Who’s That Indie Author? Paula Light

~ Book Club Mom
Paula Light

Name: Paula Light

Books: Ghosted (latest), various poetry and short story compilations

Genre: general fiction, romance, poetry

Background: I’m a writer in Orange County, California. My interests include fiction, poetry, movies, painting, and cupcakes. I enjoy reading and writing about a variety of topics.

When did you first decide you wanted to be a writer? I have always written, even as a very young child.

Do you write full-time? If not, do you have an outside job or other responsibilities? I have a “real job” and write in my free time.

Where do you get your ideas for characters and plots? Everywhere. Real life, fiction, movies, songs, etc.

Have you ever written yourself into a story? Most of my protagonists have an aspect or two of me built in, but I have not appeared as me.

What kind of research and preparation do you do before you write? Whatever is necessary, such as researching a city online, checking major events of the past, organizing dates/timelines, etc.

What is your editing process? Do you hire an outside editor? I do my own.

How do you decide on your book covers? Do you outsource? I do them myself on Amazon KDP with free photos.

How did you come up with the title of your latest book? I was literally ghosted in a dating experience and it went from there.

What route did you take to get published? Describe your experience. I self-publish on Amazon KDP after spending a few years chasing romance publishers.

Have you ever tried to get an agent? If so, what steps did you take? I briefly attempted this in the early 2000’s. It’s too time-consuming and energy-draining to chase agents and publishers. I just want to write!

What kinds of things do you do to promote your book? Not much. Mostly I just mention my books on my blog.

Have you ever had a book-signing event? Tell us about your experience. No. My books are all in electronic format.

Have you taken writing courses? Way back in college I took poetry and writing workshops.

Do you belong to a writer’s group? If so, is it in-person or online? Tell us about your experience. I am not currently participating in writing groups, though I have in the past.

Are you in a book club? If so, tell us about it. Is it in-person or online? Friends or acquaintances? I belong to several book clubs ~ romance, general fiction, philosophy. I don’t always want to read the assigned books, but when I do it’s enjoyable to meet up and discuss them.

Do you ask friends/family to read your WIP? One of my daughters will read a portion of a WIP if I ask for her opinion. She helped quite a bit with Ghosted.

Name three unread books on your bookshelf. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. The Last Lie Told by Debra Webb. Marley & Me by John Grogan

What is the last book you read? Philosophy of Nature by Paul Feyerabend

How many pages do you think a book of fiction/nonfiction should be? However many it takes to tell the story in an entertaining way

What is the riskiest or wildest thing you’ve ever done? Online dating

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Getting divorced at age 50

What advice can you give to new writers entering the writing and publishing arena? Make sure your father owns a publishing house.

Website and social media links: http://lightmotifs.wordpress.com

Are you an indie or self-published author?  Do you want to build your author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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36 thoughts on “Who’s That Indie Author? Paula Light”

  2. Paula, I can tell you are a take-charge woman. I admire so much about your story: multi-genre author, designing your own book covers, and persisting through thick and thin.

    I smiled when I read this: “Make sure your father owns a publishing house.” So a sense of humor is among your assets. Thanks, Barbara. Best wishes, Paula! I will check out your book. 😀

    2. Hi Marian – I also smiled when I read Paula’s advice – having a sense of humor is so important. Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope you are doing well 🙂

  3. Nice to meet you, Paula. I kept nodding my head as you shared your experiences, laughed at your advice for new authors, and am going to check out Philosophy of Nature. I’m in Orange County, too. I’ll keep an eye open for you!

  6. Hello Paula–Love your advice for publishing! The only problem is how hard it is to pick your own father. I am also an OC author. Do you attend SCWA monthly meetings? Pat

  7. Hey Paula (think I’ve heard that in a song)–Are you interested in a critique group. I’d be happy to have you be my guest at the one I attend in Dana Point, Tuesdays from 5-7 pm. Email me if you are interested. spencerp04@verizon.net. pat

  10. Lovely! I’ve known Paula since the 1990s, we were on an internet forum together, but never actually met “in real life”. She is also the most prolific blogger I know! She posts something every day, and often several times a day. How she finds time is totally beyond me!

    1. Hi Davida – oh how fun to see how we’re all connected! It would be hard for me to blog every day, let alone more than once a day. Thank you for reading and commenting!

  11. Great interview, Barbara! I loved Paula’s answers and her sense of humor at the end. I also felt and resonated with the frustration about chasing publishers and agents. I just bought Ghosted and look forward to reading it, and today, she happened to post a review of my book, More than Coffee, which is awesome that I just shared. What a great day! Thanks for sharing! It’s always fun to learn about the process of other writers. 💞

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