Blog Archive

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Writing a Family Saga: Author Interview with Beth Farrar

You’ve now published multiple books in your family saga series, but what inspired you to write that first one? 
I have been writing from a very young age. I started reading when I got my own library card, and was fascinated by the worlds I read about (in those days, Enid Blyton, and Nancy Drew, etc.) The Ellie McLellan series had been bumping around inside me for many years. 


I had a monthly column in our local English newspaper for fifteen years and covered topics around raising children in the country, and beginning your genealogy research, amongst others. But my love has always been fiction. When I started writing the series, I had the character of Ellie in my mind fully formed. I could see her, I knew who she was and what she wanted. She was already like a friend!

 

How do you go about plotting your mystery?  What do you think makes for a perfect mystery? 

The first book, Family Secrets, was fully fleshed for me by the time I started writing it. As I finished the first draft, I had the next two books outlined in my head. This series does not have murders per se, it has family mysteries. They surround dead ancestors, but also fill in some gaps for the living. I usually pick the character I want to highlight first, then, using what has been hinted at in a previous book, create the mystery that needs to be solved. I want everyone to shine in a book at some point!

 

You offer your books as E readers, paperbacks,  hardcover, and audio versions. My favorite form of reading is with an eBook. What format  is the most popular with your readers? 
I'm surprised to find that a lot of people still prefer paperbacks. But eBooks do rate the highest, and I'm waiting to find out how the audiobooks are doing. A lot of people like to listen to their books while exercising, or doing housework. I remember the summer of 2023, listening to Stephen King's Fairytale while I walked my daily hikes. It was a hot summer and the story was the perfect thing to listen to. 

 

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing? 

The best encouragement I've had is from some of my first readers for my first book. I asked people who I knew would give me the truth about my writing, and not just say "that was such a good book" just to be nice. When my hardest reader to please said "when's the next book coming?" I knew I had something. Then it was getting lovely reviews from complete strangers who had bonded with my characters and wanted more!

 

Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produces more sales rather than just clicks? 

This is a tricky one, because marketing is a huge topic and hit and miss due to various circumstances. Does your cover resonate? Have you edited the book properly? Do you know your audience? That's just to start. Then when you get to marketing, how do you get it to the people you want to read it? Not everyone is going to enjoy this type of book. Find the groups where your readers are. 


My books are about genealogy, one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world. I use a few marketing strategies. I use Facebook groups, Amazon Ads (which I'm still learning about!!), my website and newsletter, Instagram, BlueSky, and word of mouth. I'll be looking at Facebook Ads this year. 

I've also found that the kindness of other authors to share my posts has been priceless. Give and take, especially for authors who write in other genres. My readers might like Victorian sagas as well as genealogy. And their readers might be curious about my genealogy mysteries. Another thing I believe works for me (but might not work for everyone) is that I'm not wide. I'm in Kindle Unlimited and half my income comes from KU. My audiobooks are wide, however. 

 

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner? 

Always have a pen and paper by your side and jot down ALL ideas (I learned that the hard way!). There are certain rules to follow when writing, but you can adapt them to your voice and genre. Readers know what they want and they're very vocal about it. Don't take that personally, but keep it in mind.  Writing is hard and you have to be consistent. Marketing is hard and you have to be open to trying new things. And I've found that connecting with readers is the best thing in the world!

 

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give? 
Basically don't stop writing. Write lists. Write short stories. Write journal entries. Write letters to pen pals (yes, I've had one since I was eighteen). What advice would I give? Keep your butt in the chair and write, even the drivel can be fixed, or some new idea for a totally different story can grow from that. Also, be careful who you share your work with before you publish. Some people will be jealous that you've actually been able to complete a novel and might try to rain on your parade. Don't let them. And remember, not everyone will like the genre you're writing in, and that's nothing on you. Personal taste is everything in writing and reading. Thank goodness for that!

 

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add? 

Most writers that I know write because they have stories inside they want to share. Or because they can't find the book they want to read, so they write it themselves. Decide whether you want your writing to be a hobby or a job, because they are different, but each is amazing. And NEVER give up on the dream of finishing that book. It took me a long time to publish my first book. I dabbled for years in various mediums and when I knew exactly what I wanted, I went for it. There is nothing like holding your first book in your hands!

 

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis? 

Family Vows just published this month. It centers around Ellie and Quinn's marriage and their families coming from Scotland and England to help them celebrate. Ellie and her Heritage Harvesters will solve a few mysteries along the way and we'll finally find out what Aunt Norma's secret is! New possibilities abound for the future.

