Rebecca Bradley - An Author Interview in the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Rebecca Bradley. This English author writes Crime, Mystery and Thriller Novels. She is the author of the Detective Hannah Robbins Crime Series.

Author Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Website: Rebecca Bradley
Author's Blog: Rebecca Bradley
Twitter: @RebeccaJBradley
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Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Rebecca Bradley is a retired police detective and lives in Nottinghamshire UK with her family and her two Cockapoo's Alfie and Lola, who keep her company while she writes. Rebecca needs to drink copious amounts of tea to function throughout the day and if she could, she would survive on a diet of tea and cake while committing murder on a regular basis, in her writing of course.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Shallow Waters. What do you have on the drawing board next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Thank you. Shallow Waters was my debut which was released in December 2014, since then I have released the second in the series, Made to be Broken and a prequel novella, Three Weeks Dead.

Next year I will be releasing book three in the DI Hannah Robbins series, but I’m also currently working on a standalone, though this doesn’t have a timeline attached to it.

You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How did you build your following in your niche? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I absolutely do see a carry over to my writing success. I built strong links in the crime writing and reading community long before I released Shallow Waters, so when the book came out I had huge support, for which I will always be thankful. I believe that if you are passionate about your genre then you will automatically want to engage with people who are also passionate about the same books, in a natural way. There’s no secret formula, it’s that simple, find people who share your interest and talk. Friendships start. Both online and offline.

Do you do any 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 don’t tend to do personal signings or appearances. My work all tends to be online. Though you will see me sitting around relaxing at the crime festivals in the UK next year. Like I said, like-minded people and passion about the genre. You can keep up with me online on my website rebeccabradleycrime.com Twitter @RebeccaJBradley and Facebook facebook.com/rebeccabradleycrime I’m quite active online so I’m easy to get hold of.

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?

Thank you. I’m pleased you like them. I work with a great cover designer and he has a great process where he sends me a whole host of questions about the book, including wanting the synopsis, its themes, wanting to know covers I like and don’t like. It’s extremely comprehensive. He also recently designed my website for me, which I love. And no, I don’t involve my readers, it’s between me and my designer.

Several of your novels have been converted into audio books. What has been the impact on your regular sales? Has the audio books gained a new audience for you?

The audiobooks have been doing well so I’m imagining they are reaching an audience that I may not have otherwise reached.

You have written a novella called Three Weeks Dead. Can you tell us if it has had an impact on the sales of your novels? Are shorty’s one of your styles of writing or are they created to give readers a sample of your work? Do you feel short reads are a product of our email and smart phone age?

To be honest, Three Weeks Dead doesn’t sell that well. I don’t think people are as taken by novellas as novels. I think they like to get their teeth into a novel. I wrote it though, because I had a story to tell. It’s not one of my usual, natural styles. I had a character that had more to say and it needed to be said before Shallow Waters (it’s a prequel), so I wrote it, regardless of its sales worthiness. I’m slightly stubborn that way.

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?

I have run free days in order to widen my readership. It’s not known how many books are read that are downloaded free, as I have so many books stacked up on my own kindle that are unread, but it’s worth doing because you could definitely gain a couple of real hard-core new readers.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

I do have what I call a Readers Club and readers can join to get exclusive content and giveaways. I provide links at the back of my ebooks and on my website. I’m currently running an offer on my website where you can get 7 exclusive chapters that were cut from Made to be Broken, if you sign up to the Readers Club. But I don’t recommend reading them if you haven’t yet read the book as the chapters are from various stages of the book and would give the plot away!

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?

Ha! That’s a great question and I’m not sure I have the answer. I keep a to-do list which keeps me in check every day. It does however roll over quite regularly. I often miss my own set deadlines. And I do things at the last minute. You know the saying where you look like a swan above the water, but underneath you’re paddling like crazy? That’s me. Leaving things until the last minute and then getting it done. I think that’s how I do it.

As for my primary goal? I’m not sure I’m that organised. I suppose I want to connect with people who love to read, who love crime fiction and who love to chat.

Living in England creates a unique selling and marketing situation. Where is your biggest audience? Does marketing online help in this situation?

My biggest audience is in the UK and yes, my whole career so far has been online. It’s been pretty good to me so far. I just have to keep working hard. Putting words down and hoping they make some kind of sense!



Author's Book List
Made To Be Broken - Detective Hannah Robbins Crime Series Book 2
A rising death toll. A city in panic.

A young mother is found dead in her home with no obvious cause of death. As DI Hannah Robbins and her team investigate, it soon becomes clear that the woman is the first in a long line of murders by poison.

With the body count climbing, and the city of Nottingham in social meltdown, the team finds themselves in a deadly race against a serial killer determined to prove a point.

And Hannah finds herself targeting an individual with whom she has more in common than she could possibly know.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible


Shallow Waters - Detective Hannah Robbins Crime Series Book 1
When catching a killer isn't enough...

The naked, battered body of an unidentified teenager is found dumped in an alleyway and post-mortem finds evidence of a harrowing series of events.

Another teenage death with the same MO pushes DI Hannah Robbins and her team in the Nottingham City division Major Crimes Unit, to their limits, and across county borders. In a race against the clock, they attempt to unpick a thick web of lies and deceit to uncover the truth behind the deaths.

But it doesn't stop there.

Just how far are the team willing to push themselves to save the next girl?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible


Three Weeks Dead - DC Sally Poynter - DI Hannah Robbins Prequel Novella
How far would you go if someone took your wife?

Especially, if you buried her a week ago.

When Jason Wells is faced with this scenario, he is confronted with the prospect of committing a crime that will have far-reaching consequences.

Can young DC Sally Poynter get through to him before he crosses that line, or does a desperate husband prove to be the case she won’t ever forget?

A prequel novella, set before Shallow Waters, the first in the DI Hannah Robbins series.


Order the Book From:
Amazon


Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
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HBS Author's Spotlight
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