Interview with April Ryder, SKID MARKS AND THE SELBY SLAMMERS

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

Skid Marks and the Selby Slammers is a Fun BBW roller derby romance. After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend for a blonde stick insect and a job in Wellington, Hayley is tricked into trying out for the local roller derby team—the Selby Slammers. At the tryouts, hilarity ensues when she leaves her mark on not only the rink, but some of the hunky men from the inline hockey team who practice on the next rink over.

Meanwhile, Hayley attempts to pick up what's left of her (love) life but is thwarted at every turn by three men: 1) the surprise return of her ex, 2) Jake, the hunky hockey player, and 3) continually running into Rick the 'Dick' who may or may not have a crazy underwear fetish! All three seem to be conspiring against her, taking turns causing unexpected problems in her new and very hectic (love) life.

Skid Marks is part of a series, how many books will be in total?

For the serial there will be 8 installments, although at this stage I intend for the eighth to be novel-length. There will be three novelized books: Skid Marks and the Selby Slammers, Skid Marks and the Auckland Assassins and the eighth installment. And don’t forget the bonus stories, three short stories that are set during Christmas. They’re more focused on Hayley and her whacky family than they are on roller derby.

What’s with the BBW?

Big Beautiful Women. Since I am one and they say to write what you know, I decided to go with it. I keep it vague as to how big they are so that any woman who might consider themselves a little curvier than average can relate.

Do you have a favorite character?

Hayley, hands down. She is the most lively character I have ever written! Even I don’t know what she’s going to do, say or think until it happens. She’s easily relatable and I really feel for her when life kicks her when she’s down. I’m also a little envious over the action she gets. Who wouldn’t want multiple hot men chasing after them?

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

I mentioned above that Hayley is a force of her own but you’ll be surprised to learn that I actually do outline. Obviously it’s not set in stone and it’s more of a guideline for getting from A to B, but I do like to know where the story is going and what happens in between. I like to bullet point my ideas and move them around into an order that looks good. When Hayley is added into the mix things get a bit wonky. She usually follows the plan but then she might suddenly mention she wants to take someone right there on the table and next thing I know they’re in the bathroom of an Irish pub and going at it like rabbits! It’s like herding cats. Also, if I waited for the muse I’d never get anything written. Unless of course your muse turns up with a gun and points it at your head…

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I think I need there to be noise but I can’t stand writing when other people are around. So I have to be totally alone. Music is good but I also have an mp3 that is just the sound of rain falling. I put it on loop and listen to it with noise-cancelling headphones. The walls in my office are paper thin and the idiot in the next one can be loud. At the moment my process is headphones on, sit on a bean bag and write the scene. Get up have a break, then do it all over again. Sometimes I’ve had to lock the door to my office and take my pants off—summer just ended her and it’s been crazy hot. You have to be comfortable in order to write.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your books?

I’m impatient. If a book is finished I get it edited and organise the cover. I want it published now. Even when I put a book up on pre-order it’s only for a couple of weeks. So it really comes down to having full control of everything. Getting all of the money also helps!

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

Yes. All of my books are edited by the same editor. I look forward to making her LOL and when she leaves comments about how jealous she is that such and such is done in New Zealand—where I live—and not in America.

A quick note: Skid Marks and the Selby Slammers is set in New Zealand so therefore the book is in New Zealand English so please don’t think I—and my editor—can’t spell when you see: colour, favour, arse.

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer… dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?

Dogs or cats: Definitely cats. I currently timeshare the neighbour’s cat as our landlord will not let us have one. Mickey—the cat—is super friendly but a little dim. I’m going to write him into the Skid Marks series!

Chocolate of vanilla: While I do like some chocolate I am a fan of vanilla bean ice cream and vanilla milkshakes, so I have to go with vanilla.

Coffee or tea: I do not like coffee or tea. If I need a hot drink it’s hot chocolate for me. Cold drinks are usually Coke or the occasional chocolate milk.

Talk or text: If it’s going to be a long conversation then talk, text is for short snippets of info being passed along. My dad, however, tries to text everything. I end up calling him otherwise he’ll keep texting well into the night.

Day or night: Hmm…this is a tough one. You wouldn’t think so but it is. While I like to get things done during the day and eating, I do like sleep. I’m going with night because sleeping wins every time.

What’s next for you?

More books! Seriously, I have it all planned out. Release at least one book a month so I can save enough money to buy a house and get a cat. The end goal here is to get a cat. Well, that and earn enough money for my husband to leave his job and come work for me. I don’t want to do house work or garden, he can do it!

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/April-Ryder/e/B00OIIK1LI