Bet you'll never guess who's here today!
You've got it! Chrys Fey!
She's sharing her secrets to success
and her latest
Seismic Crimes!
1. Welcome to Defending the Pen, Chrys, can you tell your readers something about why
you chose this particular topic to write about? What appealed to you about it?
Why do you think it is different, and
your approach is unique?
The
disaster theme was an easy one for me to get into as a writer. Being a
Floridian, I’ve gone through my share of disasters from hurricanes to
wildfires.
Years
ago, I had just finished reading a book set during a blizzard when I realized
I’ve read so many like it, but it was hard to find stories set during weather I
knew…hurricanes. So, I set off to write that story. And I did: Hurricane Crimes. After readers asked
for more, I jumped on the chance to write a disaster series. Each book would
follow the same couple as they experienced a new disaster. Aside from the
children’s I Survived series, I had
never heard of a concept like this for adults, so I really do feel like I am
doing something different. On top of the disaster theme, each story is full of
crimes.
2.
How long does it take to research a topic
before you write? And for this book?
I
took about 2-4 weeks to research earthquakes and San Francisco before I wrote
the seismic parts in Seismic Crimes. See what I did there? ;) I researched a
lot more than that, though. I also researched monster trucks, monster truck
driving, and self-defence techniques.
3.
How do you handle the marketing required to succeed? Any tips or tricks that you can share
here?
Handle
marketing? I think marketing handles me. Haha. I make a marketing plan as soon
as I get an acceptance for my new book, which could be 6-12 months in advance.
I always jot down blog tour ideas, giveaway ideas, where I can try to purchase
ads, awards to submit to, and how to make the marketing for this release bigger
for than the marketing for my last release.
My
only tip is to TRY. Don’t know if a blog tour/hop will bring you sales? Try it!
Don’t know if a $25 ad in a newsletter will make a difference? Try it! Never
done a Facebook party? Try it! There’s no harm in trying. If it doesn’t work,
then you know. If it does, then you have something you can do again.
4.
Does writing provide you a sufficient income to
live on? If so, how long did it take before this happened? Is it your goal to be financially successful, or do
you write and publish solely for the 'satisfaction of sharing your stories'?
Income?
What income? No, I don’t get income I can live on from my writing. I get a tip.
Yup. That’s how I look it. The royalties I get for my sales are like a tip. One
tip from a reader (like one tip for a waiter/waitress). I hope to reach
financial success with my writing, but right now I am just happy to be published
and to be sharing my stories with others.
5.
What's the next step for you? Television,
movies, a new genre? Tell us what the future holds - what can your fans expect?
My
future holds movie deals, TV deals, awards, and great success. Okay, so not
really. But a girl can dream, can’t she? My readers can expect more from the Disaster Crimes series. Book 3 is
currently with my publisher for consideration—Tsunami Crimes. Also, later this year I expect to publish 30 Seconds Before, the prequel to 30 Seconds (a romantic-suspense
novella).
Blurb:
An Internal Affairs Investigator was
murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate
to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who
saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates
intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her
by his side in his darkest moments.
Beth Kennedy may not know everything about
Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that
pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including
putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.
When a tip reveals the killer's location,
they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions
separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure
dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will
they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?
Excerpt:
The moment she realized Buck was shooting
under the cars to hit her, the tire she hid behind blew. She squeezed her eyes
shut as she tried to make herself smaller by pressing her body into the SUV.
The Morse code of bullets hitting metal started up again. She could've sworn
she felt the SUV shaking with the continuous beat of bullets slamming into it,
except the shaking was below her feet. It started gentle but as soon as she noticed,
it became violent.
Earthquake!
She fell backward and struggled to get
back up. Her body bounced up and down and rolled from side to side
simultaneously, which told her the quake's epicenter was close. The origin
could've been beneath the hotel for all she knew. A light came crashing down
from the ceiling and slammed into the concrete floor with such power it
exploded into a trillion stars. Glass shot out in all directions like the Big
Bang. Beth screamed and covered her face with her hands as tiny pieces of glass
bit the skin on her arms.
She fought onto her hands and knees and
hugged the tire to keep from falling over again. The intensity of the tremors
grew. The concrete below her feet didn't feel solid anymore. It felt alive, as
if two gigantic gophers burrowed through the earth. The truck behind her slid
with the vicious shock waves and bumped into her, pushing her roughly into the
tire. She let out a cry of panic.
Digital:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B01CRJSPIU
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CRJSPIU
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01CRJSPIU
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seismic-crimes-chrys-fey/1123508790?ean=2940158028380
Print:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/1509207252
Amazon
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1509207252
Amazon
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1509207252
The Wild Rose Press:
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes, Book One
in the Disaster Crimes series, as well as these releases from The Wild Rose
Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator
for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and has participated in the Blogging
from April A to Z Challenge.
When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to
be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve,
she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later
rewrote at seventeen.
Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for
hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their
antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can
connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey.
She loves to get to know her readers!
AUTHOR LINKS:
Well readers, what do you think? Can the weather or a natural disaster work as a character?
Do you make a living on your royalties?
Or is Chrys right, it's just a tip for a job well done?
12 comments:
All you can do is try.
My royalties have paid my mortgage, but I could never live off them. (And I never want to - too much pressure.)
Have to try this and that indeed. lol yeah, tips are about right.
It seems different writers differ significantly when it comes to weather in stories. Hemingway said you should always get some weather in your stories and Stephen King says nobody cares about the weather. Personally, I love knowing what is going on outside.
Paid your mortgage? Gosh I wish I had your sales. ;)
Especially with how low-priced ebooks are, and when you have a publisher you get only about 40% of that.
Well, maybe for King weather isn't a factor in his horror, but it is for my stories. And weather can set the scene, so even in my non-weather stories, I still mention it here and there. :)
Yolanda, thank you so much for having me on your blog today. I completely forgot until I checked my calendar a moment ago. I was away from my computer most of the day, otherwise I would've remembered sooner. Sorry!
Yes, I definitely think weather can play a vital part in a book. I don't know if I'd call it a "character," but it can provide the backdrop, and set the mood. In my book, it's heat and a lack of rain... in Chrys', it's a lot more dramatic and significant. :)
Tips? Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm glad I don't depend on my royalties to put food on the table.
No problem, I was away most of the day too, but it will be up for a while. Just finished posting your review. I was late with that too. It's the time of the year - so much to do and not enough time. Thanks for the RT's - we'll just keep advertising!
I love weather as a major part of a story. It gives so much texture, and can be a great tool for the author. What can be more dangerous and exciting than a hurricane or an earthquake? In fiction they're wonderful. I'm not wild about experiencing them in real life.
Most definitely the weather can work as a character. It's an amazing scene setter--"It was a dark and stormy night" is a cliche for good reason!
I love Chrys's idea of thinking of royalties as a tip. That's an awesome mindset.
Congratulations Chris! I had actually seen this around but somehow missed that it's part of a series. Good for you!
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