About author, Samantha Stroh Bailey: Samantha has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen. In fact, she even sent her first manuscript, Freddy the Flame, to publishers when she was ten years old. Sadly, it was rejected, but a lifelong passion to write was born.
After 15 years of teaching ESL to adults, including at the University of Toronto, she decided to live her dreams of being a fulltime writer and editor. Now the owner of Perfect Pen Communications, she not only gets to write novels, but also writes and edits for magazines, websites, businesses, students and other authors. Her work has appeared in Now Magazine, The Village Post, Oxford University Press, Abilities Magazine, on mommyish.com and many other publications. Samantha also has a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics that looks really nice on her wall. Okay, in a box in her basement. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. Finding Lucas is her first novel.
Samantha loves to hear from readers! Connect with her!
Blog: http://samanthastrohbailey.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: @perfectpen
INTERVIEW
Describe yourself in five sentences: Ridiculously tiny, I am five feet tall with my hair up and my six year old son is now gaining on me. I am afraid of heights, snakes, thunder and not accomplishing everything I want to. People often call me a fireball because I have enough energy to power a small city, and I love nothing more than spending time with my friends and family. I and warm, gushy and talkative, but I am also a good listener who people know they can trust.
Salty or sweet? Salty!
You knew you were a writer when…: As a little girl, I created characters who were nicer to me than the kids at school.
What are you reading right now? I’m just finishing Saving Saffron Sweeting by Pauline Wiles. I adore the mix of American and British vernacular, and the story is funny, heartwarming and addictive. I love it!
A typical day for you involves…: Waking up early, kissing my kids and husband, making breakfast and lunches, getting the kids ready for school, making more coffee and opening my laptop. I check my emails, sales ranks for Finding Lucas, connect with my online world and start writing and editing for my clients. I also spend at least an hour a day if I can revising my WIP.
How did you come up with the title of “Finding Lucas”? I actually find it very hard to think of great titles, but that one just came to me.
Who is your favorite author? I have so many favorites who have inspired me to write. At the top of my list are: Jennifer Weiner, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Eileen Goudge, Ernest Hemingway, Jill Mansell, Jane Fallon…the list goes on and on. I have also come to admire and respect the talent of so many of the Goddesses.
What is the writing/editing/publishing process like for you? Long. 🙂 I usually come up with my plot ideas late at night and I’m a very organic writer. I need to get a good chunk of the story from my head onto the paper before I can even think about editing. And, as a professional editor, it is very hard for me not to constantly edit myself. Once I have the gist of the story, I then go back and edit. Write more. Edit. Once I feel I have a story ready for my incredible beta readers, I send it, wanting them to tear it apart. I go back and revise and edit and then send it to an editor for a thorough look. Then I edit it again. And again.
A writer must have…: Confidence.
Where is your favorite place to write? My kitchen/office. Above my desk, there is a wall filled with my kids’ drawings.
Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? If you’d asked me this a year ago, I would have said paperbacks all the way. But since publishing on Amazon and Kobo, I have become quite attached to my e-reader. Nothing can beat the smell of a new book and the feeling of turning the pages, but taking my ereader everywhere with me, even in a diaper bag, is fantastic.
Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects? I’m working on Everything But, my second novel, which is contemporary women’s fiction. It’s about a woman who risks her marriage and closest friendship to have the baby she never thought she wanted. It’s a story that I hope will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to have a child.
**Additional comments by Samantha: Thank you so much for having me, Isabella. When I found the Chick Lit Goddesses, I met the warmest, kindest and most supportive group of authors. I have an amazing family and the bestest of friends, but no one but a writer can truly understand what writing and publishing is like. I am so grateful to you for founding the group.
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