Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Grace.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been writing all my life, but started seriously contemplating publishing in 2009. I spent the next two years writing and absorbing everything I could on the publishing industry. As a result, I decided to publish independently and published my first book in 2011.
Now at the end of 2017, I am working to finish my 17th book before the end of the year, not including the four anthologies I have contributed to! (You can find them all on Amazon, just look for Maria Grace.)
I write fiction set in the British Regency era as well as non-fiction about the same era and regularly speak about both to groups locally, throughout the US and even internationally.
It’s the kind of thing I always hoped to be able to do, but never really thought it would happen!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Wow, that would have been nice, but no, it hasn’t been. The publishing world turned upside down since 2006 and the advent of the eBook. Since then, the industry is rewriting the rules as we go. No longer are big publishers paying good advances to writers who are less than Stephen King and James Patterson. More and more, new writers have having to do everything for themselves, which means learning a great deal more than just how to write a killer story.
In the process, I’ve had to learn how to build a website and keep it running, how to build and format both eBooks and paperback books, how to network and market books, all the while continuing to take writing classes and write said books! There’s never a dull day for sure.
Recently I had one of my toughest moments when I had a book launch scheduled through Amazon (in other words, date was set in stone) that fell in the midst of hurricane Harvey! I had to condense two weeks of work in two days just before we had to evacuate our neighborhood by boat! I was so grateful for the writer friends I have made over the last six years who banded together to help me out when the book launched and I had no internet (and at times no power) to do any of the necessary marketing. Being an independent author can be tough, but you can make some amazing friends along the way and we have each other’s backs.
Please tell us about Maria Grace.
I’m a one woman show for the most part. I write, format, publish and market my own books through a shared printing imprint, White Soup Press. I also occasionally edit, format and do covers for other authors, but I primarily focus on my own books.
In my genre, I am known for the historical research that goes into my books and the accuracy I strive for as I write. I’m a little OCD about my research and have published over 100 articles based on it on my own website (RandomBitsofFascination.com) and others including the English Historical Fiction Author’s blog.
What sets me apart from others is probably my willingness to tackle the ‘scary’ technical side of publishing with producing websites and formatting eBooks–which are remarkably similar, believe it or not. I guess I’m a bit of a control freak, but being able to handle the process from first idea to final product is something I’ve very proud of.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memories all center around writing stories and plays for my friends. From elementary school through high school, I wrote various things, often featuring friends as characters. We had some great times talking about those stories and planning what would–and definitely would not–happen next. There was one trilogy that kept us going for a couple of years. We’d stay up late on the phone or in person pondering possibilities and creating new situations for our favorite characters.
And yes, I still have that story. In a box, behind my desk. And no, I’m not showing it to anyone. Even if you bribe me with chocolate.
Contact Info:
- Website:http://randombitsoffascination.com/
- Phone:281 766-7712
- Email:author.MariaGrace@gmail.com
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMariaGrace
- Twitter:https://twitter.com/WriteMariaGrace
- Other:http://AustenVariations.com
Image Credit:
John Trussel
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