GUEST AUTHOR - ADELE ROYCE

Today I'm delighted to chat with author Adele Royce whose published novels include Camera Ready, Princess Smile, For Position Only (which was a BookLife by Publishers Weekly Editor’s Pick), and Summer’s Blood (which received the coveted Kirkus starred review). I'm already in awe!

She's an advertising and PR executive, who has spent most of her career on the Las Vegas Strip, an experience that gave colour to her latest novel, Slipper Girl. I'll bet it did!

She is currently working on the sequel to Slipper Girl as well as Deadly Sins, a collection of short stories. In addition, she owns a marketing consulting firm in San Diego, California, where she resides with her husband and two cats. So let's meet her.

Can I just say, Adele, that's an impressive body of work! Can you tell me a bit more about your books?

I have five novels as part of one essential universe that I call my World of Adele Royce. The way my first book (technically Princess Smile, but I published it third) played out determined the next book and so on. I always end my books with a setup for the next. I come up with the idea of just imagining the story moving forward and ask myself “What if?” 

I love this idea! In fact I've just done it in my own book, but please carry on.

I also look at the characters and determine which characters might have an interesting story in the next book. That's how I came up with the story for Slipper Girl. I looked into the story of my first novel in my Neon Diaries series, Summer's Blood, and dug into the story to find the most interesting character that could be developed in the next book for Slipper Girl, and the indisputable star was Skylar van Ness. 

I never look at trends to determine what I'm going to write; I only write stories that are fascinating to me and stories I know will be fascinating to my readers.

I know what you mean. I've read books and sensed the author was enjoying writing the story as much as I was reading it, because their enthusiasm translated into the prose. That's a great tip, thank you! 

One part of the writing process that fascinates me with whether authors plot their stories in great detail, or just fly by the seat of their pants. Which camp do you sit in?

I'm definitely a pantser at heart but when I moved from romantic dramedies to mystery thriller I had to start outlining. Mysteries are much too detailed to leave it up to me, as a pantser, to come up with a story and plot that will tie everything together at the end. 

That said, I love to come up with ideas that veer outside of my outline. That's why sometimes in the middle of the book, or towards the end, I'll have a better idea. And, for me it's always about having a better idea and making sure the book is as great as it can possibly be, and as entertaining and exciting as I can make it.

I'm loving this! Okay, what about your process when you're deciding on your novel's POV?

In terms of point of view, it kind of depends on the characters. I wrote my first four books in first person narrative and I feel that those books were really character-driven even though the 4th book was mystery/thriller. 

I liked being in one character's mind, but when I wrote Slipper Girl I just started to move away from first person narrative, so I wrote in third person limited point of view. I have two characters point of views represented in the book, but I felt that it gave me a little more freedom with the story. 

When you write in first person narrative the narrator always has to be in the scene so it sometimes creates a dilemma when developing plot, and that need for convenience may or may not be realistic.

I agree. I was after an intimate feel with my book and we're in my main character's head the entire time, which makes for fun but it also gave me some headaches, like knowing what story was going on beyond her world, but it was fun trying to sort it out!

Knowing you're a pantser, how about the prep work you do for your characters? Do you have detailed bios before you start writing, or create them as you move through the story?

First of all, this is my favourite part of the writing process. I love to develop, to sketch, and to dig into the psyches of my characters. I always write a bio for each, and dig into them as individuals: where they grew up; how their parents were; what kind of a childhood they had; what kind of things happened to them that shaped the way they are; the things they say; and how they make decisions. I totally view them as real people. 

Me too! It's bizarre, isn't it?

It probably makes me sound a little crazy, but they are real to me and if I make them real, my readers will feel the same way. 

I agree, 100%, so I guess we're both a little nuts!

Character names are fun too. I try to find names that either truly fit the individual or perhaps they are names I just love. I try to make sure that the name fits the character; however, I don't use a whole lot of allegory. I have used allegory for names in my short stories but, in the novels, I just try to find those that fit. 

I do look at the nationality and where they grew up, in what era they were born, and I find names that I like. Sometimes, I give a character a name that I always wished I had.

This all feels very logical to me, and I like that because I can borrow your ideas! And what about writing style?

I would call mine direct clear and concise. I don't heavy-up my writing with descriptive language, although I do describe just enough so that my reader can see and truly visualize what's happening in every scene. 

I try not to go over the deep end with the descriptive detail because I want the reader visualise in their own mind, so I give them just enough detail where they know exactly what's going on through dialogue. 

