N. N. Light is doing a giveaway of a $5 Amazon gift card to someone who comments what is your most romantic moment that happened to you. She’ll pick a winner the following day. So be sure and leave her your comments.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?
If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live on a small island like St. Kit’s in the Caribbean. I am tired of the cold weather up here in Canada and the crush of people surrounding me. There’s something so peaceful about St. Kit’s. The people down there are so easy-going and everything moves at a slower pace. I think Ernest Hemingway (my writing mentor) was on the right track when he lived in Key West and Cuba.
What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?
Do your research and go into it with eyes wide open. The publishing industry is changing and it has never been easier to publish a book. That being said, it’s a very competitive market and you’re competing with well-known authors who have a huge marketing presence. Do your research and make sure you know what to expect. Things come up and you have to be prepared.
What went into the process? Writing, editing, cover design, formatting, etc. Share your ups and downs and how you went about it. If you used a service, can you share?
The road to publishing has been an adventure to say the least. I started the journey signing with a small press, parting ways amicably, getting my rights returned to me and self-publishing. Deciding to self-publish was a no-brainer for me because I had a following clamoring for my book, Princess of the Light. I didn’t want to wait because I was afraid I would lose all that hard-earned buzz about my book.
In a matter of two weeks, I revised, edited and proofread my book. I hired a cover artist and Erica Petit designed the magnificent Princess of the Light cover. It was exactly what I was looking for and everyone loves it!
The most difficult part for me was the formatting. I had no experience with formatting and after several attempts to do it myself, I contacted a company to format my book. I needed it done for both Kindle and Smashwords. The company I hired was Ebook Launch (http://ebooklaunch.com/) and they were affordable, professional and did a superb job. I plan on using them in the future for all of my formatting needs.
Like anything in life, the road to publishing was filled with ups and downs. I learned so much from the experiences I had, though, and knowledge is power. I now know what to expect the next time I publish a book.
All self-pubbed books are rumoured to be shoddily edited. What do you say to that?
My first reaction is they really haven’t been reading much. I have read several books published this year by the Big 5 publishers that were poorly edited. I have read several self-published books that have been edited perfectly. I think no matter how it is published, a book has a 10% chance of being shoddily edited. Mistakes happen and I, for one, am glad my readers can be forgiving.
What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
Wow, this is a tough one for me to answer. There have been characters, conflict and emotions that have been hard for me to write about. If I had to pick one, it would be conflict.
Describing the conflict I see playing out in my head is hard. I know what is going on because I am creating it but it takes work to transfer it from my mind to words on paper.
Give us an elevator pitch for your book.
Destined to be the Princess of the Light, Mary must restore hope in a homeless man known as the Walking Man, risking everything she hold dear (including the love of her life, Joe) or die at the hands of the demons sent to vanquish her.
Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not? How did you choose it?
Yes, I write under the pen name, N. N. Light. I chose to write under a pen name because I wanted to keep my privacy. My author life and my personal life are separate.
I chose N. N. Light because my husband and I wrote Princess of the Light together. Both of our real names start with the letter N. The last name Light was pretty easy to come up with because we are spreading the Light by sharing this book. Plus, it is easy to remember.
Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
The most rewarding thing for me is having someone come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed reading my book. I love to read and I wanted to write a book I would love to read several times. It’s lovely when other readers get the inspirational message of my book and want to read the next book in the series.
Thank you, Cynthia, for having me on your blog today. I had such a great time and I hope your readers will root for Mary as she battle the darkness.
Title: Princess of the Light
Author: N. N. Light
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Blurb:
Gabriel, the Archangel and Messenger of God – yeah that Gabriel, visited Mary Miller. He told her, as the key she is destined to spread the Light and vanquish the Darkness. Her first assignment is to restore the soul of the Walking Man. Sounds simple enough until she’s thrown in the face of evil, and then Joe Deacons enters her heart. This battle just got a lot more complicated. She must complete her mission without losing all she loves.
