Featured Author: Amber Daulton
Writing is the fruit to happiness. Amber Daulton lives her life by that one belief even though
she normally isn't so Zen. Author of four novellas—Forever Winter, A Hero's Heart, Lightning
over Bennett Ranch and Mistletoe
in the City—she published her first book in 2012 and hopes to publish
countless more in the future.
Amber lives in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina with
her punk-rocker husband and their five crazy kitties. Her mind is a wonderland of romance and
adventure, laughter and awesome ways of kicking a guy when he's down. She
probably wouldn't be too sane without her computer and notebooks. After all,
what's a girl to do when there are people jabbering away in her head and it's
hard to shut them up? Write! Nothing else works for Amber. I had the opportunity to chat with her and this is what she had to say. Enjoy!
Why do you write?
I
write because I must. I have so many ideas and characters inside my head that I
just need to get it out. My imagination is pretty vivid so I need an outlet.
Writing provides that.
Which writers inspire you?
Maggie
Shayne is awesome! I admire her because she’s down-to-earth, open about her
beliefs and she’s an excellent author. I think she’s an inspiration to anyone
to just be true to yourself and things will work out.
What is your favorite book and why?
I
don’t have a favorite book but I do have a favorite series. Well, three
actually. It’s a tie between Maggie Shayne’s Twilight, Christine Feehan’s
Carpathians and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters.
What do you think is the easiest thing about writing? What
is the most difficult?
Easiest -- What I love most is
creating a new world or researching a real town and then twisting it enough to
fictionalize it. Research, in my opinion, is more fun than writing at times. I
love to learn about new places, cultures and people. Although I’d rather travel to do hands-on
research, in-depth reading is second best.
Hardest -- Deciding on character
names is my least favorite part of starting a new novel. The name has to fit
with the character I see in my mind perfectly or I can’t use it. I’m very picky
(especially with the heroine and hero) and I sometimes spend hours, if not
days, just scouring through baby name books and websites for the best names.
How do you market your books?
Social
media, blogging, interviews (like this one!), magazine ads, contests/giveaways
and swag are great marketing tools. For small-press authors, marketing is left
mainly to the author due to the publisher’s budget restraints. It gets
expensive but it’s necessary to reach potential readers.
Any new release? If yes, what is it about?
Yes!
Books to Go Now released Mistletoe in the City last November. It’s a spicy New
Adult romantic novella sure to heat you up!
Book blurb
Krista Hartley
never expected the unrequited love of her life, the irresistible Derek Weston,
to work as the groundskeeper at the apartment building she just moved into.
They barely spoke in high school but now, three years after graduation, they
tore at each other’s clothes and jumped into bed together at every opportunity.
After all, how could a hot-blooded woman say no to a sexy man with an eyebrow
ring, a dragon tattoo and a deadly swagger?
A Christmas
miracle drew Krista back into Derek’s life. He kissed her for the first time
under mistletoe, pampered her with romantic candlelight dinners and memorized
every inch of her delectable body with his tongue. He refused to let his dream
girl slip through his fingers again but then another woman threatened their
whirlwind romance. Hurt once before, Krista broke off their relationship
and then Derek made a drunken mistake that could destroy their love forever.
With just days to Christmas, he vowed to win back her heart and trust, and
prove his innocence once and for all.
Book excerpt
She scooted
closer to him and rubbed her hand down his tense back. “Now I understand why
you act so cocky. You’re afraid you’ll mess up and embarrass yourself.” Krista
tugged on his shoulder until he lifted his head to look at her. Derek’s face
flushed and she wanted to kiss away his shame. “Don’t hide behind this
confident guard. I like you for you.
You’re a sweet person, clumsy or not, and you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
She stroked her hand through his tousled hair. “I want a simple, sexy, understanding
man who cooks delicious, romantic meals and who goes out of his way to help me
move. Is that too much to ask for?”
Derek kissed
her and her heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he
held her close to his side. Need throbbed in her loins and she wanted him
inside her again. He pulled back first and she dragged a mouthful of air deep
into her lungs to replace what he’d stolen with that delirious kiss.
He moistened
his lips with his tongue. “It’s not too much, Krista.” Derek cupped her cheek
in his palm. “Not at all.” And then he kissed her again.
For more information about Amber or if you want to connect with her please visit:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author
Amazon
Author Page: http://amzn.to/14JoZff
Lovely interview... I agree with our marketing struggles! Amber which magazines do you advertise in (genre etc)? I'm really struggling in the UK trying to reach a US market and looking for a decent PR/publicist that isn't going to charge an absolute fortune but still take the time to help you all the way. I know you have to spend to eventually get it all back, but right now times are hard.. do you have a publicist?
ReplyDeleteHey Margarita, They only magazine I've advertised with so far is The Romance Reviews. They have quarterly ezines that go out to 10,000+ (I think) subscribers and they also offer monthly book ads on the sides of their page. I believe they host authors who are outside the US. Their website is... http://www.theromancereviews.com/
DeleteI can't afford a publicist right now, so the marketing is left to me and it really cuts into writing time.
But you gotta do what you do. :)
Nice Amber! I absolutely agree with you about name choice. The names must fit the characters in our head and play hard throughout our story to keep the names chosen. Good Luck with your new release and may you have many more :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Tammy!
DeleteHI Amber,
ReplyDeleteNice interview. I find choosing the names is fun most of the time. I agree with the uphill battle with marketing. It never stops.
Chris Karlsen
Thanks a lot, Chris!
DeleteGreat interview Amber. I really don't think it matters who you publish with, you still have to market yourself.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne! That's so true.
Delete