A
past recipient of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Award,
Kimberly Fisk is the bestselling author of Lake
Magic. She lives in the Pacific
Northwest with her husband, three children, and too many
four-legged critters to count.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
In
the town of Tranquility Bay, summer
is the season of second chances...
Single mother Hope Thompson has built a happy life for herself and her twins in
beautiful Tranquility Bay, Washington.
She doesn’t dwell on her painful past—especially not on the man who broke her
heart all those years ago. But when Hope’s beloved son needs help, she takes a
desperate chance and reaches out to her children’s father.
Nick Fortune lives life in the spotlight as a champion race car driver. He’s
shocked to hear from Hope and even more surprised to learn that he’s a father.
He immediately heads to the Pacific Northwest to
confront the past—and the woman he once loved.
There, on the quiet lakeshore, Nick and Hope must work together to save their
son—even if it means facing their complicated past—for a second chance as a
family.
PRAISE FOR BOARDWALK SUMMER
"It
was late. I only meant to take a peek but ended up reading BOARDWALK SUMMER in
one delicious gulp, and I'm still thinking about the characters. A terrific
read. Page turning and deeply emotional. You'll fall in love with these
characters who have so much at stake. Highly recommended."
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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Before you started writing your book, what kind of research
did you do to prepare yourself?
Hello! Thank you for
having me here today. I love connecting
with other readers and writers so this is a treat!!
Research! Such a
vital part of my writing process. I try
to read anything and everything I can get my hands on that deals with subjects
I am writing about. I especially love
biographies. I’ve unearthed so many wonderful
plot gems by reading about someone’s personal life experiences. I also love to garner firsthand
accounts. Nothing thrills this writer’s
heart more than being able to sit back and listen to someone share their
stories with me. And to be able to ask
any question that pops into my mind—pure joy!!
😊
Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?
I have such great respect for writers who self-pub. Their ability to not only carve out enough
time to create captivating novels but then to also have not only the time but
the knowhow to successfully market their works…
Like I said, such respect for authors who choose that route. Early on I acknowledged my strengths and
weaknesses as a writer and knew self-pubbing was not for me. Not only do I not have the time, I also don’t
have the knowhow; that’s why publishing with Berkley
has been a dream come true for me. I
spend my time where I’m the happiest—tucked behind a computer screen—and my
publisher handles all the ins and out/nuts and bolts of getting a book into a
reader’s hands. And they do it so
brilliantly (and with such great cover art!!).
A perfect match if I do say so.
Did you purposefully choose a distinct month to release your
book? Why?
When one of my books comes out—that is all up to my
publisher.
How did you choose your cover?
With the publication of my first book, Lake Magic, I learned so much about the publishing process. One of those things I learned was that an
author has little to no input on the cover design. At first I was stunned but then quickly
realized that a job as vital and important as designing a cover that will
appeal to the right readers is a job better suited to professionals. I feel been extremely lucky with the gorgeous
covers Berkley has designed for my
books.
Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?
A beginning of a book is slow writing for me. At this early stage, I’m discovering
well…everything. And that discovery
takes time and A LOT of revising. I do write
an outline before I begin a new book but it’s just that—a wide-sweeping arc of
the beginning, middle an end. I like to
think of that outline as my book cotton candy:
it’s pretty, looks really yummy but when you dig into it you quickly
discovery there’s not a lot of substance.
To unearth all those yummy, tantalizing bits that make a book special—my
characters and all their wonderful flaws that make them so very real and make a
reader fall in love with them and root for them to “win”; my setting and the
unique aspects and quirks my fictional town has that hopefully makes it a place
you want to live or at least visit; and my plot that keeps you turning the
pages—all of those gems take time for me.
And the only method I’ve discovered that helps me bring them out on the
page is to write, revise, write, write, revise, revise revise. You get the idea.
Did you come up with special swag for your book and how are
you using it to help get the word out about your book?
I am the worst on promotional items/swag. I want to try and create an item that not
only a reader would find useful but also one that showcases my book. For Boardwalk
Summer I had some really swanky bookmarks made and also a really nice
pen. I know I spent too much on the pens
but, I’m a writer and a bit of a pen connoisseur 😊 so if I was going to give
away a pen, it had to be a really nice one.
But I’d love to hear from readers:
what promotional items have you received that you’ve really found
useful? Fun?
Did you consider making or hiring someone to make a book
trailer for your book? If so, what’s the
link?
I love book trailers and think Boardwalk Summer would make a captivating one. If anyone has a designer they’d
recommend—please drop me a line!
What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other
copies of your book?
The great thing about my books is that they can be checked
out (or downloaded) for free through the library! I love that my stories are available to
anyone for only the price of a library card.
And if I’ve done my job correctly, I’m hopeful a reader will search out
a new book of mine.
What are three of the most important things you believe an
author should do before their book is released?
I’m not sure if they are the most important things but I
know I’ve found it valuable to:
1)
Have a website
2)
Create a presence on social media
3)
Have that group of friends who will help
you celebrate your new release!!
What are three of the most important things you believe an
author should do after their book is released?
Again, I’m not sure if they are the three most important
things and with Boardwalk Summer only
my second release, I don’t feel as if I have a lot of experience but things
I’ve found valuable to do after a book is released:
1)
Keep working on that next release. After your readers gobble up your current
offering (or at least we hope they gobble, right??) they are going to want to
grab your next book!
2)
Keep reading and attending workshops and
conferences to improve and hone your writing skills. The more we know, the more we realize there
is to know. 😊
3)
Take the time to smell the roses. Work is wonderful and valuable but never
forget that living your life to the fullest creates a richness that will
invariably seep in to your books. And
you never know where that next idea will come from!
What kind of pre-promotion did you do before the book came
out?
All of the questions posed here are so great and I wish I
would have stumbled upon these back in my early writing days. I could have learned so much from your guest
authors—would have saved me from taking so many wrong steps. 😊
I did
everything you listed above and then some in preparation for the release of Boardwalk Summer. Website; FB; newsletter; etc. And to be honest I was overwhelmed. LOL
Being an introvert makes all this internet presence hard but I know how
vital it is. I really appreciate Dorothy
and Pump Up Your Book for making the blog tour as easy and painless as
possible.
Do you have a long term plan with your book?
The only goal I have for one of my stories is that it brings
a few hours of relaxation and joy to the reader. I have read romances for almost as long as I
can remember. They have been with me
through the best times in my life and they have also carried me through some of
the darker moments. For me, romances
have been like a very close friend. If
one of my books can do that for someone—nothing could make me happier!!
What would you like to say to your readers and fans about
your book?
THANK YOU!!
I am
incredibly grateful to each one of you who has—or will—take a chance on one of
my stories.
And to show my deep
appreciation, I’d love to send you some fun stuff.
Just visit my website (
www.KimberlyFisk.net) and drop me
note.
Happy Reading!
