I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by author Jody Vitek, who shares...
What scares you the most or makes you
the happiest about writing?
by Jody Vitek
I’m
going to be real honest. Receiving a review scares me the most when it comes to
writing. If you ask any author or publisher, they’ll tell you that you need
reviews to sell books. With the market overflowing
with authors, it is very difficult to get
reviews. I do experience a little anxiety when I receive a review. Did they
like it? How many stars did they give the book? Were they nice in their review
giving constructive criticism? Sometimes
I have to remind myself that not everyone is going to like my story. We all
have different tastes.
My
wish would be that more readers leave book reviews. For me, it’s not so much for me to sell more books but for me to gauge how I’m doing as a writer. I love to hear from my
readers. What book and or character is their favorite? What scene moved them or
maybe reminded them of their own life.
Do you want to know how I handle the negative reviews? Because
you know it can’t be as easy as just letting go. Well, as I said, I’m going to
be honest. It’s not easy. It hurts. As writers, we agonize over every word,
every sentence, every paragraph, every scene, every chapter until we think we
have it right. Then we send the book to our editor who spends hours to help
make the words better. Stronger. I might get upset at the reviewer and complain
to my husband or fellow writer friends. I might cry, not often. Sometimes I
question myself as a writer and if I should keep writing.
So how do I bounce back? My friends reassure me that I’m a good
writer and tell me not to give up. I read the positive reviews to pick me up
from my doldrums. Sometimes, I have an adult beverage to help wash the pain away.
Other times, I’ll take a break from writing and watch a good romance flick, or
maybe scrapbook to use the other creative side of my brain.
Being a published author isn’t easy. If you’re a writer aiming
for publication, make sure you have a good support group and remember the
positives outweigh the negatives. Really, they do.
I want to end this on what makes me the happiest about
writing. It is very simple – seeing my books published and available for others
to enjoy. That makes me happy each and every time a book is released. The joy
hasn’t changed from my first release, Florida
Heat to my current fifth release, Taming the Texas Beauty.
Thank you for visiting. Since I’m being real, is there a
question you want to ask me about my writing or books?
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Two years
ago, Ryan Rogers was attracted to Stephanie Lockhart, but as the detective who
brought down her criminal brother, getting close to her was out of the
question. Now, ready to restart the relationship, he discovers her salon is
connected to a series of high-end robberies.
In spite of losing her brother
because of Detective Rogers, Stephanie hasn’t forgotten their attraction. It
could be happily ever after when they meet once again…until she and her salon
are implicated in crime, sending her world spiraling out of control.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“I’m
sorry to have brought it up, but at the salon you seemed to have put distance
between us. And seeing you…I wanted to talk to you. Over the phone or in text
wouldn’t have been right.” He glanced at his hands.
“Your
turn.” She rested her hand on his forearm. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“We
were busy with your brother’s investigation, as well as other cases. I couldn’t
get involved with you while working on your brother’s case. When the time came
around that I could’ve called you, I figured it was too late. A girl like you
doesn’t wait around for a guy.”
“No,
I didn’t wait around.” She removed her hand. “And what kind of girl am I, Ryan
Rogers?” She relaxed against the back cushion and crossed her legs. Waiting.
Waiting for his response.
“You’re
beautiful and smart. You run your own business. Come from a wealthy, well-known
family, and could have any man you wanted.”
She
lurched forward with a laugh before raising an eyebrow. “Any man I want, huh?
Your brother turned me away when he was single.”
Ryan
sat upright. “You—my brother?”
“We
kissed, then he kicked me out of his hotel room. So no, I can’t have any man I
want. And you didn’t want me either.”
“I
never said I didn’t want you. We never got beyond the phone number exchange.”
He raised his voice, frustrated with the situation. “What if I told you I want
you now? What if I took you into the bedroom and followed through on your
handcuff suggestion?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jody Vitek is a
multi-published author with Satin Romance, an imprint of Melange Books, LLC.
She has been a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Midwest Fiction
Writers (MFW) since 2001 and is a Provisional PAN member of RWA.
Born and raised in
Minnesota, Jody remains close to home living with her husband of twenty-five
plus years, three children and a cat named Holly. Growing up, she enjoyed
reading V.C. Andrews’ the Dollanganger series, starting with Flowers in the
Attic, S.E. Hinton, and Stephen King to name a few. Today her tastes run across
the board in fiction and non-fiction, in all genres.
She has traveled throughout
the United States, to the Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. Between watching her
youngest son playing soccer, maintaining one of the many scrapbook albums,
gardening and being the COO of the Vitek household, she writes contemporary
romances.
Contacts and Links
Email: info@jodyvitek.com
Twitter: @JodyVitek
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