AUTHOR'S SPOTLIGHT
on
TRACIE PODGER
I am delighted to be able to interview Tracie Podger, and let you all learn a few things about her that you might not already know!
I’m an Earl Grey Tea addict who scuba dives and likes to get up close and personal with sharks. I live in Kent, UK, with the husband and an obnoxious cat called George – he doesn’t like me very much!
Tell us about your latest book/series. If yours is a series please tell us the order they should be read in.
Tell us about your latest book/series. If yours is a series please tell us the order they should be read in.
The Fallen Angel series is now complete, Part 4 is set for release at the end of November/beginning of December and to finish the series did cause a few tears to leak. In addition to the series, there are four character driven novels. These can be read in any order and as standalones.
The series is narrated by Brooke Stiles. She’s your average suburban British woman on holiday in Washington, DC, when she meets the dark and dangerous Robert Stone. This is a story about discovery, and about Brooke finding herself in a lifestyle she’s only ever seen in a movie ;)
Tell us about your Work in Progress
I’m currently re-writing the first book I wrote, some six or seven years ago, A Virtual Affair. My aim is for this book to be the first release in 2016. It’s a little hard going because I wrote this book when in the throes of depression so I’m also revisiting some hard times.
What inspires your writing?
Life and my characters! All the characters in my book are loosely based around real people; they are just not in their real lives. I like to find an interesting person and work them into a story, take some of their character traits and put them in situations totally alien to them, to see how they cope – is that really mean?
Life also inspires my stories; there are a lot of my experiences in the novels I write. Although, Robert Stone came to me in a dream (this was when I was at my maddest), he was telling me a story and I wrote what I saw. I changed the point of view as I felt it worked better from a British woman though.
What do you do when you are not writing?
What do you do when you are not writing?
What do I do when I’m not writing? I’m always writing ha ha I did take a weekend break recently with some author friends; we talked writing – a lot. In all seriousness, if I’m not writing, I’m usually working on marketing or teasers or cover ideas. Or I’m plotting and planning future releases. I work seven days a week right now so it doesn’t leave a lot of spare time.
How hard was it to get your first book published?
How hard was it to get your first book published?
Once I’d made the decision to self-publish, it was a nightmare – kidding! It was an exhausting process for my formatter, Declan O’Conner, because he had to talk me through, from Brazil, how to upload to Amazon and Createspace. I should point out; I’m a real technophobe! I could hear him banging his head on his desk from the UK at my complete ignorance and total lack of understanding of the terminology even. Now, it’s easy. Sort of. Well, I still shout across the ocean for help from Declan every now and again.
Did you find it hard to think of names for your characters or did they just pop into your head?
No, I always knew from the moment that man stepped into my head his name was Robert. As for his surname, I wanted something hard and inflexible, like the character. Stone is my mother’s maiden name, so once I’d had that light bulb moment, Robert Stone was created. Brooke was a name given to me by my ‘Aunt’ Evelyn, a Native American. I liked it, I used it. Travis – well, Travis’ name (not character) was inspired by one of my book boyfriends, Travis Maddox. Evelyn was easy, see above, and the rest are generally names of either friends or family.
Did you find it hard to think of names for your characters or did they just pop into your head?
No, I always knew from the moment that man stepped into my head his name was Robert. As for his surname, I wanted something hard and inflexible, like the character. Stone is my mother’s maiden name, so once I’d had that light bulb moment, Robert Stone was created. Brooke was a name given to me by my ‘Aunt’ Evelyn, a Native American. I liked it, I used it. Travis – well, Travis’ name (not character) was inspired by one of my book boyfriends, Travis Maddox. Evelyn was easy, see above, and the rest are generally names of either friends or family.
Do you prefer stand-alone or series?
I never set out to write a series, I just start to write a story. Sometimes that story grows too large, sometimes new characters are formed that need exploring and other times plot lines snake about allowing me to take my characters in a new direction.
Do you read the genre you write about or do you prefer something different?
I read all genres except sci-fi but I am a believer in writing the genre I love the most. Hence the mix of romance, crime, suspense and thriller! That is the beauty of being Indie, I can mix and match.
Now tell us about your absolute favourite book that you have read, and why it is special to you.
This is about the hardest question anyone can ask me. I have many favourites, many books that are dear to me for different reasons. A Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame will always be my childhood favourite because it’s the one I read the most and because my granddad took me to see the play when I was child. As for books I’ve read as an adult, there really are too many. I’m reading Saving Evangeline by Nancee Caine right now; it’s a great book. I don’t get to read so much nowadays so every book I read becomes my new favourite.
How to you get your books to the attention of the public?
How to you get your books to the attention of the public?
Oh crikey – hard work, hard work, more hard work, and an amazing team of ladies, headed by the lovely Lilian ;) Word of mouth is the absolute best recommendation. I have Facebook accounts, Twitter and although I have no idea how to use it, a Google + account. I won’t lie, it’s not easy and it’s a slow process. Having more than one book available is a good thing as well. Once a reader likes one of my books, they explore the others.
Do you have a street team, or the likes? If so would you like to share the link so our readers may consider joining?
I have a fan page, my promotional team are generally volunteers that have enjoyed the series and are ‘recruited’ from there…
In addition, I have my Facebook page and I love to chat to readers…
Thank you, Lilian, for this opportunity and for your continued support, not just for me, but all indie authors.
THE END.
Thank you Tracie, for being a delightful guest, now get back to the cave and continue with the next Masterpiece.!
Here is the purchase link's to Tracie's books.
THE END.
Thank you Tracie, for being a delightful guest, now get back to the cave and continue with the next Masterpiece.!
Here is the purchase link's to Tracie's books.
Buy links -
Coming Soon...
Fallen Angel, Part 4
A Virtual Affair
Jackson (#Passion Series)
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