From Sydney Flights To Scottish Ferries with J.A Forde

About the author: 

Author of swoony romances full of real characters you can’t help but
root for.  When I’m not writing you’ll find me with my nose stuck in a book... Or
more realistically, you’ll find me chasing my two kids, spending time
with my husband, and helping our household to thrive.  I am an avid reader though and adore the way I can get lost in a world
outside my own every time I flip those pages. I never thought I’d write a book. Never thought I’d have a story to tell.
But lo and behold, here I am, and I have never loved an adventure more! 

Book Blurb: 

Eight summers. Two broken hearts.
One shocking truth.

It took eight summers for Avonlea Stewart to give her heart to her best friend but only moments for him to shatter it. In the wake of her heartbreak, she found herself facing a life-altering decision—one that drove her away from the Isle of Skye and the memories of her first love.

More than a decade later, the opportunity of a lifetime pulls her back to the place forever stitched into her soul. But returning means confronting the past—especially when the man she’s hidden it from is the first person she sees: her childhood best friend, her first love… the father of her child.

Jamie Murray loved Avonlea Stewart, but he realized it too late—after he’d already broken her heart. That mistake cost him more than their friendship; it cost him Scotland—the home he left behind, believing she’d moved on with someone else.

Years later, a devastating family situation calls him back, but the past he’s fought to forget is still there, waiting for him, because Avonlea’s back too. And facing her, and the life she built without him, is more than he can bear.

Stuck together under the same roof, Avonlea and Jamie are forced to face everything they lost—and the truth they once promised each other.

Connect and follow J.A Forde here: LINKS

About Victoria:

Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. 

Here’s how I can help:
📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.
Grab it HERE

📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.
✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.

Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!

📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria
🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial

Transcript

Welcome And Show Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Bookshop Chats, where we cozy up with books, creativity, and embrace the magical messy process of writing a book. I'm Victoria Jane, a writer, developmental editor, and coach for sensitive busy writers, and I love to support you on your journey of bringing your story to life. So whether you're here for inspiration, behind the scenes peaks of what it what it means to actually write a book or just some bookish conversations, you are definitely in the right place. And if you're looking for more personalized support, write in and have you share about your books because you have three.

Meet The Destination Romance Series

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Oh, for sure, for sure. Um, so I have three books currently in a series. They're all, I consider them destination romances. So they all are set in really fun, cool settings that you don't see super frequently um in books. So the first one is on a flight to Sydney, and that one is in Australia, in Sydney, Australia, um, which was really fun. And then the second is on the slopes of Tahoe. So that takes place like in the mountains. It's very like ski resort romance um on the slopes of Tahoe. So that's really fun. And then my newest one that will be out um by the time this podcast airs is um on the ferry to Sky. So that one takes place in Scotland on the Isle of Sky. So yeah, they're really fun. Um, it's just a great way for me to kind of pull my love of travel into um my work and into my writing and get to kind of plug in some of these places that I just love and um kind of take other people along for the ride since not everybody gets to travel to some of these places. So it's kind of fun to um introduce those to people through books.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

So definitely. I think that that's such a fun way of yeah, like just going on a little vacation without having actually having to leave. Uh and I love it when I feel like each of those different places, they all sort of represent a different kind of energy. Um and that's always always fun. And I I definitely love the the Scottish, Scottish romances are are my favorite. Uh, there's something so magical about uh Scotland.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Like you said, it doesn't get a lot of air time. It doesn't get enough. I feel like it's getting more where like, especially in writing this one, like where I was looking for like other authors to like partner with and stuff. And I'm like, oh, like cool, there's this other new one coming out, or there's and so it's been kind of fun to see them, but it's just such a neat place and um one that just holds such a special spot in like my heart. So it was really fun to write that and be able to like bring in like just my love for that like country, that culture and stuff. So it's been really fun for sure.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Amazing. I'd love to hear a little bit about how these like stories kind of came to you. Um, I always find that really fascinating of like how these characters or these like plots uh somehow land in our in our world.

