My debut novel, Never Stop Falling, is a standalone New
Adult Contemporary Romance. It’s the story of two lifelong friends—Corinne
Bennett and Nicholas Kelley, who eventually realize their feelings for one
another run much deeper than friendship. While Corinne has always been the
impulsive risk-taker, Nicholas is much more levelheaded and mature. Their
personalities balance each other out, making their friendship so easy and
effortless, which is why an unexpected revelation makes Corinne question her
decision to cross that line with her best friend. She could easily lose the one
person that keeps her grounded, and she doesn’t know if love is really worth
that risk.
Do you have a favorite character?
Hands down, one of my
favorite characters in my story is Braiden Sanders, Nick’s other best friend!
This guy is completely nuts! I think when I wrote his character, I was thinking
“Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) in Fast Times
at Ridgemont High” mixed with a little bit of “Joey Tribbiani in Friends.” He gives the story a little
comedic substance!
If you used a graphic
designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process
for your cover?
I absolutely love abstract covers, so of
course when I was thinking about my book cover, I knew I wanted something artsy
and abstract. Although Never Stop Falling is categorized as New Adult Fiction,
it also has a Contemporary appeal, so I wanted a cover that could appeal to
readers who are interested in both sub-genres. My cousin, Raeanne Villongco, is
a graphic designer, so I let her take the reins in coming up with an idea for
the cover! Her thought process behind the design was to have the main image on
the cover represent Corinne’s heart, and if you look closely, the veins form
the outline of the maps of California and New York with the silhouette of a
girl falling in between. Without giving too much of the plot away, the image
represents how Corinne’s heart is in two places. The triangle overlay was added
to represent the various love triangles in the story. There were multiple
designs that Raeanne came up with, but the moment I saw this one, I knew I had
to go with it!
What is your writing process? Do
you listen to music or do you like silence?
Music is my muse.
I’ll listen to my writing playlist on repeat when I’m not writing, so whether
it’s in the car, or when I’m out for a walk, or when I’m cooking or cleaning,
it’s always on. My best ideas come to me when I’m listening to my playlist, so
when I’m ready to sit down and write, no time is wasted trying to come up with ideas.
I usually like to have my music playing while I write, but if I find that it’s
too distracting, I’ll turn it off.
Did you hire an editor to review
your manuscript before publishing?
Of course! I don’t
think any writer should publish anything without having an editor look at it.
All writers need a fresh pair of eyes to look at their manuscripts because more
than likely, there are going to be things that are missed. I combed through my
manuscript a billion times (okay not that many, but it seemed like it!), and I
couldn’t believe the things I hadn’t caught or noticed before!
Besides Amazon, are there any
other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes! My book is
available on Barnes and Noble online, Kobo, and Apple iBooks.
Oh my gosh, yes!
Because this is my first book, I’ve been working endlessly to make sure I
market it as much as I possibly can. But because my time is so limited (I also
have a full-time day job and I’m a full-time mom/wife), I can hardly find time
to work on my second book. Even when I do find time to sit down and work on my
second book, my mind wanders to my first book, making it difficult to
concentrate or get any work done!
What advice would you give a new
author just entering into the self-publishing arena?
Work hard, work hard,
work hard! There is nothing about this process that is easy. The writing part
is one hurdle. The publishing and marketing aspect of it is another. You have
to be determined, and you have to set realistic goals. You can’t go into this
thinking you’re going to become the next New York Times bestseller (though
wouldn’t that be nice?!). And don’t set your expectations too high. Going into
this, my goal was to see my words in print, to be able to hold my book in my
hands and say that I wrote a novel. And I told myself that I would take
whatever comes after that.
Besides writing, do you have any
other passions?
I don’t really have
any other passions besides reading and writing. I do love the outdoors and
exploring new places. My family means the world to me, so when I’m not writing,
my time is spent with my husband and daughter. I’m also a foodie, so I love
checking out new restaurants!
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working
on my second book that I hope to have a blurb and title for in the next few months.
I can’t wait to put this story out as it is definitely a different type of love
story than Never Stop Falling. I
don’t have an exact release date for this one, but I’m aiming for early 2017.
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