I have a character who swears a lot. His name is DJ Keller, and his voice is unique. I make the dialogue distinct among my characters so that when you remove the dialogue tag, the reader still knows who is speaking.

I remember one of my writing teachers telling me that many years ago, and it's quite tough to do well, so I applaud you. Moving on to the publishing side of things, what route did you decide to take?

For my first three books, I used a hybrid publisher in Los Angeles, and he handles all my sales and takes a percentage of my royalties. 

For Summer's Blood I decided to self-publish, and I worked with a marketing and publishing partner who handled all of the details, including internal layout of the book, cover, etc. 

We have a collaborative relationship on the marketing and how to promote the book. I do feel that self-publishing gives me a little more autonomy. 

Again, I find myself agreeing with you! I didn't want a cover I hated, or changes made that I didn't like, so I knew I had to self-publish. It's far more work, but there is something lovely about knowing it's exactly as you envisioned.

And talking about professionals, I'm guessing your expertise in marketing makes you a good self-editor, but do you use a professional editor too?

I'm a pretty good editor but, of course, I'm human, and I miss things that a professional editor picks up. My editing process is ongoing and my final step in the process is to hire a professional editor—one that I trust will be a good fit—one who knows the book, knows the characters, and will not change my voice or my character's choices. The editor’s job, to me, is to make the manuscript tighter, cleaner, and more professional.

Okay, that sounds sensible but, just out of interest, do you give your work to anyone else to read before it's published?

I have critique partners first. Secondly, I have beta readers, and lastly I ask my writing community partners if they'd like to receive an advance review copy (ARC). 

I highly recommend beta readers. If I see a pattern, with several of my beta readers pointing out the same thing, then it's time for me to re-evaluate whether I really want that to happen in the story. If it's something I feel strongly about, I'll go ahead and keep it as is, but beta readers are precious to me and I highly recommend them.

It sounds like you've got a good team together. I think I need to do that! How about bad writing habits - do you have any?

Common writing mistakes for me are lapsing into a “tell don't show” scenario. Those are usually in the first draft and as I move to 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th drafts, I start to find those mistakes and fix them. Sometimes I have a beta reader or a critique partner point those out or my editor.

Going back to paid professionals, are there any others you use?

Certainly. I try to keep the covers within the family of the series so, for example, my first three books were romantic dramedy, and they have a similar look and feel—photographs as opposed to illustrations. 

For the Neon Diaries series, I went with more of a graphic illustration and I wanted both Summer's Blood and Slipper Girl to be informed by the same brand. 

Because I'm a marketing and advertising executive by trade, I usually have a strong vision of what I want to see on the cover, and then work with my partners and artists to execute that strategy.

Talking of your background, I've spoken to many authors who seem to hate marketing, so do you have any tips?

Because I am a marketer, marketing, social media, ad campaigns, and all of that stuff comes naturally to me. I will say that I needed to study up and learn through trial and error in marketing my books though. 

With the first one, I really didn't know what I was doing. I was looking at the book as though it was a product or service, which is what I do in my career; however, book marketing is its own thing, and I had to learn the publishing industry. 

I did all of that by studying, talking to people, doing webinars, reading, researching, and then realising what worked and what didn't. I have found that over time I've gotten much better at it. 

The other thing is that every writer needs to stay ahead of marketing trends because they change constantly. Staying on top of social media trends, understanding the different offerings, seeing what is being put out there and what people are engaging with. It's really a work in progress that never ends, because technology, as we all know, just keeps changing.

It sure does. It makes me wonder how we ever find the time to write! 

And what about your publishing mechanics, such as software, etc?

For the technical part of the writing process, I use Microsoft Word. I don't use any fancy novel writing software. I find that they are distracting. I keep dated revisions, so I have version control. 

I purchase many ISBN numbers so I have enough for the series to go on and on, and I copyright my manuscript with the US copyright office. I always take that step because I feel as though my writing and my ideas are protected.

I do have a website that's interactive too, at www.adeleroyce.com. I have some fun features on the website that include a 'Meet the Characters' section. Each of my characters has a bio and photo, and they're very fun to go and interact with. 

Actually, I really enjoyed playing with them - it's a great idea!

I really believe in engaging with my audience so if you go to my website and sign up for my newsletter, you will receive my updates. I review other authors’ books there, so it's really a way for me to engage with my readers. I always do a fun prize giveaway. 

