About Glynnis Campbell:
I’m a USA Today bestselling author of swashbuckling action-adventure historical romances set in Scotland, England, and the American West, with over a dozen books published in six languages. I’ve won awards in the Orange Rose, Hearts through History, and Book Buyers Best contests and was a double finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA Awards. My books appear in several multi-author boxed sets with such esteemed talents as Bella Andre, Marie Force, Tanya Anne Crosby, Lauren Royal, Kathryn Le Veque, Eliza Knight, and Claire Delacroix. Writing from my California home, I love playing medieval matchmaker and transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well!
What inspires you to write?
I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil. I was very shy as a child, and it seemed like writing was my easiest form of expression. It gave me time to carefully craft what I wanted to say.
I’m not longer so shy, but I still love the written word with all its colors and subtleties. It’s magical to be able to touch a reader’s heart and convey emotions with only a few well-placed words and an entertaining story. And I love being able to share my most intimate thoughts and passions one-on-one with those who enjoy my books.
Tell us about your writing process.
I don’t do detailed outlines, but I can’t completely wing it either. I do very rough outlines of my stories. Somewhere along the way, because I tend to get lost time-wise, I have to create a calendar to keep track of the days. I don’t do character sketches, but I “cast” my books with actors to make it easier to visualize looks and gestures. Usually my characters stick fairly well to the story, but occasionally they tell me they would never do such a thing, and they take off down their own path. I often try to wrangle them back in, but they always get their way!
I have a circular way of writing. I polish as I go. So by the time I reach the end, the book is pretty well done. But I still read back through it a few times and edit to really get the characters just right.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters sometimes inform me that they would not do this, they would do that. I find it’s best to go along with them!
What advice would you give other writers?
I always give two pieces of advice.
First, don’t try to write for a living unless you must. It’s not as easy as it looks. Every book is a struggle in some way. Sure, write for fun, but making a career out of writing takes sacrifice and hard work. If you’re only writing because you want to make money–bwahahahaha! You have to enjoy (or at least endure) the journey–the painful edits, the glorious triumphs, the bad reviews–all of it.
Second, if you pass the first test, you must have passion and persistence. I got 38 rejections from publishers before I sold my first book. I wasn’t able to make a living at my writing until I’d been doing it for 12 years. I still get lousy reviews sometimes. But I’ve always loved writing so much that I let that stuff roll off my back, and now I’m a USA Today bestseller.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I started out in 2000 as a traditionally published author with an agent who got me my first deal. Fortunately, just about the time it looked like I was going to be a struggling midlist author forever, ebooks came into being. I was able to get my rights back and started to self-publish. Now I’m making a living off of my writing.
Today’s publishing is so different from when I started. I would absolutely advise writers to take the self-pubbed route. This doesn’t mean to simply write a book and put it up for sale. You still need to have editors, proofreaders, a good cover artist, a marketing plan. But in the end, you’ll keep more of your money, and, more importantly, you’ll retain the rights to your books forever.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think we’ll eventually go to pretty much all ebooks, except for select coffee table books. Once the self-publishing market becomes glutted (and it’s already heading that way), the real need will be for quality gatekeepers, trusted reviewers to tell us which books are worth the money and which may not be. I love the way self-publishing has created niche markets and allowed authors to write, for example, mysteries set in ancient Egypt or romances featuring EMTs. It’s fun for authors who have a passion for these things and an entertaining change of pace for readers who want a little something different.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Historical romance, children’s poetry, nonfiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Glynnis Campbell Home Page Link
Link To Glynnis Campbell Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
