Website: Tricia Drammeh Author
Author's Blog: Tricia Drammeh - Author of Young Adult Fiction and Paranormal Romance
Blog: Google +
Twitter: @triciadrammeh
E-Mail: tricia_drammeh@yahoo.com
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Author Description:
Tricia Drammeh is a wife and mother of four children who lives in the St. Louis area. Her published works include The Claiming Words and The Fifth Circle. She is currently working on her seventh novel. When Tricia isn't writing, she can be found devouring books, interviewing up-and-coming authors, and drinking vast amounts of coffee.
SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author
Let’s start with what’s next. Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called The Seance (Dark Summons: Book One). Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?
The Séance is complete and in the editing stage. I’d hoped to release the book late summer or early fall, but I recently started a new job. I do plan to self-publish the book before the end of the year.
Dark Summons is a series that follows Abby who is a psychic in training. At the beginning of The Séance, the supernatural is a game for her. She foolishly tries to use a Ouija board to conduct a séance and inadvertently summons a Demon who wreaks havoc in her life.
You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?
My social media relationships have been essential to my writing. I’ve met incredible, generous, talented people through Twitter, Facebook, and Wordpress. In terms of sales, I’m a very new author, so I haven’t seen much carry over yet, but in terms of inspiration and encouragement, my social media connections have been invaluable.
Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?
I’ve only participated in one book signing. I’m a little shy when it comes to personal appearances, so I tend to stick with blog Q&As or online radio interviews. I can always be found on Authors to Watch, the website where I conduct author interviews. I have much more fun promoting other authors than promoting myself.
You have great covers. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?
I’m not very creative in terms of visual arts, so I’ve been lucky to have worked with two talented cover artists who took very vague hints from me and turned them into something beautiful.
Skylar Faith did an amazing job with the cover for the Claiming Words and Victoria Barrow (an author in her own right) created the cover for The Fifth Circle.
What kinds of writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?
I used to be active on authonomy (by Harper Collins). Though I’m not on that site very often, I stay in touch with many of the authors I’ve met. Several of these friends beta read my books and I couldn’t publish without them. I also belong to a few writers groups on Facebook.
Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?
I’m really not very good at managing my time. I used to be able to write a book in two months, but that was before I discovered Facebook and Twitter. Recently, I’ve had to make some adjustments in my schedule because of my new job. With Authors to Watch, I try to format a week’s worth of interviews at a time, which helps keep me from becoming overwhelmed. Writing and marketing are often squeezed in between everything else.
What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?
The Claiming Words is under the control of a publisher, so we haven’t done any free promos. I’ve done a couple of free promos for The Fifth Circle in hopes of gaining a few reviews. The other day, I stumbled upon a five-star on Goodreads that was a direct result of a giveaway, so I would say the free promo was successful. I write erotic romance under a pen name and the free Kindle promos for those books have been extremely successful, directly resulting in sales.
One thing I’ve noticed is that my erotic romance freebies get lots more downloads than The Fifth Circle, but I think romance tends to sell better than literary fiction.
How do you manage your plots, characters and timelines to keep your stories going? Do you use any software to keep track of your books?
I’m from an Accounting background, so everything has to have a spreadsheet. I use Excel to keep a chapter-by-chapter outline of each book and to record pertinent information (timelines, characters’ birthdays, etc)
You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?
Thank you! I love blogging. I’m passionate about helping other writers and starting a dialogue where writers in various stages of publication can share information with each other. There are so many writers who’ve helped me, I can only try to pay it forward. Maintaining my blog never feels like a job or a chore. I absolutely enjoy it. I don’t find time to work on it—I make time.
Being a self-publisher myself, I have to ask this question. How does doing everything yourself work out? Do you outsource much of the process?
I love self-publishing and would recommend it to everyone. I didn’t outsource much. My friend, Victoria Barrow, crafted the cover for The Fifth Circle in exchange for me proofreading her next book. I self-edited, which I usually wouldn’t recommend, but one of my beta readers was so meticulous when reading and pointing out errors, there wasn’t much left in terms of editing.
Formatting was time-consuming, but doable. For me, the most difficult part of self-publishing is marketing and promotion. Since very few publishers provide marketing support, promotion is something almost all authors have to take on. Why not self-publish and retain complete control of your work? The Claiming Words was published by a small press and the experience has been nightmarish. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish I would have self-published
The Claiming Words. I’ve tried to use my experience to help other authors avoid making the same mistake. Anyone can self-publish. There’s lots of help out there and much of it is free.
I have to ask this question. Do you get any of your inspiration from sitting by the banks of the Missouri? And follow up to that one. Do you get any inspiration from Ameristar and the ringing slots? Go Cards.
I live in St Charles near historic Main Street. I love the river and try to walk there any chance I get. I don’t know if the river has been directly inspiring yet, but I did base the fictional town in The Fifth Circle on the town I live in now. Ameristar and the ringing slots inspire me not at all. I’ve lived here for almost eleven years and I’ve only played the slot three times. I’ve tried to become a Cards fan, but I can’t quite do it. Go Braves.
Author's Book List
The Fifth Circle
Sean is no stranger to darkness. He's overcome a dangerous addiction, struggled with mental illness, and faced relentless bullying by his peers. His best friend, Alex, has always been there for him, but when he falls in love with her, he replaces his online gaming obsession with a possessive interest in her. Alex's survival depends upon her ability to lock memories of her troubled childhood deep inside her mind, but an unhealthy relationship with Sean causes dark visions of her past to rise to the surface. Sean's obsession and Alex's complacency collide, resulting in tragedy. Together, Sean and Alex live in a hell of their own making. One will escape at the expense of the other. Both will discover why Dante chose to condemn the Wrathful and the Sullen in the Fifth Circle of Hell.
Order the Book From: Amazon
The Claiming Words
When sixteen-year-old Jace Alexander moves to the small town of Oaktree, Georgia, he attracts the attention of every girl in school. Shy, introverted Alisa Cole immediately casts Jace in the leading role of her latest fantasy, but she assumes he'll never return her interest. After she saves Jace from a Hunter, everything changes. Her accidental discovery of Jace's secret propels her into a world of magic and danger. Alisa's newfound courage is put to the test when Jace introduces her to his intimidating older brother, Bryce, and she decides she would rather battle a Hunter than endure another moment under Bryce's intense scrutiny. Jace and Bryce aren't the only ones with secrets... Rachel Stevens is the girl who has it all. She's beautiful, popular, and in possession of an ancient power which endangers not only her, but those sent to protect her. Jace is drawn to Rachel-and he isn't the only one. The Demon Re'Vel will do anything to claim her-even if it means waging a war with the entire Alexander family. As layers of secrets are peeled away, revealing the truth of her heritage and her family's betrayal, Rachel struggles to resist an immortal suitor who stalks her in her dreams. With the Alexanders fighting to protect her, can Rachel escape the power of the Demon and his Claiming Words?
Order the Book From: Amazon
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Author Recommended by: Amy Metz
Amy Metz is a Author of Mystery & Thrillers as well as a blogger and book editor.
Check out Amy's Author's Spotlight.
Great article, James and Tricia!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation, Amy. And, James, your blog is fantastic. I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. HBS Author's Spotlight rocks!
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