SPA Girls Podcast – EP03 – Interview With Author Wendy Vella
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Thanks for joining us for the third episode of the SPA Girls podcast, the show where we talk you through the mysterious world of self publishing, and help you dip your toes into the dark unknown waters… Well, kind of. We just make it easy to understand, and tell it like it is!
This week we have an interview with one of our own – SPA Girl member Wendy Vella. Wendy has been self publishing since 2013, and she now has 14 titles and has been included in three box sets. She’s sold over 100,000 copies of her books, and at the beginning of this year took the plunge and went full time as an indie author.
We interview her on her road to success, where and when she writes, and what it took to make it all happen.
SHOW NOTES
Interview with Wendy Vella
Wendy had her first book, The Reluctant Countess, traditionally published by Random House in 2013, and went on to self publish her first book that same year. She is now in three boxed sets, has ten historical and two contemporary romances published. She has hit Amazon bestseller ranks with several books and has written several series. The Langley Sister, Regency Rakes, Lake Howling and Lords Of Night Street.
The writing journey
Wendy had been writing for many years before joining Romance Writers of New Zealand. She then started entering competitions, and that is where she honed her craft. The knowledge people offer in these kinds of organizations is invaluable, and she attributes a lot of her success to RWNZ, and the New Zealand writing community. Entering competitions and submitting her work to publishing houses taught her about rejection and deadlines. The feedback was invaluable and helped her sharpen her writing skills.
Being traditionally published was something Wendy believed she always wanted, but after her first book was picked up, the second didn’t follow. With the help of her writing friends, she then went into self publishing and has never looked back.
She is now a full-time writer and loving her job. She writes daily, and will publish seven books in 2015.
The best piece of advice she received was at her first conference. Anne Gracie, successful historical romance writer, told her to start at the beginning and finish at the end. Sounds easy, but until that moment she’d spent a lot of time going back over her work. Now she doesn’t stop until she writes ‘the end’. If something during that process makes her stop, she puts the problem in capital letter and continues.
Wendy’s writing timeline
- Book cover, critique, and editing organised
- First draft writing (rough and quick)
- Second draft. Layer the book. Adds emotional punch and work through internal conflicts and anything I put in capital letters in the first draft.
- Print off and read through – make changes where necessary
- Book is sent to be critiqued.
- Spend the week making changes, of which there are usually plenty.
- Send to beta readers.
- Make changes if necessary.
- Book goes to editor.
- Make changes.
- Get final read through done by a few people I have that are Grammer sticklers.
- Publish book and bite my nails to the quick with nerves that no one will read it.
“Writing THE END is very powerful.”
A bit of advice…
- Acknowledge your successes.
- Write regularly to strengthen the writing muscle.
- Don’t let it get complicated. Fix it in the second draft
- Writing THE END is very powerful.
Links
http://www.writersdigest.com/tip-of-the-day/make-time-to-write-10-tips-for-daily-writing
Romance Writing Organizations
http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/
http://www.romanceaustralia.com/p/1/Home
If you can think of a challenges or questions that you want us to research or help you with, then please ask us. There is no question too big or small
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