How Settings Shape Characters And Plot

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Yeah, no, for sure. I think for me, a big part of it has been the destination is kind of a big piece. So those kind of present themselves and are almost like a third main character because they play such a big part in the book. And then um, you know, I've build these characters into like that space and into that world. Um so originally I actually was planning to start with Tahoe. That was kind of my original book. I wrote a good chunk of um what I thought was going to be my first book, was which ended up being the same characters that are in on the slopes of Tahoe. And then it kind of got stuck and I wasn't sure it was the right story, kind of at the right time. Um, and ended up because the main character, the male main character for the Tahoe book is from Australia originally. And so I was like, I'm gonna go back to Australia um and write a book about his best friend. And we started there. And so that kind of dropped drove me into the on a flight to Sydney storyline, which was so much fun to write. Um I went to Australia as when I was in college for study abroad. And so it was really fun to kind of like go back there in my in my head and to write that space and kind of create the characters. So for that one, it's been really fun because the male main character, Wes, is from America and he goes to Australia for a year to kind of escape like his life in the States and some trauma that he has going on there. Um, so he goes to Australia and meets the female main character Joss on his flight. She's like a flight attendant, which is really fun. So they have kind of a meet cute, meet oops, um, depending on your perspective. Um, and it's just, it's really fun. It's kind of got your rom-com vibes where it's funny and it's light and like just really fun, but you also get a lot of like real life, like, you know, they both have pasts that they're having to deal with and some like, you know, traumatic family stuff and just different things where you get a lot of good, like real life, um, real heart and like feels to it too. So um it kind of falls somewhere between like that contemporary romance and rom-com kind of feel where you get a little bit of both, and it's gonna tug on your heartstrings, but you know, you're gonna be happy in the end and laugh along the way and stuff. So that one um was just really fun to write. Um, and then that really kind of led into the second book, which has um the male main character is from Australia and is friends with Wes, and he comes to Tahoe, which is where Wes is originally from, um, to kind of get away from some like relationship issues. So he and his daughter come to Tahoe and end up um spending a lot of time with Wes's sister. So that one is like brother's um brother's best friend, which is just a fun trope, you know, because it's like a little bit forbidden, a little bit this isn't how this is supposed to work, but um, you know, they end up spending a lot of time together. And that one was really fun to write because I'm from the Lake Tahoe area. So that one kind of had a coming home vibe and very kind of like small town ski resort, cozy. Um, it's perfect for like this time of year, like going into like the Christmas and the holiday season. But if you want one that's like doesn't have as much of like the super Christmassy vibes, but you just want like the winter, like sit by a fire vibes, that one is is so great for that. Um and then that one connects to the newest one on the fairy to sky, where Jamie, the male main character, is best friends with Rory. So she's the main character in the second book. And so um they kind of are loosely connected. You see all of the characters a little bit in each book, but you know, you can absolutely read them in whatever order you want to. Um, but you're gonna see, you know, all of the couples kind of play in, you know, as the books go on and everything. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

I love that. I just I feel like I love that those kind of like series are like so popular right now because I I think as a writer too, I it's hard to give up the characters. So I feel like that way you get to still kind of keep some you get to keep them for a little bit longer, even if they're not like a main main character in the story. But yeah, it's it's so fun to see this sort of like journey of how it becomes like they all kind of just grow together, and it's yeah, there's something so cozy about those sort of like rom-com romance novels. Like they just hit the right spot.

Book One: Flight To Sydney

SPEAKER_01 8:02

Yeah, exactly. Like it's just like it's really fun, like you said, to see, you know, you get to like get those little cameos throughout where you're like, oh, these characters I love so much, and um and everything. And so for me, On the Fairy to Sky is the third and final novel in this series. And so it was really hard to like let go at the end where I'm like, okay, like this series is over. Like, what do I do now? Like, you know, it's been like such a big part of my life, and these characters have been such a big part of my life. It's like really weird to move on to something else. And um, yeah, it's been really strange for sure.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

It truly, because I feel like they kind of become your friends in some strange way. You get very attached, yeah. Very attached. Yeah. Um, well, let's let's chat a little bit about like how you actually like started writing. Was this something that you always did, or was it just something that you kind of like accidentally fell into?

