Lately, I've been searching the web for others of my
species, India Authors. I wondered how they were making the transitions from
the work itself, to getting their novels out for public viewing. There are many
avenues to get one’s work seen, but which was best for my story? Why chose self-publishing instead of
traditional publishing? Could I design
the cover, or get others to do that for me? How to attract readers to my novels? These
were just a few of the questions I had to ask myself in deciding this which route
to take for publishing my novels.
A while back, I came
across this India Author's site and wondered how she was treading the waters. I
read one of her stories, and loved it so much I got in touch. I found her to be
an interesting character and thought... wouldn’t it be great to interview her
for Imaginings.
Well, she agreed and I would like to introduce Kim Lenor
author of Amnesty.
Good Morning Kim.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview.
Thank you so much Glynis for inviting me to Imaginings.
Tell us a bit about
you?
I’m the girl next
door type with a vivid imagination and a way with words. I received my BA in business and work full time,
while pursuing my goals. I recently married; have no children, and live in
Cleveland, Ohio with my small extended family.
Who are your target
demographics?
This is a tricky question because just last week I would’ve
said, without much thought, women ages 18 to 40, housewives who are looking for
drama and romance to take them out of any monotony they may be experiencing. However, I recently
read two of my books to my husband and his friends. They were truly hanging on
my every word. Not just them, but there
have been others that I didn't think would take to my writing, but truly did.
So now I would have to change that.
Some authors have a
specific writing style, do you?
If I had to find a common thread in my writings, I don’t
think I could. Therefore, I think that’s my writing style. I write as if I am
in that moment and everything around me is unpredictable, as it comes to me.
Whether I’m a mental ill person, or a clueless young adult or a hopelessly in
love grown woman, I become that. I try to make each character and storyline
unique. Whatever I perceive or feel as
that character is how I write it. I aim for each of my stories to be like
entering a different door to a different world.
Sometimes, I can’t tell what race my characters are; I only discover
that, as I get deeper into the story. Sometimes I have to go back and change
where they live because after I meet them I see clearly that they resemble
someone other than who I initially imagined them to be. I do, for the most part, blindly
write the story like I’m the reader.
What inspired you to
write your first novel?
For the most part, I feel like everything I write is an
aspect of my personality. I am every character I write. Therefore, things that
have happen to me in my life have inspired me to write. Some characters or
situations are from circumstances I’ve imagined myself in, always wanted to
try, or somewhere deep down inside me I’ve always wanted to be. So life itself,
those I imagine and my own inspiration not just my first book, but all of my work.
What stirred you to
write One Bad Trip….it was the first book I’ve read in your collection?
Thank you for reading it! I wrote One Bad Trip
on my hour lunch break. There was no planning or hardly any thought behind
it. I entered it in a writing contest
where they give you the theme and the word count. When I read the guidelines,
grandma, a visit and intensity came to mind.
I just wrote until it came to life on its own. The story was much longer
but I had to cut it down to meet the requirements. That spontaneous story placed third in the
contest as a result.
How much of your
books are realistic? In Amnesty and La La you use teenagers as your
protagonist, are they based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I’d say 50% of my books are realistic. Either something
about the story line is real or the character(s) are real. The situation
surrounding and building throughout maybe souped up but something about mostly
everything I write is real. In Amnesty
the situation was more real but the characters start off as teenagers in order
for the reader to follow their bond through their rollercoaster trials in life,
allowing them to see just how powerful the ending is. With La
La, the story wasn’t personal but the situation that a lot of artist find
themselves in, wanting to make it but having to do it on their owns and from
less ideal situations from day one. I wanted to show the struggle that artist
take on to accomplish their dreams and what they may have to overcome. That
story was my way of saying no matter what; you can do it, for anyone young or
old; that has a dream that seems impossible to reach.
Are there any common lessons learned from your novels that
you want readers to grasp?
Yes, you can do it. All of my characters face real life
issues, none of my stories are about a great walk through a park. These are
young women that will identify with someone. In other words, one of these
characters is relatable. Even though, I haven’t reached my goal of being a
traditionally published writer, my characters are my own manifestations of not
giving up.
Why self-publishing?
My issue is I haven’t had time to devote to
my passion of writing and promoting or the entire process of traditionally
publishing. My life has changed over the last few years so where I want to be
with regards to my books is far from where I am.
Promoting, how have
you found those waters?
I've redesigned my site several times and paid professional
promoters. It’s frustrating, demanding, and
hard work to get the least amount of attention for your work, with that said. Even though, I’m not a traditionally published
author, I’ve done a cable TV show; I’ve won a contest, and received great
feedback from my work. I’m doing this interview so as long as you don’t totally
let your dream go, you can experience the fruits of your work until you make it
to where you want to be
We all know how hard
it is to be an Indie Author, what did you have to give up reaching your goals?
Time, the life of an Indie author demands it. It
takes from my already busy schedule and any free time to promote my work and my
website. However, I don't look at it as giving up anything, but as an investment.
Investing money and time into something I LOVE doesn't feel much like a
sacrifice. It only becomes a little difficult when you don't have a lot of
either. I believe it will pay off and I've seen some of it thus far.
As a self-published
author, do you have any advice for other writers?
Be honored to
discuss your work and hear what others have to say about it. Criticism is a tool, utilized to make your
story better. Sometimes I feel the value in that, more than any royalty I could
receive on my work, but that would be nice too! Honestly, I want to be a
popular author, with a great publishing company and getting paid for my work.
That is my ultimate goal as it is with most writers. However, writing and
sharing is a great part of it too. We all
would love to do this for a living and be able to live off of it, but the work
must be quality.
The Indie Revolution
has changed the publishing industry, what do you think the future holds?
Social media and the internet make possibilities unlimited.
We have to send millions of query letters to get millions of rejections to
finally have one agency say send me the first chapter of your book. We can
publish whatever our art is, instantly. I feel as time goes on, getting our
gifts out there will become easier and easier, without sacrifice and fight. The
doors will be easier to get through and there will be more of them.
So what’s next?
My next two projects are writing a relationship book and
writing a book that captures the story of how my husband and I met. It was too
ironic and coincidental to not be, meant to be. He is begging me to write the
story so in a way it will be my gift to him. I know the readers will get a kick
out of it and it may spark them to not give up on finding love. However, it’s hard for me to start new
projects when my previous ones are still undiscovered.
Thank you so much Kim, for taking the time to talk with me
about your books.
Kim Lenor is a successful author of four books and has so graciously offered to anyone that emails her at kimlenor@yahoo.com and mentions this blog, they will receive the first five chapters of any of my books.
If you would like to know more about Kim Lenor or any of her
books, you can go to her website booksandhooks. There you can get the synopsis,
read free pages and purchase and download a copies of her books.
About Books and Hooks
Books and Hooks is a hosting site for writers and
musicians who want an extra, if not exclusive place to load their work and
manage it how they see fit. They can post their music, writings, sell books or
share their writings for free. Film makers can load trailers, advertise with
commercials and everyone can network through the site. Booksandhooks was created to assist in
advertising your creativity.Copyright © 2013 Glynis Rankin
