The Writer In Me with Guest Blogger: Kate Richards

The Book Boost is happy to welcome new author Kate Richards!

She's here to discuss her first release and here's her story...

How I Became A Real, Live Author

I’ve had such an exciting weekend, since Finally, My Love was released by Breathless Press on Friday, and I thought that would be an interesting thing to chat about. Being an author is a lifelong dream, and I still pinch myself when I think of it. The most amazing thing is the kind support of so many authors with plenty of their own work to do who have taken time from their busy schedules to help a new writer on the block. And I see them do it time and again.

I don’t think there is another group of people I have encountered who are so helpful. As soon as people found out that I was writing I had offers to read my work and give suggestions. And, while they insisted I had the ability, I found that my writing needed a lot of help before it was ready to be submitted to any publisher for their consideration.

I started out first learning to be a reviewer, and before I knew it I found myself co-owner of Got Romance Reviews. It was there that I met Valerie Mann, Stephanie Beck, and several other successful writers who treated me, an unpublished wannabe, as one of them. I was so impressed and star struck. But they are serious professionals and encouraged me to finish one of my many partial manuscripts and submit it. I protested that I wanted to maintain my amateur status, but they told me writing was not likely to be an Olympic sport anytime soon…finish something!

They critiqued me within an inch of my life and sent me off to buy a Chicago Manual of Style. This taught me that my English degree alone did not cover all I needed to know to express myself on the printed page. It was humbling, but exhilarating. And finally, I had an idea for a story that meant so much to me, I couldn’t wait to finish it, polish it and send it in.

Breathless Press was my first choice for the story of how I met my husband on the internet. I submitted the story and one day about three weeks later I saw an email from them. I was instantly nauseous and actually considered not opening it… But of course I did and I found that I had sold my first story. Much dancing ensued and I haven’t stopped yet.

I should clarify that Finally, My Love is based on my husband and I meeting nine years ago, but that a great deal of it is fiction. But it’s so incredibly special to me because my first story is our story…with a great deal of literary license. But the emotion is there, and the passion, even if we aren’t likely to spend any time whatsoever in a stuck elevator.

Since I began to write that story, so many people have shared their own internet romance stories with me, that I wrote a second, and a third is almost complete. But my favorite love story, of course, is ours. Because it’s the one I come home to every day.

It’s been a journey, becoming a real, live author. And I still have to pinch myself, because this dream come true has come with a lot of friends, my Got Romance Gang, the authors at Breathless and Solstice where I also have a book under contract…too many to count. But it’s an awfully good place to be.

A Note From the Book Boost: Kate, what a great story! I was in your place not too long ago and I lived off the high from my first book release for a long time. Now I'm a dozen books later and the high never stops feeling just as awesome! Enjoy! Please share with us a little more about your book.

Blurb:

The internet is filled with stories of successful and not so successful relationships. Amelia had no idea, waiting at the airport, which kind hers was going to be. Was the John of endless emails and sexy phone calls the man to fill her real life dreams? As the author says, we have to meet guys somewhere. After looking everywhere else, Amelia is hoping John is, finally, her love.

Excerpt:

Daring a glance in his direction, she saw his sensual mouth quirk into a smile.

"I was remembering last night. You and me, together."

Her cheeks flushed a fluorescent pink. She knew exactly what he was talking about: their final phone sex session. In the past few months, it had gotten to where just his voice on the phone made her nipples harden. But her brain stalled, and he continued before she pulled it together enough to respond.

"I was thinking about how far away you were last night when we talked. But sexy even three thousand miles away."

What a sweet guy. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she maneuvered around a Lexus with a woman talking on the cell phone and creeping along at forty miles an hour in the fast lane. Pleased by his words, she threw him a smile and squeezed his hand, but suddenly, the Lexus woman veered into their lane. Amelia slammed on the brakes. The car lurched.

Her sweet guy swore. Loudly.

Want More Kate?

Find Kate Blogging Here: http://katerichardsshortstories.blogspot.com
Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here!