First and foremost, please tell us a little
bit about yourself. I came very late to writing. Worked in
publishing for 20 years, but on the editorial and marketing sides. I never,
ever thought of writing fiction myself, not even a short story. Then, a couple
years ago, a story came into my head as usual, but for once I didn’t push it
away. Instead, I started writing it, and then I couldn’t stop. Within six
weeks, I’d finished “Just This Once” and quit my job. The best part was, I was
living in New Zealand at the time, so I wrote a book about New Zealand rugby. Which
was lucky!
You’ve written some different types of books.
What's your favorite type of book to write?
I started out writing sports
romance, and I love it, but I also like to challenge myself. My second book and
my upcoming seventh book have a suspense element, because I wanted to see if I
could do it, and now I want to see if I can do it better. And my first U.S.-based
book, “Welcome to Paradise,” although still a romance, has a more complex
storyline than the others (the reality show deal). I’m really just trying to
have fun, do something different each time, and write the book in my head.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A little of
both. I don’t start writing until most of the book has unspooled in my head. I
know who the people are, where they’re going, and roughly how they’re going to
get there, but there are always unexpected twists along the way. That’s the fun
of it.
What is your writing routine? My husband
will tell you that once a book has grabbed me, I work all the time. I’m trying
to get more balance, but . . . it’s hard.
Where do you find your inspiration? Hmm. Google “All
Blacks haka.” I’ll wait.
New Zealand is an AMAZING and unique setting
for your ESCAPE TO NEW ZEALAND series. What research did you do to make
sure the setting was real and vivid for your readers? Swam in the
ocean a lot and drank lots of coffees and traveled all around and did lots of
fun outdoors things in beautiful places, and watched a lot of rugby in pubs.
Sigh. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Seriously, I’d say, just lived
there. The longer you’re there, the more Kiwi culture seeps into your bones.
The Maori influence, the geographical isolation (it’s just so FAR from
everywhere), the sheer physical beauty of the place, they’re all part of it.
You end up with this emphasis on family, the land (and the sea), hard work, and
. . . well, I’d describe it as being a “regular person,” no matter who or what
you are. Not being a jerk. Oh, and rugby.
All your heroes in that series are rugby
players. Why rugby? Umm . . . remember that “All Blacks haka”
thing? Yeah. Tight jerseys, short shorts, full contact, big muscles, the
“regular person” deal combined with the fact that the All Blacks (NZ’s national
rugby team) are NZ’s version of movie stars—and the best team in the world. The
pressure of that in a country of 4.5 million people, about 4 million of whom
will recognize you walking down the street—and will come up to shake your hand,
ask for an autograph or a picture, and you’ll be expected to smile and SAY YES.
It’s life in a fishbowl, and good behavior is expected. Pretty different from
the lives of athletes in other countries, and I just found it fascinating to
think about what it would be like to be that person.
JUST MY LUCK is a sexy Pride and
Prejudice. How do you take a classic story and make it unique? Was
it difficult modernizing the story? That started because I wanted to write a dual
storyline—another challenge. I had this one very feisty, sassy heroine, and
another who was gentle and beautiful, and I started thinking about Elizabeth
and Jane, partly because one of my favorite things about P&P is the attachment
between the sisters. I didn’t try to use the whole story—it was more about the
main characters’ personalities and how they interacted (and conflicted). I
thought the P&P inspiration was still really obvious, but hardly anyone has
mentioned it, so maybe not! It was fun, anyway.
THE KINCAIDS is a spin on reality
television. What inspired the plotline?
Why 1885? I wanted to write a story about
brothers—guys’ relationships make me laugh. Somehow I got the idea to put them
on a reality show. I’m from Idaho, and I have farm connections, so doing a show
about living like pioneers in 1885 was a pretty easy leap. The research was
just terrifically fun (hmm, do you see a theme? It seems to be all about my
having fun!) I got to interview some older folks who grew up on farms and whose
parents did too, almost back to those times, and my awesome, handsome nephew
did things like going out and throwing an axe for me. I texted him, “If you
have an axe throwing challenge how far can you throw it,” and he texted back,
“One handed or two?” That cracked me up. (Axes are HEAVY.)
