Tell me a bit about yourself Nurse by day and writer by night, from India, I am pursuing my Master’s degree. I also volunteer as an ambassador for Wattpad, an online social reading platform and has worked with a few independent magazines as a columnist and graphic designer. I'm a quirky, fun-loving girl whose thoughts always keep on wandering among what photos to click, what to draw, what to read and what to write next. Tell me a bit about yourself Nurse by day and writer by night, from India, I am pursuing my Master’s degree. I also volunteer as an ambassador for Wattpad, an online social reading platform and has worked with a few independent magazines as a columnist and graphic designer. I'm a quirky, fun-loving girl whose thoughts always keep on wandering among what photos to click, what to draw, what to read and what to write next. What genre/s do you write in? On Wattpad I have 3 complete novels, One is a realistic fiction romance, one is a science-fantasy dystopian romance and the last is a supernatural romance. I self published a book of bite-sized romance poetry on Amazon and am working on my latest book 'The Intern Game' which is a workplace romance, possibly to be released by the end of the year. So yes, my genre is diverse literature romance! How long have you been writing? I started with poetry in 6th grade but been writing seriously since I was 17. That'd be 5 years. Did you use an editor? If so who? Actually a close friend of mine, who works with Wattpad, decided to do the editing for my first book and so yes, he's my one and only editor till now. Before that Linda Jones, (a children's fiction author) had also, out of the kindness of her heart, helped me consolidate my first novel 'Butterfly Wings' which is still in the digital platform, Wattpad, but hopefully that can make it to the shelves someday. Did you use a book formatter and cover designer? No, my editor, Mr Chinmay Garge (@cchinu_ on Instagram) actually did the formatting for me. As for a designer, I am a graphic designer myself so I created my own royalty free cover. Did you self-publish or get traditionally published? How did this go for you? I decided to self-publish to build my audience, so I really have some data, some following to pitch to the traditional publishers when I send them my manuscript. Self publishing, especially through amazon kindle is free and hassle free too, but the main issue with self publishing is you have to have a good market and people willing to read and review. A few people in my case were definitely willing, so yes, I got some reviews on Instagram and goodreads but not quite. Do you have any published books or articles? Tell me a bit about these and what publishing route you took. My published book is 'Space Of A Heartbeat', a collection of bite-sized love poetry that was released this February before Valentine's Day. It's an aggregation od romantic poetry that celebrates the ordinary kind of love in poetic verses. The reception was good as the reviews on amazon and goodreads say! It was self published as a paperback through Notion Press and I put it myself on Amazon Kindle, but Kindle version has been more popular. I'm also a columnist for Women's Web. I write occasionally ! How do you market your work and promote your brand? Well, I use Instagram as my primary platform, which is obviously my account @pennedwithhope Heres a link to my Instagram > Instagram Account So I create regular posts and reels, which aso double times as my bookstagram account. So, self-marketing is tough, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy. The trick is to create a hype around your book. And here's the link to my book > Space Of A Heartbeat What social media and writing platforms would you recommend? Instagram obviously. But I shouldn't forget Wattpad, the foundation of my writing. It's the best platform to gain your confidence as a writer and make friends for life. This is > My Wattpad Account And my works on Wattpad. There are 74 > Chasing Death > Cloud Nine Do you use an agent? No Do you have a blog or website? I have a blog on WordPress but I'm not very active. What inspires you most to write? I'd say people. I love watching people and their quirks, who eventually become my characters. Also nature, nature gives me the inspiration for the descriptions and settings of my story and a brilliant description actually hooks readers. Lastly life. The things I see in life, have shaped some aspects of my writing, how I resonate with my characters. What do you do to help with writers block? Stop it write there, take a break for 2 to 3 days and come back. There's no one formula to help with writer's block but I have a YouTube video > Tips and Tricks How do you plan your writing? It just comes and I jot down an outline in the diary. Then I open MS Word and sit down. I always have to have Google on the side for research. I believe no book is complete without good research. Is writing your full time job? If not what else do you do? No. I'm a nurse by profession. What are you working on at the moment? My jew workplace romance novel, 'The Intern Game' coming soon What is your target audience? My primary audience is New Adults and Young Adults, so anyone from 16~36 can read my work and enjoy. But who's stopping the older people too? How long does it take you to write a book? The shortest time I've completed a manuscript in is 25 days. Longest is 3 months, so it definitely varies. I can write 4K words on an average per day. When did you first discover you enjoyed writing? I was reading condensation of water in Chemistry in 6th grade and ending up writing my first poem on 'Dew Drops' From poetry I ventured to typical fan fiction for my favourite book and then when I was 18,I completed my first novel, 'Butterfly Wings'. It's then that I realised that writing is an outlet and therapy for me. What does your family think about you writing? They weren't very enthusiastic. Like all Indian parents they thought it's waste of time and career, but well, I wrote in silence and let the awards speak! Where do you get ideas for your writing? Almost everywhere. But I do like fantasy and mythology, Blended with real life. What do you think makes a good story? A good story is something that stays with you beyond the last page. It should have situations and characters that are relatable to the core, and stories should be simple. They shine in the simplicity and ordinariness of their portrayal. That is one of the reasons why I chose my editor. His works on Wattpad are fabulously simple and yet beautiful and relatable On Wattpad I have 3 complete novels, One is a realistic fiction romance, one is a science-fantasy dystopian romance and the last is a supernatural romance. I self published a book of bite-sized romance poetry on Amazon and am working on my latest book 'The Intern Game' which is a workplace romance, possibly to be released by the end of the year. So yes, my genre is diverse literature romance! Where do you get ideas for your writing? Random Fun Facts:
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AuthorAfter the outstanding success of his first children’s picture book, Comet the Red Bus - Around the City, Author Christopher Candy has continued to write the next book in the Comet the Red Bus series. Working full-time as a Manager for Tranzit Coachlines, Christopher has many years of bus-related experience that brings his characters to life. Christopher is based in the Tararua region and enjoys spending time with his partner, farm animals and pet dog, Tupance. You can see updates from Christopher, including new releases, giveaways and more, on his website or social media accounts. Archives
October 2023
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