Book Cover Graphic Artist Credit:
Illustration : streamy digital
Model : VictoriaAndrea
Photo : shutterstock/depositphoto
Excerpt:
Sunshine peeked through the curtains of my bedroom. A ray of light shone on my pillow and in the distance, a dog barked. Probably Chopper, ready for his morning walk.
I glanced at my alarm clock and the time was nine o’clock. Ugh. My alarm wasn’t set to go off for another ten minutes. The light shone through my eyelids and I covered my eyes with my hand—maybe I could fall back asleep for just a little while longer. A few unsuccessful minutes later and there came a soft tapping from my bedroom door. Bummer.
“Mary?” It was Amber. “Are you awake?” she called softly.
My eyes fluttered open, apparently not quite ready to give up on the last few minutes. I rolled my head, stretching my neck as I let my mind comprehend what Amber was saying. Then I sat up, clicked off my alarm before it started making the irritating buzz, and said, “Yes. Come in.”
Amber opened the door and walked to the bed to sit down. The confused look on my roommate’s face was enough to know that something was going on. “Amber, what’s wrong?”
Amber leaned closer and said with a whisper, “Joe is here.”
“What do you mean, here?” I asked, as if here could possibly have more than one meaning.
“I came home this morning to find him sitting on the steps. I think he was waiting for you to get up or something.”
I smiled and my cheeks grew hot. “Well, did you let him in?”
Amber stood up and laughed. “No, I told him to go away,” she teased. Then she made a pshht sound and added, “Of course I let him in. He’s making coffee for us in the kitchen.” Then, she giggled as I stumbled out of bed. “Mary,” she whispered, “he brought you flowers.”
My mind started to race and I wondered why he was here so early—and making coffee no less. Should I take time to shower or just go find out what was going on?
I grabbed my most conservative purple robe and put it on. Then I turned to Amber and surprised her with a hug. I couldn’t help myself.
“He brought me flowers?” I asked, incredulously. “How sweet!” I squeezed Amber’s hand and quickly shuffled to the kitchen.
Joe was standing there with a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers in the other. I gasped and looked into Joe’s eyes with love. The first time he waited for me outside the bookstore he’d had purple flowers. This time he had purple flowers and a cup of coffee. I could get used to where this was going.
“Good morning, beautiful!” Joe smiled and seemed to look right into my soul. If my cheeks got any hotter, they might melt off.
The very presence of him was already making my knees go weak. He was freshly showered, shaven and dressed in casual attire.
I didn’t know what else to say, so I simply replied, “Hello.”
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/469480
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/princess-of-the-light-nn-light/1120170709?ean=9781502438454
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Light-N/dp/1502438453
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/princess-of-the-light-1
iTunes/ iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/princess-of-the-light/id913013798?mt=11
Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/5008419
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23009005-princess-of-the-light
Newsletter:
Sign up for my Princess of the Light newsletter to get exclusive FREE content no one else can get: http://ymlp.com/xghjsueygmgh
Author Bio:
N. Light was born in Minnesota, lived in Southern California only to move to chilly Ontario, Canada to marry her beloved husband MR N. She is blissfully happy and loves all things chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports and baking. She has been telling stories since the age of five and her mantra is to spread the Light. Most of the time you can find her on Twitter or getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. She is a proud member of ASMSG, Independent Author Network and Marketing for Romance Writers.
Part of the proceeds of Princess of the Light will go directly to food banks in order to feed the hungry and help those in need. With only 7,500 books sold, N. N. Light will be able to set up a monthly endowment for the local food bank.
I’d love to connect with you either via email or via these various social media sites:
Website: http://princessofthelight.com
Blog: http://princessofthelight.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/nnlight
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NNP_W_Light
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nnlight
Email: nnlight@outlook.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PrincessOTLight
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/n-n-light/90/1a7/902
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118060034268079734144/posts
Triberr: http://www.triberr.com/nnlight
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/nnlight
Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/n-n-light.html
iAuthor: http://www.iauthor.uk.com/princess-of-the-light:10294