Indie Archives - Inkwells & Images

Back in November, I got the chance to read an advance copy of Katarina Bivald’s The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. I described it as the perfect book to read when the snow falls, curled up in a chair with a steaming mug of something delicious. Well, the snow is falling now, and the book is out on shelves for all to read. If you are a book-lover who is craving a feel-good, predictable love story to get you through a little missing sunshine, this is it.

I also got the change to send a few questions to Katarina about writing the book, and what she’s reading lately.

What was your inspiration for The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend Can you remember a single moment when you said “I am going to write THIS book”?

No, but I can remember the moment when I said to myself: I am going to write a book. That, for me, was the important turning point. I had been writing all my life, but not very focused; starting ideas and then abandoning them and starting over again with a new one. So I said to myself: write any book you like, just pick an idea randomly, it doesn’t have to be good, it will probably never get published, but finish something.

The only thing I knew when I started was that, since I wrote mainly as practice, I would write the kind of book I myself love to read. And I love books about small American towns, quirky characters, unexpected friendships, love – and books, of course.

Q: The story is somewhat predictable, from the very beginning. Of course we know Sara will stay and that she and Tom will fall in love. But we want to see it happen! (the mark of a great book, by the way) Did you know what the ending would be when you started writing?

The original idea, the one that I chose randomly, was to write the (rather predictable and worn out) book about a person who marries for a green card, but with a collective angle: having a town propose to a woman. And I knew absolutely, without even having to think about it, that mine would be a happy ending.

Q: Which character did you have the most fun creating?

Caroline, I think, because she came as the most surprise to me. Or Andy, because, well, he’s Andy. The character who’s creation affected me most deeply is Amy, because she died. (Abbigail’s note: not a spoiler: you find out rather soon.)

Q: What is on your “to be read” pile right now?

I don’t have a “to be read” pile as much as an apartment overflowing with books I haven’t read yet. They are in every room and every corner and on every table and flat surface and sometimes even on a bookshelf. I try not to read because I have to – I believe that there should be no “should” when reading – but I have to admit all those unread stories are starting to weigh on me. Perhaps I’ll have to lock myself up in the apartment for a few months and finish them all.

You can read my full review of book here.

Sourcebooks, Katarina’s publisher, is hosting a contest called “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore.” The contest allows you to nominate your favorite independent bookstore to possibly win $3,000, and it runs through February 19th. You can go nominate your favorite indie bookstore here. Do!

Do you have a favorite book that’s about books? Share it in the comments below – I’d love to read it!

Today’s post comes to us from author Ron Vitale. Ron and I met a couple of years ago on the Twitter, via a mutual friend Jessica Lawlor. Since then, we’ve bonded over a shared love of reading, writing, and Anne of Green Gables. In the past five or so years, Ron has self-published more than six books of fiction and kept up a blog, all while working a day job and being a present and engaged spouse and father. What he has accomplished is impressive, and I invited him here to talk about how intense focus has helped him get to where he is today. Here’s Ron Vitale, in his own words.

I had my mid-life crisis at 38. I realized that I had written the first draft of a novel when I was 16 years old, and over the next two decades or so, I re-wrote it multiple times, shopped it around to agents and publishing houses, but it was rejected up and down the block. At 38, I had abandoned my dream of becoming a writer. With probably half my life gone, I wondered: What was I going to do with the rest of my life?

From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a writer. I still have, buried in a drawer somewhere, my first science fiction story that I hand wrote back in elementary school—complete with crazily drawn pictures of the various aliens in my story. My writing was horrible, filled with lots of exclamation points, and my drawings still make me cringe. But I didn’t give up. I wrote more stories, then the novel, and more stories. Over the course of near thirty years, I tried to play the publishing game and had failed.

When I turned 38, I realized that I needed to make a decision: I either had to accept that I had given up on writing, or make a dramatic life change and become the writer I always wanted to be.

I had followed the rules and submitted queries out to publishers, ensuring that I didn’t simultaneously submit my work. I would then wait several months before I heard anything back, and in some cases, I never received a response even though I included my SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). Those were the days when there were gatekeepers in the publishing world and I foolishly believed I needed to follow their rules. I always thought that someone would discover me, mentor me and then the world would see what an amazing vision I had and embrace my work. But at 38, none of that had happened. I had a bunch of stories, lots of articles out there that I had published, but no book.

I remember the day in the winter of 2009 in which I promised myself that I would bring my personal laptop to work, close my office door during lunch and crank out a few words of a book idea I had. That day was pivotal for me. But for the many, many years before that I had allowed myself to become stuck. I had no focus. My misalignment with my goals and beliefs trapped me in a hole that I could not escape. Instead of letting go of my first novel, I kept focusing on it and did not write another series. I wanted to write a sequel but that that would be crazy, since if I couldn’t get book one published, why would I write book two? I floundered, lost time, did this and did that, but still no action.

When I made the conscious decision to focus and write a new book in a different series, with a snap of a finger, my worldview changed. Instead of waiting for someone to approve of me, accept me, and the gatekeepers on high to welcome me in with open arms, I sidestepped all of that and decided to join the indie publishing movement.

Why had I wanted the publishing world to legitimize me? The answer is simple, but hard to admit: I had no faith in my own writing ability. I lacked the belief that I had what it took to be a good writer. I was afraid of failure.

I truly believed that the publishing world had the power to sprinkle magic fairy dust on me and then suddenly the world would see me as a true Writer (yes, that’s with a capital W).

To overcome my fears, I focused and re-doubled my efforts. I did these three things:

Made a public announcement to friends and family that I was writing a book and promised myself (and them) that I would finish and publish it.
Set a schedule. I wrote several times a week before work. And when I didn’t feel like writing, I gave myself the ability to skip some sessions, but I needed to work on a weekly word count.
Gave myself the freedom to write whatever the heck I wanted. This was important—especially for the first draft.

Now in looking back over the past few years, I focused on my goals, accomplished them, and achieved more than I had thought possible. But I’ll be honest: The journey so far has been filled with years of hard work. My first book sucked, and so did my second, but by the third, fourth and fifth—I started hitting my stride. I have a long way yet to go as a writer, but I’ve come so far. I’ve also learned much about online marketing, the digital conversion of books to ebooks, and have built a reader base through my mailing list. What I came to realize is that the publishing world no longer has the resources to market and support many new authors. If I had decided to go with traditional publishing, I’d still have to do most of the marketing anyway (social media, online advertising, building up my blog, website, etc.).

My writing goal, from the beginning, has been to share the worlds I create with a message of hope across the globe. And in the years that I’ve published my books, my dream has been achieved. One of the most touching emails I have received is from a reader who is fighting MS. She’s shared with me how my books have been a great source of comfort to her as she struggles with symptoms of the disease. Knowing that I have helped her and others who have emailed me, has helped me put in perspective the reach my books have had so far.

With focus and determination, I’ve overcome my fear—one word at a time.

Ron Vitale was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Influenced by the likes of Tolkien and Margaret Atwood, he began writing at an early age, creating short fiction from his Dungeons & Dragons role-playing sessions.

His writing has appeared in various places from elephant journal, SFWA’s The Bulletin and SEARCH magazine. He is the author of the new adult series, Cinderella’s Secret Witch Diaries.. Currently, he is keeping himself busy by writing his blog, and on learning how to be a good father to his kids all while working on his next novel. Read more at www.ronvitale.com.