Today I’m conducting a session with…N.N. Light!

 

 

 

 

 

Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella is on sale for 99 cents June 15 – 17! @NNP_W_Light Click To Tweet

Me: Tell me about an experience that had a profound impact on your life.

Mr. N: My father died from cancer when I was nineteen years old. It changed my life and not necessarily for the better. *reaches for Mrs. N’s hand* That is, until I met my angel. She taught me how to love without fear. See, after my father died, my high school girlfriend dumped me. So, I was a little jaded when it came to women. Twenty years later, I met Mrs. N and fell in love. *leans in and kisses Mrs. N* As for my father, I know I’ll see him again in Heaven. In the meantime, I honor him by being the best man and husband I can.

Mrs. N: And here I was going to talk about how losing my father had a great impact on my life. *laugh* But I’ve had lots of turning points in my life.

Mr. N: Why not talk about the Walking Man?

Mrs. N: Yes! Great idea, darling. Five years ago, I was out for my morning walk and I saw a homeless man sitting in front of a gas station. I looked at him, head uplifted to the sun smiling, and wondered what his story was. Why was he smiling? There was such a peace in his weathered face, I stopped walking and openly stared.  I watched him for a while and knew he was different from other homeless people.  He did not ask for money or hold up a sign. He kept to himself and avoided contact.

A voice suddenly entered my head, “What if you could help him? Would you? What if you were chosen to help him and others like him?”

I searched my heart and after a moment, I replied aloud, “Yes, I would.”

“This is what you were called to do.” The voice echoed in my heart.

I went home that very day and started writing. This simple encounter changed my life forever and inspired me to write Princess of the Light, our debut novel. It also launched our mission: to help feed those less fortunate. A portion of our royalties goes to our local food bank to help feed men, women and children.

 

Me: What personality trait of yours helps you most as an author?

Mr. N: My organizational skills have helped us tremendously. Since we write as a team, I help manage our time and make sure we stay on-track.

Mrs. N: My artistic side helps us greatly as an author duo. I take care of the marketing and promoting of our books as well as ensure the blurb and cover are spot-on. I not only have an ability to tell a story but I love creating graphics, too.

 

Me: What personality trait of yours hinders you most as an author?

Mr. N: Is time a personality trait? *laughs* I never have enough time in the day and would love to have more time to write. I have too many stories in my head but alas, I work full-time as a numismatist, co-own our author promotions business and I have to relax, too. Not to mention sleep, eat and spend time with my wife.

Mrs. N: I’ve a tendency to get side-tracked when writing. I can veer off on a character arc and totally misplace I’m supposed to be moving the plot forward. *giggles* Mr. N helps me stay on the plot.

 

Me: What was your high point as a writer? 

Mr. N: I’m happiest with every new release. Every time we publish, we’re impacting others and that’s the greatest high… next to my wife. *leans over for a kiss*

Mrs. N: *blushes* I think I haven’t hit my high point yet. I’m constantly learning how to be a better storyteller, how to hook a reader, how to write. We’ve published one book every year and with each new release, I’ve learned something new. I keep challenging myself to be better. I’ve goals to achieve and once I reach those goals, I’ll make new goals and strive to be the very best storyteller I can be.

 

Me:  What was your low point as a writer—a time when you questioned your path?

Mr. N: We had a lot of ups and downs with the release of Princess of the Light back in 2014. There was a point when I wanted to just give up. But then I thought of the Walking Man and how much I wanted to share his story, and he gave me the motivation to continue.

Mrs. N: There have been a few reviews that knocked me down and didn’t feel like writing. I mean, some reviewers can be cruel but it’s all part of the business. How did I get over it? Honestly, I read over the raving reviews from readers. Readers, not reviewers, are the reason why I write. If just one reader connects with my writing, that’s all the motivation I need.

Some reviewers can be cruel, but it’s all part of the business. @NNP_W_Light #AmWriting #AOTC Click To Tweet

Me: If you could be any character in any book for a day who would you be? Why?

Mr. N: I’d love to be Mr. Darcy for a day. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite romances and I think I’d make the cut. To be able to ride on horseback and sweep my beloved off her feet… yes, I could definitely be Mr. Darcy for a day.

Mrs. N: And I’d be Elizabeth Bennett. She’s intelligent, witty, friendly who loves to go walking, no matter if her petticoat gets muddy. I’d find Mr. Darcy charming, even if he is a tad prideful.

 

Me: How do you deal with rejection or bad reviews? What advice can you give others about how to handle rejection and bad reviews? 

Mrs. N: I’ll take this one. Dealing with bad reviews is tough to take, especially when it seems like an attack on the author personally. The rule of thumb I have is that I never reply to reviewers, other than to say thank you for taking the time to review our book.

