Your debut novel, Carpe Bead ‘em made it on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers List. What were two of your strategies for skyrocketing into the troposphere?
I don’t think you can begin to market and promote yourself too early. I began my journey into the troposphere two years before Carpe Bead ‘em even hit the store. I started by beginning a grog with a group of writers that not only were in different stages of their publishing career, but we each wrote in different genres so we could pull all sorts of readers. I also began volunteering for all sorts of writer’s conferences and groups so I could get my name out with my peers.
How did you find your critique partner?
I belong to a local writer’s group and was lucky enough to be asked by Heather Webber to join her group that she has been with for over 15 years! It was one of the best moves I made. My group consists of cozy mystery writer Heather Webber, New York Times Bestseller Shelley Shepard Grey, inspirational writer Cathy Liggett, and aspiring writer Hilda Knepp. We meet a couple times a month, and go on yearly retreats. They have become my great friends!
You write 2,000 words a day in notebooks. Whew. Do you use pencils or pens?
Pencils and a certain type of pencils. A little superstitious that way.
Can you share a quick photo of one of your journals for the readers?
Do you mutter or make strange faces when you write?
I will act out a scene that I think will work in order to get the emotion or the facial features. I know….strange!
How do you know when a book is finished?
I always know the beginning, middle and end. I wing the start of a novel. After fifty pages into it, I can generally see where it’s going and begin to create a general chapter outline. I plot backwards, starting with the ending. This allows me to see what I need to write in order to get to the end.
What’s the best review you’ve ever received?
Romantic Times!!! They interviewed me at a reader conference and took a picture of me!! I was crazy!
What’s the one thing that kills your writing mojo?
EDITING!!! I have to bribe myself to get them done. That little devil in the back of my head says, “You’ve already written this once.”
Who do you want to do your first big television interview? Will you jump on the couch?
Nancy Grace! I want to see her crazy eyes up close and personal!
When did your addition to Red Hots begin?
As a child. While my friends were eating ice cream, snickers, gummies, I was throwing back the Red Hot box :)
International Bestselling author Tonya Kappes believes that targeted and smart promotion and marketing can take a book from lackluster sales to the world of bestseller. She pooled her resources and knowledge to write The Tricked Out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs. When not touting marketing and promotion through her workshops, she write cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. I'm addicted to coffee, McDonald's Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy!
Learn more about Tonya here:
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