It's my pleasure to have Gina Lamm visiting with us Over Coffee. We often think that once you're published you don't have writing problems, and the stories just flow without problems. Certainly a published author doesn't get writer's block, especially when they have a deadline, right?
But... what happens if they do? I'll let Gina tell you a bit about that.
Hi again Sia! I’m thrilled to be back here at Over Coffee,
chatting with you guys again. I had so much fun with THE GEEK GIRL AND THE
SCANDALOUS EARL’s blog tour that getting to come to your place again was a real
treat. Thanks for having me! J
Today I want to talk a little bit about my writing team. No,
I don’t currently co-author any projects; all my books are single-author
efforts. But even single authors need a huge team to get a book off the ground,
and I’m totally no exception!
It has always fascinated me to find out how some of my
favorite things came to being. Like my favorite books, or my favorite TV shows.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses are really fun to me. So here’s my little behind-the-scenes
for GEEK GIRLS DON’T DATE DUKES.
It all started in 2011, when I met Leah Hultenschmidt,
then-editor at Sourcebooks. I pitched the idea for THE GEEK GIRL AND THE
SCANDALOUS EARL to her, and she loved it, but she told me that Sourcebooks
preferred contracting series of books over single titles. Could I come up with
a couple more ideas for additional books? Sure I could, right?
Denise Tompkins, one of my BEST FRIENDS EVA and super-duper
critique buddy, helped me brainstorm a couple more ideas, and between us, we
hammered out the idea for GEEK GIRLS DON’T DATE DUKES. Sourcebooks liked it,
and contracted books 1 and 2 of the “Geek Girls” series.
And then it was time to write the darned thing. Ever heard
of the sophomore slump? I hit that, and I hit it HARD. Writer’s block was too
good for what was happening there. I just couldn't get past the wall in my
head, and here’s where my team came in.
My husband, my parents, my sister, Denise, my incredible
editor Leah, all of them combined to pull me out of this hole and get me
writing. My parents would ask me how the book was coming. My husband would
listen to me moan and whine about why WAS THIS SO HARD???? Denise would help me
brainstorm, and my sister would read things and shoot them back to me so fast.
If not for that team helping me through, I don’t know that the book would ever
have been finished!
And once the book was finished, it went to Sourcebooks, and
they turned that little lump of coal into gold. First my editor Leah ripped it
apart (wonderfully) and helped me put it back together. Then it went through copy edits and proofreaders, I don’t know how many passes. The incredible art
department made one of the best covers I've ever seen on a romance novel, one
that captures the attitude and characters perfectly on the first go. You may
not know this, but authors get very little input on their book covers. There’s
usually a little form to be filled out, and once the author has done that, they
have to trust in their publisher to get them the right cover. And I have to
say, that so far I've been so very impressed with Sourcebooks’ art department.
Both “Geek Girls” books have looked incredible, and I couldn't be happier.
Then the book moves forward, to Netgalley, where wonderful
bloggers like Sia can review it. These guys are also a hugely important part of
the team. Where would a book be with no reviews? Sitting in the bottom of the
Amazon rankings, that’s where! Through reviews, good and bad, word of mouth,
advertising, bloggers and book reviewers can really shape the way a book sells.
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity to post here and on
other blog sites. I’m honored to have you guys as part of my team!
And then, once the advanced copies have been reviewed, and
release day has come and gone, I get to the biggest (and most important) part
of my book team.
You guys. The readers.
Without you, Leah and Avery can only live inside MY head.
But with you? These two characters have traveled the world, having their
adventure again and again, causing laughs and tears in so many different time
zones, zip codes, and countries. And that, my friends, is a humbling thought.
This book that took me so many months to create has flown worldwide, and I
couldn't be happier, or more grateful.
Thank you for being part of my team. Thanks for reading
these crazy tales that come pouring out of my noggin. Thanks for laughing, for
sharing, for buying and borrowing and telling your friends.
I couldn't do this without you.
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| BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND |
GEEK GIRLS DON'T DATE DUKES
The Royal Treatment
All Leah wanted was a little gallantry. But in this day and age, chivalry was most definitely dead. If only there were a way to travel back in time and snag her very own duke...
Avery Russell was polishing some boots when a woman fell through the bedchamber mirror into his arms. All he could make out from her breathless babbling was some nonsense about "my one true love, Your Grace." Clearly the chit was mad if she couldn't tell a valet from a duke!
As much as Avery wanted to give in and give her a good tumble, he knew it wouldn't be proper. No, he'd take as long as necessary to convince Leah that sometimes a duke just won't do. EXCERPT
Becoming a magician proved to be less interesting than Gina Lamm had anticipated when she was six, so in her adult life, she's turned to writing.
This belly-dancing, wisecracking, marshmallow-addicted mother of three energetic fur-children loves nothing more than penning funny, emotional tales of love, lust, and entertaining mishaps.
A multi-published author, Gina also writes erotic romance under the pen name Regina Cole. THE GEEK GIRL AND THE SCANDALOUS EARL, GEEK GIRLS DON'T DATE DUKES, INDELIBLY INTIMATE, CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, and DEAR ADDI are only a few of her stories.
Married to a real live superhero, she and her family live in North Carolina, surrounded by tobacco farms, possums, and the occasional hurricane. You can find Gina: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter.
