Interivew with Bonnie R Paulson

Do you have a favorite character?

My favorite of all my characters is Paul Ledger. He’s so cute and I love his personality. I love that he fights the cravings to eat Heather and kiss her. What a dichotomy for a boy ruled by his carnal desires. I love it. He’s fun and loyal, but cranky at times, too. Sigh.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I sure did. I have been traditionally published twice and represented by a rather large agent whom I had to part ways with. On one of my books that was trad pubbed, the title and many other things were so far out of my consideration, it hurt to continue. I’d lost so many things – the original name of my story, the stipulations for my cover, many, many things. So I turned to self-publishing. The 2 series I have up actually had offers of representation as well as requests for large houses, but I pulled them from consideration and pursued the self-pub route. I haven’t looked back since.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

In trad pubbing, I had no control. But in self-pubbing, I used an awesome cover artist, Ashley Byland at Redbird Designs, and I couldn’t be happier. She works with me on every single detail, no matter how demanding I am.

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

I do and they are amazing. Yes, they have improved my writing in immeasurable ways. I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking about how helpful they’ve been.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I start where the muse wants to and then halfway through, I will create an outline to make sure I don’t miss anything. The last thing you want is holes that you have to fix after the manuscript has been completed.

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

Always. I have a very extensive critique group/partners which cover the development of the stories. Following that, my work goes to betas whom I trust. Then my final line of defense is Bri Lee Editing (brileeediting@gmail.com) and he makes sure my work is CLEAN. I would never release my work unless he had edited it. Never! I have too much respect for my readers and fellow writers.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?

It’s hard. Discouraging. And yet, that one reader that emails you how much they loved your story – they make everything worthwhile and give you fuzzy bunnies in your tummy that inspire you to write more.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Keep writing. Don’t give up.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

My family (6 kids and my hot hubs), dirt biking, cooking, reading, and discovering new friends.

Thank you so much for having me! These are great questions and I had a blast answering them. Thank you and hugs!

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