Monday 31 July 2017

July Wrap-Up: #BookReviews of My July #BookHaul

In July, there were two books that I was really looking forward to reading; the first was This Was a Man by Jeffrey Archer, the seventh and final book in the Clifton Chronicles (from my local library):




And the other was A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3). I bought the entire trilogy from Amazon so I could re-read books 1 and 2 before delving into the third novel:



 
I started with the library books first, since I had a limited time to get through them, and wasn't disappointed (click on the cover images for info on these books).

This Was A Man (Clifton Chronicles #7) by Jeffrey Archer. Start with Book 1, Only Time Will Tell:

 



This Was A Man is the Clifton Chronicles series finale, so I can't say too much about this book as I'd be spoiling the previous 6 books for you, but I can say that this is a family saga which follows Harry Clifton and his family and friends over several decades.

My Rating: 3-stars

On top of love, family, friendship and relationships, this series ~ and this book in particular ~ touches on business takeovers, investments/trading, banking and politics. It has baddies that you will love to hate and the writing is so easy to follow even though the narrative is from several different perspectives.

This finale isn't my favourite book in the series ~ I loved books 1 to 3 the best, I think ~ but I feel like I've been on a very long journey with the Cliftons and would recommend this series to anyone who likes a good family saga. Books 1 to 3, I would highly recommend.


The other library book I borrowed in July was To All The Boys I've Loved Before (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han

 

I picked this up because I've heard good things about it on BookTube. According to the blurb on my copy, some love letters that weren't meant to be sent to, or read by, the boys our young protagonist Lara Jean has loved before, get sent out! Oops. And this has both romantic and comic consequences for our lovable heroine.

My Rating: 4-stars

It's a sweet, sweet YA contemporary romance novel which I finished in two sittings! It's not a tiny book but the writing is so clean and the narrative so easy to follow that I was addicted. Lara Jean's relationships with her two sisters and widower dad is so cute and her love for baking is so endearing. 

I enjoyed this book so much that I went and downloaded the entire trilogy on my iPhone straight after reading book 1 (I didn't think my library would have the other two books in the series, especially not the recently released book 3, and I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next) and I re-read book 1 as well! That's how much I loved this book. I haven't done that in a long, long time, where I've read a library book (or a free series opener) and then downloaded the follow-up novels.

I just loved everything about the first book ~ so cute and sweet and addictive ~ and I'll go as far as saying, having read the other two books in under two days, that this is probably the sweetest YA series I've ever read. I don't read a lot of sweet romances, but still :)

Though my fave is book 1, I rated book 2 (P.S. I Still Love You) and book 3 (Always and Forever, Lara Jean) 4-stars also. If you read YA contemporary romance and haven't read this series yet ~ Why not? Do it now. It's that good!

I'm so glad I read this series; it's exactly what I needed after the reading slump in May.

Because only two library books caught my eye, I thought I'd catch up on some of the e-books I've downloaded in the last few months but never got around to reading. And these are as follows:

Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1) by Sarah Fine

 

My Rating: 3-stars

This YA urban fantasy is about a young girl's journey into hell to rescue her friend. I enjoyed this book, actually, and it had a lot to be admired. It was a bit on the long-ish side for me, considering the plot, but still kept me hooked. I would recommend this book to fans of YA that are looking for something a bit different story-wise.

Next, The Concealed (Lakewood Series #1) by Sarah Kleck

 
  
My Rating: 3.5-stars rounded down to 3-stars on Goodreads

This is another YA urban fantasy, and this time, its related to Arthurian legend. I haven't read much about King Arthur or Merlin, so I was looking forward to getting through this.

I thought it was a slow-burner, but there was enough intrigue and mystery to keep me coming back for more. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes YA novels about myths and legends, and it's something a bit different, too.

The reason I'm rounding it down from 3.5 to 3-stars and not rounding it up to 4-stars: The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I wasn't completely taken with how it ended. However, I'm noticing a trend here in certain YA fantasy novels, where they start off really good and then sort of lose it at the very end (remember my review of Fallen by Lauren Kate?)

