Author interview!

You can purchase Braver With You here! You’re definitely gonna want to buy this, and guess what! Braver With You is currently FREE on kindle! Go get your copy now! 

I am so honored to be doing an interview with the amazing author of Braver With You… A. Hart! Thank you so much, I am so happy to have you here on my blog today..So let’s start by you telling us about yourself! 

A. Hart: Oh boy, I don’t really know where to start but I’ll try. My dad was in the Navy, my brother was in the Army and my husband joined the Army. My entire life has been revolved around a loved one being in the military and ultimately being gone. My husband got out of the Army almost two years ago and we are both still adjusting to civilian life. I am definitely enjoying having him around more. He had been stationed in Alaska so we lived there for three years. I can say that it is my favorite place on Earth. I never found a place in Alaska I didn’t love, not even in the dead of winter. We plan to continue to visit it often. I am looking forward to writing an Alaska based novel soon. I have worked in almost all positions in the education field. I loved teaching but recently chose to come home to care for our kids and to pursue writing full time. I may return to teaching one day but for now I am happy. I have two young boys and a black lab who are very energetic. Keeping up with them is taxing and so I turn to my favorite beverage, coffee, a lot. So author typical I know. Anyway I am a reading addict and read three to five books a week. I like romance best bust I read all genres I love nature, hiking and when I am motivated, running.
 

 

 

Me: What is your book Braver With You about? 

A. Hart: Braver With You is a romance novel but I feel like it’s more than that. It has a little action, a little suspense and some comedy. It’s about two people who are pushed to fight for their lives- in different ways- and through their time apart and their hardships, the love that they shared is what gets them through the rough patches. Braver With You is about true love of all kinds- the kind between lovers, family, friends and even strangers. It’s ultimately about the love Cal and Emerson share and how it gives them both the strength to be braver.

 
Me: When and why did you begin writing?

A. Hart: You know, this is funny because I didn’t think I started really writing until I was in college. However I recently found notebooks full of stories and dramatic journals. They go back all the way to when I was six and continue through high school. I didn’t remember writing them until I read them, and then it all came back. As I read it, I could predict what the entry would say next. Anyway, I guess I always wrote however I didn’t become inspired to become a writer until after my first son was born.

 
Me: Which writers inspire you?

A. Hart: There are too many to count. They each have their own reasons for inspiring me and none to share the same. I love CS Lewis as an overall influence, however I don’t have the same personal style as him. My favorite book and movie is Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. I adore the way the story was weaved so well and all of the details. As far as my style, the author I identify most with would have to be Nicholas Sparks. He tends to write contemporary romance that always has a little extra something in it, such as suspense. I am inspired by the way his stories are so cleverly weaved and how detailed his characters are. (Much like Fried Green Tomatoes)

 
Me: Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

A. Hart: Funny enough my favorite characters are the ones who don’t see too often in my novel, however I have a much more detailed relationship with them in my mind. Ethel is Calvin’s Granny and she is by far my favorite character. She is the old lady that I hope to be one day. I also adore Sarah because she is very much my opposite, yet somewhere deep inside me she exists. You see Sarah more in book 2- Stronger By Your side and then you learn all about in her in her book, which is book 3 of the Great Love series, Safer In Your Arms.

 

Me: What inspired you to write your first book?

A. Hart: When my first son was born I would read while he nursed or while I rocked him. Reading became more of an obsession. Soon the stories from the books began continuing in my mind. I started creating all of these scenarios in my head while I was doing dishes or driving. One day I was driving home from work, listening to music. An idea came in my mind for a story. I went home and that night I began writing Braver With You. I didn’t realize I was writing a book until I was 30,000 words in.

 

Me: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

A. Hart: Oh my gosh, I can’t begin to tell you all the hard lessons I learned. I have no formal training for anything writing or computer related. I am still figuring it out as I go but every time I figure something out it makes the process easier.

 
Me: What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

A. Hart: The hardest thing about writing my last book was turning it into a novel. By that I mean, turning it from a word document to an actual book. It takes a lot more work than you would think. I edited it myself and that was exhausting.

Me: Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

A. Hart: I actually have a pinterest board for this. I would have Chris Hemsworth play Calvin or Liam might work too. Emerson would be played by Ashley Green.

 
Me: Do you proofread/edit all your books or do you get someone to do that for you?

A. Hart: So I did proofread and edit my first novel. It was exhausting, confusing and tedious. After reading and editing it over twenty times, that’s not an exaggeration, I still missed some typos and grammar errors. The problem with doing it yourself is that you have the story in your mind so you tend to change the words in your head to the correct ones. I published it with mistakes and then after someone pointed them out I went back and fixed them. I still have a couple in their somewhere but they are not bad. I paid to have my novel formatted by Frostbite Publishing and I cannot explain how amazing they are. I had Adam format for me and he was helpful the entire way. He knows the entire self-publishing industry and was willing and able to answer all my questions. This saved me a lot of time and money in a couple areas. I had originally paid Lulu.com to format and after a month of waiting I got back the most hideous thing I had ever seen, I can’t even explain how awful it was. The whole time I was waiting I could never get an e-mail back or anyone on the phone. I got my money back from Lulu and that’s when I found Adam at Frostbite. He worked quickly and did and amazing job! I could always get a hold of him via e-mail quickly. He was helpful and professional. If you need a formatter you should defiantly check out Frostbite. Their website is – http://frostbitepublishing.com/ They also do really stunning websites, but I am not all that tech savy, so I don’t really want one (yet). I will absolutely use them if I change my mind. Anyway I got a recommendation from the, for someone who edits a lot of their clients work. She seems very nice and reliable. I am having her edit book 2, my current WIP. I don’t want to share until I see the end result but I have a strong feeling she will do great. When she does I will defiantly advertise for her.

 

Me: Can you tell us about your publishing journey? 

A. Hart: Well it started out with me sending queries to over a hundred agents. After absolutely no bites, I decided that I would self-publish. Like I said I was clueless at the beginning. I tried to ask other self-published authors what they did. After they told me things like, “I goggled it” or “I just did it”…I got frustrated. I wanted to respond “Well Duh! Of course I googled it, how do you think I thought to ask you what you did to become successful?” but of course I didn’t. I responded professionally. So I ended up hiring Lulu and that was the biggest mistake. DO NOT do it. I repeat DO NOT hire Lulu for anything. You need to find someone you trust who is knowledgeable and professional. I honestly suggest Frostbite, they have been a God send. I then self-published through Amazon (create space and KDP).

 
Me: Do you have any advice for young writers? 

A. Hart: Just write. Forget about what you are or are not supposed to write. Forget about the fact that not many authors make it. Forget it all, just write. If writing is like breathing for you, then just like you need to just breathe, you also need to just write. If you sit down every single day and write, if you take a step closer to your goal every day, you will eventually get there. Don’t be afraid to self-publish and don’t be afraid to make mistakes while doing so. Book number two is already so much easier and will be from here on out. It’s all because of the many mistakes I made that I learned what worked and what didn’t.

 
Keep up with A.Hart as she works on her second book at her social media accounts below. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahartauthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/a.hart_author/

Pinterest: httDps://www.pinterest.com/ahisaacson20/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187341.A_Hart