I have another author visiting today who took some time out to chatter with me. *grins*
Dearest Katie, something random, yet crucial to begin with, what is your favorite chocolate bar?
Oooh, give me a Caramello. I just love the chocolaty and caramelly goodness. Plus the fact it’s broken into squares makes it easy for me to ration as I write. LoL. Incentive to finish scenes. It’s like a Pavlovian response. Open up MS Word and I instantly crave chocolate and caramel. Ha!
*unwraps chocolate bar* Okay, serious stuff now, the eBook: what are your thoughts on where they will take the publishing industry?
We are moving toward digital everything these days. It makes sense that the ereader will rise up and become the dominant method of reading. When I say dominant though, I don’t mean it will ever kill off print. Print will never die, but ereaders are going to be here for a long while and their functionality will continue to grow. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 10 years they are a common piece of school equipment.
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Tell us about yourself and your journey as an Indie Author.
Self-Publishing wasn’t an easy decision, that’s for sure. Like all new writers, I originally envisioned J.K. Rowling-like fame. I was going to write a series that would have readers clamoring for more. The reality is so much farther from the truth but it’s those initial fantasies that had me chomping at the bit to get my debut novel, Immortalis Carpe Noctem out into the world.
I started, as many new writers do, sending out queries way too early. We’re all blind to our faults and I certainly was (and still am) no exception. After some initial harsh rejection, I decided to turn to critiquing groups for help. Six months later after a few more rounds of revisions (and research into the publishing world), I was ready to go at it again, this time with a more realistic approach. I learned that my initial dream of millions and millions of dollars and people lining up for miles to attend my book signings, was much more the exception than the rule.
Still, the reception was lukewarm at best. I would hear compliments about the story and characters, but still be told, no. A common theme in the query responses I got was that the market was already too flooded with vampire stories. They’d love to publish me (or take me on as a client) but there are just too many vampire books out there.
My research told me too, that even if I had gotten a publishing contract, my book wouldn’t see store shelves until 2 years later. Vampires may be hot now, but what if they have cooled by then?
That last bit was what spurred me on to self-publish. I didn’t want my story missing the opportunity to hit the market while it was still hot. I had spent a total of five years working on Immortals, from the time I penned the first word, until the final draft. There was no way I was going to let it collect dust. It was (and still is) my baby.
So I turned my research to indie publishing and spent a few months learning all I could about ebook formatting and ways to get my work into print. Let me tell you, there is a lot to learn there. It took me another four months to finally pull the trigger and publish Immortalis Carpe Noctem. Since then I have released four more titles: Hunters & Prey (the sequel to Immortalis), House of Immortal Pleasures, Halloween Fantasies, and Karma & Melodies.
Do you still have plans to become traditionally published?
If the option is available, sure! Why not! But, I am not actively pursuing it at the moment. I am really enjoying being an indie author.
Cool, cool. Okay, the Twitter question ... pure genius or the fifth sign of the apocalypse?
Oh, totally fifth sign of the apocalypse. LoL. All bow down before your technology overloads. I firmly believe that FB, Twitter, and Google, will one day merge and take over the world. They already have our information, they know where we live and what we are doing every minute of the day. Think about it…. =p
Most of the reviews I've seen on your books practically glow, but how do you deal with negative reviews?
Hmmm, how do I deal with bad reviews… Two pints of Chubby Hubby, a pack of cigarettes, and a few shots of vodka. That usually helps to numb the pain. Seriously though, bad reviews happen. We can’t please everyone. They hurt, but often there’s some nugget of truth you can take from them. Once the sting fades, I try to go back and reread them to see if there was something I could have done better. Then, on the next book, I try use what I learned to make the story better and more palatable for the reader.
You have five eBooks available on Kindle. Can you tell us more about your most recent release, and how it's going?
Karma & Melodies is my latest release. That story was just so fun to write too! It came to me as a snippet of idea and blossomed from there. I see a lot of stories where the man is the vampire and must save the woman. I wanted to turn things around a little. In this story Kendra is the vampire and she is the one trying to protect Marcus.
While coming up with the background for these characters, I was listening to a lot of music and had planned on going to the Coachella music festival. There was a band playing that year that hadn’t played in the States for over 10 years. I ended up missing the concert, but it gave me inspiration. In the beginning, Kendra attends the concert where Marcus is singing and begins the chain of events that connects their lives again after 10 years apart. From there, the story took off.
Synopsis: Kendra used to spend her days organizing events for Café Enigma while daydreaming about Marcus, the sexy lead singer of Normal Paradox. But all those dreams of becoming Mrs. Rock Star died, along with her mortality, the moment Hector entered her life. He tricked her and seduced her into becoming a vampire, stealing Kendra away from Marcus forever. Ten torturous years later; however, Kendra finds a way to escape Hector and is reunited with her lost love, Marcus. Now that she's found him she doesn't want to let him go. But, whispered threats from Hector begin invading her dreams. He's tracking her down, and she can feel it. He's a true monster, capable of unspeakable horrors, and Kendra knows what he will do if he catches them. She'll have to make a choice: stay and fight for the man she's always loved, or protect him by leaving and keeping Marcus off of Hector's radar?
Karma & Melodies is available at all the major ebook retailers: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sony, Kobo & Smashwords. And did you know...
Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write. And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale… Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
Absolutely fantastic! Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteI'm always here to support you.