Also on my Kindle App is Touched (Touched #1) by Elisa S. Amore



You've guessed it, another young adult fantasy series opener. From the stunning cover, you can tell it's about angels. But not any old angel ~ the angel of death! This series is a huge self-publishing success, and I recently read an article about how the author, before she started writing this series, couldn't afford a laptop. Her husband bought one for her as a Christmas present, for which he had to pay in monthly instalments. And now, a famous actor of her choice is doing the audio-books for this series. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, I stopped reading this book in the middle of chapter 4 (the chapters are extremely long, though; the Kindle App says I was 17% into the book when I stopped reading it) but seen as it's so popular, I might pick it up again in the future. In the meantime, it's not been able to capture and hold my attention and make me want to go back for more.

It's one of those books with pages and pages of description of forests and surroundings, slowing down the pace of the story and making me wonder, "when is the interesting stuff going to happen?" But like I said, this series has a huge following, so it must appeal to a certain type of reader, which I am not at the moment, but I'm sure I will pick it up again some time in the future and give it another go. Just not sure when...

Next up, Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram

 

My Rating: 2.5-stars rounded up to 3-stars on Goodreads

This is a young adult slash new adult modern-day retelling of Cinderella ~ a contemporary romance, in other words ~ so I knew what to expect from it. A lot of its fans are calling it a "sweet" or "cute" story, but it's nowhere near Jenny Han's aforementioned novels, which excel in the sweet and cute department and have more to them than just fluffiness.

Oram's take on the Cinderella story is good but I didn't think this novel was anything special. Sometimes it felt a bit blah. Sorry, I can't use a more formal description! I managed to finish it though, as I was determined to not repeat what happened in May when I left quite a few books unfinished due to the reading slump I was suffering from, but looking back, I'm wondering how I managed to get to the end of this book....


More Than This (More Than #1) by Jay McLean is New Adult contemporary romance

 
 

This was a coming of age story and oriented more towards new adult readers. I had to check out the book description on Goodreads for this one to remind myself what it was about and whether I'd liked it for this review ~ I'd read it pretty early on in the month ~ so I guess it's one of those forgettable NA contemporary romances?

Reading the blurb, I remembered what this book is about. The summary of the blurb can be split into 4 points:

1. Mikayla's prom night ends in disaster, leaving her completely alone in the world.
2. Jake, who she has just met and who witnessed her loss, takes her in and tries to take care of her.
3. Mikayla and Jake grow close but she's determined to keep her distance to protect her heart, after everything she's been through.
4. Will Jake succeed in gaining her trust and will they live happily ever after?

Now, here's a reason I've gone through the effort of splitting the blurb this way:
Points and 1 and 2 take place within the first 5% of the book.
Point 4 occurs in the final 5% of the book.
So the remaining 90% was point 3 and point 3 alone.
And it was a very long book, where the only thing that seems to happen is the two characters getting close and then stepping back. No twists and turns along the way, no drama, just a lot of sexual tension between these new adults.

So, for that reason, My Rating is: 2.5-stars rounded up to 3-stars on Goodreads

I don't mind a love story where the majority of the book sees the two lovers get to know each other, grow close, and then get together in the end. But there has to be plot twists, drama, something, anything, in the middle to make it more interesting. Make it be more than just a boy-meets-girl story. In Cinder & Ella, at least the author threw in some twists and drama in the middle...

There are a lot of positive reviews online for More Than This, though, so I guess it's right up some readers' streets, just not mine, I'm afraid. Again, I powered through to the end because I didn't want my 'did-not-finish' pile to grow further after May.

And now, finally:

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court Of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I left this one to read till last, as I was looking forward to reading this one the most. This is a fantasy series focusing on Fae and faeries, and book 1, A Court of Thorns and Roses, was the first Maas book I'd read. I read it last year and rated in 3-stars. It was a very slow burner but got so good in the final 20% and the ending left me wanting to get my hands on book 2 straightaway.





Luckily, my local library had A Court of Mist and Fury and so I was able to read it last year too, the year it was released, and as I mentioned earlier this year, that book was my favourite of 2016.

 

I loved ACOMAF. It was a million times better than book 1 and I'm so glad the series opener finished so strongly, else I wouldn't have read book 2 and I would've missed out on one of the best books published last year. That book was also voted by Goodreads users as the best of 2016 in the YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi category.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I bought the entire trilogy to re-read the first two books before starting the series finale. And surprisingly, I enjoyed book 1 a lot more this time around. Book 2 was just as good as the first time I'd read it.

