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Rachel Thompson Interview: 3/23/2013 9:09:18 PM
Bestselling author Rachel Thompson discusses her latest title and the writing life! LTS: Today on All Kinds of Writing, I’d like to introduce you to two-time Amazon No. 1 bestselling author, Rachel Thompson! She is the witty and creative mind behind the nonfiction books, A Walk in the Snark and The Mancode: Exposed and today, Rachel will be sharing some information about her new book Broken Pieces and details of her writing life.
I’d like to begin by having you share a little information about yourself with our readers, Rachel. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
RT: Reading! I started reading around age three and have never stopped. I’m that kid who always had her nose in a book, just like my mom. I have two children also, so I’m either hanging with them or cleaning up after them. Strangely, I find cleaning fairly meditative.
LTS: Your first two books were released in 2011 and they’ve done very well for you. When did writing stories become a part of your life? Was it always your dream to become a published author?
RT: Yes, absolutely. Even since I was five years old, I wanted to live the writing life. I began writing stories around age nine and never stopped. It didn’t turn out that way until about five years ago (I was a sales rep, trainer, and ad executive in the pharma field til 2004), but I believe everything happens for a reason.
LTS: Your latest title, Broken Pieces has been described as ‘essays inspired by life.’ Can this book be classified as an autobiography?
RT: To an extent, yes. It’s a combination of poetry, prose, and essays based on my own experiences in difficult situations. It’s a raw, honest look into my soul.
LTS: What would you like to tell our readers about this collection, and how does it differ from the first two books?
RT: Well, the first two books had much more humor to them. Snark is a combo of mostly humor and some more serious essays. Mancode is all humor – primarily satire but what’s funny is many take it literally. And Pieces is definitely about the difficult situations that have happened to many women.
LTS: Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open (no pun intended) Broken Pieces?
RT: Sure. After writing two humor books, I felt compelled to write about my own experiences of sexual abuse, loss and grief, suicide (of an ex), date rape, and ultimately love and recovery. My goal with this book is to reveal my soul, so I didn’t hold back. I’m so honored that many people have told me their own stories of abuse that they’ve never revealed before.
There are universal bonds for sexual abuse survivors that many can’t or won’t understand. I wanted to relate that there’s no shame and that it’s possible to move on.
LTS: Becoming a published author is truly a difficult road to travel. What made you decide to take the indie route and self-publish your books?
RT: Well, when I first thought about putting together some of my blogs for Snark, I didn’t want it to be a rehash of just blogs, so I wrote about 40% new material, found a talented editor, proofreader, graphic artist and formatter. With the eBook evolution, it all happened so naturally, that I decided to forgo the query process. I also looked at the payout scale, and decided 70% of each sale was a far better outcome than 10-20%.
It was a crash course in understanding how Amazon works, the impact of having a thriving interactive platform (as you do, Lorna!), and the importance of understanding each component: optimized website, active blog, interactive social media, advertising, but primarily, writing really good work.
LTS: What is the best and worst part of being an indie author?
RT: I’m quite self-motivated and a bit of a control freak, so I enjoy being in charge of the process. An indie author who wants to create the best product possible understands the joy in this. As for worst part, I have quibbles: people lumping all indie authors as horrible or failed traditional writers irks me.
This is my career – why on earth would someone assume that I’m simply copying and pasting my work and posting it as a book? And even if I did, who says it’s crap? I could be the next J.K. Rowling (not that I am – just making a point). The assumptions and judgements drive me nuts.
LTS: I know exactly what you mean! ;-) Now, what is the most important lesson you’ve learned on the road to publication?
RT: Take nothing personally. Not the good, not the bad. Just keep writing and stay true to your vision.
LTS: On the subject of writing styles, are you a plotter or pantser?
RT: A bit of both. I don’t outline, but I like to have some sort of structure to begin. Nonfiction writers have a bit more freedom in writing since we don’t have to create character profiles, backstory, and outlines. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have to create structure and provide backstory at all. So I’ll muse on a story or topic and then sit down and write it. Many times, I crank my tunes and close my eyes, letting my fingers and mind just GO.
So I think about which topics I want to cover and how it will all fit together. Then I run it by my editor who pulls it apart completely -- ha! But I love the editing process. That’s when we really crystallize our vision.
LTS: Some authors meditate, others need to fuel up on coffee or listen to music. Do you have any rituals, ones that can be shared with the readers, that you must do before you hunker down for a writing session?
RT: Coffee, no doubt. I have a seven-year old boy – nuff said. I absolutely listen to music – I’m creating my Broken Pieces playlist now on Spotify. Mostly I listen to female singers for whatever reason. Favorites include Poe, Tori Amos, Fisher, Jonathan Brooke, Madonna, and a lot of 70s rock (Heart, Pat Benatar, Linda Ronstadt). It’s what I was raised on and it helps me get that sense of scene, place, and time.
LTS: At one time or another, most writers hit the wall and their work stalls because of the dreaded writer’s block. What do you do to get around or over this mental wall to resume writing?
RT: I’m not sure I actually believe in ‘writer’s block’ per se. I think it’s more a lack of focus or too many distractions. I tend to become obsessed with a particular word, topic, or even phrase, and roll it around in my mind for awhile; some people call that prewriting. When I allow myself to put on the music and shut off the distractions, it all comes together. And if it’s not working at that moment, I come back to it.
I also think blogging is one of the best activities for any writer. It allows us to learn discipline because we need to provide fresh content; we have the freedom to write about whatever it is that we’re musing about at the time, and we can share current work and receive feedback by sharing excerpts. From a business perspective, blogging helps to brand the author.
LTS: What do you foresee in your future over the next five years and do you hope to branch out into other genres? Can your fans expect another story from you in the near future?
RT: I’m currently writing a social media/author marketing guide based on my own experiences in self-publishing, marketing, sales, and consulting with the company I founded BadRedhead Media.
Next up after that is the third book in The Chronicles Of Snark titled Chickspeak: Uncovered. The reaction to Pieces has been so overwhelming, I’d like to create a collection of stories by victims of abuse to give them a platform to share their stories (even anonymously). Finally, I’ve written some erotic romance and am co-writing an erotic romance with an author friend. It’s not ready for primetime, but I can see a release at some point next year.
I miss sleep.
I just want to thank you, Lorna. You’re so lovely to indie authors and I’m honored you ask me!
LTS: It was my pleasure, Rachel! Thank you so much for taking the time from your hectic schedule to share in your writing life!
For more information about Rachel Thompson and her novels, check out:
Author Website: http://RachelintheOC.com Business site: http://BadRedheadMedia.com Follow Rachel on Twitter: .RachelintheOC or .BadRedheadMedia
Where to buy the book: Amazon (no Kindle required – they have free apps for smartphone, computer, tablet and cloud).
