Ask the Author: Marie Kammerer Franke
Answered Questions (5)
Marie Kammerer Franke
Currently? I'm interviewing, blogging and creating memes to go along with ACN. It's a form of procrastination, I need to start editing book 2: Sister's Lament, and that is a feat that takes all of my concentration. Right now, I get too sucked into the story that I forget to correct all the there, they're, and theirs physically on paper. So until then I'm posting normalcy on Instagram, twitter, FB, Goodreads, and my website ACNBooks.com
Marie Kammerer Franke
You're going to get frustrated, and exhausted, and sick of every single aspect of marketing.
You're going to expect 5,000 reviews to come from a promotion, only to find that not a single person came through for you. You will go to parties and listen to a barrage of 'you know what you should do?', 'you know what you should write?', or 'you know what your book needs?' This will come from people that have never opened your novel, but are experts in the field of who you are and what your book is about. You will smile and nod (no matter how offended or mad you are about the topic their leading on your behalf), and find a way to get out of that conversation and to the bar as quickly as possible.
Don't worry, every single author feels this way at some point. It's ok, it doesn't make you a bad book mom or dad. It's a sign that you need to find you again, take a breath and be you the human being, not you the author. And that's okay too, needing to put your masterpiece on hold and just be you for the moment.
You're going to expect 5,000 reviews to come from a promotion, only to find that not a single person came through for you. You will go to parties and listen to a barrage of 'you know what you should do?', 'you know what you should write?', or 'you know what your book needs?' This will come from people that have never opened your novel, but are experts in the field of who you are and what your book is about. You will smile and nod (no matter how offended or mad you are about the topic their leading on your behalf), and find a way to get out of that conversation and to the bar as quickly as possible.
Don't worry, every single author feels this way at some point. It's ok, it doesn't make you a bad book mom or dad. It's a sign that you need to find you again, take a breath and be you the human being, not you the author. And that's okay too, needing to put your masterpiece on hold and just be you for the moment.
Marie Kammerer Franke
I avoid it all together. If I corner myself in a book I delete all the way back to when it was fun and easy flowing. Then I look at the right hand turn I previously took (hitting the dead end) and this time steer left instead. If it changes the entire book, then so be it, it was meant to take that turn. I never have an outline to follow or an end in my head making it easier to go with the flow and see where the adventure takes us.
Marie Kammerer Franke
This summer I decided to stray away from my favorites (Christopher Moore, Chuck Palahniuk, Douglas Adams, Stephen King... to name a few) and focus on authors I have never heard of. Reading books given to me from fellow authors that are unknown, or books I win on giveaways (which I randomly enter). Some/times the biggest thrill I get is recommending a book I just finished to my followers, friends and family. It makes me twice as giddy about a book when they are an 'undiscovered' artist!!
Marie Kammerer Franke
Inspiration for me comes down to more of a motivator. For the Charming Nightmare series I would sit down late at night after the entire house was asleep, put in ear buds, and turn up Muse. They were more or less my "muse" (if you haven't heard of them I think a YouTube moment is needed). Their music turned the direction of a certain character's development, and while their albums played on shuffle I could see the plot, conversation, and places clearly allowing me to 'mindlessly' write. You can do some pretty creative and amazing things when you don't over think.
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