About PJ Fiala:
I am a wife of thirty years, a mother of four grown children and the grandmother of three lovely grandchildren. When not writing a new story, I can be found riding my motorcycle and exploring this fabulous country of ours. My writing revolves around people anyone would love to spend time with. No self-absorbed billionaires for me.
Earning my Bachelor’s Degree later in life fulfilled a dream for me. Then, I found the courage to write and I haven’t looked back. Currently I have three published books, Designing Samantha’s Love, Dog Days of Summer and Rydin’ the Storm Out. Danny’s War will be coming soon. I also serve as the VP of Communications for WisRWA and devote a large amount of my time helping other authors slog their way through this thing called publishing. I love to hear from fans, so look me up and touch base.
I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two of my sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given.
What inspires you to write?
I’ve always had characters in my head and stories running around in there. I dreamed of writing since I was very little, but honestly, didn’t know how I could ever write for others. So, I put it in the back of my mind. Then, I was working a horrible job with a nasty boss. I knew I simply couldn’t work like that for long and decided that if I was ever going to do it, now was the time, so I sat down and started writing. Once I began, the stories flowed onto my computer screen. I guess that it the equivalent of making lemonade out of lemons.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a total pantser. I will sit down with nothing more than the idea for my story. It will change over time, but that’s okay. I’ll see something or hear something and think to my self, “That’s a great idea for a story.”
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely. They feel real to me, all the time.
What advice would you give other writers?
You need to write because you love it not because you think you will be rich and famous. The odds of you becoming rich and famous are very slim. I know many fabulous authors who are struggling to keep the lights on.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I began with a predatory publisher and it was a horrible experience. Then, I met people online who had self published. I bought my rights back from the predatory publisher and self published. Since then, I’ve been brought into the Booktrope family and I am enjoying that process. Booktrope is a “team” concept publisher and it was right for me at this time. I would tell new authors to research any publisher they are interested in publishing with. Read their contracts and know what you are willing to give up in the process. Some publishers take everything away from you. Some let you have some say in certain things like story line, cover art etc. Know what you will not give up and go from there.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
With all the changes that have happened recently in the publishing industry, I think we are still going to see many more. With the flood of indie authors came the free book. Unfortunately, indie publishing made it easy for authors to publish without benefit of a good editor or editors and beta readers to help them with their stories. That has irritated many readers, for good reason. So, with this, I think we’re going to see prices rising, just a bit, and some of the authors that aren’t in it for the right reasons, falling by the wayside. And, that’s okay. In the end, we’ll have great stories to read and readers will have new authors to fall in love with.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Currently I write in Contemporary Romance, but I have a paranormal series in my head waiting to come out.
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
PJ Fiala Home Page Link
Link To PJ Fiala Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Instagram
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.
