Hi, Lynn, thanks so much for hosting me on your blog today! I'm Kristina Knight, a debut author who is also a bit of a bookaholic. I've been devouring the written word for as long as I can remember, but I only started working on my own books about five years ago. It's been a crazy few months for me – I sold my first and then second books and I have two new projects that I'm really having fun with!
It's funny, I thought having a book published would leave me with a contented 'I've done it!' feeling. Instead it's been a crazy, fun and a little bit overwhelming ride. Because along with writing my character's stories now I have to blog and have a Social Media Profile (whatever that means!) and work through the editing process with my editor (who I really do love) and fill out things like cover art sheets and author information forms…and the list goes on.
I'm not complaining – not even a little bit – because the good far outweighs the overwhelming, but I've learned three things over the past few months that I'm hoping will help other first-time authors out there.
1. Ask questions --- Questions really are your friend. Whether it's a question about the contract or about the editing process or if you think your cover is a little…off. It doesn't hurt to ask the question. Remember, your editor loves your book or she wouldn't have bought it. So if the cover feels off or if you're unsure about a clause in the contract or if something the copyeditor sends back doesn't look right, ask. Editors (publishers, too) want happy authors. So ask the questions. I was lucky, the edits on my book totally made sense and I loved my cover from the minute I saw it, but I did have a question about the contract and asking that question eased me mind. A lot.
2. Make a schedule ---- I'm not a listy girl. I was once and then lists became lists with more lists and more lists and that was way too overwhelming so a lot of things didn't get done (like the laundry). But first time authors have a LOT on the plate. There is writing the second book, editing the first book, blogging/social media and the usual responsibilities like jobs and family. So make a schedule and stick with it. That schedule will keep you on track and ready to go so the days when you're at the computer for 8 straight hours you actually make some progress!
3. Have fun with it!! --- I think I've used the word 'overwhelming' about 5 times in this short blog. But this is – and I hear will always be – an overwhelming process. Because gone are the days when authors had to simply write and go on about the day. Now we write and promote and write some more and answer questions and there is Facebook/Twitter and blogs to write and book signings to attend and conferences and … It's a lot. But there will only be one first, sold book. Only one. So savor those firsts – like the first cover, the first good review, the first email from your editor about your book. Take time to really enjoy the feeling, because it's an amazing, fun ride!
Blurb/Bio: Kathleen Witte is a down-to-earth girl. She has to be, with the family ranch on the verge of success. After seven months of keeping it all together by swearing off men, however, Kathleen needs a bit of fun in the sun. Waking up with a husband she can’t remember isn’t how she planned to blow off steam.
The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl. He has four weeks of freedom in which to find his birth mother. He’s done well avoiding commitment until now, so when he wakes up on a Mexican beach with Kathleen his first reaction is curiosity. When he spies the matching wedding rings on their left hands curiosity turns to concern.
Neither Jackson nor Kathleen want to stay married, but when her family shows up, they have no choice. Once back in Texas, however, can they keep this all-business marriage from turning into an all-consuming love?
Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police—no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. When the opportunity to focus a bit of energy on the stories in her head, she jumped at it. And she’s never looked back. Now she writes magazine articles by day and romance novels with spice by night. She lives on Lake Erie with her husband, three-year-old daughter, and twenty-year-old fur-kid. Happily ever after.