What type of relationship is your favorite to
explore and develop? Romantically, I try to write very different
characters every time. I normally start with the guy and find him the right
girl. But I also love writing about parents and children, sisters and brothers,
friends, the love of country and place. Sometimes when we say “love,” we forget
about all the different kinds of love that enrich our lives. Two of my books,
“Just for Now” and “Just for Fun,” are very much about fatherhood and
motherhood. Plus, kids are funny.
What type of person is your ideal
heroine when you're both reading and writing? What type of person is
your ideal hero when you're both reading and writing? Are they
the same? Why or why not? Heroine: Strong, with a backbone. Doesn’t
necessarily mean she’s “tough”: several of my heroines are very gentle and
sweet, but they all have a core of fortitude, character, endurance.
Hero: No question I write alpha
males! But not jerks I hope--because to me, a strong man doesn’t need to hurt or
control anyone else, especially a woman, to feel like a man. (I’m not talking
about what kind of sex you have. That’s a whole different thing, though for me,
reading or writing, it has to be explicitly consensual. And role-playing and
having fun are one thing, real degradation and pain are another, and not
someplace I go. And it has to include condoms!)
I suppose the main thing I like
to both read AND write in characters is just basic decency, being a person
who’s trying hard to do the right thing, even if you mess up.
What has the publishing process been like? I started out
doing the writing-to-agents thing, submitted to 38 different agents and
publishers, got pretty discouraged. Three expressed interest, all ultimately
said no. The problem seemed to be, “New Zealand rugby? Huh? Tough hook!” And I
knew it was a GREAT hook! I KNEW it! Plus I had three books, and wanted to
write another one.
So I put the three books I had up
on Amazon, sold 2,000 ebooks the first month, 20,000 ebooks the fifth month,
had a magical hour where I outranked Nora Roberts, published the paperbacks,
and it’s all still going great. Guess they were wrong . . . not that I’m
gloating, LOL. Thank goodness for Amazon!
Would you recommend advertisements or did you
market your books through a different venue?
It was all about KDP
Select—Amazon’s “exclusive” program, where you publish only with them, and you
get 5 days in every 90 where you can offer a book free. I’ve only offered the
first two books, but that’s been by far my most powerful marketing strategy.
Have also done a few ads and some book tours, but it’s mainly been about the
free offers.
How involved are you in terms of editing/book
cover/release date/marketing process? Basically, my delegating involves my left
hand saying, “Right hand, get to work!” and my right hand saying, “You bet!”
No, seriously, I always say that
the most important marketing happens before you publish your book. Genre,
subject, story, title, blurb, cover, there ya go. Makes everything else a whole
lot easier. I have a terrific book cover artist, and I have a great group of
beta readers/developmental editors, aka “my friends,” who critique HARSHLY. (My
best friend is a judge, as in, slam the gavel and sentence you to prison. She
is TOUGH.)
I’m lucky to have been both a
marketing professional and an editor in a former life, so I don’t have to
outsource those things. Most marketing is just research and common sense,
though. Reading about others’ experiences, thinking about what makes sense to
you, trying that and seeing if it works, learning as you go.
Are you working on anything now? Funny you
should ask! I’m totally consumed now by “Nothing Personal,” the second book in
the U.S.-based “Kincaids” series. This one’s about Alec, the Bad Boy twin
brother of Gabe, the hero of “Welcome to Paradise,” and is set in San
Francisco’s high-tech industry. A strong, passionate heroine, all buttoned up with
her nose to the grindstone, and a high-flying player who meets his match, and
helps our heroine discover that there are lots of, um, enjoyable experiences to
be had. Let’s just say that going to work gets a lot more interesting for both
of them. Some mystery and suspense, some heart-twisting moments, hopefully some
humor, and, of course, some steamy stuff! No release date yet—late October?
Contact
info:
Rosalind James
@rosalindjames5
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