About Alicia Dean:
Award-winning, multi-published author Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 11, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who happened to share the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. She is a freelance editor in addition to being an editor for The Wild Rose Press.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
What inspires you to write?
Mainly, my love of reading. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and there’s nothing like getting lost in a world of new characters and places. Ideas come into my head, and I experience this urgent need to create stories.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a plotter, but not an in-depth plotter. I actually have a process that I shared in a ‘how to’ book titled ‘Find the Magic – How to Plot a Story in 10 Easy Steps. Basically, I get an idea, then I find characters to fit that idea. I summarize my story, as if I were telling the plot to a friend. Then, I have a breakdown of a 5 part structure of the plot, I create a scene list for each part of the structure (I figure out how many scenes I need in the book based on targeted word count). Once I have my scene list down, I begin to write quick and poorly written scenes, just so I can get the entire story down. Then, I make however many passes are needed to revise until I’m finished (Or, at least, until I know I have to let go. I would never truly be finished ;))
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t. I know a lot of authors do, but I’m plot driven, and I pretty much make my characters conform to my wishes. 🙂
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t give up. Keep learning, keep writing. Find a good group of writers, critique partners, etc, and help one another along the path. Also, be prepared to market. You can’t just sit back and write stories and hope they sell, you have to work at your career, always. And, always be working on a new story.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I first published with The Wild Rose Press, then with Dorchester, and I have self-published, and I continue to do so. I also continue to publish with The Wild Rose Press. I simply want to tell a good story and get it out there in the hands of readers. I don’t want to limit myself. I normally submit or self-publish based on the project and where I I think it would be the best fit. As far as advice to new authors, I would say, explore submitting to traditional publishers, if that is your goal. But, do not rule out mid-size or small publishers (but research them carefully), and do not rule out self-publishing. There are more opportunities for authors not than ever. Don’t let anything hold you back. BUT, if you do self-publish, make sure it’s a quality product that has been professionally edited.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think traditional publishing will continue to shrink as mid size and small publishers become more successful. I also think that self-publishing will continue to grow, but readers will become more wary and particular and not as likely to purchase poorly written/poorly edited books.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Suspense, Paranormal, Contemporary, Vintage Historical, Gothic Mystery
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Alicia Dean Home Page Link
Link To Alicia Dean Page On Amazon
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