Book Two: Tahoe, Family, And Winter Vibes

SPEAKER_01 9:03

It's kind of more the the latter. Um, so back in like 2022, I started getting really into Bookstagram, um, following a lot of bookstagrammers and reading a lot more. I think that was kind, it was just kind of that COVID time where it was like you need people needed an escape. And the only thing on social media that made me happy was the book accounts that I followed. Like I didn't want to see anything else. Um and so I started a Bookstagram account just to where I could like basically just immerse myself in that side of social media and kind of forget that any of the rest of it existed. Um, and so I did that for about a year, um, where I was just reading and sharing books and things like that. But it really plugged me into the indie author community. I started reading for indie authors, um, kind of got into beta reading for them. So kind of reading the books even before they ever get to ARCs and editors and stuff and kind of being on that um like early side, the writing side a little bit. And that was just really inspiring to kind of spend some time with these authors in that sphere. Um, and I enjoyed it so much that I was like, you know, I feel like like I have a story that I could tell. There's some ideas percolating in my head, like maybe I'll start writing. Um, so I started writing very loosely, and that was kind of like that first version of what eventually kind of became Tahoe as my second book. But that was kind of I started percolating on that. Um and then kind of moved into writing on a flight to Sydney. And that really kind of took off with um, I did NanoRimo, which is National Novel Writers Month. Um, for everybody who doesn't know what that is. Um the month of November is like novel writing um month, essentially. And so there used to be this challenge that like challenged you to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Um, that challenge is gone now, but there are others that have popped up, which is really cool. Um, and so I was like, I'm gonna try and do this. Like I'm gonna see how much I can write in the month of November, and I'm just gonna see how we get how we do. Um and I ended up at the end of that month with a finished manuscript for on a flight to Sydney. And I was like, okay, well, now what do I do? You know, I was like, all right, I have this whole manuscript here. Like, what happens now? You know, and so um I remember sitting down with my husband and being like, I did it, it's done. Like, what do what do I do? And he was like, Well, I mean, you wrote a whole book. You should like probably do something, like you should do something with it. And I'm like, okay. So um I like jumped in with both feet and I reached out to an editor that I had had really good, like had friends that had really good experience with it. So I like I emailed her and I emailed my cover artist. Those were like my first two things that I did. And I was like, okay, I have this book. I want to get like on your books to do this with you. And um, so booked my cover artist, booked my editor, and was like, all right, I'm committed. So here we go. Um, and just really jumped in with both feet, and um, which I think was good. It was a lot, you know, it's it's a very steep learning curve figuring out when you're indie publishing, like going from like, I just wrote all these words to like figuring out all of the logistics and just everything that goes into publishing a book, like it's it's not as easy as it seems like where it's like, oh, I just upload it and push a button. And like, I mean, you probably could just about do that, but like to really put the effort into like make it like really polished and really good, it was like, wow, there's a lot that goes into this process. Um, but you know, I had a lot of really good friends along the way that helped a lot, and that was a big piece of like keeping me sane as I did that and stuff. So yeah, but it it was just kind of a whirlwind of like, I'm gonna see how this goes. And then it was like, oh, now I'm really in it.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Like so gosh. I love that. I feel like that's often the best that's just the how I do life. Like, well, I guess it's happening. Um, yeah. Okay, guys. Uh this is this is kind of scary, but I think it it really is such a cool thing to get. Like the the fact that indie authoring like being an indie author now is a lot more accessible, I feel, and it just gets these amazing stories out into the world. Like, but like you said, it is a lot, it is a lot of work.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Yeah. Having to do everything yourself, like being like, oh, like, you know, all the publishing stuff, getting it listed on, you know, good reads and story graph, and like uploading all of those things, buying your own ISBN numbers, and you know, making sure that you're getting, you know, the edits that you need. And I mean, there's just so many like little pieces along the way of like, oh, like you have to make sure that when you go to do your paperback, that your cover artist knows exactly how many pages it's gonna be so that they can make sure the spine fits. Like things you just don't even think about. You're just like, oh yeah, like you get a cover made and you slap it on there and it's fine. And you're like, oh no, like they've got to make sure that it fits exactly based on the number of pages and the kind of paper. And like it's so it's so crazy, but that is wild.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

That's what like all again, all the things that you wouldn't have thought, but yeah, then you go and do it, and you're like, okay, well, I guess this is how we we just gotta figure it out, right? And I think that's like once you do it once, then it becomes a little bit like easier, and it just becomes like something that I feel like, well, I mean, still daunting because it's still there's so many steps still involved, especially um, you know, with a lot of the authors that I chat with of like the marketing side of things. So now the book is done. For sure. Um, so how has that side of the experience been for you? Uh in terms of like, yeah, the marketing and and all that fun stuff.