Now for my thoughts on book 3:





A Court of Wings and Ruin

First of all, I have to say that this is a big, big book. My (UK paperback) copy is 704 pages long, the text is not the nice medium-to-large size, but quite small and there's a lot of text jammed into each page. I don't know how many words that is, but it's a very long book. I don't mind long novels, though. I'm not intimidated by them at all. In fact, if a really long book doesn't feel at all long, it means I've really enjoyed it.

If a lengthy book feels long... does that mean I didn't enjoy it? Well, I didn't enjoy ACOWAR as much as I enjoyed book 2. ACOMAF was just in a league of its own.

My Rating: 3-stars

This book felt as long as it was. It took me a long while to finish it ~ lucky it was the last of my reads for the month, otherwise it would have held up the others on my to-read pile.

I can't fault the writing, the world building, the character development. SJM is an excellent writer, and her characters are always intricate and complicated and easy to root for. She is one of those authors that really takes care of her supporting cast of characters, too, their pasts and backgrounds rich and intricate, their development just as well executed as that of the leading characters. When the secondary characters are so badass and interesting and complicated and likeable, you know you're being treated to a good piece of storytelling.

So much magic and wonder in this book! The worlds (or rather, the courts) so intriguing and mesmerising. But the book was very slow to get going. As slow as I found the first book in the series to be. Nonetheless, I powered through ~ albeit slowly and not always eagerly, not as enthusiastically as I'd done with book 2 ~ because I knew that if anyone can finish a book really strongly, it's SJM.

And it did get better towards the end, though the finale, in my opinion, wasn't as epic as the endings in book 1 and book 2. Other readers have absolutely loved this conclusion to the trilogy, though, so it's definitely worth the read.

All in all, this is a great fantasy series that fans of the genre must read. If you're someone who reads an eclectic mix of books, then give this series a go, too; book 2 is worth it, and SJM's writing is world class.



Thank you for reading this post. If you're interested in my debut novel, click the image below to learn more about it:
 


Like all my other books, it's also available on:
iBooks   |   B&N Nook   |   Kobo |   Smashwords 


Book Details

Length: 110,000 words
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Clean Romance / Diverse Romance / Interracial Romance / Romantic Drama / Women’s Fiction
Mood: Inspirational / Feel Good / Coming of Age / Dark
Content: Sexy but No explicit sex scenes / No erotica
Audience: New Adult & College / Adult / Female Readers

Recommended for: Readers that enjoy romance novels with serious issues and characters with depth. This is a story about life, love, friendship, family, music, art, destiny and soul mates.


And the first two books in my teen urban fantasy/YA paranormal romance series, the Poison Blood series, can be downloaded for free via:

Amazon USAmazon UK|   iBooks US & UK   |   B&N Nook Store   |   Smashwords






PB1 Book Details

Length: 29,000 words
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance / Teen Vampire Romance / Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy / Teen & YA Urban Fantasy / Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy / Supernatural Romance / Fantasy Romance
Mood: Dark / Humorous / Coming of age
Content: No violence / No explicit sex scenes / No erotica
Audience: Teen / Young Adult / New Adult / Adult
Recommended for: Readers that love all things vampires, slayers and witches!

Monday 24 July 2017

If I Say Yes Q+A & Benefits of Including Q+As In Your #eBooks

This is a spoiler-free Q&A on my contemporary romance novel, If I Say Yes (Love & Alternatives #1), and at the end of the interview, I will list what I think are the benefits for indie authors to include book-related Q&As at the end of their e-books. I say e-books and not just ‘books’ because, if you’re self-publishing your print versions, then Q&As will only increase the page count, thus increasing the production costs, and in turn force you to price your books at a higher rate, so it not might seem ideal.

If you want to skip the Q&A, it’s in black text; you can scroll down to the blue text for the benefits of author interviews in your self-published books.


Q: What was the main inspiration behind If I Say Yes?

A: The idea for this story just popped into my head one day, out of the blue, in H2 2016. Soon after the third book in my Soulmates Saga came out. Of course, it’s not a completely original idea, as Shell says in the Prologue, but I can’t say for sure why it felt like such a good idea to write this story with my own angle on it.

