BOTM interview and discussion with Bree Wolf

[Jemima]

As mentioned in our regular thread, this month's BOTM is Fireflies, written by independent author Bree Wolf. We have invited Bree to join our discussions on this thread only.

So first of all, here's a little more about her.

Author Bio
With a deep love for literature, Bree Wolf became a writer early on when she discovered that many of the books she wanted to read hadn’t been written yet. While obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English and Education and a Master of Arts in Specialized Translation, she followed her fancy across different genres, deciding on a whim what to write about. Although she herself is her own toughest critic, she is always on the lookout for inspirational assistance.

Okay, so much for the slightly weird, third-person perspective. On a more personal note …
… I’m hopelessly addicted to chocolate, which is why you generally don’t find any in my kitchen (not because I don’t buy it but because it never really makes it from the shopping bag into the cabinet).
… while eight legs don’t bother me so much, six however accompanied by an annoying and insistent buzzing have me running for the hills (well, I don’t like things that sting).
… and last but not least I feel I should mention my inability to leave the volume control of the TV on anything but an even number (you’re thinking OCD? Yeah, that thought had occurred to me too).

~~~

Welcome, Bree, or should I say, welcome back? You were a member of GMGR for quite a while, although I gather you've moved on since then. Let's start with questions from our members.

1 How long did it take to write Fireflies?
Well, writing the first draft took me about two months. However, long before that, I started collecting ideas, short dialogues, character quirks…simply everything that came to mind and would round out my characters and their story. I generally work out a kind of roadmap that I follow so that I don't get lost in my own story. Believe me, it's happened before, and these are the stories that don't get finished. However, my roadmap only tells me which direction to take and not what stops to make along the way so that I can still be quite spontaneous and include little ideas that come up during writing. So far, it's worked fine this way.

2 What was your initial inspiration for your book?
As an introvert myself, I know how important it is to have a supportive family network, especially when making friends doesn't come to you easily. So, I've always wanted to write a story that hopefully would help people realize how lucky they are to have their children in their lives.

However, the initial idea for Fireflies was an image that came to me late at night. I had just watched a movie (I don't even remember which one), but in it, a young child died and the loss was carried across so acutely that the thought of wanting to hold on to that precious life kind of stayed with me. I don't remember what it was that brought on the idea of her turning into a firefly, but it was just such a lovely thought that it cushioned the blow a little bit.

3 Who is your favourite character in your book, and why?
Well, I guess I can relate to Gabriel the most. I truly love how he finds the courage to face the world after all the disappointments he has suffered. And yet, he is such a kind and sweet boy.

However, I have to say that my favorite character is Hannah. That inner strength of hers in dealing with her hopeless situation is inspiring. I love how she enjoys the little things in life, living each day to the fullest (once given the opportunity) and despite her own misery takes care of those around her. She is a true hero!

4 As an Indie author, what has been your most successful method of promoting your books?
So far, I have done few promotions. Giveaways work nicely for drawing attention to your book. However, I've only done them for my later books. Fireflies was my first baby, and back then, I simply wrote and published it. End of story.

Besides giveways, I email a reviewer here and there or have my book listed on freebie websites. Other than that, I've not done anything so far. When it comes to book promotion, I am a newbie myself. Any suggestions in this regard are most welcome.

5 Any tips of things to do or to avoid?
My number one rule has always been to spend as little money as possible on promotion. So, I generally spend a lot of time researching my options before spending any money at all. As I said, giveaways work nicely for drawing attention to my book as well as increasing my email list.

6 When and why did you first decide to be brave and confident and put your book, and yourself, out there for the public instead of waiting for a traditional publisher to do it for you?
