Sofie Couch is raising a pa’r-a-normal young adults… and writing in the same genre. That is, when she’s not writing and living a romantic comedy. In Virginia, U.S.A., she enjoys writing, homeschooling, chicken wrangling and home renovation. With a 100 pound dog that thinks she’s a cat and a cat who thinks she’s an alpha dog, chickens and nightly coyote raids, there’s never a dull moment.
www.sofiecouch.blogspot.com
Available NOW!!! KEEPING UP WITH MR. JONES
http://tinyurl.com/acy5bme
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
Hi Annette and thanks for having me at your blog! I write organically. I may have a rough idea of where the story’s going to go, where it’s going to start or a fun scene in the middle, but then I fly by the seat of my pants.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
Yes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When the characters speak to me, I listen. On a good day,, I don’t answer back – at least, not out loud.
Crab. Put me on a deserted island with a crab pot and I’d be happy-as-a-clam, er, crab.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I’m up with the chickens – literally. They insist upon being fed at the crack of dawn.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
Ahhh, Paris. That’s probably an uninventive stereotype on my part, but as a U.S. citizen in the middle of the east coast, there truly are not a lot of opportunities for using my grade school French. I want to cash in on all those years of conjugating verbs. Really, who learns to subjunctive tense unless they hope, someday, to be able to use it?.
Do distant places feature in your books?
The swamps of Virginia, USA, the mountains of Virginia, USA, but otherwise, I stay local (to me)… unless you consider my YA paranormal novels, MOONSHINE and ANGELS UNAWARES. Those cross the boundary between earth and the ether.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Shhhh… Even my kids know not to disturb the writing cave.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
KEEPING UP WITH MR. JONES is my first romantic comedy in about ten years. I wrote it in one month during National Novel Writing Month. I edited it over the next month and uploaded it last week. I love self-publishing!
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
Publishing has gone through huge changes over the past few years. I’m self-publishing these days and it has given me a sense of control that I simply didn’t have before. My first novel was published through a traditional publisher, and I found the lack of control stifling. I’m more productive these days and I love writing again.
Is there anything you would do differently?
If I knew then what I know now, I might have taken the self-publishing leap sooner.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
I’m a sucker for southern fiction. I enjoy Barbara Kinsolver, Deborah Smith, and Fannie Flagg.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Write a novel – beginning to end – no matter how much it reeks. Finish the thing. Put it aside. Don’t ask friends or family to read it, (no matter how brilliant you believe it to be, because at the risk of hurting your ego, it’s really kind of stinky.) Just put it away. Write the second novel. Do that five times!!! (Yes, I said FIVE times.) When you finish the fifth novel, go back and edit the first novel. Release the first novel, edit novel number 2 and release. Write the first draft of novel number 6, edit book 3 and release it, rinse and repeat. It sounds like a lot of investment of time before publishing, but that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s hard work! You can’t ask anyone else to do the work for you in terms of critiquing, editing, re-writing and you won’t make any money on your first few books, so it’s best to come out with your books back-to-back and after you’ve got the experience of five books under your belt. BITCH (Butt In The Chair.) Sorry. There is no easy way around it.
What are three words that describe you?
Organic, free-flow, mellow.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
J.K. – Harry Potter series. The writing is top drawer, her plots are inventive, and complex. I love series that allows the reader to develop a “relationship” with the characters. That’s magic.
(Yay, another Harry Potter fan, I love it too!)
Keeping Up With Mr. Jones-
Super mom, Felicity Quinn, has built a dream life in a gated community, with manicured lawns, all the amenities, soaring home values... skyrocketing HOA fees and draconian restrictions.
Unfortunately, everything she thought she wanted is unraveling at the seams.
Her oldest child is a pot head, her teenage daughter dresses like a hooker and her youngest has a penchant for killing small animals. When her husband calls home to announce that he is leaving her for his office assistant, Felicity thinks things can not get much worse...
...Until she bumps into her eccentric neighbor, Mr. Jones... with her car. Out of a sense of responsibility, Felicity takes it upon herself to care for Mr. Jones during his recovery. But what woman half his age could expect to keep up with Mr. Jones?
List of previous books if any
Romantic comedy:
CYBER BRIDE (written under the name, Annette Couch-Jareb)
KEEPING UP WITH MR. JONES (written under the name, Sofie Couch).
YA Paranormal:
MOONSHINE
ANGELS UNAWARES
Coming soon:
CEDAR HILL
FLIPPIN’ THE BIRD.
Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.
www.sofiecouch.blogspot.com
Thank you, Sofie and good luck with your books :)
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