About Wendy Holley:
Author of fast-paced, contemporary novels written to inspire and encourage readers in faith, hope, and love. Wendy’s characters are flawed individuals, struggling with real life issues such as divorce, domestic abuse, drug abuse and other modern day realities.
She is an active member and has served on the board of several writing organizations – ACFW, OCW and RWA.
Wendy lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys leisurely drives in the country, visiting wineries, and trips to the beach with her husband.
When home, Wendy has fun whipping up gluten-free breads, cakes, and cookies. She’s a reality TV junky and enjoys the Discovery Channel, Food Network and night-time crime dramas.
What inspires you to write?
I love to read and started writing short stories in middle school. My stories are inspired by real-life events that get me to asking what if. From there a story is birthed.
A Matter of Courage came about after watching a Ken Burns documentary on baseball and the abuse of steroids by the players.
The story started to play out in my mind and I had no choice to write it down – or I wasn’t going to get any sleep. 😎
Tell us about your writing process.
I write a rough outline that includes the character’s goal, motive, and conflict. Then I keep asking myself, “what is the worst thing that can happen”. Then I write it down.
Once I have the rough draft, I begin to flesh it out with more detail. It’s a process of layering. I use a whiteboard for notes and find pictures on the internet of what I think the character looks like, their home, and vehicles to refer back to.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I write a letter in the first person from my character’s perspective. They tell me their background, fears, goals, dreams, etc.
That sounds weird, but stuff comes out in the letter that I don’t know. Mostly their backstory. The character’s history is what motivates them.
I also listen to dialog as the character’s talk to each other.
What advice would you give other writers?
Learn how to write. There are rules, tips and tricks to writing a compelling story. Read books on writing, subscribe to blogs and absorb as much as you can. Learn about the publishing industry – it’s always changing. If you consider self-publishing, please hire professional editors and cover designers. Produce the very best product you can. Take your time, don’t get in a hurry. Anything worth doing right is going to take time.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had a high profile agent in the romance genre want to represent me. But they wanted me to cut the spiritual / paranormal element from my story and pitch me to Harlequin. I didn’t feel that was where I wanted to go. Being a business consultant by day, I figured I could start my own publishing company and go the indie route. Really happy I did.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
There is a need for the big publishing houses for people who have a platform (TV celebrities, athletes, politicians), but I data shows that small presses and Indie publishers are taking a bite out of the big houses. With print on demand and e-books, Indie is not a difficult path and doesn’t costs much.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Romance, Inspirational women’s fiction, contemporary romance, romantic suspense
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Wendy Holley Home Page Link
Link To Wendy Holley Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
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.