The most important thing to remember, as authors, is that reading is very subjective. You’re not going to please every reader. Get over it and move on.

Mr. N: Well said, my love. I’d only add one piece of advice: Publishing and writing books is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to get noticed and you need to be patient.

 

Me: If you could be any character in any book for a day who would you be? Why?

Mrs. N: I’ll take this one. Dealing with bad reviews is tough to take, especially when it seems like an attack on the author personally. The rule of thumb I have is that I never reply to reviewers, other than to say thank you for taking the time to review our book.

The most important thing to remember, as authors, is that reading is very subjective. You’re not going to please every reader. Get over it and move on.

Mr. N: Well said, my love. I’d only add one piece of advice: Publishing and writing books is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to get noticed and you need to be patient.

If just one reader connects with my writing, that’s all the motivation I need. @NNP_W_Light Click To Tweet

Me: Tell me about your new adult contemporary romance, Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella.

N.N.:
Torn between two men, Sally must follow her heart and decide if love will lead her to the city or the countryside.

Twenty-Two-year-old Sally Rayton returns to the family farm she deserted four years ago to bury her grandfather. Her plan: to settle her grandfather’s estate and return to her life in the city with her boyfriend, Trevor Mattson.

Her childhood friend, Jack Smith, has other ideas.

Jack convinces Sally to transform the farm into a brewery and fulfill her grandfather’s dream while keeping the Rayton Farm in the family. Sally works side-by-side with Jack while Trevor is hundreds of miles away in the city. The more time she spends with Jack, the stronger her feelings are for him.

When Trevor shows up to propose to Sally right before Christmas and finds her in Jack’s embrace, she must make the biggest choice of her life: true love.

  

Me: Share with us a favorite paragraph or two from your newest release,Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella.

N.N.:

“I think we should let her rest, gentlemen.” Doc began to usher them out when Sally spoke.

“How did you know I was hurt, Jack?”

Tension filled the room. Sally opened her eyes, searching Jack’s gaze.

“Marcus called me.” His shoulders fell but his eyes never wavered. 

Sally knew there was more to it than that. When she was seven, she fell out of a tree during recess. Even though Jack was two years older than her and had a difference recess time, he found her. She broke her leg. He stayed with her until the ambulance came. He told her later he saw her fall in his mind and had to save her because he was her knight in shining armor.

 “Weren’t you at your brother’s house?” Sally stared hard.

Jack’s eyes widened.

“Jack, doesn’t your brother live three hundred miles away?” asked Doc. “How did you get here so quick?”

Jack raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

“It’s like before,” whispered Sally.

Jack stared back at her, stunned.

“What happened before?” demanded Trevor.

Sally shook her head.

“I’m tired. I think I’ll rest.” Sally turned her head away and closed her eyes.

 Doc ushered them out. 

“I was too late to save you,” whispered Jack.

Sally trembled slightly.

He turned out the light and closed the door before she could respond.

Mrs. N: Mr. N had to return to work as a numismatist so I chose to answer this last part. This is a turning point in the book. Sally’s in the hospital (won’t tell you how; you’ll have to read it to find out) and the two men who care about her the most are on either side of her bed. In a previous scene, her and Jack get into an argument and he leaves town. In her time of need, he wasn’t there. Guilt eats away at Jack and Sally has just regained consciousness.

This is one of my favorite scenes because it’s filled with tension and raw emotion. Sally’s just awoken to find herself in the hospital. Jack and Trevor are arguing over who’s responsible. A memory sparks Sally to ask Jack how he got there so quickly and the reader is left to wonder how Jack drove 300 miles in record time.

Jack and Sally grew up together and have a history, not romantically but as friends. I love that. I created this scene because I wanted the reader to understand how Jack has always viewed Sally as his princess and he’s her knight. He takes care of her, always has, and this time, because of his own emotional turmoil, he wasn’t able to save her. He failed. He feels responsible and in one sentence, Sally realizes his pain.

“I was too late to save you.”

We all want someone to save us, to take care of us, to love us. Sally is starting to see Jack’s undying love for her as she wars with her own feelings for him. And what about Trevor? Boom, a classic trope emerges. *smiles*

 

Buy Links:

AMAZON US | AMAZON CA | AMAZON UK | GOODREADS

Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella is on sale for 99 cents June 15 – 17!

You can find N.N. here:

TWITTER | WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | BLOG | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB | PINTEREST | LINKEDIN | GOOGLE+ | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | INDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK

 


Abbie Roads writes dark emotional novels featuring damaged characters, but always gives her hero and heroine a happy ending… after torturing them for three hundred pages. RACE THE DARKNESS and HUNT THE DAWN are available now! SAVING MERCY Book 1 in the Fatal Truth Series is now available.

 

About the author: abbieroads