Book Three: Ferry To Skye And Series Ties

SPEAKER_01 15:11

But that part, you know, it's hard. Like you kind of get to a point at one that like, especially as you're like promoting a new book and stuff, and it's all you talk about and it's all you do and stuff, and you're like, I am like, I love these characters, I love this book, but I am so tired of talking about them. Like, because oh, oh my gosh, there went my I knocked my phone off. Um, but it's it's daunting for sure, and it's hard because it constantly changes. So you'll finally get like, you're like, okay, I've got a good groove going, and I seem to be getting, you know, good views from like non-followers and getting new followers, and you're like, okay, I've I've figured it out, you know, and then it'll be like a couple of weeks, and then all of a sudden, like that all tanks, and you're like, what happened? I'm doing the ex like the exact same thing I was doing, and why isn't it working? And um, so then you have to kind of like you know, compensate for that and kind of try and change things. And you're like, do I change too much? Do I change just a little bit and see if that'll fix it? Like, so it's it's interesting the things that you become an expert in or attempt to become an expert in, like, because there's only so much you can really do when like the algorithm changes, or you know, they decide that like, oh, like if you use this hashtag, we're gonna not push this post, or like if you don't use these keywords, it's not gonna work. And it's just like uh it feels like you can never win, but you know, you just keep trying for sure. Um, you know, and as there becomes new like platforms, then you can kind of jump into those, but then that becomes overwhelming because it's like, how many platforms is too many platforms to be trying to do stuff because every one of them wants something different, you know, like they different things work for each platform. And so it's like, how much time do I have to like try and make it something that works for like all these things? And yeah, it's definitely a process.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

So definitely. I feel like it's something that like really like just kind of figuring out what you like. Um, a number of the authors that I've like chatted with, um, and then what I do is just like picking like a couple. I'm like, these are the ones that my brain can handle. And anything more than that, I'm like, I just can't. I know TikTok is like super popular, but my millennial brain is like, what is happening? I don't know. It is just it doesn't make sense to me. So it's not one that I will put as much effort into. So I think that that's okay in like figuring out kind of like where you can go because at the end of the day, it does take away from your ability to write, which is like what we want to be doing.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Yeah, if I'm spending, you know, two hours a day trying to do marketing and promotion and posts and all the things, like that's two hours that I can't spend actually writing books, which is, you know, what in the end actually gets, you know, it's it's such a balance. But yeah, yeah, like I would rather spend my time on the creative process than on the um, you know, on the marketing process. But they they do go hand in hand, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

But definitely, yeah. It's it is one of those things where it's just like kind of finding that I don't even know if balance is the right word because I think it's ultimately kind of depends on the season that you're in when it comes to writing, right? Like if you are releasing books, obviously it's gonna be a heavy marketing kind of time. Right. So that means that you're probably not gonna be writing as much. And I think that's okay. I think there is this like pressure sometimes of like, oh, like if I'm not writing like all the time or I'm not getting out like at least a book a year, somehow I'm not like doing enough. Um and I think that that's that is the one downside of social media, just because it does move so fast, it can can you can easily kind of fall into that trap of like, yeah, man, what am I doing with my life? I just shouldn't sleep.

Letting Go Of Characters And Series Endings

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Right. And it's and it's hard because you do see, especially like in the indie sphere, yeah, you have authors that are rapid releasing these books where they've got four or six plus books a year that they're pumping out, which like more power to them. Like, if you can do it and like you can handle all of that, like great. I can't do that. Like, I am, I think I'm gonna be solidly in the no more than two a year. And like if it's down to one a year, like I'll that's okay too. Like, you know, like most traditional authors are only putting out one a year. You only see, you know, Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, like one book a year. Like that's their, you know, Catherine Center. Like, there's so many of Them that, like, that's that's the standard in traditional publishing. But I feel like with indie publishing, it's because it's more fast-paced, there are a lot of things in trad publishing that makes it slower on the whole, that you know, you can speed along a little bit as an indie um author. But at the same time, I'm like, you know, if it comes down to like I've seen so many of my friends that have like rapid release books that you just burn out and it's so tiring and like it's it's so exhausting. Um and so I really try to be like very cognizant of like how I feel as like I start working into like, okay, what's my schedule for this next book gonna be? Like, can I get it done in eight months or do I need 10? You know, like how much time do I need from start to finish? Like, and and stuff because it really is easy to get stuck in that trap of like, if I'm not producing six books a year, like what am I even doing? And it's like, yeah, no, like that's that's great that some people can do that. Like, that doesn't have to be the norm for every author to be able to pump out that many books.

