Indie Author Interview with Nicole Edwards - Author of the Adult Romance Novel Beautifully Brutal.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers - even when she’s supposed to be writing.
Interview with Nicole Edwards
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| Author Nicole Edwards |
Nicole Edwards: Background… Hmm… Well, I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Does that count? It started in elementary school, I know that much. I’d always loved creative writing and I carried that love over to my personal life, putting pen to paper in an effort to create a dream world around me. I didn’t get serious about writing until my late twenties when I couldn’t seem to get enough writing in. From there, it snowballed and I haven’t stopped since.
Who are your favorite writers, your favorite books, and who or what are your writing influences?
There are so many, I’m not sure I could list them all. My absolute favorite series is Black Dagger Brotherhood, by J.R. Ward. I fell in love with it the moment I read the first page. I found myself drawn to this fictional world that came to life around me. I wanted to do that, to be able to draw a reader in and have them so engrossed with the story, they thought about it when they weren’t reading.
"[...] when my first book took off, I kind of panicked."
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I knew I wanted to be a writer on a serious level several years ago. Self-publishing was becoming a thing and I figured it could possibly offer me a chance to get my stories in front of readers. I honestly didn’t expect it to do much, maybe a handful of readers, so when my first book took off, I kind of panicked. I hadn’t been expecting it and it seemed so surreal to me.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Not those from my childhood, no. But I do remember the first full-length book I wrote. I actually still have it and I’ve been tossing around the idea of reworking it and releasing it in the near future.
"I’m always writing."
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
Aside from writing, I live my life by numbers. I’ve become quite the expert at Microsoft Excel (thanks to more than a decade in corporate America) and I depend on those numbers.
So, I have this list of all the books that I’ve written and those that I intend to write, along with all of the characters (and many details about them) from my previous books. This spreadsheet provides me with calculations, deadlines based on expected word count, etc. I make a point to go to my office every single day and write. Whether it’s 500 words or 5,000. And, if I’m not feeling a certain set of characters or a story, I’ll work on something else in the interim until the story comes back. But I’m always writing.
Please, describe your desk/workplace.
I hate clutter, so my desk is relatively clean. Looking at it right now, I’m not so sure “relatively” pertains to it though. I have a clock, my monitors, my iPad, a candle, Post-It notes, along with several elephant knick-knacks (gifts from others) and a Himalayan Salt Lamp. It seems like a lot when I look at this list, but it’s really not. I prefer to have nothing else scattered about or I find myself distracted by it.
What do you find easiest about writing? What the hardest?
The easiest… LOL I’m not sure I find anything easy about writing, other than that I absolutely love to do it. When the characters are talking, it requires very little effort from me. When they aren’t, I start to panic—and maybe that’s the hardest part, the mental aspect to writing. And when I panic, I get distracted. It doesn’t take much to get me to do something other than write, so keeping on task is difficult at times.
"The characters come to life for me."
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Getting lost in a fictional world. The characters come to life for me. I feel connected to them because I know there’s a little bit of me in every one of them.
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
What inspired you to write the book - NEW RELEASE - Beautifully Brutal?
I had finished writing Wait for Morning (which is where this series originated from) and I was so struck by Max Adorite, I couldn’t get him out of my head. I knew that he wasn’t one of the good guys and it intrigued me to have an opportunity to write about a bad boy, someone opposite of the characters I’ve written before. I was drawn by the attraction between Max and Courtney that showed itself in WfM so I went with it and Beautifully Brutal was born.
Who do you see as your target audience?
Most definitely women who love strong female characters and sexy, alpha males, lots of smoking hot sex and a HEA. Women like me, I guess you could say.
My books explore different aspects of sexuality, including certain situations that most of us are intrigued by, but would likely never do. (Threesomes, ménage, etc.)
"I get personally involved with each character."
What makes your book special?