Ideas come into my head in two main ways. I think of them as raindrops falling on a leaf. Some drops of rain hit the leaf and splatter all over it. It takes time and effort for the water to wend its way back into the original raindrop. Other raindrops fall on the leaf but maintain their original shape, whole and sparkly, wobbling comfortably on the leaf. The idea for this Duology was like that—it came to me complete and in that moment, I knew it from start to finish. I didn’t have to do much; I knew all the story beats and twists and character arcs as though it was a book I’d written already. All I had to decide were the specifics. Exactly how old the MCs were. Where in the UK the story would be set. How many siblings the MCs had. What job they did. The little details. 

Like with most of my books, I saw the ending scene in my head almost soon after I got the idea and the writing process was a way to arrive at that destination. I’m not saying the final scene/segment I ended up writing is exactly how I first saw it, but it’s pretty close. Everything that I write in my books is deliberate. Nothing is an accident or left in there by mistake once I’m done editing it (apart from the odd typo, which we somehow didn’t spot *face palm*). The timing of each revelation or twist (major or minor), each little detail, every thing is there because I think it should be there to provide the reading experience I want to give readers. I’m not saying it’s achieved for every person that picks up the book, but I have a plan and I do what I can and what I feel is right to execute it.

When I got the idea for this duet, I was in the middle of planning/writing two other projects, both of which were in the paranormal romance/urban fantasy genre, and I didn’t think I’d be writing If I Say Yes until I was done with those. But I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and I felt like writing this book more than the existing projects. It’s one of those things that happens to authors when they have multiple story ideas but feel like writing one book more than the others.

Seb’s character however, was inspired by a real life person. A person I’ve never met, mind you, just heard about from a relative of mine. Unlike Seb who’s in his 20s, this person is a teenager actually, around 19 when I heard about him, and is best friends with my cousin’s teenage son, and he’s like the third son in my cousin’s family, having grown up and learned about Bengali culture and tradition from an early age through his friendship with my cousin’s son.

Seen as Seb was going to be Imran’s ‘white best friend’, I didn’t want to go down the predictable route where it’s a culture clash for him when he gets involved in Imran’s wedding to Shell. It would be typical to have Seb question the traditions of Bengali weddings and culture, and find everything new and amusing, not get it and so on. And these guys are supposed to be best friends from childhood, so wouldn’t Seb learn about Bengali culture from his friend? I’m really glad I had that random conversation with my cousin’s wife about her son’s white best friend who feels more a part of his friend’s family than his own. I guess that conversation in 2015 (on my third wedding anniversary) planted the seed for this book?


Q: What did you enjoy most about writing If I Say Yes?

A: Since August 2010, I’ve been spending time with the same group of characters: Mukti, Jamie and co. from my other contemporary romance series, the Soulmates Saga; and Ellie, Christian and co. from the Poison Blood Series. So, it was a pleasure creating and developing a new set of characters to fall in love with. Like making new friends, it was exciting yet nerve-wracking. There was some uncertainty, too: How will things turn out? Did I make the right choices? Will everyone else like them, too?


Q: Do you have a favourite scene in If I Say Yes?

A: I think the scene with Seb in the restaurant where he goes all psycho is my favourite. It was a real turning point for the characters involved and the true colours started showing.


Q: How does the Love & Alternatives series compare to the Soulmates Saga?

A: The Love & Alternatives series isn’t as dark or heavy as the Soulmates Saga, even though it does tackle a few serious issues. It also has a sweeter vibe to it, and the main characters are less troubled and tormented than those in the Soulmates Saga.

If I Say Yes is written from three characters’ POVs and in the first person, with two of those characters having more page time than the third character. It’s the first time I’ve tried this—the Poison Blood Series is written in the first person, but it’s mainly from Ellie’s POV, with a little from Christian thrown in here and there (though Vampire Absolution is entirely from his POV). The Soulmates Saga on the other hand, is written in third person and though it’s mainly the lead protagonists that dominate page time, we do hear from many other characters.

If I Say Yes is more fast-paced than the novels in the Soulmates Saga, but that’s not to say that the books in the Saga are slow-burners, either. The two series are written in different styles, that’s all.


Q: How does Shell compare to Mukti from the Soulmates Saga?

A: Both Shell and Mukti are young British Bangladeshi Muslims that were born and bred in London, but their personalities are very different. They’ve had different upbringings, too, their family dynamics worlds apart:
Shell has a close, loving family and has a great relationship with her parents and siblings, whereas Mukti has always felt like an outsider amongst her kin and that has solidified further when you first meet her in Book 1 of the Soulmates Saga, due to her past and secrets.

