AUTHOR INTERVIEW - ROBERTA GOODMAN

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?

Roberta Goodman, I was born in Philadelphia and I live in a little town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

No, I didn’t start pursuing a career in writing until 2009. I was busy raising two kids, so I waited until they were both in school to concentrate on writing my first manuscript. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a number of things. Photographer, nurse, and makeup artist were three careers I never ended up pursuing.

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?

It was a total of two and a half years from deciding I wanted to pursue a writing career to actually getting published. I wrote a total of three manuscripts in that time. Snow Escape was my second manuscript. I finished writing it in June 2010 and it was published in October of 2011.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?

I do some freelancing, but I’m fortunate that my husband has a good job and I’ve been able to be a SAHM. Not having a job “outside” the home is part of the reason I’ve been able to do so much writing.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Snow Escape is a cautionary tale. Be careful what you do, because your actions could inspire adverse reactions.

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?

I was published through a small independent e-Publisher. It’s called Write Words Inc. and it’s located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

I definitely want to continue writing, but I don’t plan to be classified as a “mystery” writer. I love writing fiction, although I do enjoy writing non-fiction. At the present time, I’m revising my first manuscript, which is a tragic romance/family saga. My third manuscript is an account of what my family went through when my husband was battling cancer earlier this year. It’s a very personal story and I wrote it because writing was how I chose to cope with the stress of what we were experiencing.

Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?

For Snow Escape I would have to say it’s Miguel. His character was very flamboyant and infused humour into the story. I would often laugh at what I wrote coming out of his mouth.

For my first manuscript, Sojourn in Hell, I would have to say it’s Joseph. His character was based on someone who actually lived, but who I never had the privilege of meeting. He was an artistic, brilliant, creative soul who suffered for a long time and died way too young. 

Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?

I have given my eBook to several bloggers and or authors, because I appreciate the fact they will take time out of their lives to read what I’ve written.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

I have read every review of Snow Escape and I plan to read every review I will ever get for any of my books. Every person comes away with something important to say about what they’ve read and I feel it’s important for me to read their feedback. The only way I can grow as an artist is to absorb people’s reactions. I embrace all my reviews, yes, even the okay ones. So far I haven’t received a truly horrendous one, but if I ever do I will take what is written and process it the same as I process everything else.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books?

Titles are easy for me; they just come to me. I’ve only published one book so far, so I can only relate the process I went through getting the cover designed. I bought a photo from a stock photography site called Getty Images. I thought this photo conveyed what the premise of the book was about. A good friend, who is a photographer/software engineer, offered to take the photo and create a cover for me. I was very fortunate, because he and I the same idea about what I wanted. The first draft he sent me was perfect.

How do you market/promote your books?

My e-Publisher doesn’t have a budget for promotion, so it’s been up to me to get the word out about my eBook. I promote on my blog, I do guest blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Book Blogs, and every other venue I come across. I’ve found using the Internet is one of best ways writers can reach their audience, because millions of people use it.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?

Yes, I have based characters on people I know. My first novel is loosely based on events that happened on my mother’s side of the family. They were dysfunctional and I chose to weave stories I heard growing up into a full-length novel. The main character is based on my grandmother. Several of the events in the book actually happened to me.

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is my favourite book. I’ve only read it once, but it made a profound effect on me. It takes place in Savannah, Ga, which is one of my favourite cities. Berendt managed to capture the uniqueness of this beautiful city as well as the eccentric characters. It stayed on the NY Times Bestsellers list for four years.

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it? (ebook, hardback or paperback)

At the moment I’m reading Olive Kitteridge and yes I’m enjoying it. I’m reading the eBook on my Nook.

Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?

My honest opinion is no. eBooks will definitely continue to be popular, but they won’t totally replace printed books because publishers won’t let that happen. Lots of people such as printers, book binders, illustrators, etc, would lose their jobs. Plus, there will always be people who prefer to read an actual book to reading off an e-Reader.

What do you think about book trailers?

I actually like them. By using a book trailer, you can reach potential readers by posting it in other forums such as YouTube. I used Windows Movie Maker to make my trailer for Snow Escape and it was a relatively easy process and one that hopefully enticed people to read the book. This is the link http://youtu.be/xVXUYGzUbME          

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

If writing is your dream, then never give up. Even in the face of adversity, push through it and don’t let others tell you that your work isn’t good enough to get published. It’s a tough business to break into. Sometimes you have to take a non-traditional route to get your work out there such as using an independent publisher or self-publishing.

Do you or would you ever use a pen name? Where can readers follow you?
No, I don’t use a pen name, though I do call myself Ro Goodman on my blog. Ro is my nickname.  Here’s where readers can follow me:

My blog- http://ro-alwaysinspired.blogspot.com/

My Goodreads author page- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5253029.Roberta_Goodman

My Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/RobertaGoodman

Snow Escape can be purchased here:

For Kindle- http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Escape-ebook/dp/B005R5DX84/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317836427&sr=8-3

For Nook, iPad, or other e-Readers - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b127756/?si=0

My publisher’s website offers a PDF format- http://www.writewordsinc.com/snowescape.html

For Blackberries or mobile devices-http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/searchebooks.asp?Language=EN&searchType=All&lang=EN&searchStr=snow+escape

Thankyou so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview!