Top Ten Tuesday : Vampires!

Are vampires still in? Abraham Lincoln killed a few this summer and we've all heard by now Bella and Edward are having trouble in paradise...er, Forks. I've always loved vampires so here's ten to get your blood pumping.

10. Selene (Underworld)

The only lady vamp on my list but she's hot and she's a badass!

9. Louis (Interview with a Vampire)

The tortured mate of another vampire on the list.

8. Edward Cullen (Twilight)

He sweeps her off her feet, turns into a douche and does a disappearing act, proves he can handle jealousy (sort of) and finally manages to not screw Bella to death. All in all he had a hold of me while I was reading these books. Damn it!

7. Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Between the leather, the Billy Idol hair and the British accent he's the whole evil vampire package.

6. Lestat (Interview with a Vampire)

He's crazy and hot and eventually a rock star. 

5. Eric Northman (True Blood/ Sookie Stackhouse Novels)

Enough said.

4. The Salvatore Brothers (The Vampire Diaries)

Stefan seems to be the good one from the start but as time goes on and the truth comes out it's hard to tell if either brother is completely good or bad. Personally I'm on Team Damon.

3. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Talk about a character arc. If you've never watched Buffy (specifically seasons 1-4), you MUST! Angel was my first tortured vampire, longing for love but haunted by his past. 

2. The Black Dagger Brotherhood 

Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Butch, Vishous, Phury and a few others all have their own story within the series. These vampires are strong, hot and devoted to the women they fall in love with. These books are fantastic romances!

1. Dracula 

The original.

Top Ten Tuesday : Questions I Get Asked (and my answers)

10. How do you come up with ideas?

I like to think the ideas come to me rather than I make them up. Sometimes it's a dream that sparks an idea, sometimes it's a twist on something I hear on TV or the radio. Sometimes I'm inspired by real life stories I hear from friends and clients. Ideas just shoot up in my brain and I tend to run with them.

9. How much did it cost you to get published?

$0.00. A lot of people assume I self-published because most people know that getting published can be very difficult. The fact is I sent emails to agents and small presses for a while and then I stumbled upon Rebel Ink Press via a good friend who is also an author with RIP and I submitted to them like I had the others. Rebel wanted to publish my work and sent me a contract.

8. Would you quit hairstyling to write?

The short answer is yes. But, where's the fun in short answers?! I keep saying, "When they pay as much to write books as my clients pay me to do hair, I'll quit." And that is essentially true. I have a plan but even the best laid plans don't always work out. My hope is that in a few years (10 or less) I can establish a decent writing career and be able to leave the salon. I love doing hair and I adore my clients but becoming an author is a dream come true and I only want to go higher and higher. I'll have to make the jump eventually.

7. Is Kevin (from The Low Notes) based on your husband?

No. Kevin isn't completely 'based' on any one person. Vague enough for ya?

6. Are you writing a sequel to The Low Notes?

No. Well, not traditionally. There will not be a continuation of Kevin and Nina's love story or life stories. I do, however, have a WIP (work in progress) that centers around James, Nina's best friend. In that eventual novel readers will get tiny glimpses into Nina's (and possibly Kevin's) life in the future.

5. Do you have an English degree?

Nope. I always excelled at English in high school and for my few years in college but I do not have an English or Writing degree. My declared major was photography but I eventually left college to attend cosmetology school.

4. Why did you write a book?

Standard answer : because I had to get it out of my head. A lot of people don't understand the concept of being overcome by the need to create art but that's exactly what writing is to me.

3. Are you writing another book?

Yes, yes, yes! I mentioned last week that I have 8 projects started. I'm trying to focus on two at the moment. One is a beach romance about summer love and love revisited. The other is a young adult romance about innocence lost.

2. How do you get paid for your book?

This question always gives me pause. It's totally understandable to be curious and to many people it's a very foreign concept (getting paid for a bunch of words rather than a service or 9 to 5 job). The thing I always like to say is this (and it's the truth), "When I wrote The Low Notes I never expected it to be anything other than a Word doc on my laptop. I didn't write it to make money so the fact that I might make some is beyond awesome."

1. Did you have a relationship with a teacher/ is The Low Notes a true story?

No. No. No. And did I mention, no? Not true, didn't happen to me or anyone I know. Do you think people ask J.K. Rowling if she got a wizarding school admittance letter from an owl when she was a kid? It's fiction y'all. 

Top Ten Tuesday : My Writing Needs

10. Music - I need music while I write. Generally I put together a playlist that will get me in the mood for whatever I'm writing. You can find my playlist for The Low Notes here!

9. Laptop - In a pinch, I'll write longhand. On rare occasions I'll write using my iPad. But my trusty laptop is my preference.

8. Notes - Generally I have an outline or at least some character profiles to look over while I write. They tend to be pretty crucial.

7. Refreshments - Depending on my mood and the time of day it's either coffee, hot tea or wine for me.

6. A Clean House - They say a cluttered home makes for a cluttered mind. I'm not sure if that's what it is for me or if I just need to not feel like I have anything else that needs to be taken care of before I write but having a clean home eases my mind enough for me to write. My office tends to stay nice and tidy, you can see it here!

5. Weak Signal - Beware the Internet! The infamous time-wasters Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google need to be nearly inaccessible for me to focus.

4. Freedom - Meaning : the dog has been fed and walked, the husband has been fed and is occupied with homework, the dishes are done, I'm off duty from work and the phone is on vibrate. Freeeedom!

3. Inspiration - I know it's time to write when I've been talking to myself in the car for a week, plotting during haircuts and dreaming of romance novels.

2. Time - Sigh.It's probably my biggest hurdle in writing. With my day job, family and social life, I have to work very hard to make the time.

1. Ideas - Currently I have 8, yes EIGHT, works in progress. I'm trying my best to focus on 3 or less with the hopes of finishing one of them by the end of this year. I will never complain of having too many ideas because it will be the thing that creates a career for me but sometimes...I wish they would wait to pop into my head until I am finished with one project.

Hand Cramp

My very first book signing was a total success! I sold 43 books (my entire stash!) and got to see tons of friends and family. By then end of it, I'll admit, I was exhausted. It made me wonder how J.K. Rowling must feel or any big time author for that matter. There were tons of people waiting in line for Meg Cabot, she must've been so tired at the end of it!

The whole experience was pretty surreal. It's still hard to believe that I made my dream come true. Here's a few pics from the day. Again, thanks to everyone who came out, got a book (or multiple!) and supported not only me but the awesome independent book store Mudsock Books! Be sure to give them some love in the future.

Trying to look important. And yes, that's a cat.

Kate Roth, author of The Low Notes

My husband, Adam.

That's fellow Rebel Britni Hill!!

Signing books

Book Geek!

This week I had the opportunity to meet a famous author! Meg Cabot (author of over thirty novels, most notably the Princess Diaries series) was at my local Barnes & Noble store for her newest release in the Heather Wells series, Size 12 and Ready to Rock. 

Totally cool!!

She was very kind to the entire crowd and was so funny! It was so reassuring to listen to her speak about how long she tried to break into her career as an author. It took her four years of rejections before someone picked up her first novel.

Clearly she found success but hearing her backstory reminded me how lucky I am to have found a publisher relatively quickly. It made me hopeful for my budding career and motivated me to want to get back on my writing so I can be submitting again by the end of the year. 

So, we met and she signed my copy of Size 12 and Ready to Rock...and she was more than gracious about accepting a copy of The Low Notes in case she felt like taking a peek! Can't hurt, right?

Me and the lovely and talented Meg Cabot (glasses are sexy and that's a fact!)

In two weeks I'll be meeting another famous author (one of my favorites), Emily Giffin, on a road trip to Chicago. Hopefully some of their success will rub off on me and I'll being on a US book tour before too long!!

Official Business

This Saturday I'll be having my very first book signing at a local bookstore. To say I'm excited would be putting it lightly. I've been signing paperback copies here and there for friends and family since my release but there's something different about the thought of Saturday.

Sitting at a table signing away for person after person (hopefully!) seems so official. It might just make me feel like a real author!

I'll have pictures asap and I'll be writing all about the experience next week. 

Wish me luck!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has already RSVP'd that they will be there, for all the encouraging words and especially to Mudsock Books & Curiosity Shoppe in Fishers, IN www.mudsockbooks.com

Time to Make Some Time

Some of you may have noticed that I've been slacking a bit in the blog post and Facebook/Twitter update department. I have to admit it's been a challenge to keep up with recently. Between work and home, the handful of parties I'm throwing in the next few weeks and trying to get some sleep squeezed in, I feel like I've been spending a lot of time away from all things author.

I can tell you this though, I've been trapped in my head with a few new characters that I'm excited to work on! It's all a matter of finding the time or making the time. I wish I could hole up in the house, call in sick to work and avoid all other responsibilities for a few weeks and dedicate every second to my newest work-in-progress but sadly that isn't a realistic option.

For a while I had this goal in my head of finishing another novel to be ready for submission by the end of the year. It was an overly ambitious statement that I kinda wish I hadn't said since goals like that tend to bite me in the butt. So I'm not working with a date in mind and I'm not pressuring myself with a deadline. I'm going to kick it old school and simply write to write! 

Send me your good vibes that I can find the time to do what I love most all while keeping up with that little thing called life.