From Bookstagram To Writing

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Like, it's just not um yeah, that is totally, and I think also like really honoring like your life, your season of life. Like, I mean, I've got kids, like it's just I don't have that level of time that others might have. And that's fine. Uh, so I think it's it ultimately comes down to, like you said, what is how your creative process is like flowing. And I think uh, especially if you are here for the the long term, right? Like you want to play the long game, like you don't want to bring yourself out in the first couple years because you're like, I must write all of the books. Uh, but it's I feel like that's something that sometimes you just kind of have to learn your own way for sure. Yeah, because I uh I've definitely done that uh myself of just like you just bring yourself out with trying to do all of the things when you are an indie because you are you are the boss, you are kind of the one in charge of everything, and yeah, that's cool, but also really scary.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Yeah, I mean it's it's great in so many ways because you have so much control over everything. You know, you get to pick your cover, you get to decide what is inside the book without anybody telling you, oh no, we want this story to go this direction or whatever. And having that control is so great, but then having that control is also a lot of responsibility. You know, I was talking with a friend of mine that with this most recent release, I had a bunch of issues with like trying to get my author copies, um, issues between like KDP, which is like the Amazon publishing, and stuff with Ingram Spark, which is another printer. And I was having just all of these issues. And then I was having some issues with like my like ARC um files and like different stuff. And I was like, you know, when you're trad published, this isn't your job. Like it's not your job to figure out the copies and like the actual like getting everything published and done. Like you're not doing that part, you know, and same thing with like arcs, like you're just like your publishing team sends the arcs out, like you're not dealing with like making sure those files are correct and stuff. Like personally, you're not responsible for some of those kind of like at the very end things. And I'm like, boy, that's that sounds really nice right now, you know, because like it was this very, very stressful week of just like all of these things not happening the way that they should have. And it was just like, oh my gosh, like I so you know, there's there's pluses and minuses to both sides of publishing for sure, of like indie versus trad and like they can work really well together. But boy, there are some things where I'm like, oh, it would be great to have a team of people to do this and like not be doing this myself.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

I still feel bad. And I think often that's the biggest thing of that that that like pull of of Trad publishing is just knowing that you have that that team, that that big, like that business, that publishing house behind you that is doing a lot of that, like the the small stuff and the fact that they know how to do that because they've probably run into it. Whereas when you're it's like your first time, you're like, I have no idea what this means. What is happening? How do I figure this out? Right. So yeah, I definitely can see the pros. Um, and the con, like you said, it really ultimately comes down to I think the story and like how quickly you want to get it out into the world. Uh, because that's like the biggest, the biggest holdback, I feel like with trad publishing is that it does take a long time to, you know, get maybe not to maybe you luck out and get an agent quick, but then from that point to actually getting it published, it's quite there's like I didn't realize that there's so much time from some of the some of the other authors that I chatted with. I had no idea that it could take that like a year or two years or whatever from when that deal is signed to when the book comes out. Uh that's that's just it's wild, but it makes sense. There's so much behind the scenes stuff, like so many things that go into it because it is such a big, it's a huge industry. Even the indie publishing, like the amount of books and and money that is um, you know, being exchanged is so wild. And it's so cool to see uh just how how they complement each other. I feel like Trad and uh Indy and how I feel like they influence each other, which is really uh a cool thing to see. Uh because these stories are getting out in in that maybe otherwise wouldn't have, and people are realizing, oh wait, there is like readers for you know mental health rep and like characters that have different abilities or or stuff like that. That I think is like it's so cool to see that in in in books now.