When I write, I get personally involved with each character. I find out their likes, dislikes, what happened to them as a child that formulated the path they are on… And I do this with each one, knowing that they aren’t alike and not only in appearance, but in the things they say, do, want. I’ve heard that it’s surprising that my characters can all be so different with as many books as I’ve written, and that’s the greatest compliment I think. To know that my dedication to getting to know the characters has paid off.
How would you describe the success of your self-published books so far?
Quite frankly, luck. And timing. Pure and simple. Do I think I would’ve had the same success if I published my first book now rather than in 2012? No, I don’t.
Self-publishing has allowed writers like me to reach out and get our stories into the hands of readers without having to go the traditional channels. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a huge win for readers. Since I am a reader, first and foremost, I have access to so much talent that might not be there if it hadn’t been for self-publishing for whatever reason.
"Write. Everyday. Write."
Can you give some advice for other Authors regarding the writing process?
Write. Everyday. Write.
If you have a story idea, write it down. Get it on paper, even if you go back and edit/change it a million times, get it down on paper. Read what you write over and over so that you feel the story, get to know the characters, understand them. There are many times I’ve cut scenes from a book because I felt it no longer pertained by the time the story was finished, but I still remembered the scene – it made the characters more real for me because it still happened (in my head).
Talk to people you trust (those who will support you regardless) about your stories, your ideas. See what they think. The conversations alone may spur more ideas.
If you plan to publish, venture out into the world of social media, get to know people along the way. Make your presence known, but be yourself.
And most importantly, have fun with it. If you lose the passion for writing, what do you have left?
Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
I’m always working on another project. LOL Sometimes more than one. But, to answer the question, yes, I am. At the moment, I’m working on the second book in my Sniper 1 Security series—RT and Z. In looking at my spreadsheet (I’m telling you, I live by this thing), I’m 72% complete. That’s progress for me. It hasn’t been smooth sailing with this one, but I’m happy with the progress thus far. I find myself taking more breaks with it though because I don’t want to rush the story.
Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
5 – 10 years from now … I would like to believe that the eBook market will continue to thrive. Three years ago, when I started this, it was booming. It seems to be leveling off. I think that’s normal. With the overwhelming abundance of eBooks, we’ll continue to see some ups and downs for a while.
As for bookstores … I hope they don’t disappear. Even now, although I read on my Kindle, I still go to Barnes and Noble and peruse the books on the shelf. Sometimes I even buy the book because there isn’t anything that can replace a book in hand. Doesn’t mean I’ll read the paperback version, but it’ll look nice on my shelf while I read the digital version.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I have a Kindle Paperwhite, so I prefer that but I also use the Kindle app on my iPad from time to time.
Do you write full-time or do you have a day job? When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I do write full-time. It’s a blessing that I’m able to do this. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with my kids, my husband and my four dogs. There is no telling what we’ll be doing, but I’ve been trying to venture out of my writing cave more often these days, experience something other than fictional life.
"I love hearing from readers."
How can readers connect with you?
I love hearing from readers. They can connect with me through almost all social media, as well as my website, or they can even email me directly. It takes me a little longer to respond these days due to the volume of messages, but I do respond.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest
Thank you very much for the Interview, Nicole.
About the Book Beautifully Brutal
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
Sometimes the only way to describe it is beautifully brutal.
If you think you know him… You’re wrong.
If you think you know his family… Wrong again.
If you think you know his story… You don’t.
If you did, you’d likely wonder how the hell a man like Maximillian Adorite managed to make it to this point in his life. At twenty-nine, he’s experienced more than most people could only ever imagine, all thanks to his family. Organized crime they call it. Mafia.
No matter how they spin it, it comes down to one thing. Max gets what he wants. Except for the one thing he wants most.
Her name is Courtney Kogan.
And now that he’s had a taste of her, Max knows he’ll never be able to let her go.
- "Nicole Edwards does a fantastic job with the characters. Yes some of the characters are from previous series, but this is a standalone. [...] I highly recommend this book...it's intense, sexy and beautiful!" - Reader Review
Link to the Book
Link to the Paperback Beautifully Brutal on Amazon
Link to the eBook Beautifully Brutal on Amazon
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