Mukti’s past has turned her into someone that doesn’t fully integrate with the world around her—she just does enough to get by. However, she achieves as much as, if not more than, what most young women that haven’t been through what she has do in academia and the work place.

Shell doesn’t have a past or any secrets—it’s in If I Say Yes where her past begins, so to speak. It’s a truly coming of age story for Shell.

They’re both hard-working, professional women, though Mukti is more creative and artistic than Shell.


Q: How do Seb and Imran compare to Jamie from the Soulmates Saga?

A: When you first meet these characters, I’d say Seb and Imran are more instantly likeable than Jamie, Imran more than Seb. The male characters in If I Say Yes are more open and honest with the reader, and have a great friendship with each other, whereas Jamie is an introverted recluse.

Jamie goes through more change and character development in the first book in the Saga though, and you do fall in love with him by the end of the book.

The two best friends in If I Say Yes are so different from each other in terms of personality—Seb is loud, brash, and bit of a commitment-phobe; Imran is the deep thinker, quiet, reserved, but he embraces the idea of settling down with Shell, the perfect woman for him—and they couldn’t be more different from Jamie. 

However, Jamie is like Imran when it comes to settling down; he’s ready for the happy ever after with the woman that he loves. She just needs to get to that phase, too.


Q: Do you have a writing routine? Has it changed over the years?

A: Things have changed a lot since I started writing the first book in the Soulmates Saga in August 2010, my debut published novel. At that time, I was single and working full-time. I wrote during the evenings and weekends and wrote at least 3,000 words each evening, and a whole lot more during the weekends. Now, I’m married, a mum of 1, and out of work due to illness. I suffer from severe, chronic lower-back pain, which worsens considerably if I sit or stand for more than 15-20 minutes.

I wrote over 90% of If I Say Yes while lying in bed, on my stomach. It was hard on the arms and elbows—though, that pain dissipated quickly—but at least my back pain didn’t worsen. My discs didn’t damage further.

Prior to April 2017, I did all my writing—novels and blog posts—in that fashion. Then I found out I was pregnant, and it’s not ideal to be lying on your bump anymore, is it? But I really wanted to write the conclusion to the Love & Alternatives duology—If I Say No—as well as those PNR/UF projects I mentioned earlier, and so I had no choice but to write whilst sitting down. Yes, the pregnancy added to the back pain, worsened it big time, and because I couldn’t take my regular medication for the pain, things were pretty difficult.

It’s only my love—and need—for writing that coerced me to spend a few hours each week sitting and writing. If I didn’t love it so much, I wouldn’t do it. The accompanying pain just wouldn’t be worth it.

And so, I tried to write as much as I could, when I could, though my aim was to write at least a chapter whenever I sat with my laptop, around 1,500 words on average (taking lots of breaks and doing lots of stretches every few minutes). I didn't change my writing methods though, and so, the next time I sat down to write, I went over what I wrote during the previous session, to catch up with what’s happening and get back in the zone, and editing that section as I went. I think most authors do this.

Once the first rough draft of a novel is done, I go back to the beginning and do a quick revision, adding any scenes or descriptions where needed, seeing how the story flows. If I end up adding lots of new material throughout the novel, I will go back and do another quick light round of revision to see how things flow now.

Then I take a break from the manuscript. At least a month.

Afterwards, the real editing begins, and I revise the manuscript to death, until I hate everything I’ve written and think it’s utter rubbish LOL. 

Next, another break. For a month, if I can afford it, or at least 2 weeks.

A few more rounds of serious editing follows and I only stop when I start loathing the book once more and don’t want to lay my eyes on it ever again.

I have become a better editor now though, so the process is more efficient—I did a lot of editing for books, research papers, and blogs in my job in the financial services sector, so I can be very patient with the process. 


Q: What happens in If I Say No?

A: LOL I can’t tell you that! All I will say is that a reader of Book 1 hit the nail on the head when she said it would be “heart-stopping.” Just try to keep an open mind and try to appreciate the sequel for the story that it’s trying to tell.

That's it for the interview. Thanks for reading it! I hope you enjoy the concluding part of this Duology, releasing January 29, 2021.

Have you checked out the Soulmates Saga yet? Keep reading for the Blurb of the first book in the series.


Would you recognise true love if you saw it?

