Courtney Clark: Besides aspiring to use wit and, yes, sometimes sarcastic comments to write comedy gold, Courtney Clark is a proud pet parent to two awesomely neurotic dogs, a book nerd, a tattoo enthusiast, and her parents’ favorite child (just don’t tell her brother that).
**Contact Courtney: Email Facebook Goodreads Twitter
INTERVIEW
Describe your writing style in five words? Laughing, typing, more laughing, typing.
Tell us about your writing/editing/publishing process: I wrote my first book, A Story of Like: A Decidedly Unromantic Romance Novel, in less than a month. It seemed to flow so easily. Little did I know that the hard part was still ahead. Currently, I am self-published, so I am still learning how to be an editing/publishing/marketing superstar. I’m a perfectionist, though, so I’ll get the hang of it…someday.
Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? eBooks
Have you always wanted to be a writer? Starting at age three, I wanted to be a doctor, but then I took college chemistry (grimace).
Do you have any writing rituals? I like to plot out my chapters on the elliptical machine, so I always keep a notepad and paper nearby when I’m working out.
Salty or sweet? Hmmm…this is like the Sophie’s Choice of snack questions. Nope, I just can’t choose.
At what time of day do you work best? Without copious amounts of coffee, my brain doesn’t actually work until at least 9 AM, so late morning is when I usually get in the zone.
Every author must have (a): perseverance.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Hopefully sipping cocktails somewhere.
If you could meet any other author, who would it be? I think that my chick lit idol has to be Jill Shalvis. I binge read everything she writes, and I would love to pick her brain to see how she comes up with so many uniquely endearing characters.
What do you want readers to take away from your books? Romance is great, but sometimes real life is better. Love isn’t always about instant connections or six-pack abs. For me, it’s about who you laugh with and who is going to be there for you, even when you’ve briefly hopped aboard the crazy train and are mid freak out. I wanted to put something out in the world that showed how amazing the ordinary—making fun of your girlfriend because she laughed so hard she snorted—kind of love can be.
What are you working on right now? Right now I am working on my second novel, An Introvert’s Guide to Living Abroad. I think if the way I’ve been bursting into laughter at the keyboard is any indication, it is going to be one hilarious adventure!
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GUEST POST
Congratulations! It’s a…Twitter Account.
After only a few months of using social media to connect with readers, bloggers, and fellow authors, I can now say I know what it’s like to have a baby, except with less poop. Okay, don’t get me wrong, being a mom is a far more difficult and greater job than managing an author’s Twitter account, but for a fledgling author, Twitter can become a real, breathing entity that requires constant attention and care. Who knew?
Second guessing yourself: Just like new parents constantly turning to parenting books, panicking over each and every decision made about their precious bundle of joy, each new author obsesses over each and every tweet. “Is this one funny enough?” “Does the sarcasm shine through?” “Will this get any retweets?” “Wait, why didn’t this get any retweets?” “You know, I’m just going to text Anne and see if she will retweet it.” Although I’ve never been decisive about picking which restaurant to eat at, I’ve always felt confident in my humor and my choice of words. It only took about one week on Twitter, to put all of that self-esteem in doubt.
Two AM Feedings: New parents rarely get any sleep; neither do new authors on Twitter. With new tweeps all over the globe, there never seems to be a good time to disconnect. Whether I’m chatting to my new favorite blogger in New Zealand, who loves my work, or up with the night owls, playing hashtag games and looking for likeminded followers, Twitter never sleeps, and it is always crying for my attention. Chime…
Dangerous Diaper Changes: The diaper explosion is a horror that each and every one of my parenting friends has experienced, one that I don’t envy. Although the poop on Twitter is mostly metaphorical, with the exception of that cheeky little emoji, it is a mess to clean up just the same. I don’t know what makes the Twitter trolls target certain people, but, like a new parent with a diaper changing that should come with a hazmat suit, I was in shock the first time it happened to me. Just…why? How did my sweet, witty comment, turn into a toxic waste dump of negativity? My immediate response was to fire back—big mistake! The comments started to multiply, creating an even bigger mess, and I finally had to learn the beauty that is blocking people on Twitter, which consequently comes in handy while trying to keep dubious characters (the kind that exclusively tweet butt cleavage shots) from my Twitter baby.
All in all, taking care of my Twitter baby has been a daunting task, one that I am still trying to figure out as I go. However, through all of the poop, neediness, and self doubt, Twitter has provided me with a place to connect to other book lovers, writers, and fabulous bloggers, making it a positive experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.
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**Blurb: He’s every woman’s idea of the perfect man: a middle income job, a receding hair line that only Mr. Clean would envy, and a body fit for the beer Olympics.
Who could resist?
Meet Addison Anderson. Although Addy is happy with her life—she has a job she loves, family and friends who support her, and her very own sidekicks in her neurotic Superdog named Lola and a nefarious looking cat named Moustachio—she’s missing the one thing that every girl wants, a plus one to couple’s game night. Enter Charlie. Not exactly the man of her romantic fantasies, Addy is quick to put him in the friend zone, but as he rapidly becomes an invaluable part of her life, Addy must make a big decision: which is more important, that elusive spark or someone to share her life with? Join Addy on her comic voyage as she discovers that not every story is a story of love, sometimes it’s a story of like.
**Buy “A Story of Like: A Decidedly Unromantic Romance Novel” now:
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