Saturday, November 26, 2016

Q&A with Ashley Earley about Alone in Paris


1)    Tell us about your latest book:

I am very excited about my upcoming book, Alone in Paris! It will be released next year. I haven’t set a date yet because I am still revising to make it as perfect as can be for my readers. If you follow me on Instagram (@ashley_earley) or Twitter (@ashleyc_earley), then you’ve seen all my editing updates. I’m so close to finishing, and I’ve been sharing my excitement constantly!

Here is the summary:

Breathe, Taylor.

Taylor Clay's family isn't exactly perfect. They may look the part with the nice, big house and her dad's fancy job, but that's what's tearing them apart. That, and her dad's sudden recurring drinking problem.
Though her family is close to falling apart, she never wished for something like this to happen. She never wished for her father to drive off a bridge. Especially not while they were on vacation; especially not when her and her mom were in the car with him at the time.

Breathe.

She's devastated after the fact. And it isn't helping that the papers are gossiping about how the pristine lawyer could have driven off the bridge on purpose. And just when she thinks nothing could possibly make things worse, she realizes she's left alone with no relatives to care for her.
So she's alone. Her parents are dead. And she's stuck in the country her family was visiting for their vacation. She's alone in Paris.

Just breathe.

Then Nathan walks into the picture. Funny, snarky, persistent, and sometimes, just flat out rude, he annoys Taylor to no end. He won't leave her alone, but Taylor doesn't know whether or not she should push him away.


2)    How old were you when you started writing?

I was 14-years old when I started writing. At first, it sort of started out as an experiment. I wanted to see if I could write a book—to see how difficult it was. I ended up loving it and couldn’t stop. I wrote one book after another!


3)    What do you do when you are lacking inspiration?

I listen to music; I read for a little bit, or I take my writing gear and go somewhere else for a change of scenery. I love writing outside on my back patio!


4)    What made you decide to publish your book(s)?

I had tried to get published the traditional way, but when that didn’t work out, I decided that I wanted to take one of my books to the next step myself and publish it on my own. It was very challenging to publish The Darkest Light. I ran into a lot of bumps in the road, but I was determined to get it in print. It was all worth it once I got to hold a physical copy of The Darkest Light. I’m looking forward to publishing another book!

5)    At this point in your career, what has been the most memorable experience as a writer thus far? 

Actually submitting my book to publish it. It was horrifying and exciting all at once. I wanted to take it back as soon as I had done it because I was worried what people would. I was really worried that no one would like it, like every author. It’s a scary thing to share something you’ve created. It’s even scarier to share a part of you because every book (even if it’s fiction) holds a bit of truth. I’m not saying that dragons are real, but life struggles or thoughts that character(s) have can be true—as well as other things.

6)    What would be your advice to fellow writers who want to publish their work?

Don’t give up on it. Sometimes you’re going to feel like your book isn’t good enough to publish, and you shouldn’t feel that way. You can always edit and revise your book to make it better. You should be proud of what you wrote! You worked hard, whether if it was for weeks, months, or years. You should publish your book if you feel like you’re ready for the challenge.
And do your research! Don’t just hire anyone to do your book cover art.

7)    Share one of your past obstacles in your writing career, and how you overcame it?

I battle with one obstacle constantly. It is one of the most common obstacles for writers and the most difficult to overcome. Writer’s block.
I hate writer’s block just as much as every writer. Having a block is horrible, and pushing through it isn’t always the best solution because you’re not doing your best writing. Sometimes, listening to music can help me, or reading another book. Though, most of the time, I have to wait out my block. It can take days or weeks until I’m ready to write again. But, once I do, I usually find myself unable to stop.

8)    If you were starting your writing career over today, what is one thing you would do differently?

I would have done a better job at putting together The Darkest Light and done a better job spreading the word about The Darkest Light. I plan to do a much better job with Alone in Paris. The story is put together a lot better, and the writing style and grammar are all much better, at least, I think so. Hopefully, everyone else will too! 


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