 

That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Beth's books, here are the links to get you started.

Website:  https://bethfarrar.com/

While you're on her website, sign up for her newsletter and receive a free PDF with over 100 questions to help you start writing your own memoirs. 

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Beth-Farrar/author/B0BHRGMNBL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beth.farrar.52

 


Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Get the Book Written! Author Interview with Carmen Radtke

What drew you to writing cozy mysteries? 

I’ve always loved reading mysteries, starting as a child and then teenager with Trixie Belden, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers. When I was working as a reporter for a local daily newspaper, I was too busy to do any writing on the side, but in what little spare time I had I felt more and more drawn to cozies. They were far removed from the crimes and tragedies I dealt with when I was covering the crime beat, delivered justice and restored sense to bad things.

What inspired you to write the first novel?
The plot of my first published novel, The Case of the Missing Bride, practically fell into my lap when I lived in New Zealand as a young mother and no longer worked seven days a week, but only part-time as a relief reporter. I’d been researching a few feature ideas when I cane upon one paragraph in an old newspaper. In 1862, a group of young women were sent as brides from Australia to the young province of British Columbia in Canada. They never arrived.

That’s all that’s known. Everything else to do with these women and their fate is idle speculation. I can’t imagine any scenario that would have ended well for them, but they deserved better. A cozy mystery formed in my mind, one that would explain everything, and that would save them (apart from the titular bride). The series continues with The Prospect of Death and the lives they should have had.

I was incredibly lucky with The Case of the Missing Bride. The New Zealand Society of Authors selected my first draft for a coveted assessment done by an established writer. They paired me with the fabulous Paddy Richardson (check out her books! You won’t regret it), who loved my novel so much she supported me all through a rewrite that became the published book. It’s one I’m very proud of, because these women were real, and they deserve to be remembered. It took me ten months to research and to write, and then the rewrite took five days, working on it from dawn to dusk. Or rather, from ten to ten.
 
How do you go about plotting your mystery? Do you pick the victim or the murderer first? 
I usually know the murderer and the motive first and start writing when it hits me that I might have picked the wrong victim. I do apologise to them, if they’re nice people, though. If they get their just deserts, I might gloat a little while writing.

What makes a perfect murder mystery? 
I’m a sucker for an unusual setting. Nobody does it better than Agatha Christie (although Elizabeth Peters comes close with her Amelia Peabody series). A locked room mystery never loses its appeal, and the best mysteries are perfectly obvious and logical in hindsight and fool you all along while you’re reading. Again, nobody can touch Agatha Christie in this regard. The best cozy mysteries are as much fun when I re-read them, because there’s so much to discover or to remember.
 
What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?

The support from the New Zealand Society of Authors, and having The Case of the Missing Bride become a Malice Domestic finalist! And later, hearing from readers how much they loved my stories and my characters.
 
Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produces more sales rather than just clicks?
Marketing is my weak spot. I’ve only started to regularly invest in paid ads last year. So, it’s early days for me. This year I want to spend more time learning the ropes.
 
What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
That it’s a good idea to come up with comparable titles or shows before you even start writing, something I’ve never done yet but will! No wonder “Jaws in Space” sold the movie Alien.
 
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
The best I’ve had: First get it written, then get it right. It stopped me from agonising over every paragraph that had sounded so perfect in my head at 3am and fell flat when I finally had a chance to type it. No book is ever perfect, so you get it as good as you can and move on.
The best I can give: Find your tribe in the writing community. Most writers are lovely, supportive people who will help you, cheer you on or commiserate with you, and together you’re so much stronger.
 
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?

Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own process, strength, weaknesses, and their own way of doing this. And, most of all, enjoy it. Love your stories. Nobody else but you can write them, no matter if you keep them to yourself, or they find a dozen readers, or turn you into a household name, with a lavish income (I wouldn’t mind trying that …)
 
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
Jack and Frances will have a final adventure in London in 1932, before it’s time for them to head back home to Australia. I hope to have it done sometime in spring. Although I’m a full-time writer, most of my working hours include writing paid content articles on different topics. But hopefully one day, fiction writing will be my only job.

That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Carmen's writing, check out the links below.
Amazon author page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Carmen-Radtke/author/B075F6X38C 
 

And here's a bonus for my readers... Leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of one of Carmen's eBooks. The winner can choose between an ebook of The Case of the Missing Bride or her latest release, Murder by the Letter. So do that now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner at the end of next week!