Once I'd finished Fireflies, I was oh so proud! :) I really wanted the book out there, and so I tried to find an agent…which did not work. It was only then that I found out about the opportunity of self-publishing, and so I just gave it a shot. I never thought about it as brave or worried about criticism. I love this book, which is why I wrote it, and I just wanted to have a printed copy in my hand. Of course, I cannot deny that it is wonderful to hear that other readers enjoyed it as well.

7 What was the biggest obstacle you overcame to see the book published?
Since I self-published, the major obstacle was getting the formatting right for the ebook as well as paperback versions. However, publishing a book is easy, selling it is a different matter…and we're back to promotions (I'm still working on that).

8 What have you done differently with your later books?
For my later books, I have done a few promotions here and there, however, nothing major. What made a difference, though, is that I switched genres.

After my first MG and YA books didn't sell, I started researching the industry a bit, and since I suddenly found myself realizing that I wanted nothing more but to write for a living, I decided to switch over to romance. Lucky for me, I read and write almost anything (except for horror).
About 40% of all books sold are romance books while children's books rank at about 3%. Shocking, isn't it? Don’t children read anymore?

That is the very simple reason why I switched to historical romance. It is always a matter of walking the fine line between what you want to write and what readers want to read. At the moment, I enjoy writing historical romance; plus, it pays the bills. However, I can see myself exploring many different genres or subgenres in the future. As they say, the sky is the limit, and everything's possible.

and finally
9 Fireflies is the first of a trilogy and Butterflies is also out. What about the third?
Right around the time when I wrote Butterflies, I started researching the industry and then switched over to historical romance. However, I still do want to write Dragonflies, the third in the series, and I definitely will. At the moment, I just cannot say when. But I am sure that at some point, my muse will lead me back to it!

Well, I guess that about sums it up!

Thanks very much Bree!

[Cheryl]

Ok, follow-up to #9 - Do these stand alone sufficiently, or will the reader be frustrated that the story is left hanging?

[Bree]

Cheryl wrote: "Ok, follow-up to #9 - Do these stand alone sufficiently, or will the reader be frustrated that the story is left hanging?"

Hi Cheryl,
no, the books are stand-alones and do not end in cliffhangers. However, certain unsolved issues remain, which will then be dealt with in the following book.

[Cheryl]

Thank you!

[G.L.]

Bree
Thank you for sharing your experience with the group. As someone new to self publishing I identify with a lot of your remarks.
Congratulations on your writing and I hope the Romance work is enjoyable.
I'm looking forward to the discussion.
GW.

[Bree]

G.L. wrote: "Bree
Thank you for sharing your experience with the group. As someone new to self publishing I identify with a lot of your remarks.
Congratulations on your writing and I hope the Romance work is e..."

Yes, I do consider myself lucky that I feel at home in not only one genre, and right now, writing historical romance is a lot of fun. Who knows what the future will bring? I'm glad it's not me. :)

[Rebecca]

Somehow it never occurred to me to research what kinds of books were actually selling :) But I'm glad some are still writing children's books, because I do love them. I am saddened, but not surprised, to find that the market for kids' books is way down. Yes, some kids still read, tons. But far more kids (sadly, like my own), read a great deal less.

[Bree]

Rebecca wrote: "Somehow it never occurred to me to research what kinds of books were actually selling :) But I'm glad some are still writing children's books, because I do love them. I am saddened, but not surpris..."

Honestly, I simply stumbled upon a study listing genres by how many books are sold. I don't remember which one it was, but after that I looked into the matter and found it a bit discouraging. I really hope that at some point I'll be able to write the third in my MG series.

[Rebecca]

Bree wrote: " I really hope that at some point I'll be able to write the third in my MG series."

So do I! Though to be honest, the first book is lovely and doesn't need sequels.

[Bree]

Rebecca wrote: "Bree wrote: " I really hope that at some point I'll be able to write the third in my MG series."

So do I! Though to be honest, the first book is lovely and doesn't need sequels."

Thanks! :)

[Scott]

I loved Fireflies. Thank you so much for that. Butterflies is still on my TBR list, and I hope to see Dragonflies out soon. Best wishes in the romance category. Lots of competition over there!