Happy New Year!
I chose 12: 30 E.S.T to pre-schedule this post, as I literally just jumped in the Atlantic Ocean with my awesome family. This is our fourteenth consecutive year. Brrr. We love the feeling of renewal and adrenaline rush. All of the toxic things that held us back the year before seem to reset and give us the courage we need to pursue our dreams.
A new year in the Gregorian calendar brings new goals, new beginnings and new friends. Please take a moment to meet a writer who has made a huge impact on my life personally and professionally.
Welcome to Indie Spotlight - Author Veronica Cline Barton
Thank you, Bibiana for having me as your guest author! It’s a delight to be here, Happy New Year to you and your readers!
What lessons or life wisdom does your fiction offer readers?
The theme of a family’s love runs strong throughout my series. The Lancaster’s have fabulous wealth and position and face many dastardly deeds and ne’er do wells, as they live and entertain at Cherrywood Hall in the U.K. My main character, Gemma and her close-knit family always have the support of each other, in good times and bad. What prompted you to choose cozy mystery as your preferred genre?
I’ve always loved the genre---it's not too gory, keeps one’s interest, and shows the everyday interactions of humans when faced with tragedy. Most of all, there always seems to be a good supply of food and drink available to soothe one’s nerves.
Would you ever consider writing a totally different genre and why?
I would like to try my hand at paranormal and write a few ghostly tales. I truly believe the spirits are out there watching, waiting for their chance to interact with the living. In my mind, I think some want to experience the simple feelings of love once again, if only for a last moment. Others have darker intentions… Three goals for the new year concerning your writing journey?
This year I will be finishing the first story in my new American Hygge & Bisous Mystery Series. I plan to query agents with this new book to see where things go with traditional publishing interest. It’s a fresh start, but one I feel will work better for my querying efforts.
I also plan to release the fifth book in My American Almost Royal Cousin Series with Gemma and Kyle. They had quite the ending in the last book, now we get to see what happens next.
We have a few fabulous trips planned for 2020 to see different parts of the US, Canada and Europe. I’m looking forward to these trips—I may even get to meet up with a few of my Twitter peeps in person! In May we visit St. Petersburg, Russia—my first visit to this country. I can’t wait to explore the sites and learn the history…you just never know what will end up in a story!
I’d love to interact with more writers. I will always try to read ARCs, and I remain dedicated to my goal of reading and reviewing at least one book per week from the #writerscommunity of Twitter. I also plan on attending Bouchercon 2020 in Sacramento this year—I loved meeting fellow mystery writers and the panels offered a treasure trove of ideas. And one day soon, I would truly like to hole up in a Scottish castle with a fellow writer or two for some undivided writing work—anyone with me?
If you could travel back in time, what would you say to yourself about writing and indie publishing? Any regrets or insight to share?
I am very pro Indie Publishing and see this as a major component of the publishing industry, growing more and more in sales over the next decade. I do wish there were more professional, premium services offered to help Indie writers with editing, POD, and marketing services. You can spend a lot of money with firms who promise one thing and deliver less than expected results. It takes a village to make this work and I plan on expanding my network of writers who want to promote themselves as well as others professionally.
Thank you again for having me as your guest, Bibiana!
It was my pleasure Veronica. I hope that the new year brings you and everyone reading this happiness and success in all things they do. I would love to join you in Scotland. When do we leave? It surely would be the perfect place to meet a few ghosts and write those stories wouldn’t it? Your books help me escape the everyday and I appreciate that more than you will ever know.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VClinebarton @VClinebarton Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myamericanalmostroyalcousinseries Blog: https://myamericanalmostroyalcousinseries.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronicaclinebarton
If you would like to be a guest on Indie Spotlight, please send a brief introduction, your pitch and preferred month to https://www.bibianakrall.com/contact Thanks for subscribing, reading my books and being an important part of my writing journey. Welcome and Happy New Year to The Literati!
Until next time, find your Peace, Love, Hustle, then Read or Write. Xox Bibiana