Writer Wednesday: Christa Simpson

Christa Simpson is a Canadian Indie Author and mother of two. She lives in a small town near Windsor, Ontario, with her husband and two little girls. She loves reading, writing, music, movies and dancing. She likes her men muscled, her music loud and her kids happy. When she's not pushing paper at her day job, you'll find her reading, writing or dancing with her kids.

1. Why did you want to become a writer?

I became a writer because I had this uncontrollable urge to put my words to paper. When I was a teen I resorted to writing poetry. After meeting my husband and starting a family, I found the need to return to some form of expression to relieve myself of the plethora of ideas roaming through my mind. That's when I started writing my debut New Adult romance, The Twisted Trilogy.

2. What's the toughest part of the writing process for you?

The writing is by far the easiest part. Being an indie author, it's all of the other aspects of self publishing that are on the tough side. Editing and formatting are by far the most tedious, especially with two little girls vying for your attention.

3. What's the most enjoyable part of writing?

I love when I'm rewriting a section and I find a gem, where I'm like: I can't believe I wrote that. I also absolutely love when people contact me to chat about my characters. It's great when readers seriously start to care about something you created. That feels pretty amazing. 

4. If you could only save one of your characters from fictional calamity, who would you pick and why? 

I would save my fictional boyfriend, Edwin Santora. Because he seriously needs saved. From Abby. ;) He's addicted to his ex-girlfriend and it's not healthy at all. I've been told on more than one occasion that he needs saved. I would have to agree.

5. If you could spend the day with your favourite character (not from your books), who would you spend it with and what would you do?

Eh hem, will my husband be reading this?  No?  Then I choose Morgan Hudson from Lori Foster's Buckhorn Series. I'm only kidding. Not that the hubs would have any clue what I was talking about anyway. ;) 

6. What can we expect next from you?

Once I'm done publishing The Twisted Trilogy, I will be finishing one of my WIPs. Depending on my mood, it might be the summer romance that is now ~ 40% complete, the romantic suspense that is at ~ 20%, or a spin off from the Twisted series that is still but a handful of ideas yet to be put to paper.  I like to keep my options open.

7. Is there any particular writing advice you wish you'd been given at the start of your writing career? If so, what is it? If not, what advice would you give to someone starting out?

If you are just starting out, I'd recommend you start blogging immediately.  Start up your Facebook page and join Twitter.  You might not have much of a following when you first start out, but trust me when I say you'll want it up and running for when you truly need it.

Also, I would recommend you read the Smashwords Style Guide before you type your first word. Formatting your book before you start writing it will save you a lot of heartache later, especially if you'd like to get into the premium catalogue for distribution to major retailers such as Kobo, Barnes & Noble, i-bookstore, Sony and more.

Lastly, I'd suggest you prepare yourself for a long, emotional journey.  The ups and downs of being an author are so trying, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Just be prepared.

8. Tell us what a typical writing day involves for you.

I write when I can. It's more of a hobby, something I do for entertainment, since I work full time and have two young children. 

I'm lucky to write for 30 minutes over my lunch hour each weekday and occasionally after the kiddos go to bed at night, if my author and blogger friends quit making it so easy for me to procrastinate on the social networking sites. My writing schedule is sporadic and I get a lot more writing done in the winter.  

9. Finally, what are you reading at the moment?

With my August 1 release date for Twist & Turn it doesn't leave me much time for reading, but I've just started After the Ashes by Cheryl Howe. It's my first read with this author and so far I'm really enjoying it. I hope you'll check out The Twisted Trilogy and I thank you so much for having me, Elle.

Abigail feared that she had given up on the love of her life, until she met the man of her dreams.

Abigail Jenkins was lucky enough to find one man that met all of her expectations. Edwin Santora was that man, recklessly handsome and fun-loving, with a body carved from stone. But it wasn't enough. Abigail wanted a baby, and that matter was not up for debate. Edwin, having just scored his first job out of law school, was nowhere near ready to settle down. Abigail was. Relationship over. Or was it?

Right when Abigail starts to realise that maybe Edwin was her best bet, Cameron Clarke, the man of her dreams, slips into her life, stealing her attention and her heart. With swoon-worthy sunset-shaped eyes and a smile that lit up the darkest corners of her tragic youth, Abigail knew in an instant that he was the one. Suddenly, Abigail finds that having a baby isn't at the top of her list of things to do. Cameron Clarke is.

Sparks begin to fly when Abigail gets what she wants and Edwin admits what he thinks about that; but is it too little too late?

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