NaNoWriMo To Finished Manuscript

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Yeah, I feel like it's expanded that a lot where things that maybe didn't seem as desirable to some of the traditional publishers like years ago got published indie. And then it was like, oh yeah, like look at how many people are really excited to see this. And so then that played over into like more of those books getting traditionally published. And so they do, they really do influence each other and work well together. You know, there's a lot of authors that do both, and which is really cool, you know, like where they're able to publish some books indie and keep those stories fully their own and like do their own thing, and then they have others that they work, you know, with traditional publishers with and stuff. So it's really neat to see, like once you're kind of in the community, your eyes are just open to so many different things where you're like, I never would have even thought of you know doing this and or these different options that are out there. So it's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Amazing. I would love to hear a little bit about like what is your favorite part of sort of the whole like writing process.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

I really enjoy like the first draft stage. It's it's super messy, usually, you know, which is is kind of terrible. But it's also just really fun because it's so creative. It's like where the majority of all of that like creative brain power just gets to shine. And I am very much more of a like pantser. So like fly by the seat of my pants, I just like see where I go with the story. And then on the revision side is where I start figuring out like, okay, like which plot holes do I have here? Like, where did I, you know, which parts are too slow and what do I need to, you know, adjust? But it's just fun to like just let my creative brain go and create these stories. And it's just really, really fun. You know, um, it's definitely very messy. Like I'm in that drafting stage um for a new book right now. And I keep being like, how many times can I say that this person smiled? Like, but I'll fix that later, you know, like I'll come back and figure out a different way to explain what is going on with them without saying that he smiled. But I just need it to be understood that he's happy, like or whatever at the moment. And yeah, so it's just um, I really like that stage. It's just, it's fun and um, it just really lets that creative like side of things really go. Um yeah, but I mean, it can also be really challenging because especially like right now, where I'm coming off of like having just read my last book, like its final version where I'm like, this is as perfect as I can get it with like all of my editing and all my editors and all the stuff. Like this is as polished and perfect as it can be to like this like super messy first draft over here. And I'm like, it's hard when you're like, am I a good writer? I don't know. Like this sounds really bad when I, but it's hard because you're like, okay, but I'm comparing that to what I just did, like that this has eight months worth of work done on it. So like it's going to be significantly better than this first draft. Um, so it's kind of that reminder to yourself a lot of like, okay, it's okay that this draft is really messy. That's normal, it'll get better.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Like that, yeah, it's so true. I feel like it's it's hard, but that that is such a good point because I I definitely will get hung up on that sort of like, oh, like I can't say it like this. Like, what should I say? And then sometimes you're like, no, just like put the placeholder in and just move on. Uh, because you you have to get the words on the page, otherwise it's never you're just gonna stare at at the blank page forever and ever and ever. And it's it's you know, as they say, you can't edit edit a blank page. So it's uh I was as annoying as that is, it is correct.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

I was just gonna say that. Me and a couple of like my like closest writing friends, that's we say that all the time. Like, we even have it like we made a mug on like Canva, like with it that says, like, you can't edit a blank page because we would get so stuck in the weeds sometimes on like, oh, like trying to make it perfect. And it's like just get the words out. Like, once you have words, then you can make them better. Like, yes, um, but you have to have something to go back and work on, otherwise, it's just it's a blank page and it's not gonna go anywhere.

Indie Publishing Logistics 101

SPEAKER_00 30:17

So definitely. And it's hard because I feel like, like you said, we are often comparing our work to work that has had so much revision, so much editing, so much time put into it. So going back to that, that sort of like hot mess express where you're like, I forgot what my character's name was. So, like sometimes that happens. As I'm like, huh? How does this is not right? Why did I name him this? This is not his name.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

I'm like, wait, what color were their eyes? Like all the time, all the time. I had I had one of those with my editor even. And this was like on like the final round of edits, I think, like where she was like, You should use you know her mom's name here instead of saying, you know, her or instead of you know, mom or whatever. She was like, use her mom's name here. And I was like, what is her mom's name? Like, I know it's in here somewhere, but it's like it's only used like twice because she's not like a super prominent character. And I was like, What is her name? I don't know. I'm gonna have to find it. Like, I wrote it, I should probably know this, but like I was like, uh yeah, that's a good place to put her name. I'll have to figure out what it is.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