Singer and songwriter Jamie York is suffering from writer’s block. When he meets the unexpectedly inspirational Mukti, Jamie’s creativity knows no bounds and he feels torn. He has to keep seeing her, but what will she make of his tortured soul?

Little does he know that Mukti has her own secrets and is just as troubled as he is. Her name translates as ‘freedom’ in her native tongue Bengali, but she is anything but free.

Recent graduate Mukti Khan has just started a new job in the City and is determined to work hard and keep people at bay. All that changes after a chance encounter with the mysterious Jamie. He fascinates her like no one ever has and she just has to get to know him better. But is she truly capable of letting him in?

As an unlikely friendship develops between the two, will Jamie and Mukti be able to help each other come to terms with their pasts, or do some ghosts haunt us forever?

Set in contemporary London, this is a unique love story between two unique characters that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

Praise for the novel:

‘A truly fantastic read. The two main characters are cleverly crafted, impeccable. Their depth makes them feel real as they become a woven part of the reader. It is a feel-good read which I highly recommend to all who love contemporary romance. Loved it.’
—I.C. Camilleri, Author of the Blake Series

‘This is not your typical chick-lit book. There is no sloppy romance and no mushy words. This is truly a one of a kind book. Little by little, the story was told to me and it was told perfectly. I cannot believe this is Neha’s first book. It is perfect. Definitely a must-read.’
—A Novel Review

‘I loved the book. I can’t believe that this is the author’s first book; the way it’s written is excellent. I was captured from the beginning of the story. A must-read!’
—RosieReview

Download this book from your favourite retailers, including:


Now, why did I spend the last hour writing out this Q&A to insert at the end of my book? As promised earlier, the benefits of author interviews in your e-books are below: 

Benefit #1

Everyone loves getting a little extra for their money, so bonus content of any kind will please those readers that get to the end of your e-book. Like me, you can mention this in the sales description of your book. I include something like this: ‘A 110,000-word novel with added bonus content.’ If you like, you can even mention what kinds of bonus material you’re including. 

Benefit #2

Q&As are a great way of engaging with your readers after they’ve finished your novel, and a way to make fans out of them. It gives the reader a chance to get to know you better, as you can add little snippets about your interests while you discuss the influences behind your book, or you can have a bunch of questions that are specifically about you. Readers, and humans in general, are always looking to connect—so why not give your readers a way to connect with you? 

Benefit #3

Author interviews are an ideal way for you to explain why you included anything scandalous or controversial in your book, or why a character made a decision that might not go down well with readers. Therefore, helping fans understand your book or characters better.

So, instead of having something like ‘A Note from the Author’, which is quite boring, you can spin it into a question in the Q&A, the type of question readers might ask you about the controversy. For example: ‘Why did Jane do so and so instead of this and that after prom night?’ Then you can delve into the reasons behind your characters’ controversial/unpopular decisions. 

Benefit #4

In the interview, you can talk about your other books/series by comparing the current book to your others works, thus bringing the reader’s attention to other novels of yours that might interest them. I know you have a section titled ‘More Books by This Author’ or something like that, but they’re just a list of titles. In the Q&A, you can tell the reader why they should try your other series because they’re just as good as the current book, or they’re darker/sweeter, funnier/deeper, and so on. 

Benefit #5

By including a question at the end of the interview about the projects you have lined up for the future, you can whet readers’ appetites with juicy exclusives about sequels or future projects. If you have a mailing list, you can give them the chance to sign up it to stay up-to-date with those future releases. 

Benefit #6

If you have a blog and struggle to come up with ideas on what to write every week, you can take out the spoilers from your Q&A and post it on your blog. That’s one week’s post sorted. 

Benefit #7

Talking about your books in a Q&A, even if it’s just you answering some basic questions, can help you organise your thoughts on it. Get you thinking about how to go about marketing it. Writing the blurb for it.

I suggest that you write the Q&A before you publish the book, maybe during the editing process—it’s amazing how talking to yourself about your book or characters can give you ideas on how to improve your manuscript. Questioning certain aspects and then answering those questions can also highlight any plot holes and help you fill them. 

Benefit # 8

It’s fun! Coming up with interview questions for yourself and your book, pretending to be interviewed on the radio or TV, or on a bestselling author’s blog, can get you really excited about your book, especially if editing depresses you like it does many.

That’s it for now. Happy reading xXx