Ask the Author: Chris Gourley
Answered Questions (8)
Chris Gourley
It is a conundrum. Marketing is the bane of an indie author's life. I've done podcasts, awards, Amazon ads, FaceBook, Amazon unlimited (now going wide), Goodread giveaway (Over 650 readers interested for 50 given away and only one review.) I wish Amazon USA, other countries' Amazon sites, and GRs would share all reviews. For example there are reviews on Amazon Canada that do not show up on Amazon USA and vice versa. I continue to reach out to bloggers, reviewers, travel to Bookstores within a 100 mile radius doing book signing, give talks to local high schools and libraries. And continue to write!
Thank you forvyour lovely support, they are so appreciated.
Thank you forvyour lovely support, they are so appreciated.
Chris Gourley
Katherine... You would ask that question. I came to write through a very convoluted path. Button's beginning started as a story to entertain my children on a long ride home. Years later, I decided to put the story to paper. It grew and became so much more. I couldn't stop thinking about it. In some ways, I think I lost control and the characters were telling me where they wanted to go. I was just along for the ride. Writing becomes an obsession. It's like a bride planning her wedding. Every conversation begins and ends with "the" wedding. Funny how that works. So Button was a seed pod that grew into a tree.
Chris Gourley
This one is easy... I get to put down on paper all the extraneous things cluttering my brain and sometimes they even make sense... at least to me.
Chris Gourley
I write something else. I take one of the characters from my story and give them a history, a why, a reason. It can be a minor character that can become more because of a block.
Chris Gourley
Love what you are doing so much that when you receive a rejection you could care less... their loss. And be prepared for many rejections. Be grateful for the times when publishers etc actually do give you insight as to why... that is a wonderful gift!
Chris Gourley
Book Two of the Inheritance Ring Series... working title has always been THE RUNAWAY HEIR... only recently have I started having second thoughts.
My first draft is 80% done and my goal is to put it into my husband's (Bill) hands by the end of October. Then the real work begins.
My first draft is 80% done and my goal is to put it into my husband's (Bill) hands by the end of October. Then the real work begins.
Chris Gourley
Easy... I am invested in my characters. I want to know what they are doing, what they are thinking, and most of all, what's around the corner.
Chris Gourley
Believe it or not, Button started out as a character in a story I told my kids. We were coming home late one night (before cell phones and ipads) and a voice from the back seat said, "Mom, tell us a story." My answer: "Have you ever wondered why pickles stand up straight in a jar?" One day I started putting this story down on paper and wanted to give the protagonist a history. I looked at what I had written and realized this was so much more.
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