I'll get back to you on that. Get back to you on that one. Uh yeah, I just I think I mean, props to those authors that are so organized that I've I've worked with some that have like their Excel sheets of all of their characters and their personalities trait. Um like I am not that person. I would love to be, but it's just not happening. So I think, I mean, it's a surprise, right? Like you never know what's gonna happen when you're pantsing your way through the novel. So it's fun.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Yeah. And then you like change a name, and then you like during your edits, you're like, okay, I gotta make sure I've found it and all of the different like things to make sure I didn't accidentally leave one. Like I had one in my Scottish book where like the grandfather's name is Angus, and I had his like sous chef that works in there, um, like in the kitchen at the inn that they own. Um, his was Archie. And I had one of my beta readers was like, I'm getting really confused with all the A names. Like, there's just too many. And I was like, okay. So I changed it to Hamish. And then I had to like go through and like, you know, control find, like make sure. And I like missed one at one point and I found it like super later, like on in like edits and stuff. And I was like, Yep, missed, missed one of these. Like, no one, everyone's gonna be like, Wait, who is Archie? And I'm like, it he doesn't exist anymore.

SPEAKER_00 32:43

Like he is no longer here anymore. We we'd have taken Archie out, but yeah, like it's so hard. I feel like that's just something that it takes so long. And I mean, how many like trad published books have errors in them, right? Like, I think it's it's impossible. Uh, and it just goes to show you that like, look, humans did this. We were a human and we did not like we can clearly not see all of the errors of our ways, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:11

Because each and every piece, like, even the editors, like they're human and they have human errors. So, like, I think like the like industry standard like expectation is that like 95% of errors get caught. But like, yeah, even for you know, trad books, like every time I see an error in a trad book, it honestly makes me smile because I'm like, right, yay! It's not just like it's everybody has these, like it's not just me that misses something or whatever. Like, it's like everybody, every single book has errors of some kind. Like, I've seen them in like books that have literally probably been revised and gone through and like have had like a million, you know, editions that have come out and stuff, and like there's still stuff. And I'm like, yeah, like you're never gonna fully get away from it because we're human.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

And definitely it is, it's just part of part of the creative process, right? Embrace it. That's that's my thought process. Well, it was super, super lovely chatting with you today, and I would love for you to share how people can get in touch with you and like follow along your writing journey and obviously get their book, your books in their hands, because that's like necessary.

The Moving Target Of Marketing

SPEAKER_01 34:22

Yeah, absolutely. So um I'm on Instagram as the, so it's v dot s a h dot author mom. So it's kind of like the stay-at-home author mom. Um, so that's my Instagram handle. You can also just type in, like if you type in J A Ford, um, I should pop up there at the top for you and stuff. So um, but I am on Instagram. I don't have TikTok. Um, but you know, maybe someday we'll see when I have the bandwidth for it. But right now it's just not something I have. Um, but through like my Instagram, I have a link tree that you can access. I have a newsletter. So that's a great way to always make sure that you don't miss any kind of big, big announcements and big stuff like that. Um, so I do have a newsletter that you can subscribe to. I have um my books are all the ebooks are on Amazon. They're on KU. So you can read them through KU if you have um Kindle Unlimited, or you can get the Kindle books on Amazon. And then paperbacks are Amazon and most online retailers. So Barnes Noblebookshop.org, um things like that. And um, I do also sell signed copies of my books through my own website. So, like through my Etsy shop, I do sell signed copies as well that come with all kinds of fun swag and stickers and bookmarks and and stuff. So um, that's a really fun way if you want to be able to have, you know, something with a little bit of extra love in it, I'll send it to you with all the all the goodies and stuff too. So yeah, all the books are available that way. And um yeah, so that's I think that's most of it.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

Amazing. Amazing. Well, everything will be linked in the show notes, so it will be super easy for people to click through and find you and your books. But it was lovely chatting with you. I feel like I always learned so much in these little conversations and yeah, such a such fun morning. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

It was great to um to get together and chat.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

So thanks so much for listening to today's episode. And if you really loved this author, I highly encourage you to go check out their links and comment and share their work because let's be real, as an indie author, all that stuff makes such a difference. And if you're feeling a little stuck on your draft and just want some gentle accountability, check out my one-to-one offers that are linked in the show notes as well. I'd love to support you with your writing or editing journey. Kind of that's not quite where you're at. I've also put together a really amazing free resource to help with taking your writing to the next level because there are so many amazing resources available without needing to spend a ton of money or get that MFA or all of the things that you may think that you need in order to write a book. Until next time, keep writing your way and trust yourself enough to tell your story. Because I promise if it's coming to you, there's a reason and someone needs to hear it.