Q&A with an aspiring author.....

My friend and I are both teachers and we share a student named Bianca. She came to my book signing and had a bunch of questions for me, but as there were a lot of people there, she did not get to talk to me much. She gave my friend a letter asking a whole bunch of questions. I'm so glad she did!

1) How long did it take you to write the book?
It took me about 1 1/2 years to write the book. If I was more disciplined and wrote everyday, I would have finished it much faster.

2) How long did take to edit and revise the book?
I spent about another year editing, and having other people read and give me notes.

3) Who is your publisher?
I published it through CreateSpace, which is Amazon's publishing house. It is free to publish with them!

4) What is the name of the writing formatter you use?
I use a program called Scrivener, which you can buy online.

5) Did you handwrite it before you typed it?
Yes! I carried a notebook with me everywhere I went. When I was waiting for appointments or waiting anywhere (I even bring my notebook to dance competitions!) I would write more!

6) What publishers did you send it to?
I did not send it to any publishers because in the book industry, you typically have to have an agent represent you. The agent then sends it to publishers. I have an agent, but I have no idea where they sent it!

7) How many people did you show it to before you sent it out?
I come from a family of writers and scholars so I had them all read it. I also read it aloud to my students. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to read your work out loud. It really makes you realize when your sentences sound funky.

8) Should I fix the grammar mistakes in my friend's work?
Yes! You may find this hard to believe, but I make HORRIBLE grammar mistakes. I used to be good at grammar, but constantly texting and emailing has ruined my grammar skills. I heavily rely on other people to fix my mistakes- especially my mom. She went to boarding school in a convent in Ireland so she knows her grammar pretty well :)

The book in a turtle shell so far...

I've had three signings so far, and I've learned that the weather makes a big difference in your turnout. If it is a beautiful day, people don't wander into book stores. If it is kind of dreary out, people do. I don't think I would publish in the spring again, but you live and you learn. I am, however, counteracting this problem this summer by doing a book signing at a farmer's market, where the nice weather will work in my favor. I am partnering with the Waltham Farmer's Market to get local authors to do signings every week. I have tentatively booked three other Waltham area authors so far. More details to follow......

I am also hoping to gain more speed selling my book nationally by reaching out to other bloggers to review my book. I'm learning this is a big marketing strategy for authors. I'm also learning that these blogs have a limit on how many samples they will take. It made me realize I've been doing my cooking blog all wrong. My friend Jeremy writes a snack blog, and people send him snack samples from all over the world. I want people to send me food and cook books to sample. I will review them at Chefnan.

Welcome to Turtle Soup and Tiramisu Online!

I originally had linked my cooking blog chefnan.blogspot.com to my author page, but then realized as I gain more and more young fans, they probably don't want to read about how used my farm share this week, or what is going on in my social life. That blog still exists of course, but this one is going to focus mainly on A.E. Ramsay, the writer.