Romance from another planet but love is universal. Today I feature Kayelle Allen on Eloquent Articulation.
She shares some tried and tested tips for writing, book marketing, and being a consistent author.
We also talk about her latest book that features a cute child with a deep meaningful story.
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links that support the blog at no extra cost.
This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.
If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, I will earn a commission as an Amazon Associate, which I earn from qualifying purchases.
Kayelle writes Sci-Fi Romantic fiction. She has a very popular blog where she features authors and books from all genres.
Welcome to Eloquent Articulation, Kayelle.
Book: A Stolen Heart
Series: Antonello Brothers
Order: Book 1
Purchase: https://books2read.com/u/mZK1zB
This book series is a SciFi romance, what is different about this one that sets it apart from the others? What inspired this fiction series?
My first book was called At the Mercy of Her Pleasure and featured Senth, a younger, virginal hero who meets an older, more “experienced” female. Senth’s playful-thief side balanced NarrAy’s by-the-book military captain side.
A Stolen Heart tells how Senth was adopted as a toddler. Luc Saint-Cyr’s rescue of Senth uncovers a deadly conspiracy.
A Stolen Heart is funny at times, touching, sweet, and shows how much the love for one innocent child can steer the direction of a vast empire.
Clichéd but still; what is your advice to struggling writers who find it difficult to strike a balance between their love for writing and the daily grind putting up obstacles to their success?
I often hear the question, “How do you find time to write?” I don’t. I make time. It’s a priority. I give up other things so I can write.
Can you spare only ten minutes a day? You can write a book in a year by carving out that much time to work. Go listen to author Chris Fox tell his amazing story about writing on the bus every day during his commute. He did it for years. Now, he’s a best-selling author who makes his living writing books. I have read his entire series for authors. The man simply tells people the truth about what it takes to write.
The other thing I’d advise is not to pay big money for courses on how to market. Google David Gaughran. He teaches you what to do, charges nothing for it, and gives you his books so you can succeed.
After you learn everything he has to teach, you’ll know enough to ask the right questions about what else you need to do. And he talks about writing, too.
Can you give one line to describe your book, A Stolen Heart?
When a space pirate who’s gone straight rescues a toddler who’s adept at breaking into things, he uncovers a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Thieves’ Guild.
What inspires you to write and do you have a writing routine?
I live to tell the tales in my story universe. I write every day. I’m an early riser, and have an office where I can shut the door and work undisturbed. I take full advantage of that.
Blogging is writing also, and I blog regularly (have for ten years). I get a lot of practice writing daily, which in turn, makes it easier to turn out books.
Give us three “Good to Know” facts about you. Be creative.
I had long hair as a child, bright copper, and it was so long I could tuck it under me and sit on it. I was also plagued with headaches. After my mom convinced me to cut my hair, the headaches disappeared. I’ve worn it short the rest of my life, with a few rare exceptions.
I joined the US Navy because where I grew up (just outside Las Vegas, Nevada) there were few interesting jobs. I wanted to do more with my life, but I knew even then that I wanted to be a writer. My job in the Navy was working on navigational gear on aircraft, something I have never done since. The discipline I learned, however, helps me every day.
I had an issue with writer’s block that robbed me of writing for about three years. I finally got over it by talking out the situation with a friend. Turned out, all that was wrong was I had mislabeled a major character as a villain, when he was actually the good guy. He wouldn’t “talk” to me until I fixed it and understood him, and none of my other characters would either. If you’re a writer, you get what I’m saying, but if not, I promise you I’m not cray cray. I would never have solved the issue without that amazing friend.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
About a month to plot, two months to write like crazy, and another month to edit and tidy up loose ends. I’ve tried pantsing — writing by putting down words and seeing what happens. It’s mostly a waste of time. I write, toss, write, toss again… but if I plot first, it goes 1-2-3 and I’m done.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I have in the past, but I’m learning to notice how many I’ve received but not read them. While I love hearing good stuff, sometimes a negative comment can throw me for a loop. One day I discovered a low review that had been left a month prior. After reading it, I doubted my ability, until it occurred to me that before I’d discovered the review, I’d been fine. No doubts at all. What had changed? Only the awareness that someone had disagreed. It was a one-off. Other reviews were positive. I try to look at the balance overall.
If it’s generally positive, that inevitable lower review is no big deal. If you get all five-star reviews and someone gives you a two, are you now a bad writer? No. It was more likely a mismatch of perception — what that reader thought they were going to get vs reality. That’s not a mark against a writer’s skill. That’s more on marketing or a reader having a bad day. Everybody gets less than perfect marks. It’s just the way it goes. Roll with it and keep going.
Where can readers find your books and connect with you?
I have an amazing website chock full of art and a tour of the Tarthian Empire where many of my books take place. It’s close to a hundred pages. Not the usual author site at all. Subscribers to my newsletter get links to secret pages and password-protected areas, plus a seasonal link to pages with downloadable memes and banners. I also include private links to excerpts that no one else sees, and I release artwork to my subscribers before anyone else sees it.
Recently, I bought three little chibis – tiny statues of dragons and my main hero, Pietas. I sent the pictures to my subscribers first and got some great comments. The next week I released them on my website. I have a bunch of goodies like that to share.
https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups will take you right to the signup page. I have two distinct newsletters — one with sci-fi, and the other sci-fi with romance. That way, readers get exactly what they want. I’d love to have some of your readers come and check it out.
And I’m on most social media. I love Twitter, and recently created a secret Facebook group for my newsletter subscribers, with all sorts of inside info and goodies.
Here’s a short list.
If you don’t want to subscribe to a newsletter, you can follow me on Amazon, and they’ll send you a note when I release a book.
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Instagram https://instagram.com/kayelleallen/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kayelle-allen
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/710889.Kayelle_Allen
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Kayelle-Allen/e/B003ZRXVN8
This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.
If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, I will earn a commission as an Amazon Associate, which I earn from qualifying purchases.
Comments
Thank you for letting me come talk about my hero today 🙂
Author
My pleasure, I learned some good tips and tricks with the insights you shared.
I will read the books as well. I enjoy SciFi.