Welcoming Angela Kay Austin

I am so pleased to introduce Angela Kay Austin to be my spotlight author.

This lady was very gracious enough to accept my apologies when my network went down and I could not keep her assigned date for her blog. I KNOW, through personal experience, how much work goes into promoting our interviews etc, but sometimes things are just out of our control.

So without further ado, here she is and you can find Angela at www.AngelaKayAustin.com




So Angela, please tell us what drew you to write in your current genre?

Hi Margaret and thank you for having me.

I like the idea of relationships that, even when sent through the wringer, are able to survive. Not just the relationship between a man and woman, but between friends, siblings, but parents and children, too.

How many novels have you written to date and are they all in the same genre?

I’ve completed, for submission, two manuscripts. However, I do have several that I am polishing to submit.


Authors opinions on plotting techniques differ across the board. So tell us, how much time do you spent on plotting before you start writing?

Well, thats a hard one to answer for me. I’ve only just begun to really use outlines. I am a true pantser. I change direction so quickly when I begin to write that I don’t think they’re as successful for me as for other writers.

Most of us writers have a favourite spot to write. Can you tell us where yours is?

At the moment I sit on my couch with my laptop. One day, I’d love to have a nice writing space, surrounded by windows vs. the walls of my basement.

Most authors I know have looked back occasionally at work they have written in the past and shuddered >g< So come on, confess, have you written anything like that?

Absolutely! The worst things was probably some of the stuff I wrote as a kid, and submitted to teen magazines. But as an adult, it would have to be my first manuscript. I loved it, but it still had a lot of the same mistakes as my teen stuff. I had every writing trick thrown in along with the kitchen sink. But, I didn’t know the proper use or purpose of any of it. I still love the story and I’m working on editing it for submission.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is called, Love’s Chance. I began this book years ago while living in Pennsylvania. It was based on a lot of things I saw and experienced mixed with a little bit of fantasy. Chance O’Malley was the fantasy.

Anyway, here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:

To pay back her parents and prevent the loss of their family business, Sinclair Mosley leaves her family and friends behind. Pennsylvania doesn’t welcome her with open arms, but Chance O’Malley does. At the risk of losing everything that brought her to Pennsylvania, including her family’s restaurant, Sinclair must decide if she’s willing to take a chance on love.

How can readers keep up with your news?

They can visit my website: www.AngelaKayAustin.com, and sign-up for my newsletter. I’d love to have them visit.

Now to get to the nitty gritty that plagues all writers. How do you deal with rejection letters?

I hate them. As all writers do. Initially, I cried while eating lots of butter pecan ice cream. Then, I shook it off and began to write again. I figured if I could get to the point where I could get a publisher to do more than send me a standard letter rejection then I was getting better. I also entered a few contests. Anything to get feedback on my writing.

Most writers struggle for years to get published. What do you think about celebrities writing book?

For the celebrities I’m interested in reading about, I think it’s great. I think that anytime someone expresses themselves creatively it’s fabulous. For me, writing is therapeutic. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t write. I’m sure that with the creative nature of celebrities that they’ve got a tremendous amount of things they’d like to say.

Have you got any advise for authors about getting an agent?

The only thing I can really say is don’t let it stop you from writing and submitting if you don’t have one. Originally, I submitted to agents, but I didn’t receive much feedback. If I would have ended my journey there, I’d still be unpublished. And, who hasn’t heard a story about an agent that kept telling some writer to keep writing to the tune of how many books, only to then have the artist move on, and have every single piece published, and then an agent calls them.

What's your favourite part of writing?

Character development. I love deciding how they will all interact. What kind of parents are they? Do they have siblings? What have they been through? Why are they the person they are?

How do you get past all the frustrations that come with trying to be a successful writer?

I talk to my friends about what I’m trying to do, and why. Also, I join organizations that have some sort of social element for writers which allows me to be able to talk to other authors about what we’re all going through.

I often find that authors don't 'have time' to read themselves. What do you like to read, if anything?

I like anything that takes me to a different place. Sci-Fi. Contemporary. Women’s fiction.

So tell us Angela, what actor/actress gets your pulses racing?

Brad Pitt is beautiful, so is Johnny Depp. Talent-wise, they’re both fabulous, too. There just don’t seem to be many people that have the ability to disappear into their roles.



Well, thats it folks. Please leave Angela a comment, she'll be so pleased to hear from you.