Sunday 14 June 2015

PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT - THE SORT OF LIFE OF JULIE WINTERFELDT BY TRACY A. FISCHER

Title: The Sort Of Life Of Julie Winterfeldt
Series: The Sort Of Life Of Julie Winterfeldt
Author: Tracy A. Fischer
Release Date: 13th March 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
Julie Winterfeldt is newly single, and not by choice. Her seemingly perfect marriage of seven years was ended when Julie finds that her husband, Daniel, has an apparently not-too-passing interest in gay porn. And in being gay, in general. Divorced in her mid-thirties and finding herself on her own for the first time in, well, ever, she’s got to figure out what she’s going to do with her life. Add in a very unexpected curve ball that life decides to throw, Julie's not quite sure she's going to make it. 
Narrated in Julie's warm, funny and disarming voice, THE SORT OF LIFE OF JULIE WINTERFELDT shows how heartache, humor and a whole lot of surprise can come together in life's unpredictable twists and turns. Tracy A. Fischer's debut novel will make you laugh and cry, all the while cheering for Julie and the friends that help her along the way. 


PURCHASE LINKS


AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? 
My name is Tracy Fischer. I was born in Minnesota, and I live in Wisconsin, which sometimes surprises me as I do not like cold and snowy weather. But, I do love my family and the vast majority of them are here, so here I will stay!

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I have always loved writing and have always written in some fashion. I also wanted to be a teacher and a lawyer as well as a social worker, which is what I have become.  Writing has always been in the background, however, and in many ways, it is where my heart has always been.

When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"? 
I still feel strange calling myself a writer. I had an appointment with a new doctor recently, and when he asked me what I did for a living, I was too shy to say that I write books. I need to work on that!

Do you work another job as well as your writing work? 
Yes, I am a social worker. I have worked in homeless services, adoption and am now a social worker in a nursing home. Some of most interesting ideas have come from experiences in the social work field.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say? 
My newest book is named "The Sort of Life of Julie Winterfeldt." 20 words or less is always hard for me to do. I guess I would say this book is the story of a great friendship, an interesting turn of events and a whole lot of drama along the way!

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish? 
I self-published.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it? 
I would say about 6 months, but it takes me a long time to edit after the initial writing.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre? 
There will definitely be more books in the chick lit genre, but I am currently working on a book for young adults that has more of a sci-fi bent to it as well. 

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
 I already have the second book in the "Julie Winterfeldt" series written and am getting through the editing process. The third book in the "Julie" series is percolating in my mind as we speak. And I am almost finished with a book for young adults that has a sci-fi bent to it.

What genre would you place your books into? 
Definitely Chick Lit

What made you decide to write that genre of book? 
The Julie and Kate characters and their friendship led me down this path. My characters' voices come to me in the first person, and all of my main characters, so far, have been women. So, I don't really think I chose to write this genre, it just ended up falling into that category based on the character's stories.

Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite? 
It would be hard to say who my favorite was, I love almost all the characters for different reasons. One surprise I had in this book was how much I liked the character of Nick Delikis, the divorce lawyer. I originally thought he would be a very minor character, but he developed into much more.

If you had to choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and why? 
I think I would be Kate Blach, Julie's best friend. She lives a pretty leisurely life, but also has a heart of gold, spends her time and money helping others, and is the most loyal friend anyone could ask for. 

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write? 
I've written stories since I was a middle-schooler. When I was in eighth grade, I had a wonderful English teacher named Mr. Rykal how encouraged me and told me I had a gift for writing. When we ran into each other at a grocery store when I was grown up, he asked me again if I was still writing, and I told him I really wasn't at that time. I had recently had my first son and was working full time, writing had gotten shoved to the background. He encouraged me again, and said I needed to keep writing. His voice was always in the back of my mind, telling me I should write.  It's amazing how a great teacher can have such an impact on someone's life, isn't it?

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair? 
I work full time, am married and have two young sons...I have to take my writing time however I can get it!

Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them? ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know? 
My husband is always my first reader. I have a small core of family and friends that also read and edit for me. And I also use a professional editing service after I have made those edits.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books? 
Absolutely. I am obsessive about it. 

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
No, never. That would totally ruin the integrity of the reviewing process. I would not even think of doing this!

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books? 
Titles are hard, and I have to sit with one I like for a long time to decide on it. My aunt, Jackie Siekert, is an amazingly talented graphic designer. She designed my cover and put up with my hundreds of change requests and ideas. The cover designing process was a hugely collaborative process, and I know my cover would not have been even a tiny bit as good without her.  I would highly recommend her for any other aspiring authors.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title? 
I have done it both ways.  For this book, the book was completely written before I had a title. For my current work in progress, the young adult book. the title came within the first few paragraphs of writing.

Do you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I let the writing flow. Some things that happen in the stories surprise even me!

What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ? 
I think there has to be an interesting or different hook, something that surprises people a bit. Of course, most books that become a bestseller have thousands of dollars of marketing behind them, and I'm sure that doesn't hurt either!

What do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby? 
Reading, of course. I also love to listen to audiobooks. I love watching movies and just relaxing with my family. We have three dogs, two Golden Retrievers and a Maltese, and they keep us entertained, too!

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? 
Not really. There are a few characters that are combinations of people I have known, but none of them are directly based on a certain individual.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..") 
No, not intentionally, anyway!

Did you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life? 
I was an obsessive reader as a child. I lived in a small town and went to a small school, both of which had small libraries. I would often read books over and over again if there was nothing new to read, and re-reading my favorites never bothered me!

Did you have a favourite author as a child?
That would be a tie between L.M. Montgomery (The Anne of Green Gables series) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (The Little House on the Prairie books).
[I loved both those series when I was younger too!]

Do you have a treasured book from your childhood? If yes, what is it?
This is a tough one, but I guess I'd go with "Charlotte's Web."

Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish? 
I once tried to read a biography on Jane Austen for a book club. Every time I'd start it, my husband would find me passed out asleep in bed. It probably didn't help that I had a new baby at the time, but I know that is one book I will never be able to finish!

Do you or would you ever use a pen name? 
I don't, and I don't think I will. 

If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with? 
Ai yi yi! What a great question! I think I would invite J.K. Rowling, Elizabeth Berg and Gillian Flynn if I was inviting modern authors. I would just sit back and listen, and I bet it would be fascinating!


AUTHOR LINKS
Facebook page: Tracy A. Fischer
Goodreads author page: Tracy A. Fischer

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