Interview with Sara Ohlin, HANDLING THE RANCHER

Do you have a favorite character?

When I started writing the book, Miranda was my favorite. Then Lily grew into my favorite. In fact she wouldn’t leave me alone, so I wrote her story next.

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

I did do the traditional route to publishing. I’ve been querying different books for years. The whole process has changed so much, from when you used to send paper queries by real mail to now where it’s almost all electronic. For this book, I actually found my publisher during a Twitter Pitch event, which was really intimidating but super fun too. And a great way to make other writer friend/connections.

How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?

I started writing in 2000, mostly essay and memoir. I started the first draft of Handling the Rancher in 2007. After lots of drafts, lots of submissions, lots of rejections, I got my contract in 2019. I still think someone’s pranking me! And it’s not my first novel.

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

I try to get to work writing every week day after I get my kids to school around 9am. And when I turn off social media and make myself write for several hours, most days I can be really productive. Although productive often means different things. Sometimes it’s writing a chapter, sometimes it’s getting the emotion perfect in one tiny scene. I used to write to music, but lately I get distracted when I do that. Oddly enough, I can write in a loud, busy café, but not with the noise my kids make around the house.

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

I go where the muse takes me. Usually the muse is/are characters beating a drum in my head saying, “Write ME now! ME! ME! ME!” I do take some notes as I go and I write ideas for ideas to come in the manuscripts, but I’m not an outliner.

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

My publisher, Totally Bound/Totally Entwined Group does a lot of promoting on their end through different social media platforms and with bloggers and reviewers. I do promote on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I don’t have a huge mailing list yet. And I’m learning more about forums like BookBub and Booksprout.

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

Absolutely!! I’m still learning how to do this. The marketing side of this job is extremely difficult for me. It makes me feel really uncomfortable. Even when kind people offer help and support with things like newsletter swaps, it can make me shut down because I am new to all of it!! Which is why I’m grateful for agencies like Goddess Fish Promotions. It can be difficult, as a new author, and with the ever-changing publishing world, to know where to put your time and money. Connecting with people makes it all worth it, though. I think it’s important to learn about/do what you’re comfortable with, which might be different than what someone else is comfortable with.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Yes! I’m obsessed with reading; I usually have several books going at the same time. Our house is full of books and my kids love to read too, so at least I have that going for me in the parenting department. I also love to cook and bake and travel. I’m obsessed with food. Some might call me a food snob. I probably am.

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!!! All the dogs! We have a new rescue dog, a border collie named Fionn, who is attached to my hip. CHOCOLATE! Always and forever. COFFEE & TEA. I love both!!  TALK! And DAY! I’m a morning person.

What’s next for you?

I have another series debuting in December. The first book is Salvaging Love, also published by Totally Bound/Totally Entwined Group. A brooding attorney threatens the livelihood of a sexy, smart veterinarian. Like my Graciella series, there’s great community, and lots of sizzle. You’ll also find some super cute animals, mostly DOGS! And I’m working on the 2^nd book in each series. I also continue to write essays and creative non-fiction.

 

BLURB:

Handling the Rancher

What’s a sexy rancher to do when an uptight accountant falls into his lap?

Already reeling at having inherited the family farm on his father’s death, photojournalist Cruz Brockman returns home to the Oregon town of Graciella to receive another blow—accountant Miranda Jenks is there to audit the books because the IRS suspect his late father of tax fraud. To their astonishment, sparks fly between the passionate Cruz and the career-focused Miranda upon first meeting, and the heat rises with every encounter.

Threatened with losing everything his family has worked for, Cruz has no choice but to be completely open with the uptight Miranda, something that doesn’t come easily to him, just as focusing on her own needs is foreign to her. She’s buried her own desires all her life, but the longer she spends with the captivating rancher, the more she wants to dive into a passionate affair with him.

An intense, toe-curling physical connection is one thing, but exposing their hearts is another. As Miranda finishes her audit and the clock counts down to her leaving, can the reluctant rancher and the shy accountant conquer their fears and fight for their love?

Buy links:

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Handling-Rancher-Graciella-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07WX9LNDP/

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handling-Rancher-Graciella-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07WX9LNDP

Kobo.com: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/handling-the-rancher

Barnesandnoble.com https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handling-the-rancher-sara-ohlin/1133142210?ean=9781913186661

Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/book/handling-the-rancher

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the upcoming contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher and Salvaging Love.

She has over fifteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, (http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/afact-005.html), Feminine Collective (http://www.femininecollective.com/?s=Come+Back+to+Me+Lemon),  Mothers Always Write (https://mothersalwayswrite.com/map-of-flaws/), Her View from Home (https://herviewfromhome.com/the-joys-and-lessons-learned-through-team-sports/), and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.

If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story.

She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart.

Website: www.saraohlin.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/SaraOhlin222

Instagram = http://www.instagram.com/saraohlin222

Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/saraohlinwriter/

Pinterest = http://www.pinterest.com/saraohlin/

a Rafflecopter giveaway