Welcome KL Jones, author of A Dark Past!

 

Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you live, what do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma and work as an attorney. In my off time, when I’m not writing that is, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends going to the movies, out to eat, playing games like Sequence and Uno, and singing Karaoke.

 

What inspired you to start writing fiction? And how did you end up choosing your specific genre(s)?

Probably when I was a little girl and would make up characters in my head and plots involving them. Whether to write fiction was never a question for me; it was only a question of when I would finally write my first novel. Also, I have a background in journalism, and I got quite enough of nonfiction doing that work. I was on my middle school’s newspaper staff. Okay, I worked alone because I was the only one my 7th grade English teacher felt could handle it at the time. So “staff” was a bit of a stretch. I was a one-woman school news writer. From there, I was on the school’s staff every year all the way through college. I also was a string writer for the Muskogee Daily Phoenix, the Killeen Daily Herald and then interned and worked for the Tahlequah Daily Press.

My genre selection was honestly the result of what I enjoyed reading and which movies and television shows I gravitated to. I love a good suspenseful, scary story with a dash of romance. At the same time, I love a good adventure story with romance as well. My books will always be a bit long, I think because I’m constantly adding all of those elements into it. But I’m noticing that I’m not the only one who does it.

 

What’s your most recent published book? What genre is it, and what’s it about? Is it part of a series?

My most recent published book is titled A Dark Past, book one in the Dark Tempus series. I have classified it as romantsy or a gothic romantic fantasy. There are thriller and horror elements to it. It’s about a young struggling college student who inherits a creepy old house with a dark secret. As she grapples with what she believes are ghosts, she meets a brooding professor with his own dark secrets and an attractive actor with unspoken traumas. As she continues to uncover the secret of her house, she learns of the odd connection both men have to it and to her.

 

What has been the most challenging part of being an indie (self-pubbed) author? How have you tackled that challenge?

Finding the right marketing strategy for me. I imagine that if my job was as a marketing executive, I would likely start with some kind of campaign and be familiar with all the channels in which to funnel that strategy into. I would also like to think I would be working with someone who could give me a budget and then I would be off to the races.

I’m no marketing executive and I have only begun to scratch the surface on the various channels I can use to get the word out there. What I’ve done so far, to prevent feeling overwhelmed, is to create short goals for myself: Put some ads on BookBub, apply for book awards to raise my profile, be active on my FB page and Instagram, try and find events to sell my book directly so that I can quickly build my business account, and garner good reviews (this is my main goal right now).

I may try to hire someone who does this for a living. I’m learning that there are a lot of artists out there looking for a shot and will help you for free or for a low price. As I’m writing this, I just thought of someone who is an out-of-work marketing executive. I may hit him up to help me with some ideas. 😊

 

What has been the most fulfilling part of being an author?

When the story you are writing gets so good that you can’t stop writing it. It feels like you are an observer in a whole other world, sort of like a fly on the wall. Then there are moments when your character feels so real you can almost touch them. (That happened to me yesterday.) For me, it’s all about fulfilling that part of me that is an artist. I need to write to feel complete. I feel better physically, mentally and spiritually. So, whether I sell a million books or ten, I need to get up every day and write.

Also, it’s pretty cool that other people enjoy my stories. LOL!

 

Tell us a bit about your process. Do you write every day? Do you have a specific coffee shop where you write?

I try to write every day. If I don’t, I feel funky. My best time to write is in the morning through midafternoon. Sometimes, I can write a little in the evening, but I’m usually too tired by then. I like to write on my laptop over a lap desk in my bedroom. I have a weird process because of how I started creating as a little girl. I write and visualize my characters and their story in my head. That would take place when I was trying to go to sleep in my room. So, my bed became my creating place. There are times when I shut my eyes and type out what I see. I can write in a coffee shop, but I have to work a little harder to tune everyone out.

 

What tips do you have for other authors working on their books? Things you’ve learned that you like to share with newer authors?

Keep writing. Write through the bad writer’s block moments and keep calling your muse until she finally shows up! Once she’s there, it’s okay if you won’t be able to get much else done other than that chapter, because that finicky muse will leave you again! She always wants to go and get a cup of tea for like two or three days.

One big lesson I learned this year: It’s okay if the book is not perfect. It never will be. But there is a point where it’s good enough. That happens when there are character arcs, a plot, a beginning, middle and end.

 

What was it like working with Two Birds?

These ladies are awesome! I learned so much and they were able to take me over the finish line.

 

How did you end up choosing to work with us? What is the most helpful tip you can offer to authors who, like you, want to find the right editor for their books?

Two Birds was recommended to me by another author. Actually, the best thing to do is to receive recommendations from published authors. You may end up with two or three editors. Each contributes to your journey. Don’t be afraid to do this. One of my editors suggested I read Stephen King’s book on writing. He, to this day, has a personal content editor who reads everything he writes before he sends it to the publisher. Anyway, he said it is absolutely necessary to have a set of folks who perform the content editing and then beta readers who tell you if this book sucks from a reader’s perspective. He mainly uses his wife and a couple of close friends for that job.

 

Where can authors and readers connect with you, and find your books?

I have a website: www.kljonesbooks.com that has a link with all of the retailers that carry my book. The paperback, though, is only available through Amazon. My email address is kljonespublishing@gmail.com.

 

Is there anything we haven’t asked but that you’d like to add?

Remember to think of your self-publishing business as a publishing house where you are your own client/talent. You need to spend time as the director of that house, marketing and preparing the book for your client. Then you need to spend time as the author creating the product. There’s creative fun in running a publishing house too!

Have questions about the editing process? We’d love to chat with you and help you figure out your next steps. Contact us to set up a free sample edit.

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