Friday, April 19, 2013

THE THINGS I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WHEN BECOMING A WRITER




I like to welcome, romance author Julie Ann Walker, back to Over Coffee. Aside from writing some fabulous stories (with some hot and serious kick-ass heroes); I like her thoughts on the difference between being a writer and an author. 
Whether you're traditionally or indie published, today's market demands so much more from authors with regard to promotion--especially if you want to be successful. 

Hello again, romance fans!  Julie Ann Walker here, happy as a clam at high tide to be back here with Sia talking to you about my greatest fear: public speaking… (Dum, dum, duuuummmm.  I really feel as though those last two words deserve the triple-note sound effect.) 

Because, seriously, it's not like I "get a little nervous."  No, no.  It's so much worse than that.  My mouth dries out like I've been travelling in the desert for days minus a canteen.  My palms and armpits turn into Niagara Falls.  My head starts to buzz like it's filled with a nest of angry bees.  I break out in hives - literally.  My bowels loosen - not literally… at least not so far, thank God.  And I s-s-stutter.  To put it quite simply, I suck at public speaking.    

And yet, as an author, I'm expected to do exactly that.  I'm expected to give readings, speak with book clubs, address library associations, sit on panels at conferences, and give speeches about what inspires me and how I find my muse.  You know, all the usual things a professional author is expected to do.  And I knew this going in.  I knew what I was setting myself up for.  And I did it anyway.  

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Oh, yeah.  I was thinking I wanted to be a writer.  I was thinking I wanted to tell stories.  I was thinking I wanted people to meet and fall in love with my characters.  I was thinking I wanted to whisk readers away into my world of make believe and show them what a fantastical place it was.  And, just to be honest, I was thinking I wouldn't have to get out of my pajamas most days. ;-)  And joy of joys, all of that came true!  I do get to do all of those things.   As a writer.  

As an author, I get to do all of the other stuff.  The public speaking stuff…

  • So then the question becomes, is it possible for me to be a writer - and be profitable at it; there's the caveat - without being an author?  


I think the answer is no.  At least not in today's day and age.  Years ago, I believe it was possible to maintain a level of privacy and… oh, let's just call it what it is… reclusiveness - we are writers, after all, solitary by natureI think it was possible for an author to pen novels and have them be chart-toppers, bestsellers, and never have to speak in front of a crowd of hundreds.  I don't believe that's an option anymore.  With the advent of the web and the ease of Skyping into book club meetings and writers' conferences, with the simplicity of travel and the swiftness with which we can get from point A to point B, it is now expected that authors make public appearances.  It's called "promotion."  We promote our books by promoting ourselves.  And what does that "promotion" often entail?  You guessed it, public speaking…    

Which means I'm stuck.  Stuck doing something I loathe in order to continue doing something I love.  But that's the nature of life, is it not?  We take the good with the bad.  We smile when we're sad.  We give thanks for what we've got and try not to lament what we had.  So, I do as we all do.  I suck it up, buttercup.  And, in the meantime, I try to come up with coping mechanisms to combat the sheer terror.  Of course, if anyone has some advice for overcoming this fear, I'm all ears.  LOL!

  • How about you?  Do you have an irrational fear of anything?  And, if so, have you found a way to overcome it?

                                                                                                                                                                                      


AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND
THRILL RIDE BY JULIE ANN WALKER – IN STORES APRIL 2013

He’s Gone Rogue…

Ex-navy SEAL Rock Babineaux is as Cajun as they come—spicy, sexy, and more than a bit wicked. But would he actually betray his country? Even his best friends on the special-ops Black Knights team aren't sure they can trust him. Now the target of a massive manhunt, Rock knows the only way to protect the team—especially his partner, Vanessa—is to run...

She Won’t Back Down…

Rock might think he can outmaneuver them all, but he hasn't counted on how stubborn Vanessa Cordero can be. And she refuses to cut him loose. Sure, her partner has his secrets, but there's no one in the world she'd rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good because she and Rock are about to get very tight...Excerpt 



                                                                                                                                                             

Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. She is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She'll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission. Look for the first four books in her fast-paced series: Hell On Wheels (August 2012) In Rides Trouble (September 2012) Rev It Up (October 2012) and Thrill Ride (April 2013). For more information, please visit www.julieannwalker.com or follow her on Facebook www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor and/or Twitter @JAWalkerAuthor.