Can you give us a brief
overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Oh boy. Let me begin by saying
I’m not great at elevator pitches. That said, here goes… After She Fell straddles
the line between a romance and women’s fiction novel. It’s a story about a
woman who, due to a profoundly life-altering incident from her past, struggles
to allow and accept love into her life. This struggle not only comes between
her feelings for the hero of this story, but it comes between her ability to
love and forgive herself. It’s about a woman who fell from grace, a woman who
needs to learn that it’s only by falling again–—this time in love (in all its myriad
forms)––that she can finally rise.
No, this story is not part
of a series.
Have you ever had a minor
character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel
at all?
Funnily enough, that’s what
happened to Christina. She was originally a side character in a story that
Jackie (who, coincidentally enough, plays a side character in After She Fell) actually
starred in. That original story I’ve since scrapped and part of the reason was
because, during the writing of it, Christina slowly but surely started stealing
my attention, stealing the show.
What factors influenced your
decision to self-publish your book(s)?
From the word go, I knew I’d
do at least some self-publishing; except for my second novel, Twenty-Seven
Tiered Almond Cake, all my stories are (or were at some point) written, chapter-by-chapter,
week-by-week on my blog, www.litliber.com.
These works are always presented in the first, rough draft form, and they
always go through heavy editing before final book publication, but it’s a free and
fun way to stay connected to readers during the writing process. Aware that
these stories (which are technically considered ‘published’ the moment they’re
posted on my blog) would be almost impossible to get traditionally picked-up, I
always expected to dip my toes into self-pubbing. In fact, I kind of counted on
it. It forced me to make a move into independent publishing.
**While I did initially send
Twenty-Seven Tiered Almond Cake out to literary agents, I wasn’t very far in
the process before I decided to start my own publishing company. And so…well, here
I am. And I love every minute of it.
If you used a graphic
designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process
for your cover?
I actually did my own cover design. And those gorgeous legs on
the front of the book belong to my amazing, beautiful sister!
Do you belong to a critique group?
Have they helped improve your writing?
Yes, I do and yes, they most certainly
have! My writing group helped me exponentially in the making of this story.
Indeed, I acknowledge them specifically in the back of After She Fell. Hearing
their thoughts and sharing in their feedback and perceptions of Christina and
Jason and what they were going through, gauging their reactions and experiences
against my intentions and expectations, was undeniably beneficial and
challenging and rewarding!
What is your writing
process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
My writing process isn’t super
strict or set in routine. Typically, I write in the early morning. I tend to be
more motivated and productive in the early hours. Sometimes I plot, sometimes I
write by the seat of my pants, and sometimes I’m sandwiched in between both
concepts.
As for the second question,
though I do usually listen to music for the first two drafts of a piece…and
weirdly enough (and no, I don’t know how it started or even why it started)
when I do listen to music, it’s always Halloween-themed. Even in July. Haha!
After that, all other drafts are done in complete silence so I can fully focus
and concentrate on the substantive and specific elements involved in
storytelling: plot points, sentence structure and syntax, narrative/character arcs,
red threads, etc. etc.
Did you hire an editor to
review your manuscript before publishing?
Yes. As a fiction editor myself, I’m
only too aware of the value and advantage in having a professional look over my
work.
Do you find it difficult to juggle
your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Yes.
Absolutely. 100%. No matter what, you always feel slightly guilty that you’re
doing the one and not the other. But that’s how it goes, I suppose.
What advice would you give a
new author just entering into the self-publishing arena? Do your research. Read
A TON. Network and commit and engage with the writing community. Indie authors
are amazingly upfront about their successes, achievements, inquiries, and
struggles. Talk to them. Make friends. It’s a wonderfully supportive and
encouraging field. Also, accept that some publishing endeavors will flop. Chalk
it up to a learned experience. Share what works. Hey, share what doesn’t. (Why
make someone else slither through the mud too?) Lastly, try not to bemoan the
necessary art of marketing. Instead of a chore that one must push through, try
to make it fun, make it challenging, make it something to conquer rather than
endure. Slay that dragon!
What’s next for you?
Right
now, (probably unsurprisingly) I’m in the midst of a lot of marketing for After
She Fell.
I’m also about to start on
the second draft of my next romance novel. (The first draft of which, as I said
above, can currently be found on my blog: https://litliber.com/2018/01/01/life-reconstructed-chapter-one/);
in a nutshell, it’s a story based on the idea of one small change. One small hiccup
in a woman’s well-ordered, if boring, life and — ripple effect! — suddenly, everything
pivots, flips, shifts perspective. So, stay tuned on that front…!
After She Fell
Amber Laura
Publication date: July 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
She’s tried for years to convince herself that she isn’t in love with him. If it hasn’t worked, at least she’s managed to convince him of it, anyway.
A tragic love affair from her past had shattered Christina’s illusions of romance—it’d shattered her entire world, left her utterly broken and blamed. She’s fallen once before. She isn’t about to make the same mistake twice!
Jason Gordman is off-limits. Charming, playful, confident—he’s everything dangerous to her defenses. Worse yet, he’s the boss’s son. Hiding behind antagonism and indifference, Christina manages to keep him at a careful distance. That is, until one fateful night when she finds herself snowbound with him in a blizzard and she slips, allows herself one, forbidden kiss…
Struggling to reconcile her feelings, Christina is entirely unprepared for where that one stolen moment will lead her.
Author Bio:
Amber Laura’s biography, also known as “Five Fun Facts about the Author”:
- As a writer, Amber Laura does her best daydreaming as a window-gazing passenger on long car rides.
- If there’s creamer, she’s drinking coffee. When she edits, there’s always creamer.
- A blogger, she also writes web fiction—(free stories updated chapter-by-chapter, week-by-week). Check it out at www.litliber.com.
- <Psst! Her debut novel, Topaz and Lace, a contemporary romance set in a fictitious Texas town, got its start on that same blog.
- While she may physically reside in the beautiful country of Northern Minnesota, in her imagination, Amber Laura lives all over the world. She considers it one of the best perks to being a writer: easy, cheap travel. That and the oddball characters she meets along the way….
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Thanks for being on the tour, Debra! :)
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