About Abbie Zanders:
Abbie Zanders is a wife and mother of three (including a set of identical twins), born and raised in the mountains and valleys of Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. Though she has spent the last 25+ years developing financial software for healthcare-based companies, she has also held second jobs as a pub waitress, a restaurant dessert baker, a secretary, and a bread shelf stock girl.
Hobbies and interests include romance novels (all genres), 80’s hair bands and heavy metal, muscle cars, and really big dogs.
A voracious reader, she carries both a Nook and a Kindle with her at all times, as well as several mini-sized notebooks to jot down ideas when inspiration strikes. Writing is a life-long pursuit; it began somewhere in elementary school when she used to secretly draft scripts for then-popular TV shows, writing herself in as a main character, of course. Things have changed a lot since then – she now focuses on love stories for mature audiences – but her passion for writing remains the same.
She promises her readers two things: no cliffhangers, and always happily ever afters.
What inspires you to write?
I find inspiration everywhere – a dream, the lyrics of a song, a funny blurb on Facebook, the History Channel, standing in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. Something gets into my head and I think, gee, that would be a cool thing for a character to say, or, wow, what a basis for a story line.
Tell us about your writing process.
My process is… I have no process. I have an idea and I write it down. Sometimes it sticks in my head and I can build on it. Other times it remains in a “Miscellaneous” file until I find a purpose for it.
When I do have enough to warrant a story, I make it up as I go along. Then I go back and re-read/re-write until it’s cohesive and consistent. I usually rework a story a dozen times or so before I’m satisfied, and it looks nothing like the original.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely. They do talk to me, all the time. But I do NOT hear voices, honest. The most common comment from my fictional characters is, “I wouldn’t say/do that. What the heck are you thinking, woman?”
What advice would you give other writers?
First, it’s YOUR story, and if you like it, that’s the most important thing. Second, get help, at least for your first attempt. If you have an experienced author who has already been through the process that you can ask questions, then you are way ahead of the game. There are a lot of self-pub and indie help sites out there, just be wary of scammers who will only help you for a price. And finally, be realistic. With hundreds of thousands of new books going out there every year, you are probably not going to be the next J. K. Rowling.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I looked into traditional publishing houses, but most won’t give you the time of day if you’re a newbie, and let’s face it, it’s a very subjective process. How many agents are kicking themselves now because they rejected Harry Potter or Twilight? Plus I had very limited start-up cash, so self-pubbing was really my only viable option.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I’m very optimistic that with all of the options now available to both established and aspiring authors out there, we’re all going to benefit.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: All Romance – contemporary, historical, time travel, military, paranormal
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Abbie Zanders Home Page Link
Link To Abbie Zanders Page On Amazon