I'm on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. I'd say I'm probably most active on Instagram and X. I feel like engaging with the writing community is great but we also need to engage with our readers so some of the content is more focused on writing, and a lot of is there for my readers to discover more about my books and other author’s books.

Thank you so much, Adele, this has been fabulous! And I'd love it if we could end by learning a bit more about your latest novel, Slipper Girl please?

She Buried Her Past. It’s Back to Destroy Her.

Skylar Van Ness has always been a fighter. From her tumultuous childhood in Amsterdam to her rise as the Vice President of Marketing at Donovan Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, she’s faced every challenge head-on.

But when Skylar’s estranged mother, Brit, reappears with a sinister agenda, Skylar’s world is turned upside down. As secrets from her past threaten to unravel her carefully constructed life, Skylar must navigate a treacherous path of deception, blackmail, betrayal and heart-wrenching revelations. With the stakes higher than ever, she must rely on instinct alone — because trust is a luxury she can’t afford.

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Adele Royce’s nail-biting Summer’s Blood, Slipper Girl is a gripping tale of one woman’s resilience and redemption, and the unbreakable bonds of family. 

That sounds amazing! If you'd like to learn about Adele, I'd recommend visiting her website, where you can also find all of her social media links too.

And don't forget, if you've enjoyed reading this post, then press here to get all the latest updates emailed directly to you via follow.it (You can unsubscribe at any time). I feature at least one interview with a guest author or publishing professional each month and they're all brilliant!

What The F... (Really Means)

I'm thrilled to let you know that I've just featured on Stewart Bint's blog and it was lovely chatting more about my writing journey and my book, My F in Life. 

Please take a look here (link) and you might remember that he featured here less than a month ago (link here). 

It's so lovely how authors support other authors, and talking of which, Stewart has lots of fabulous author interviews on his blog too. Do take a look as they make for brilliant reading.

And my next author interview goes live on Sunday, and it's another fab one! Woohoo!

My F in Life - update from an excited author!

It's only been a few weeks since I published my book but what a wild ride it's been! I have to admit, the whole process of uploading the manuscript and cover was an eye-opener. Thank goodness for my pal, Liz, an author who's been through this process herself and she was the voice of reason when, shock, horror, we got an error message! 

Luckily Sofie, my cover artist, was straight on the job and amended the file so that it was exactly what was needed. Huge sigh of relief, job done, all accepted! Celebratory drink and whoop, whoop, I was a published author!

Now it's available in Paperback or electronically on Kindle (and is currently free on Kindle Unlimited) and the wonderful thing is that people are buying it! Yes, I know that sounds daft - why else would I publish? I guess I was hoping like-minded people, going through middle age and getting knocked by some of life's challenges, could do with a giggle, but I hadn't actually thought about people reading it! 

So, you can imagine my surprise when a couple of mornings ago, my book was number 3 in the 'Amazon Hot New Releases' section. I had to take the screenshot above because, number 3? Wowsers! And I don't think I've ever been classed as 'hot' in my life 🤣 I'm taking that!

The next thing that happened was reviews started to appear. Within a few days the first review appeared - 5 stars! OMG! Then a second appeared. Also 5 stars! And now a third 5-starrer is there - my mind is blown! You can read them all here but I've popped some snippets below.

And talking of reviews, I'm going to start beating my drum now, as so many of us read a book, love it, and then move on to the next exciting novel, not thinking about the poor old (or perhaps young!) writer. But imagine what it's like for them. Your favourite author could be sitting in the dark, palms sweaty, not knowing whether their audience likes their book or not. But guess what? You have power to help. 

Think of reviewing a book as your way of talking to the author and (probably more importantly) their audience. If you love a book, write a review. Long or short, let people know what you think! Sing their praises. Or if something didn't work for you, don't be mean, but give some constructive feedback. 

I've written a whole article about this, on my other blog, Tweetables (where I chat to authors - link here), as it's so important for us all to consider doing this. The post is a short read, so please take a look here and have a go. Every author I know will thank you for taking the time. So go, and be wonderful!

And I'd like to take the time to thank the three wonderful people who did exactly that for my book. I didn't expect it, but every review helps raise my profile. They took the time to review my book and I'm eternally grateful.

So that's all for me for today. I'm back to interviewing authors next, so look out for my next chat in a couple of weeks time - it's another good one! 

And don't forget, if you've enjoyed reading this post, then press here to get all the latest updates emailed directly to you via follow.it (You can unsubscribe at any time). I feature at least one interview with a guest author or publishing professional each month and they're all brilliant!