successfully. I have banner ads on The Romance Reviews and The Romance Studio. Also making as many guest blog appearances as I can possibly do. Marketing is a full time job with no pay what so ever. But in the end the best is to let the word of mouth do the job. I’m confident in my books and that people will find them page turners and the I have people stop me in the store or restaurant to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed reading my books.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Oh yes, some days I don’t end up doing any writing at all. I’m just “out there” trying to line up the next blog appearance, the blog hop or a giveaway.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Working out in the gym. All kind of ideas pop in my head on that one hour on the treadmill or elliptical trainer. And then sometimes there something interesting to look at.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on two projects at the time, though I’m concentrating on my current wip “Love Remains” which is almost done. My second project is a prequel to “Bonded by Crimson”, but progress on that one is slow since somehow always seems to end up on the back burner. 

Author bio:

Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get. “Alas,” Jelic says, with a grin. “Some rain must fall in everyone’s life.”