Featured Author: Kari Trumbo (part 1)

Between writing historical romance novels, editing, blogging, and homeschooling her four kids, author Kari Trumbo has her hands full.

Meg never complained when her father stipulated in his will that she must marry and have a male heir to own his ranch. That is, until she lost her husband to a spring storm. Now everything that looked secure in her life is as destroyed as the buildings around her.
If the loss of her spouse wasn’t hard enough, she now has to take on the ranch and the new foreman, Jax. He likes to argue with her even more than he likes his job. Meg wants to trust him, but Jax is running from something. He has secrets that could put Meg and the ranch in grave danger.

Let’s get to know Kari Trumbo , author of the “Western Vows” series: 

1. What inspired you to start writing? I’d wanted to write for some time, but didn’t think I could. It took a friend writing many books, which I edited for her, and a challenge from her to finally write one. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop.
2. How much research, if any, do you do when writing a book? It depends on the book. For the first one, I had bits that I had to verify, but it was character driven, so involved less research. The second book involved about a month of verifying and research. I even included a historical section in the back.
3. Where do you get your ideas? The first book was a dream that wouldn’t leave me alone, as clichéd as that sounds. The second novel follows a character in the first book who just needed her story told.
4. Do you write fiction, nonfiction, or both? I write fiction novels, but my blog focuses on writing more non-fiction. It includes writing help and book reviews.
5. Do you use an outline, or do you prefer to write by the seat of your pants? I write by the seat of my pants, but I’m trying to become more of a planner. I have two novels plotted…we’ll see if they ever get into draft form.
6. Do you work on more than one project at once? Yes. I started by writing two novels, then picked one to edit. Wrote another, then set it aside to edit the other first book I wrote. I do that so that I can weed the first book from my brain and take a fresh look at it for editing.
7. What’s your favorite writing exercise? I don’t really do writing exercises, but those I have done have been prompts in areas I don’t write, to keep myself thinking, such as contemporary or sci-fi prompts.
8. Where do you write?  I write in my living room. I homeschool my four children and like to see my husband at night, so I sit in my living room so I can still be with them, even when I have a deadline.
9. What does your writing schedule look like? I write blog posts or do advertising during the day. In the evening, for at least two hours a night, I write or edit.
10. Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? I am self-published, but my hope is to eventually be a hybrid author.
11. How important are book covers to you, as both an author and a reader? Incredibly important. I searched for over a month to find the cover for my first novel, then asked the designer to make the second one so it had the same feel as the first. I picked out the pictures and she put it together for me.
12. How do you market your books? I advertise on some blogs or when I have sales, I will pay for advertising. Facebook is a great place to connect with my readers as is Twitter.

Come back next Monday (Feb. 15) for part 2 of my interview with Kari! We’ll talk about the release of her new novel, FOR RICHER OR POORER, book 2 in the “Western Vows” series.

Where to find Kari’s books:

Tweets!

Meet featured author Kari Trumbo today on my blog! #authorinterview @LesleyMcDaniel http://wp.me/p6Z26M-CD

Meet author Kari Trumbo on my blog today! Author of TO HONOR AND CHERISH  and FOR RICHER OR POORER @LesleyMcDaniel http://wp.me/p6Z26M-CD

Can love soften a vengeful heart? FOR RICHER OR POORER by Kari Trumbo #Indie #Books #ebooks@LesleyMcDaniel http://wp.me/p6Z26M-CD